4 comments about The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations.

1. With extensive non-profit experience ranging from general volunteerism, management of non-profit outreach and assistance programs as well as board member roles, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations is one of the best tools I've seen. While serving as board chairperson for the non profit organization Willow Center for Grieving Children, I was able to triple the income in three years by utilizing my own POWER Planning Process expertise coupled with the precision of One Page Business Plan techniques. We've recently hired our first ever, paid Executive Director who will receive a copy of The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations to take our organization to greater levels of success. I have no doubt that the assessment and accountability tools will serve as a vital roadmap to future accomplishments.
   
   Horan includes solid techniques and tactics that effectively marry heart-based and business-minded volunteers and non-profit paid employees, alike. Plus, his one-page format is much more user friendly than the traditional SWOT analysis marketing/business plan that can be overwhelming to people who don't work with marketing and business planning on a regular basis.
   
   Put simply, the one-page format keeps the entire organization on the same page (no pun intended) so that goals and objectives are met.
   
   Lisa Manyon



2. First, I'm so glad in your introduction that you directly address non-profits current need to put business savvy and structure under their social goal orientation. I think this is not a pervasive perspective yet and it really needs to be to improve non-profit success in these days of leaner funding sources.
   
   Strategies, Action Plans, Objectives - looks like you did a good job of translating the business OPBP version over, especially in these 3 more challenging areas.
   
   The assessments starting on page 25, including a personal assessment (yes!!!), are wonderful and provide critical information for adjusting strategies and operational action planning. I think this is a really strong element of the book. People in organizations often don't know how to approach assessing themselves honestly.
   
   Really liked your "Components of a Successful Non-Profit" page - brings it all together.



3. I've used all three of Jim's One Page Business Plan Books, and this one is the best! Concise, informative, creative, and inspirational, The One Page Business Plan for Non-Profit Organizations is easy for both the consultant and client to use.
   
   Non-Profit Organizations are businesses, too. Most people who write "how to" books for profit businesses aren't also writing books for the non-profit sector. Jim and his One Page Business Plan series is different. Jim and his books comfortably straddle both the profit and non-profit arenas, and are written from an informed perspective.
   
   If you are non-profit organization and it's time to write a business plan, this is the book for you. Within as little as 3 weeks, you will have your business plan done, your board excited and energized, and everyone on the same page.
   
   This is the only business plan I use with my clients -- non-profit and profit alike.



4. I am so pleasantly surprised by this book.
   
   I consult to small and medium size nonprofits on how to either get started or how to get off a plateau or 'stuck' place. This book will now be foundational in how I address these groups.
   
   Terrific, step by step, no nonsense direction.
   
   There is no touchy-feely here, though. If you want hand holding and advice and coddling, this isn't it. This will help you lay down the a, b, c, and d of your plans to move forward. Fill in the blanks, type it up, and go get your work done.

5 comments about Bollinger on Bollinger Bands.

1. "Bollinger on Bollinger Bands" is a through explanation of the theory behind the analysis tool, and means for increasing its value. Examples are given in both independent use of the tool and for its use in concert with other measures. Codependent variables are discussed and reasonable cautions are stated. Multiple trading systems are discussed as well.
   
   However, I was sorely disappointed that the book made reference to "free" tools on the internet. Most of these were available only for a 30-day trial pre-purchase, and without stating the purchase price--before signing up for the trial. It was not possible to evaluate the value of the proposed trading methodologies by using what was stated to be "free" access. I felt mis-lead, at best.
   
   This is not a book for a beginner in stock technical analysis. It pre-supposed knowledge of several acronyms, which are sometimes explained later in the text (to be fair). It would have made a better read had all acronymns been defined and explained on their first occurence.
   
   I still found this to be a valuable text on the derivation and logic behind Bollinger Bands, and for that reason alone have gien it a relatively high rating. But don't expect to buy the book and directly apply it to trading without purchasing or developing some additional software, or in the alternative, doing a lot of pencil and paper work.



