Customer Reviews

Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success

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Over the years I have read many business development and management books. I have implemented many of the systems and concepts presented in these publication. Loops is the first that presents a total management solution. I highly recommend the book to any one looking for a comprehensive approach to managining a small business, a department of any business and even personal affairs.

Yes, we know we need to stop procrastinating, get the things done we said we would, and not put off what we can do today until tomorrow. We know we need to "close loops".. but often times we sabotage our success.

LOOPS uses the story of young man seeking to find the secrets to his father's success in life and business... secrets that could not be passed on due to the father's untimely death in a small plane accident.

When reading the story I quickly found myself vicariously walking in the young man's shoes. I found myself feeling that finding the keys to his father's success would also provide the keys for my success. The story and the points are well woven together and easy to ready. The surprise for me came when reading the final chapter. I was not prepared for the emotion the story unleashed in me.. and the desire it inspired in me to be more like his father and close the loops in my life, both small and large.

I will be recommending this book to many.. and found my way here to write this review when coming to order some copies to give to my own children. I want to share this secret with them while I am still alive.

As a marketing and business consultant, I have worked with many small business owners. I have seen some business owners succeed and others fail. In fact, although small business is the engine of the U.S. economy and creates most of the new jobs, most small businesses (80%) will not survive beyond 5 years.

To create and sustain success, small business owners need to arm themselves with tools and information that increase their likelihood of surviving and thriving, especially now in tough economic times.

One of the tools I would recommend is the book "Loops", which is a short business fable illustrating what small businesses need to do to be successful. There is lots of great advice in this book, but in my opinion one of the most important insights presented by authors Mike Chaet, Ph.D. and Stephen Lundin, Ph.D. is found in their statement: "Successful businesses accept the real world for what it is, not for what they think it should be." This is a profound observation about how a specific mindset can make you or break you in business. Another important piece of advice is to "expect the unexpected." Every business owner I have worked with has had to adapt to the changing business environment in order to succeed.

As an Internet marketing pioneer, I have been educating and advising business owners about using the Internet for business success since 1995. (Recently I was featured in the book "Online Marketing Heroes" as one of America's top online marketing gurus).

During this time I have seen many businesses fail because the owners refused to see the importance of technology and use it effectively. They simply denied what was happening in the real world, and how the Internet was changing business. This is an example of not accepting the real world for what it is.

In addition to the book "Loops", Dr. Chaet has a Loops Success Program that can help you implement the "loops" program for your small business. I think this is important because we all need support and reinforcement to stay on course with processes that are essential to business success. Dr. Chaet is a legendary small business consultant who has worked with over 2,500 small businesses throughout the world, and the book "Loops" represents a lifetime of his experience working with small businesses.

I have gotten so tired of making lists in attempts to solve issues and execute programs in my business. What is important? what is not?.... what is the priority? How do I get buy in from my staff? So many books just point out the symptoms and offer ideas but I never before found a book that creates a common sense, easy to follow plan to solve virtualy every business issue I am confronted with. You can tell this book is not written by how the author "feels" about the subject, but by people that made sure what the Loops program will indeed work for you and me in the real world. The Loopogram model will not only guide me through the process of helping my existing business, but I could not imagine trying to start a new business with any other tool. What I really like most is unlike so many other business reads that have insprired me for a short time the last page of Loops is not the end of another business book but the beginning of a process. Since reading the book I have enlisted in the subsequent support and training program the the author and his team has so brilliantly conceived. I believe it is only a matter of time before Loops is considered the definative book and program to help you operate a successful business.

All too often, individuals will hear treasures of information only to dismiss it as being 'simple'. But it's one thing to be knowledgeable, and quite another to actually apply that knowledge.

I was skeptical of Loops initially. It seemed too short. But that shortness actually enticed me to read it instead of a much longer book. I'm glad I did.

Loops provides timeless insights into the value of communication that have impacted me both personally and from a business perspective. I am constantly finding "Experience Zones" and making a profound difference within them. Understanding the importance and benefits of Experience Zones was worth the price of admission by itself.

Just as important for our business has been the topics of Systems and Loops Groups. The addition of our internal Loops Group has profoundly affected our meeting efficiency and innovation, while bolstering the competencies of each member. This has allowed us to achieve better harmony and create a true "Mastermind", in the terms in the late and great Napoleon Hill.

Most business books are dry, boring, and as much as I have wanted to read one I am never able to close that "loop". This book changes your perspective of small business ownership and management and simplifies the basics. A good book invokes an emotional reaction and I must say I cried several times, what a great ending. I would recommend this book to anyone starting a business or a long time business owner who might be losing sight of his/her vision. I will keep this book close to me and my family forever.

I have never read a business book that could and should be made into a movie. You find yourself forgetting that you are absorbing content that would help you run a successful business because the plot of the story actually has your undivided attention. The amazing part is that the story serves as a memorizing device that allowed me to reference every bullet point when I was finished. The combination of the format and the delivery makes this book not a must have in every person's library, but a "bible"esque lifeline that should always be within an arms reach.