5 comments about FabJob Guide to Become a Personal Shopper (FabJob Guides).

1. I had been searching for detailed information on how to become a personal shopper without success, so it was exciting to finally find this book. I love all the expert tips, and am especially grateful for the CD-ROM with all the samples I can use to start my own business.



2. This book is incredible - it is packed full of how to information that would have taken me a long time to find elsewhere (and I think I am shrewd when it comes to tracking down information).
   
   The writing is encouraging and upbeat and the CD-ROM that is included with the book has many excellent forms including a sample contract I have used with my clients.
   
   If someone would have told me a few years ago that I could make a living shopping I wouldn't have believed it but this book gave me the insight I needed to do just that - highly recommended!



3. This books covers every aspect that you can think of in terms of setting up the business. The sample forms came in very handy.



4. I was so excited when I received the book in the mail and it was very difficult to put down once I started reading it. It's a bible for learning personal shopping. It is very helpful, with excellent resources and guides to start your own business. I have already started my personal shopping service and will attribute the success of my business to the great source of information in this book. It tells you everything you need to know and gives you websites and a wealth of other resources. It was an excellent choice for me.



5. Lots of good information, well written. Some of the website references provide in back no longer work, or not very helpful.

1 comments about Teaching Smart People How to Learn(Harvard Business Review Classics) (Harvard Business Review Classics).

1. The title is very interesting and so is the article. The article walks through the reason why smart people can't (won't) learn and describes an approach for breaking through this mode of thinking.

   The basic premise is that people with high levels of education have learned to play the learning game. They can't or won't admit they don't know something because in essence they would have to admit failure. They often become defensive in the face of failure and displace (rationalize) the blame for failure rather then looking for the root cause and examining their own involvement in the failure.

1 comments about Six Sigma Fundamentals: A Complete Guide to the System, Methods and Tools.

1. Dean Stamatis has been known for his opposition to Six Sigma. The following are direct quotes from a paper that he wrote in Quality Digest:

   "We don't need the Six Sigma methodology to improve efficiency and productivity in our products; rather, we need to stop issuing "letters of deviation" and "waivers" from our specifications (especially at the product submittal warrant stage)."

   "We don't need the Six Sigma methodology to improve throughput and timing. Rather, we need to stick to the milestones of timing and follow the guidelines of APQP. We need management's commitment for consistency and concern for improvement."

   "We don't need the Six Sigma methodology for transactional problems such as paying suppliers within 90 days to 120 days; rather, we need to recognize that suppliers have to be paid on timely basis."

   So Dean did you really convert, or is this a convenient book to cash in on Six Sigma's popularity?

5 comments about Find It, Fix It, Flip It!: Make Millions in Real Estate--One House at a Time.

1. Not sure, I'd recommended this for someone unless you are flipping at California area.
   Thanks
   Hobi



2. I am in the real estate business in Florida.Great book! Easy- to- read, clear, concise and instructive with alot of general real estate info as well as a clear, excellent guide to finding a property, fixing it, finding the buyer and flipping it.Separated into three areas for easy reference with specific advise about pitfalls as well.
   Overall, a very recommended buy for anyone interested in flipping properties.



3. I've read a number of books on this subject and found this one much more detailed and filled with far more practical information than the others.
   He even gives you a method to figure out the profitability of a flip that's easy to use. This allows you to set a budget for your flip so you know where you need to be to make money. His no BS approach keeps your feet on the ground so you understand that a lot of what you have to learn is through experience but he gives you enough info to be well armed to win.
   E. Lobato



4. This was the third book I read on the subject of flipping real estate and while it wasn't worst book I've read, much of the information seemed to be a repeat of what the others covered. There still is plenty of information contained within that other authors never mention, so this is still worth reading if you're exploring the topic.
   
   I started with Kirsten Kemp's Flipping Confidential which I found to be a well organized primer on flipping. If you've never read any books on the subject, start with that book first.
   
   If you want a true, step-by-step manual, try Rick Villani's FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit. After reading that book, I felt like I had a clear program to follow and had I had the cash, I would have been ready to start flipping.



5. Good book, easy to read with easy-to-use formulas. However, it is meant for beginners; there's alot more to know about the process.

No comments about How to Invest in Gold and Silver: A beginners guide to the ways of investing in precious metals for safety and profit.

5 comments about Military to Federal Career Guide: Ten Steps to Transforming Your Military Experience into a Competitive Federal Resume.

1. As a former Transition Assistance Program workshop facilitator and now as a direct placement recruiter, I have worked with hundreds of transitioning military service members. Not enough vets make use of their hiring advatage in federal government because the process is so involved and can be intimidating.
   