2. As a beginning trader, the concept of Trendlines, Stochastics, MACD, RSI, Moving Averages (Weighted, Exponential, Simple) can begin to all blend together. And of course, if you are paper trading, or even actually trading, then your Charting software has the capability to show the Bollinger Bands to help you make your trading decisions. John Bollinger does perhaps the BEST job of all the books I have read on nailing for the reader the statistical value of each type of 'methodology' along with which types of methodolgies are 'co-linear' in that they provide you with the same information. He shows you the power and value of Bollinger bands OVER other moving average technologies, and finally, helps you get a handle how to trade. He is direct, clear, and very helpful in conveying a broad and deep subject, along with also keeping the reading interesting. This book is not a beginners book. You should either already have lots of trading experience OR have read a number of books on trading. Many of his examples are for Stock Traders, but he also shows the power of Bollinger Bands in Commodities and Futures. I highly recommend this book for the beginner who is 'educating' himeself through books and has a number of books under his belt, OR for someone who is doing trading already, and wants to improve their game.



3. It is quite mind boggling that many traders don't have some kind of bands, channels, and envelopes incorporated into their trading plan. I'm a
   strong proponent of using 'absolute limit indicators' in trading, though I do not personally use Bollinger bands because I use different bands in my trading. Neverthless, this book contains many patterns which can certainly be transfer to other 'absolute limit' type of indicators.
   This serious book should be studied by all technical traders



4. This book wasn't all that bad, and there was some worthwhile trading information in it, however it could've have been half the size had the author not wanted you to know how "really really" smart he was. As a result of this it included a lot of waffle about unrelated history about non trading/investing matters. Still O'Neill did it as well, so did Sperandao.......why do guys who've made a few bucks in the market and turn themselves into authors confuse themselves with Einstein?



5. I bought Bollinger on Bollinger Bands yesterday and only wish I had bought a year ago when I began short term trading. The book is NOT just about Bollinger Bands, although there is nothing wrong with that. It contains several strategies and Technical Analysis techniques. I have played around with so many Tech Anal's and just get more and more confused. Because of this book, I am going back to basics, using Bollinger and Volume and go from there. I highly recommend this book...terrific for beginning traders and the more experienced. John Bollinger is gold, deserving of his master reputation.

2 comments about Manhattan Review Turbocharge Your GMAT: Verbal Study Guide.

1. This book does a great job of reviewing all the necessary grammatical usage and verbal reasoning strategies needed to prepare for this section of the GMAT. The training set which comes after the study guide section is especially valuable with its abundance of useful practice questions, including a large section on sentence correction. Highly recommended for thorough review and helpful test-taking skills.



2. Got about 550 in my first practice exam. After going through this book (and the math counterpart), I ended up scoring 750 on my first (and only) take.

5 comments about Product Development for the Lean Enterprise: Why Toyota's System Is Four Times More Productive and How You Can Implement It.

1. Even in the academic literature, there is no better reference. Note: do not buy the book "the minding organization" where the author refers to in the book.



2. For anyone interested in the next stage of Product Development -- this is a must read. The Toyota system encorporates what I felt has been missing in the product development process for so long. It takes into account the chaos that exists during development and actually encourages it instead of covering it up.
   
   I've beginning to incorporate these concepts into our process and am excited about the results I'm seeing.



3. Thumbs up, but I'd recommend you attend his workshops over the book if the opportunity presents itself.
   
   The book is written as a fictional account of a company's journey from process hell to an environment where engineers can devote themselves more completely to the craft they love. It is complete with protagonists and antagonists. The many men and women who have devoted large portions of their careers to wrestling with new product development process issues and trying to improve the quality and efficiency of product development processes may justifiably take offense at being cast as the antagonist, but it wouldn't be much of a story without the villains.
   
   The book raises some very good issues and points out some very good practices that have contributed to Toyota's success. Toyota's design philosophy is optimized for lowest possible risk to model year goals. American management teams would do well to think about optimizing for low risk instead of highest efficiency and lowest development cost. For many companies the cost of developing a new product is a fairly modest portion of their overall cost structure and the price they pay for missing new product introduction dates is far greater than the gains from tailoring their internal processes for the lowest cost development.
   
