Customer Reviews

The Big Idea: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, From the Aha Moment to Your First Million

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Simply fluff. That's what I have to say about this book. Sure, there is an outline. And it is reasonably well written. But it doesn't have a whole lot of sound advice in it as far as I am concerned. The author has his own popular TV show and this book comes across simply as a marketing tool for the TV show. It has 21 chapters and 3 appendices as follows:

1. Calling all dreamers
2. No experience necessary
3. Why make someone else rich?
4. Make love, not work
5. There's gotta be a better way
6. Why didn't I think of that?
7. Break out of the box
8. Change the world with a simple idea
9. Why not me?
10. The gut check moment
11. They told me I'd never make it
12. Saved by a big idea
13. Who said it was too late?
14. From zero to millions
15. Fueled by mom power
16. All in the family
17. People to people
18. Dollars & sense
19. Perfect pitch
20. Make trade show magic
21. The hungry millionaire
A. The big idea blueprint
B. The big idea toolbox
C. The big idea community

The author said he was not much of a student in high school. What a bunch of bunk - he got in and graduated from an Ivy League school. He says he's an authority on "The Big Idea." To me that means he is a startup specialist. But his background involved taking over the family business which was already established before he got hold of it. But the biggest problem I had with this book was Appendix A which claims to include a 12-step roadmap to launching one's business. It reads as follows:

Step 1. Write your mission statement
Step 2. Describe your product or service idea
Step 3. Conduct market research
Step 4. Create your business plan
Step 5. Build your network
Step 6. Formalize your idea
Step 7. Create a prototype
Step 8. Hold focus groups
Step 9. Find a manufacturer & distributor
Step 10. Launch your Web site
Step 11. Pubicize your idea
Step 12. Pitch potential suppliers/customers

Seems like this roadmap is for an inventor who wants to create a profitable widget. I would have liked the book more if it catered to ANY small business startup. That includes services businesses, consulting businesses, retail businesses, etc. But the roadmap as presented is flawed. I think normally you start with your idea, then you do some research which may include some focus groups, then you create a prototype, then you do your business plan that includes: (1) a mission statement, (2) your formalized idea, (3) list of people to network with, (4) operations issues, (5) marketing issues. After one has the business plan, then they launch the business according to the dictates of the plan. It is the plan that is the roadmap. The plan is not just a step in a roadmap.

This book goes heavy on fluff and inspiration and light on nuts and bolts necessary to actually launch a startup. As a result I cannot give it a particularly good star rating. 3 stars!

Because I enjoy occasionally watching Donny Deutsch's TV show by the same name, I thought I would try the book. I expected that I likely would get a ghost written pabulum of basic business information. I was very pleasantly surprised that I got so, so much more.

Like with his TV show, Deutsch crisply communicates a wonderful blend of possibility thinking and entrepreneurial support. There are people who do each of the two subjects better, but no one who combines the two as effectively as does the author. Think Dr. Robert Schuller (Possibility Thinking) meets Michael Gerber (E Myth).

The book has many power points, but for me the strongest takeaway was Deutsch's mantra that many of the best ideas come from a simple notion that we all have "there must be a better way." Before reading this book, my frame of reference for innovation was more oriented to scientific discoveries (because my consulting work intersects with the venture capital field). The author is very convincing that there are abundant opportunities that arise without deep research. Instead they come from that aha moment when we have identified a better way, and then back-up that moment by taking the resulting product or service to market.

The book also does an excellent job of laying out the hurdles in transforming an innovation into entrepreneurial success. And, it does so with that same hi-speed, interesting communication that is a hallmark of the author's TV show.

I enjoyed the book so much that I also bought the audio reading by Deutsch. It is one of the five best audios I have ever heard (and I have listened to 100's). The combination of the books excellent content and Deutsch's captivating reading style makes for an audio that kept my interest throughout the four CD's.

Given the quality of Deutsch's TV show, I should have expected that his book would be as special. Shame on me for thinking otherwise. Kudos to the author for demonstrating multi-media excellence.

Love him or hate him, Donny Deutsch is the mouthpiece of and for entrepreneurs everywhere. On his show, The Big Idea on CNBC he showed again and again how anyone can make good no matter where they start or where they are at. He takes that one step further with the book and puts his ideas and his guests ideas into a workable blueprint.

This book is very good.

It is full of hard hitting, implementable insights about how to make things happen. Donny is nothing if not someone who knows how to make things happen and he shows you again and again not just how he did it but how others are doing it too.

