Customer Reviews

How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is different from all the other get rich books that I have read because it is written by an author who is truly rich (he's one of the richest men in Britain).

Felix Dennis is very honest about what he thinks are absolutely required to become rich, and it's not a walk in the park. It is HARD work. There ARE sacrifices to be made. Desire alone is not enough, you need COMPULSION if you want to become truly rich.

That, and other things that he shares in this book are truly a lot more valuable because they are his personal accounts about his journey from rags to riches, written by the man himself. He really sat down and wrote this book.

It's not one of those Donald Trump books that were authored by some unknown guy who is not rich himself. (Come on, between doing The Apprentice, dating Knauss, dealing with his business, you think The Donald would actually sit down and write a book like this? Get real. It's most probably a ghost writer who chats with him a few times and make it into a book.)

It's not a book written by some guy who made a few millions doing Velcro business and started dreaming up a rich dad and some silly board game that was so bad I stopped playing after 10 minutes.

It's not a book written by some guy who sold his business for a few million then started doing seminars about fixing your mindset to become rich.

Felix Dennis doesn't need your money unlike countless other (in his words) get rich authors--and that is why this book is so honest, and in the long run, useful. Because unlike those countless get rich books, this book doesn't sell an easy dream. It doesn't give you the illusion that if only you do these simple 7 or 14 steps or install this mindset or watch your cash flow or whatever, then you'll become rich.

No.

Instead, it's the opposite--it forces you to really think and look into the deepest of your self: do you really want to be rich? Because if you really, really want to, THESE are the things that you HAVE to go through. THESE are the sacrifices that you may need to make. And THIS is what it's really like when you have more than half a billion dollars, and how it's not all what you think it is going to be.

I may not ever get as rich as Felix Dennis. But I'm glad and thankful to him for writing this kind of book because it gives me a true, honest peek into the world of the rich--including the darker and uglier side of it.

This is an unusually insightful and "straight-talking" book. Consider the following nuggest taken from this book:

*If it flies, floats or fornicates, always rent it - it's cheaper on the long run
*The follow-through...is a thousand times more important than a 'great idea'...if execution is perfect, it sometimes barely matters what the idea is
*Many paths can lead to riches, few in sunlight, most in ditches
*Paul Getty: If you can actually count your money, you are not really a rich man
*Money, it turned out, was exactly like sex. You thought of nothing else if you didn't have it, and thought of other things if you did
*Nearly all the great furtunes acquired by entrepreneurs arose because they had nothing to lose
*Conventional wisdom is often right. But when it is wrong, it can offer quite extraordinary opportunities
*Making money is a drug. Not the money itself. The making of the money
*Prompt decisions and orders, right or wrong, are far healthier than endless demate and prevarication
*Team spirit is for losers, financially speaking
*You may not necessarily want to be in a glamorous sector of any market, and they are often very crowded
*How do you judge your own aptitude? Trial and error is the only way I ever heard of
*Your credit rating is extremely precious
*While it may not look like it to you, too much...capital seeking too few investment opportunities
*Obtaining capital...is the worst part of the whole business of getting rich...(but) there is no avoiding it
*By continually wishing and never delivering, you risk denting your confidence
*Once you lose control of a business, then no bank, white knight, investor or new owner is likely to permit you to gain control again
*Cash flow is the heart beat of your company
*Regular, even obsessive, monitoring is the key. I hated every minute of doing it in those eaerly days

All of the above were taken from just the first third of the book.

When was the last time I saw all this wisdom collected in one single book? Never. I had to discover many of these through, what else, trial and error! So much wasted time and wasted opportunities!!

So, brothers and sisters, if you are serious about getting rich (by becoming an entrepreneur), the investment (both money and time) you will be making into "Uncle Dennis'" book will easily give you one of the best RoI you will ever see.

However, I want to leave you a few words of caution:

1. There is so much wisdom in this book that if you are a beginner, you will find it difficult to grasp/retain all of it in just one reading (though the language is very easy to deal with). You should consider keeping it as a permanent reference in your library, which you can go back to from time to time (like Warrent Buffer goes back to "Security Analysis").

2. I think it is better suited to play the role of a navigator and less suited to play the role of a motivator.

3. I must reprimand "Uncle Dennis" for his rants. On and off, he meanders off topic and into his favourite war stories. Though the stories may be well said, the digressions show that the author looses "Focus, Focus, Focus" needlessly. But "Uncle Dennis" has been such a good soul otherwise, I'd certainly put up with his rants. Like I put up with so many of my other uncles' :-)

Despite the rants, this book still deserves five stars for its life changing ability.

I'm almost done reading it, and I would like to say that it's a really amusing book (not the Anthony Robbins type). Some take aways:

1) You gotta really really want to make money, more than you want to be happy if needs be. Be compulsively determined.

2) Don't try to cheat the IRS.

3) Delegate. Hire smarter people than you, and pay them very well, but keep ownership.

4) Get rich. Give it away.

5) Timing is very important, more than talent?

6) Execution is more important than the idea. Just go do it.

7) Self-belief is priceless. Confront doubts for facts.

8) Time is the most important thing.