   The implementation of highly redundant development paths (called sets in the book) will be far less revolutionary than the book would have you believe. It really comes down to a willingness and ability to make the necessary investments. Readers who have studied Japanese companies will find much that is familiar. Publicly held Japanese companies are far less driven by quarterly results than are their American counter parts. Japanese companies typically have few (if any) small stockholders looking for short term gains. The largest stock holders in a Japanese company are often other Japanese companies. They tend to set long term strategic goals e.g. to dominate the world car industry in 5 years. While these businesses must make money to sustain themselves they are content with smaller earnings than their American counterparts making it possible to re-invest larger portions of their revenues back into the company. Some of that reinvestment shows up as investment in engineering work that reduces risk to new product introduction dates. But make no mistake about it, there are no miracle cures. During the initial stages of introducing a risk adverse strategy you are getting less (new features) with more (investment), but on time, likely with better quality, and you can build economically on that investment for a future stream of new products.
   
   Efficiency can be a huge problem, but not always. In many organizations engineering efficiency is disappointingly low. The book tries to make the case that Toyota's engineers are 4X more productive than the engineers of the fictitious company in the book (approx. 80% productive compared to ITRs 20%). The measure of productivity is not explained, but it is implied that it is simply the number of hours/week that engineers spend engineering instead of (presumably) unnecessary process compliance. It is unlikely that Toyota's engineers are on average really 4X more productive than the best of American engineering teams. A comparison between Toyota's engineering and one of America's best is probably a better comparison than a fictitious engineering team. The book does not sight any objective evidence for the 4X claim. Although few companies share their productivity numbers, 65% is a widely accepted number for staff utilization. If Toyota's staff utilization really is 80% then that would put them about 1.23X more productive. In actual fact productivity is far more complex to measure and since it is so complex many observers chose a metric and then measure changes rather than focus on an absolute #. Lack of evidence aside, the book does highlight some interesting opportunities for improvement in the area of knowledge retention and reuse.
   
   I have no doubt that there are companies whose developers are 20% productive. Lack of stability in the organization is certainly a contributor. The ineptitude and unending churn of engineering management teams is a frequent cause. Many companies have suffered at the hands of corporate management teams looking for quick fixes to the perception that their projects take too long, cost too much, and fail too often. They are often executives who have no engineering experience and no way to objectively assess the performance of their teams. They are driven by fear and uncertainty. They have often set goals that are hopelessly impossible to begin with. The result from the engineer's perspective is an unending stream of organizational change meetings to roll out the new engineering management team, introduce their dramatic new ideas, and get the teams trained. This is immediately followed by or coupled with a call to heroic self-sacrifice in an effort to meet the hopeless goal with the new structure. Sound familiar? If you we're drawn to this book it probably does.
   
   The first thing that any student of Japanese industry learns is its strong reliance on life-time employment. While there has been some decline in longevity in recent years it remains the expectation for most Japanese employees entering the workforce. The long-term expectations and thorough understanding of the company and its markets which the most senior managers obtain during their long careers fosters more emphasis on incremental improvement rather than radical re-birth. Either strategy can work, but the highest probability of long-term success is with the incremental improvement paradigm.
   
   Mr. Kennedy is a joy to talk to with a refreshing directness and wealth of experience. The book has a "sensational" tone, but you'd expect that in a work that was intended to get your attention and interest. The advice he offers in person is well reasoned and sound. Well worth the price of admission.



4. Everything written is a bullseye with the exception of glaring ignorance regarding Six Sigma - what it is and isn't. What is written relative to Lean here should be taken verbatim as applying to Six Sigma also - there is no difference. Similarly, the written characterizations of Six Sigma should be ignored. To quote Senji Nihwa, Taiichi Ohno's lieutenant at Toyota for decades, in a good-natured ribbing, "You Americans, always trying to categorize things. Call it Lean, call it Six Sigma, it makes no difference to us...it's all the same." And so it is.
   