   Troutman's latest book takes her abundant expertise in the federal hiring process and translates it in an easy to use and highly comprehensive workbook for ALL those who are leaving military service and want to explore a federal career.
   
   This book includes basic federal resume construction, an overview of the federal hiring process, how to interpret a federal job posting, electronic versus paper applications, explainations of how to claim Veterans Prefence Points, how to utilize your past experience (no matter what it was!) and how to translate "military-speak" in to federal employment language. There is also a CD-DVD-Rom included that has numerous resume samples. This book is a great supplement to the TAP manual - all the things the TAP manual barely touches on (in regards to federal employment), this book delves in and fully explains.
   
   Additionally, Troutman has done much of the research that normally takes job many frustrating hours searching the web. She includes a resource section which shares various agency websites, how to navigate them and how to apply to each individually.
   
   I recommend this book to those leaving military service, both enlisted and officers alike. It is a valueable resource - a low price investment that will be of great help to military service member making the leap into federal employment. There is no other guidebook out there like this!
   
   Don't wait until your terminal leave to get working on your federal package. The federal hiring process is not the swiftest. As a wise teacher once told me, and I now tell all my students, "Do It Now".



2. What I really like about this book is the easy-to-follow layout. It is clear and I know how to find an issue area I wish to learn more about. I also feel the content is solid and the examples are as good as it gets for this difficult area to write about. Kathryn takes the mystery out of understanding the Federal process and makes it easier by laying out the issue areas clearly and providing examples for each. She also devotes an appropriate amount of time to the dreaded KSA's and how to cut them down to size and present your background well enough to make it through the maze of the Federal selection processes.
   
   Kathryn also has excellent resources listed and her abundant research on the subject shows in the material that is presented. Like my book, it comes with a CD-ROM that has just excellent color, graphs, charts and indexing. Quite a treat to view. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in working for the Federal Government. It will make the process so much easier to understand and I believe if you follow her advice, you will have a much better chance of consideration for employment in a very crowded arena.



3. Dear Amazon.com staff;
   
   Congratulations! You outdid yourselves by having Ms. Kathryn Troutman's latest book, "Military to Federal Career Guide," in your resource library.
   
   After serving 24 years in the Marine Corps and ten years as a Career Development Coach for the Department of Defense at Camp Pendleton, CA, home to over 40,000 Marines and Sailors of the 1st Marine Division, I am pleased to praise the name of Ms. Kathryn Troutman for creating a tool that will aid the military person in becoming a Federal employee. The book "Military to Federal Career Guide" is that tool.
   
   Military personnel respond well to organized information and the "Military to Federal Career Guide" is just that, organized! This fantastic book helps military personnel to identify their transferable skills that they possess that will relate to their desired goals as a Federal Government employee.
   
   Ms. Troutman realized that since military personnel use steps and sequences to accomplish their goals, that she must create the path for the military personnel to travel to the government resume and with this book, she has done just that.
   
   I endorse this book so much because I believe that any military person that uses this book from beginning to end, following all of the steps and examples, will have a far greater chance for a job offer from the Federal government than someone that doesn't use the "Military to Federal Career Guide" book.
   
   Semper Fidelis to the staff of Amazon.com for your professionalism.
   
   Fred



4. Military to Federal Career Guide: Ten Steps to Transforming Your Military Experience into a Competitive Federal Resume is a no-nonsense, practical guide for enlisted and discharged personnel and officers. Chapters discuss veterans' advantages in applying for federal jobs, how to write a basic military federal resume, learning how to analyze federal vacancy announcements, write about one's knowledge/skills/abilities, interview for a federal job, and much more. An accompanying CD-ROM with ready-to-use resume templates and 150 pages of sample resumes rounds out this point-by-point, easy-to-use guide. An utterly invaluable resource for any veteran seeking a solid federal career.



5. The Military to Federal Career Guide has been my Bible and roadmap as I have navigated the USAJobs.gov website, prepared a military-federal resume, written KSAs, and applied for federal jobs. I heard Kathryn speak at a career fair in Washington, DC and immediately bought her book. It has been indispensable as the federal job market is like no other. The techniques to job hunt in the federal sector are not well covered in any other career transition forum of which I am aware.
   
   Kathryn guides the reader through a step-by-step process to create a federal resume and KSAs that stand out from the online electronic version and pack a punch. I used her techniques to get invited to interview for a high level position in the federal government doing the type of work I've always wanted to do (I'm awaiting the decision now). If you have ever considered a second career in the federal government, this is a resource you absolutely need!

5 comments about FabJob Guide to Become a Bookstore Owner (FabJob Guides) (FabJob Guides).