After suffering through a few books by Robert Kiyosaki and even reading the one that he co-authored with the Donald recently, this was entirely refreshing. Felix is an outstanding writer who, in addition to having gotten himself filthy rich, has clearly spent a lot of time with his reading. His review of the matters one must keep in mind while getting to the top, and his refreshing honesty about many of his personal situations, are just too good to pass up. If you read only one business book this year, make this one it.

Wow. Dennis certainly spells out the cost of getting rich: you need persistence, tunnel-vision and relentless drive, you must sacrifice ALL leisure time, relationships and security.

Most of the other get-rich books I've read make it seem much easier than it really is, glossing over the vital information Dennis provides. Dennis is so much more truthful than the likes of Kiyosaki, Trump and Robbins. I am now, at last, prepared to settle for comfortable because - like the silent majority - I never want to become obsessed, to have my life taken over. But, if someone is already an addictive personality, why not choose getting rich instead of whatever substance or process they're currently abusing?

However, it's also worth reading "The Millionaire Mind" and "Automatic Millionaire" for other takes on getting rich. Those books detail gentler, proven ways of becoming comfortable (a few million) as opposed to the obsession required to become really rich (tens or hundreds of millions).

Unlike so many of the hucksters out there who made a small fortune through writing books telling others how to get rich, this book is different. The difference being that the author became very rich before writing it. Very rich indeed.

If anything this is an anti self-help book. It doesn't sugar coat the truth or pretend that success is for everyone - but it can be!

Despite being very entertaining and well written, the book really drills down into the issues that make massive achievement so tough as opposed to so many other books that tell us how easy it all is..

He gives us examples of his own business struggles and offers examples from history of people who achieved great things but trod a long frustrating and lonesome path littered with rejection and failures. And we must accept the same if we are to grab the tiger by the tail and cut loose and go for it.

If you are reading this and are someone facing numerous business challenges, are frustrated at your lack of progress, maybe your struggling to win new customers or secure those all important meetings with key buyers? If so, this book is for you. A great insight into the tough road you will have to tread but a very rewarding one if you've the guts to do it.

If you are persuing a worthy goal, then when the going gets tough, this book will give you heart and offer an empoweriing perspective so that you'll really feel your not alone.

Great Read!

This is perhaps the best book on this topic I have read. Re-read. re-read. Underlined. Read again. And then re read some more.

Really the title should be "How build a successful business and keep the wealth it generates and the personal cost of doing so"

After the crap from Rich Dad Poor Dad author who made his millions being paid by others to give talks on making millions this is like a breath of fresh air. My copy of Kiyorski's book? In the charity shop.

Generally I don't read "get rich quick" books. They're all basically designed to make the author rich by selling lots of books, or they're a form of literary self-gratification on the part of authors who have millions in the bank. This one is different, and I knew it as soon as I saw it on the shelf.

Felix is the real deal. He's a guy who started with nothing, and by diligent effort managed to make himself very, very wealthy. He doesn't offer feel-good "you can do it!" advice, or say that you can become filthy rich by reading his book. In fact, he basically says you're unlikely to get rich unless you're willing to work like mad while largely sacrificing your social life for extended periods of time.

He also notes, correctly, that many successful people screw up by giving in and buying loads of junk they don't need. They get sloppy, they lose focus, and end up in a huge mess because they tried to show off by buying useless properties or trinkets. He knows. He almost did it himself.

The older and more superficially comfortable you are, the less likely you are to be successful because you simply won't have the energy or the nerve to go take a risk. Most people are happier (in a broad sense) with a steady paycheck and the "security" it brings...but, as Felix says, that steady check is guaranteed to keep you from becoming rich. Why? Read the book.

Aside from giving good advice, this is also a cracking good read and shows people can still write books without resorting to ghostwriters. If nothing else, pick up a copy and read it for inspiration. You might not become filthy rich, but you might be encouraged to take a few more chances. If you're happy with a safe, marginally comfortable existence and are scared to death of taking a risk, don't bother.

I don't typically read books of this ilk, but my attention was called to this one by a seemingly out-of-place review in Forbes of all places. Typically, Forbes is the type to call bull-you-know-what on the business book genre, especially when they veer into the self-help arena. But Forbes reviewer Susan Adams (see June 16, 2008 edition) bravely admits that "The immense garbage heap that constitutes the business book genre yields up, every now and then, an unexpected gem. Such a book is...How to Get Rich by British magazine publisher Felix Dennis." Adams succinctly and accurately calls it "smart, concise and entertaining." She makes mention also to Dennis' special perspective on the subject ("He reminds readers that getting rich won't necessarily make them happy.")

It's a fascinating, actionable read penned by a complex, one-of-a-kind character.

Two thumbs up!

I just finished reading this. I haven't worked for a boss for the past 10 years (I own a company) - and Felix is "right on the money" - excuse the pun. Not that he needs my accolades. I find that many people are clueless when it comes to how money works, or how the economy works, as well as risk-averse. Most don't want to be confused by facts and they can't reallly wrap their mind around ideas that are new to them...it takes too much effort away from comfy routines & roles.

By the way...I subscribed to "The Week" (Felix Dennis, Chairman) several years ago, when it was still on cheap newsprint....and I haven't stopped reading it since. It's a hoot! I look forward to it. I always head first for the Editorial, then the "Best Of" page, homes for sale then the book reviews, in that order. Then the rest of it.

Felix, keep on truckin'!