   The book is extremely well written and accurate with the exception noted above. If readers can simply meld the descriptions as also being characteristic of a Six Sigma organization, and discard the mischaracterizations of Six Sigma as written, they are in for a very positive learning experience.



5. This book, as others have said, is much like "The Goal". It is not a silver bullet, not the final solution or even the best business book ever written. It is a clear concise way to explore a more realistic paradigm than the one you probably exist in now. It coaches you on implementation, partcipation and collaboration. It is simply right on and it will drive your mind to next level of understanding.
   I recommend this for everone at any level. It re-states the power of synergy and how to tap into it. Get your 80% work product efficiency and 4X improvement now - it works.

5 comments about Stikky Stock Charts: Learn The 8 Major Stock Chart Patterns Used By Professionals And How To Interpret Them To Trade Smart--in OSne Hour, Guaranteed (Stikky).

1. Before reading the book, I had NO concept on analyzing charts. This is a wonderful book for a beginner into the world of trading/investing. It helped show what the primary patterns are, how to spot them, & how to interpret them. I recommend this book for anyone who does not understand chart analysis & how to apply it. It will open a door needed to be profitable in your endeavor.



2. I used to look at charts and think, you have to be an educated soul to understand what all the lines are about. 120 pages into this little book and I was filled with confidence and a hunger to know more.I found this sticky little book a great exposure to the world of t/a, and I hope you do to.



3. This is by far one of the most well-written books I have seen in a long time. It keeps the reader's interest and makes learning the material fun. Even a 5th grader could work through this book and enjoy it. Best of all, charting works, especially when one looks at support and resistance, long-term support and resistance. The buy-and-hold approach goes out the window, once one looks at charts and observes their up-and-down behavior. A real value considering how many thousands it can save you in the markets. And these same analysis techniques apply to whatever one is trading, foreign exchange, options, stocks, whatever. A good sequel is to learn candlesticks (Steve Nison's books) to help predict reversals. No book is the holy grail, and charting is an art and not a science, but some books can help one make a lot of money and keep them from losing a lot of money. This is that type of book!



4. I have been investing for a short amount of time, but I am new to chart-reading and all the trading fundamentals. This book was a great place to start and I really loved the presentation of it as well. Cheap too.



5. What can a stock chart tell you? Well, it can tell you what masses of people are thinking... and what they might do next. If you think that might help you with your investing or trading, then this book is a cheap and easy to understand introduction for you. I read it through several times until I could just look at a chart and pick out some major patterns.
   
   The book gives you clear examples of typical chart patterns and what they mean. It also has examples where YOU draw the lines and make the interpretations. Don't skip over that part. Physically drawing on paper has a way of ingraining something into your mind more than clicking buttons on a computer screen or just skimming through pages, for the same reason some people take notes in class and never look at them again.
   
   Certainly, this book is aimed at people who know little to nothing about the subject, like other Stikky books, so don't expect any deep revelations here. But for the new or casually curious investor, I would highly recommend it!

5 comments about The Kaizen Pocket Handbook.

1. This is an excellent primer for anyone getting started with Kaizen and Kaizen Events. The book covers all of the basics in a thorough, concise, and easy to read manner. A good value for the money.



2. 
   Kaizen is a Japanese word that means improvement. The Kaizen concept is on continuous improvement with a focus on the goals of quality, cost and schedule that ultimately drive company profitability. "The Kaizen Pocket Handbook" is a fantastic book for those that wish to have a quick guide for Kaizen and Kaizen Events.
   
   Japanese companies distinguish between Kaizen (continuous change/improvement) and innovation (radical change). The Kaizen concept focuses on the elimination of waste and inefficiency. The kaizen five-S framework for good housekeeping is tidiness; orderliness; cleanliness; standardised clean-up and discipline.
   
