I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss (NelsonFree) [Hardcover]

Michael Franzese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2009

Free your book! Buying a product tagged "NelsonFree" means you get more than just the hardback book. You also get a free ebook and a free audiobook. Three formats for the price of one! And the freedom to experience your book in more ways than ever before. 

What secrets can a former mob boss share about how to do legit business? Let's have a sit-down and find out.

By age 24, charming mob boss Michael Franzese was one of the wealthiest people on Furtune magazine's survey. As one of the rare people who quit the mob and lived to tell about it, Franzese has a unique perspective on how business is done. And one thing he noticed was that the way he made millions per week in business inside the mob can be applied to doing business outside the mob (minus the illegal part):

·          Mob Rule # 4; Be an Early Riser & Avoid Getting Killed in Your Pajamas

·          Mob Rule # 5: Ya Gotta Have a Crew

·          Mob Rule # 7: Cook the Pasta, Not the Books

"Anyone who sells the mob short when it comes to its ingenuity, its ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and its substantial profit margins is simply kidding themselves." This book promises a mob's eye view of business that will change the way you see business forever.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Franzese was one of the mob's biggest earners since Al Capone, and the youngest individual on Fortune magazine's "Fifty Biggest Mafia Bosses." Then, after dodging the law for years, Franzese pleaded guilty, accepted a ten-year prison sentence, and quit the mob. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Nelsonfree edition (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595551638
• ISBN-13: 978-1595551634
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted to like this more..., May 4, 2009

By 

Chris Jaronsky (NJ, the garden state) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss (NelsonFree) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Its a pretty good book and an easy read at only 155 pages (even though the Amazon site lists this book at 224 pages, where are my other 69 pages?) I enjoyed the mob stories, and I could understand the connection between mob business and honest business. Although the more I think about that last sentence the more I realize that the so called honest business world seems to have a lot more crooks in many of the top jobs. How does that work?

The book has a printed hardcover which I think is superior to a dust jacket. I also liked that I could download a copy of this in e-book format and also in audio book format. I downloaded the first 5 chapters of the audio book and listened to it on my Crackberry Storm while I watched my sons T-ball game. It was my first ever audio book and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lets me multitask, and that's always a good thing.

The book basically tries to say that some mob guys could run successful legitimate businesses. Maybe. I grew up in an Italian family in the Bronx. I have spent many hours in and around "Italian social clubs", and while there were some pretty sharp guys there, very street smart, I do not think they would be that good running a large corporation. The mentality seemed to me to be more about instant gratification and not directed at long term growth. But then again when I look at the headlines of newspapers and see what most of these CEOs are doing, maybe a wiseguy could do at least as good a job? or better?

The final chapter of the book, "pick your philosopher" is a final test. Machiavelli or Solomon? Do you want to crush your enemies at any cost, or do you want to do the right thing with a clear conscience?

I really wanted to like this book more, but I could not take it seriously as a business/motivational book. Its not a great business book, but it is a good, light read after you have read all the other great business books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breezy, Light Advice Guide From A Wise Guy, May 28, 2009

By 

Todd and In Charge (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss (NelsonFree) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I'll admit, I don't read a lot of self-help books and have pretty much avoided the genre entirely. What intrigued me about this book is how the author, a former mob hotshot who got pinched by his bookkeeper, claims he can apply what he learned managing a mob empire to the "legitimate" business world.

On the whole, it works because of the breezy, conversation style of the author, who keeps it light and entertaining with numerous war stories, asides, and bits of advice from King Solomon and Sun Tzu.

If you are looking for simple words of wisdom from someone who has run a huge criminal money-making operation, this is your go-to guide.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good stories, same information, May 26, 2009

By 

Michael Combs "Combsy" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss (NelsonFree) (Hardcover)

Overall this book has a lot of good information about how to be successful in business, unfortunetly you can find it in a lot of business books. What makes this book worth reading is the stories Michael Franzese has to tell about his life in the mob. I would much rather it had been completely about that and left it to me to find the wisdom in how the mob does business. To clarify, he does show what the mob does wrong as well.

I find Michael Franzese an amazing person that I really want to learn more about. To walk away from millions of dollars and a lifestyle that he had been in his who life to go straight is truly remarkable.

Even though this effort wasn't fantastic, I look forward to reading more from this author.