One of the things I really enjoy about this book is that it champions the little guy or woman. It shows how anyone can make it. The book inspires you to try harder and think about success in ways you probably haven't.

There were several sections that I thought were exceptional. The section about writing your second story. It really highlights how NOW is the time to do something, not yesterday and not tomorrow, but right now. The section about making your mark and promoting yourself was invaluable too and Donny knows a thing or two about promoting himself (and he's got the goods to back it up).

If you are starting a business or if you've found yourself wondering about your next step read this book, it will give you dozens of ideas you can implement now.

A must read for every Entrepreneur, small business owner or person wondering about starting a business.

Dave Lakhani

Length:: 1:26 Mins

Big Idea, The: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, From the Aha Moment to Your First Million is a must read for all people who want to be successful as an entrepreneur. It's full of stories, not theories, about how real people have done it and how you can do it too. It's a quick read and it will motivate you to finally make your way as an entrepreneur.

I am an inventor and I just finished reading this book. There were parts where I actually started crying because of how portions resonated with me, and the parallels to my own path. I currently have 5 patent pending, inventions. One of them is called the Parachute Skimmer (tm), [..]. It is the `push broom' for the pool, and has other uses as well. It opens up in the pool like a parachute, the top part floats and the bottom part sinks, a screen in the middle collects the floating debris as you pull it through the water and it is much more efficient than a traditional skimmer.
I invented the device because it used to take me forever to skim my pool of floating debris with a traditional skimmer and I thought, "there has to be a better way to do this."

The Parachute Skimmer also has other uses: pond and canal cleaning; and the search and rescue markets. Bounty Hunter, Leonard Padilla's dive team actually used my device to search for a missing 3 year old, in Orlando and the lead diver discussed my invention in November on CNN's Nancy Grace show.

Reading this book was like reading my own story. I am now being considered for a reality TV show. A few months ago, as part of the application process I had to create a video answering their canned questions. Here are a couple of my answers/excerpts from that application:

"I won't even consider not succeeding, I won't let that happen."
"I ask people all the time what would they do if they won the lottery. Most people's answers are something different than what they are currently doing. So I ask them why they aren't pursuing their dream. Life is too short. Go for it!"
"Most people probably think I am a little bit crazy for taking the risks I have taken. None of that matters though, because I believe in what I am doing. And when someone says, that's a really good idea that makes all the rejection, all the effort worth it. It keeps me going."
"I want people to know it isn't crazy to pursue their dreams. It is scary it is like stepping off a cliff with your eyes closed and not knowing how far down you may fall. But that is okay the thermals just might make you soar! Go Ahead Jump!"

When you read this book you will see many of us (inventor/entrpreneurs) share this same theme. It took me years to discover and learn what Donny has compiled in this book. Donny's book captures all the emotion, it is a great resource for all inventors and it will inspire anyone who reads it!

This book shares many inspiring stories and talks about a lot of the hardships these people encountered along the way. I had hoped that the book would go into a little more detail than it did about the actual steps to take to start a business. It did provide numerous links to resources, however, that could supply this information.

I like Donney.
This is extremely useful tool for new business start up or reinforcement of current marketing & sales.
This will provide you many hands on successful cases combined with actual and strategic guidance to make you attain successful achievement.
I am sure that it will make you big difference.

Especially timely and useful this time to neutralize or reverse the current recession for positive upturn and successful expansion!

Colin YOON

This guy creates is always looking to create himself in a new way, and I believe he does want to be around winners. To do this he is willing to help those who are fighting to get their idea out there.

"The Big Ideal" was excellent! I was totally pleased and well satisfied with the product, and your prices were wonder! Thanks!
Lester

I've seen the title, "The Big Idea" on CNN but never tuned in and now that I want to see the show after reading the book, it's nowhere to be found. I have found episodes on YouTube though. I thought this was a really good book... really informative and motivated for the entrepreneur or infopreneur. There are still opportunities out there to make a great deal of money but the real point of the book is to pursue passion. By doing so, the money will follow. Deutsch has a story to tell about starting small and thinking big. The case studies of success show that it can be done in any economy. Look at some of your Fortune 500 companies. Many of them were started at home... Microsoft, Ebay, Coca Cola, Dell Computers, Apple, etc. Why not your big idea? Before you go plunging out in a sea of sharks, read inspiring books like "The Big Idea" for a little background of how it's done and what's possible. When you find and fill the needs for your customers, you'll be filling your wallet and your life with more than you ever thought possible. What's your big idea?