   Kaizen is a people oriented, relatively easy to implement and require long-term discipline. The concept fits well with incremental change situations that require long-term change of organisational culture.
   
   This is a well written book, in simple and easy to understand language that makes it a valuable companion for those that wish to get started on the Kaizen and Kaizen events. The book is brief and to the point, highlighting the essentials without getting bogged down with details.



3. This booklet might be useful to an executive in a large company. However for the average person wanting to use kaizen generally in their whole life it's not very helpful. I also think it's overpriced for it's size and content.



4. I love having this handy pocket handbook available for quick references. Shipping was quick and product was perfect.



5. Good reference panflet, clear and to the point
   Provide clear and simple tools to explain some of the lean steps requiered.

5 comments about Online Marketing Success Stories: Insider Secrets, from the Experts Who Are Making Millions on the Internet Today.

1. Rene V. Richard offers a comprehensive look at multiple "real world" success stories of on-line marketers. Then, when you as the reader come to terms with the fact that regardless of what you may have heard, success is possible in such an ultra-competitive market, Richard gives information, hints, strategies and techniques to help anyone achieve higher profits from a smaller investment. A worthwhile read if the world of online marketing appeals to you - even just a little bit.



2. E-commerce is expected to increase by 500 percent through 2010, so any business anticipating success must have more than a retail brick n mortar presence: that's the message of a title which gathers over sixty true stories from those who have evolved successful businesses on the internet today. Learn from the culmination of hundreds of tips, which here represent the best, most successful advice. There are many books covering Internet strategies - but few packed with real-world success stories, as this provides.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. Online Marketing Success Stories: Insider Secrets From the Experts Who Are Making Millions on the Internet Today Rene V. Richards is a must have for anyone running or thinking of beginning an online business. The book provides background information and current contact information for over 65 successful online business ventures. Tips and tricks of the trades are provided in an easy-to-follow format. While some of the stories are presented in interview format, others are presented as stories. There are multiple other sections which provide additional summaries of the best tips available from insiders of the trades. All of the information is helpful and intriguing, and it is highly recommended, with a 5 star rating overall.



4. Richards provides many different stories from both small and large businesses which were successful online. She also summarizes the key points from these stories into simple, easy to follow guidelines for your own internet marketing. From each story, you can get a lesson to apply to your own business - and the reading is more interesting than a normal textbook. Also, each story contains a tip for new online businesses or those wanting to refresh their strategies. Since so much of online marketing is about websites and email mailing lists, these topics are also covered in depth. Overall, a useful book to provide you with some tips on how to make the most of your online advertising dollars whether you are just starting out or just want to be even more successful than you already are.



5. Bought the book looking at the table of contents and some reviews. I practically spent 10 mins on the book before realizing this was not worth the time and effort going any further.
   
   I did go through each chapter and spend a min before eventually throwing the book away.
   
   Save your money guys.

5 comments about Trend Trading for a Living: Learn the Skills and Gain the Confidence to Maximize Your Profits.

1. It was an ok book. I expected alot more from the author. I don't like books that self promote all through the book. I bought the book, obviously I like you and what you represent. I do not need to be reminded of that every few pages.
   
   It could have been alot more. There was some useful information - but the promotion gets in the way.



2. Psychology, money management and an edge with a positive expectancy is all you need for trading success. The trading strategies in Dr. Carr's book give you that edge and are also easily adapted to end of day trading and longer trends. The Dr.'s passion for trading and teaching his readers to trade is obvious throughout the book. I've been trading trends for a very long time and I now have a book that I can recommend to people who want to know how to succeed using this method.



3. A great book with real insight. I particularly like the fact that he actually provides about 10 scan setups to help locate stocks which fit various bull and bear configurations he describes, then he explains how to trade them. Very useful, its at my desk everyday.



4. The trend trading is match with my style. I have read a lot of books about this such as, Michael W, Dr. Elder's book and more.. that are great books. For "Trend trading for a living", They are a step by step cleary information which is easy to follow and give me more detail to complete my trading system.



