A Handy Book for All Business Enthusiasts: Book Review
How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying by Victor Green
This is a book for everyone who is interested in entrepreneurship. If the reader wants to start a business without knowing how, this is a good read to start; if the reader is a college graduate with a business degree, this book provides a glimpse of the real world of business with realistic challenges and practical advice; and, if the reader is already an entrepreneur, this book acts as a reminder of what needs to be kept in mind during potential fails.
Born in London, Victor Green went from “Zero to Financial Hero.” He was involved in clothing business since his early teens and became a manager when he was only 16. Green’s experience spans a wide range of areas including clothing and publishing industries. For many years, Green did one-on-one mentoring with people who wanted to start a business or already in business. “The variety of business advice I give is considerable, almost every business you can think of and many you have not heard of,” as he claims confidently, reassuring that everyone could learn something from this book.
When he states in the book: “For some reason unknown to me, I had an incredible thirst, and loads of energy, to learn, not at school, but about business matters and how I could make money,” this clearly demonstrates what this book does to the reader as well. It is not a textbook for college business courses, but a down-to-earth and witty easy read about the whys and hows in starting and keeping a successful business. It is full of enthusiasm and it is for those who are really passionate about operating a business like the author does.
The book is general and specific at the same time. It does not focus on any particular area of investment but principles and suggestions that could be useful for anybody. Yet these tips are so detailed, going as basic as “Time Management” and “Always Be Prepared,” as well as more professional concerns such as “Profit and Loss Statement” and “What Your Profit Mark-Up Should Be.” It is not really a step-by-step reference book on how to start a business, but it does provide the readers with every aspect possible and envisioned as many negative scenarios as it can.
One particular feature about this book is that Green’s personal experience pops up every now and then to help exemplify something very simple but totally realistic cases that could happen to every entrepreneur or businessman. For example, in the section “Where it went wrong” where he talks about making mistakes in business, he recalled the lack of consideration of water usage when building a photography lab in his then newly acquired building, which led to twice the cost as he planned. “If only I had had a book like this to read and guide me!” says Green.
The conversational, enthusiastic tone and the short chapters make this book easy to read. Green’s abundant examples from his own business as well as his consultant experience with others throughout the years add a lot of credibility and authenticity to the content. It is a handy book that you can always pull out and refer to when you need a consultant or someone to push you toward at the beginning or during your business career.
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Xiaomeng Li earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, with Honors in Mass Communication and Fine Arts at Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA. She is now a Master of Arts candidate for New Arts Journalism program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Born in Wuhan, China, Li came to the United States in 2007. Her passion lies in popular culture, cross-cultural communication, and the relationship between the Chinese government, mass media and the civil society. Li is also an aspiring photographer who likes portraiture and the traditional darkroom experience.