1. This reads like an adaptation of boilerplate content for a generic start-your-own business or imageine-your-future guide. It's part of a series on various dream-business topics, so that's probably exactly what it is. There are useful resources mentioned, but it's not specific and detailed enough, and you'll need to find the free listservs for bookstore owners and lurk there to learn the nitty gritty. What's the minimum square footage for a successful used bookstore, for instance? Instead, it includes too much commonsense info such as a "tip" telling you that you can find the copyright date of a book on the back of one of the title page. Geez! Anybody interested in books would know that. And makeup as a suggested sideline product in a bookstore?! Still, if you're just starting to do serious research into this business, it's the least expensive and most readily available book available as of this writing 9/2005. The best ones are either out of print, so hard to find and pricey, and the ones from the bookseller trade associations would be better to buy only after you know the realities of how costly it is and profitable it isn't to start any kind of bookstore. They're expensive. Go to one of the annual Book Expos and start your research there when you're really serious. (This book doesn't mention that invaluable resource, other than vague recommendations to attend trade shows.) My guess is that the author knows her stuff but was hamstrung by the publisher's constrained format requirements.



2. The author has done a wonderful job writing the FabJob Guide to Become a Bookstore Owner! The book is full of usefull tips and in-depth information. It is so straightforward and helpful, it is easy to read, and it provides such fantastic information.
   
   Also the forms that were included on the CD-ROM were immensely practical and usefull and those alone are worth the cost of this book.



3. I have been thinking about opening a bookstore for years and I really enjoyed this book. The information was very important to me in my process of getting started. The book covers not only the basics (which I definitely needed) but gave me a lot of industry information that I was having trouble finding. I liked the quotes from booksellers. It looks like the author really did a lot of research to put this together. I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about opening a bookstore!



4. It has been my dream to open up a bookstore for years. So, I decided to research it. I purchased this book and my copy is marked up completely. It contains my notes, sticky papers and more. It gave me valuable research that I feel would have taken me at least a year to obtain on my own. In addition, alot of her research is research you cannot get on-line. The reason is because it includes interviews she conducted with bookstore owners asking about their experiences of being a store owner, resources, ideas and more. It is crystal clear to me that a great deal of time and research went into putting this book together. As an author myself, I personally know how time consuming research can be in writing a book. So, Trust me, this book will be worth every penny!



5. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to assist you with opening up your own bookstore, then this is the book for you! Being a first time business owner, I had no idea of where to begin. I struggle for over two months just trying to do the research to get started. Then I came upon this book and within hours of reading it, I had a clear road map to start my own business. Now I'm not saying it made things easier. There is still a lot of hard work that goes into opening your own business. But it does make the initial starting point clearer.

5 comments about Start Small, Profit Big in Real Estate: Fixer Jay's 2-Year Plan for Building Wealth - Starting from Scratch.

1. The author gave "how" examples and easy to understand explainations to help you build wealth.



2. I loved Fixer Jay's original book, Investing In Fixer Uppers, so I was thrilled to buy his second book as soon as I heard about it. It is an ok book, but it is his original book in a new cover. Even some of the sentences are the same. It was kind of like listening to a friend who tells you the same stories without remembering that he has told you already, using the same words, gestures and inflection. I was dissapointed that there is actually no explanation for creating a 2-year plan anywhere in the book. The closest thing that I could find to a 2-year plan, was a sentence on page 8 that said, "Two years after you acquire your first property, you should have a dependable income, assuming that you're following my strategies." Then comes an analogy that investing in real estate is like kissing frogs to find a prince. I suppose that it is, but it didn't help me with a 2-year plan. If you are interested in fixing up houses to rent for income, don't hesitate to buy Jay's first book-I have read it 5 times, and am using his strategies from that book right now, having just fixed up an older house in my neighborhood. With 3 month's part time work, I now have 28k in equity, and 209.00 per month positive cashflow, on my first fix-up ever, thanks to his first book. The house was even owner financed, 2% down, and deferred payments too! (Jay's strategies) Don't bother with the 2-year plan book though, because it isn't anything new.



3. This book has the strong qualities of Jay's first book - written in a easy-going, lay-back style that makes it enjoyable to read, and it presents an eminently useful model that really works.
   
   Jay says to avoid slick and flashy techniques because "slick is another word for slippery." He points out the gurus who formerly expounded on a wide assortment of get-rich techniques are "either bankrupt or working in gas stations." Jay advises to stick with run-down, fixer-upper types of properties. Buy low, and improve their value, and rent them out. I's a winning formula that I, and many others, have used to make money in real estate.
   