5. As a user of Stockcharts.com, I found the book very helpful in setting up screens for stock trades.
   I highly recommend to anyone using Stockcharts.com.

5 comments about All I Need to Know About Manufacturing I Learned in Joe's Garage: World Class Manufacturing Made Simple.

1. This easy to read book outlines all the concepts of lean manufacturing in an entertaining and understandable manner. I make it required reading for all my Manufacturing Engineers, Department Managers and Supervisors.



2. Another book fawning all over Toyota and the Japanese as being the absolute masters of production. No one but them can possibly produce anything properly. Oh, wait, did this book mention that it was AMERICANS who showed the Japanese modern production methods immediately after WWII? By golly, they left out that little detail.. you probably don't hear that too much, but look it up if you don't believe me. For all of the 1950's and most of the 1960's, "Made in Japan" was not a good thing to see on a product. Only in the past 30 years have they gotten good. I won't deny that American companies have gotten sloppy, and they need a cold hard slap to wake them up. But, I think that some of these books go a little overboard heaping praise on Japanese methods.



3. This is a book that is being passed around work. A very simplistic book an introductory look at 2 different ways of looking at and doing a manufacturing process. I don't know if I would recomend this book except if you wanted a quick and fast look at the two different ways. The major draw back is that it doesn't look at the problem areas of the other way. Basically the "American" way and the "Japanese" way of manufacturing.
   
   I guess I expected more after reading all the glowing reviews in the front of the book. It is an ok book but not great.



4. Provides the basics of lean manufacturing in a way that causes you to want to learn more and apply what is learned.



5. This book is required for two of the courses in my Manufacturing Engineering program. It was not what I expected, but was written in a short story like format, which made it a much easier read. Not a definitive guide, but gets across several key points in an easy to understand format. Recommended for anyone with a casual interest in the subject, but not for someone looking for an in-depth look. Only takes about 90 minutes to read through, but to really pick everything up may take 2 or 3 reads.

5 comments about Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love.

1. The best recommendation I can give this book is that I've already purchased 4 copies to give to friends and colleagues, in addition to my own copy.
   
   I have known Marty for years, and I leave every encounter with him with a fresh, clear perspective on what I thought was a problem that would take me weeks to unravel. After each of these encounters I think, "Why can't we just bottle Marty? I need a good dose of him more often, and he's in such high demand." And here it is, Marty in a bottle.
   
   In this book, Marty describes roles of the product team, including the PM, and guidelines for deciding what, and IF, to build. His points are so clear and make such good sense they have that special stamp of brilliance--seeming obvious the minute you hear them (and yet, somehow, no one else is able to articulate them). Highly, highly recommended for new product organizations as they lay the groundwork as well as existing organizations looking to improve their products and the way they work.



2. I just finished reading Inspired by Marty Cagan. Marty runs the SVPG group in Silicon Valley and offers onsite consulting related to product management in software companies. In a series of essays, Inspired explains the basics of product management. What's the difference between product management and product marketing? What's the difference between product management and project management? What are personas and when do you use them? How does product management work in an agile environment? What is agile and what is waterfall? These questions and more are addressed in the book. Inspired is a great combination of what to do and examples of how to do it. If you're new to product management, check out this book.



3. There are tons of books on marketing, user interface design, business strategy and technology, but this is the first book I've ever heard of that really attempts to codify and describe what good product management is all about. There is shockingly little material that describes even the basics of this vital function, and Mr. Cagan's book covers not only the basics but also some of the more esoteric elements of a product manager's existence. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand product management more effectively as well as to practicioners who need a reference guide. As a product manager myself, I will keep this book right on my desk at work, and over time I imagine it will become well-thumbed!



4. With any book regarding Product Development, one will be looking for valuable insight and, most of all, application of knowledge. Marty does an excellent job and both of these.



5. I think this book is excellent. It covers every area of product management in just enough detail. One can tell that it was written by a real practitioner with a great experience and track record in product management.
   If your organization is a product organization I recommend this book as your product management manual.