   I particularly liked Jay's technique of taking a low key negotiation approach, like the former TV-detective Columbo when he interrogated suspects. Instead of putting the seller on the defensive, don't directly tell them what's wrong with their house. No one wants a complete stranger to come up and criticize their house. Always show respect to the seller, and have the seller tell you what's wrong with the house by asking him a series of polite questions. Listen carefully to what the seller has to say. You can learn a lot by listening. Don't be critical, never talk down to anyone. Even sellers who must sell, won't sell to you if you try to intimidate them. Jay points out that you still must diligently verify any information you get from the seller. One way to do that is to ask for their "Schedule E" tax form.
   
   Another key to Jay's formula is turning motivated sellers into bankers. This is something that a lot of us, myself included, need to work on. If we follow Jay's advice and get the seller to finance at least part of the loan, the purchase process suddenly becomes much easier.
   
   I also liked Jay's memo system of dealing with renter problems. In using this system, I find it simplifies my dealings with renters. If you call and tell them to do something, they forget. If they see it in writing, in an official-looking memo, they will usually, but not always, do what you ask them to do. It reduces direct contact with them and it gives you written documentation in case you later need it later to remove them from the house. I like Jay's comment "tenants don't intimidate me because they are simply no match for my landlording skills." A bold attitude that we should all aspire for.
   
   Overall, there is a lot to like about this book. If offers sound advice for the new, and the seasoned, investor. The Columbo negotiating technique alone was worth the price of the book for me.
   
   
   Terry Sprouse is author of the book: "Fix 'em Up, Rent 'em Out: How to Start Your Own House Fix-up and Rental Business in Your Spare Time."



4. Author's basic premise makes sense-- there is money to be made buying fixer upper single-family houses that are rehabbed and rented for investment income. Author suggests focusing on houses that require cosmetic repairs and/or sweat-equity repairs that offer cost savings via investor completed repairs versus hiring and paying a professional.
   
   Book's shortcomings include ad nausea repetition, a lack of practical how-to advice and too many references to investment returns based on gross income versus net income or before tax cash flow (i.e., A $100,000 house that rents for $1,000 per month does not produce a 12% return unless the tenant covers all operating expenses, capital improvements and there is no debt service. John Schaub's single-family house investment books offer a more detailed road map.



5. There is some good, useful information in this book. But personally I found it hard to get past the country boy, hick lingo that he uses so much. For example, "Never Try to Milk a Steer". There are so many metaphors like this, I couldn't get through the whole book because I was laughing instead of absorbing the information. Most of the information is good, but if the book was more well written it would be alot better. I stopped reading this book and moved on to another one that I purchased at the same time, Millionaire Real Estate Mentor, I think its written by Russ Whitney or Ross Whitney, something like that. That one is awesome so far and I would recommend it above this book any day.

3 comments about The Road to 850: Proven Strategies for Increasing Your Credit Score.

1. Excellent book. Very well written. I learned more from this book in one evening than I thought I ever could. Al Bingham explains the myteries of credit and credit scores in a way that is easy to undestand. I felt I was pretty savvy when it came to understanding my credit score but little did I know. Highly recommended. The best money I have spent on a book in a long time. A+



2. Al Bingham does a great job of unraveling the mystery of credet scores. Not only is the information great, but the presentation is also excellent. Its easy to read. No need for a college degree to interpret what is said. If you want to know what factors are used to create credit scores and how you can improve your score, this is the book for you.



3. This book is a must for everyone, because EVERYONE needs a raise in their credit score, especially in today's economy.
   
   I have been looking to refinance my home with a credit score average of 620 and it wasn't working out so well. I used advice and insight from this book and got my score up to a 750 average in 3 weeks! I really didn't have any money to work with either. Of course, paying off your credit lines is the best way to get your score up, but I was very surprised to learn a few new tricks to do so without even having to pay much off! The credit score system is ridiculous and if you think you know it all, you don't!
   
   I love how well this book is organized. It makes rather difficult insights easy to understand and easy to put into action and it really doesn't take much reading to get there.
   
   Thanks to the authors and researchers who put this together, no other book or website I could find even compares.

1 comments about How To Be A Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property.

1. Curtis Seltzer's book, How To Be a Dirt-Smart Buyer of Country Property, delivers. It shows readers how to protect themselves when buying country property.
   
   It's a comprehensive reference book with a long shelf life. While state and federal regulations will change, Seltzer's basic approach to researching the risks in property and determining its value will never be out of date.
   
   I never knew there was so much to know about farms, second homes and timber land--not to mention purchase-offer contracts, borrowing, lawyers, lenders, foresters, surveyors, contractors, inspectors, real estate brokers and sellers.
   
   This is a huge book, but Seltzer makes the reading easy. He includes lots of personal experience and anecdotes from his consulting practice. He's also a very funny guy.
   
   If you're looking for country property, buy this book first.