Customer Reviews

Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 22 Ordinary People Who Made the Entrepreneurial Leap

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wes Moss has produced a remarkable book that both informs and inspires. One reason that "Starting From Scratch" is so valuable is that the stories are both inspiring and *real*. Books about Sam Walton, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and, yes, even Donald Trump are great, but let's be honest---how many of us are really going to end up with financial success on that scale? People like Dave Helfrich and Alan Thompson, who are profiled in the book, are enormously successful, but on a scale that makes their success plausible. I found myself saying, "Hey, I could do that!" Well done!

There are a lot of great things about this book:

Get great business insights in short 5-15 minute stories.

Review what the companies did to overcome and underestimate their obstacles that can be applied to your work.

Get a reality check about making the entrepreneurial leap from successful business people.

If you are in sales or are already running a business, you'll want to read this to get inspiration, guidance and a greater view of the potential road ahead. It also addresses challenges you might face in your business or will help you get a better understanding of what your B2B customers are facing so you can possibly help them more with your products/services.

I've given copies to my clients, that's how much I liked it.

Do you notice anything? About the book cover above, I mean. It's more in what is missing, from a book by a former Apprentice contestant: No big picture of said-Reality TV contender splayed all over the cover, no bright, bold proclamation, "AS SEEN ON NBC'S THE APPRENTICE WITH DONALD TRUMP!"

There <u>is</u> a very nice review blurb from The Donald himself, which is well-deserved, not because Wes Moss was on TV, but because he's written a really good book, which (surprisingly?) has nothing to do with The Apprentice, Donald Trump, reality TV, or, really, Wes Moss - a 28-year-old Atlanta entrepreneur and former contestant on The Apprentice (Season Two).

After reading STARTING FROM SCRATCH, I have to tell you, Wes Moss may not have won The Apprentice competition, but he may well be the bestseller: This is a great book for a general audience, well-written and interesting, appropriate to the day and age we live in, as more and more people consider the entrepreneurial leap. I went from pleasantly surprised to genuinely impressed--inspired, too.

If you are ready to consider the adventure of becoming your own boss, or know someone who is, buy this book!

-- Sherri Caldwell, Co-Author - The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!

This book gives details on how various entrepreneurs profiled started heir businesses, mostly through following their passion. One entrepreneur, Warren Brown - was a former lawyer who enjoyed making cakes than trying cases. I knew about this gentleman since I had read various articles regarding his passion (and also after seeing him on Oprah a couple of years ago). Right now the gentleman is the host of his own Food Network TV show "Sugar Rush", so it goes to show you how strong he was about his passion. His story along with the other 20 people profiled in this book, will inspire you to go out and do something of your own, whatever it may be.

I agree with the other posts regarding this book. The fact that Wes Moss did not use any of his "Apprentice" appearances/contacts to sell this book made the book more interesting, if not clear and to the point. I didn't even realize it was written by a former "Apprentice" contestant until I finished the book and read the back of the book jacket.

With that said, I can honestly say I enjoyed this book and have read it twice already, highlighting points and dogearing pages. Not only would I recommend this book, but I also recommend (for women) "Run Your Business like a Girl". These two books together will definitely entice you to go on out there and do the damm thing!

Wes Moss provides practical, inspirational stories to help people understand that we too can follow our dreams. Unlike many books that address starting one's own business, this book relates directly to the reader. Even if you are not looking to take the entrepreneurial leap, this well-written book can help you "harness what you have." Wes's narrative voice is friendly, helpful, and humorous. Highly recommended for any career-minded individual.

The stories read well and held my interest like a novel. Reading this book was not a chore. The stories were inspirational. In fact, I hope to launch my own business based on an idea I got from this book. One thing I appreciated is that the book was encouraging without being filled with self-help hype. If you want inspiration and ideas, this book is for you.

This book works well as a daily reader and will have you saying, "If she, he, or they can do it, maybe I can too!" It's a great book for modeling others who have already done what you'd like to do: stop working for others and strike out on your own.

As the book says, 21 examples of people from various walks of life are profiled under four main sections as they engage in the H.U.N.T., or . . .

1. HARNESSING their inherent strengths, likes, etc.
2. UNDERESTIMATING obstacles (i.e., overcoming them)
3. NOTICING their network (tapping into their people power)
4. TAKING their first steps.

Personal interviews and exchanges led to the current retelling or highlighting of each person's story, some of whom made millions of dollars from very small beginnings, others who simply built ongoing businesses from interests and personal longings. Whether the business is an online daily advertisement/newsletter, a new line of upscale purses, a shoe franchise, a fast-food franchise, a bed and breakfast, or more, the stories are all very interesting and well-written.

To get picky for just a moment: I never warmed up to the phrase "Underestimating your obstacles" -- the idea was that obstacles never stopped any of these people, they overcame them and turned them into opportunities. But that's what happens when you start with HUNT as a guiding acronym (in itself, a nice memory aid). No big deal.

Also, I'm not sure just how "average and ordinary" these people really are. I did not do a count, but quite a few of these people were young and had marketing in their college background. Are these a requirement for success? Surely not, but I would like to have seen a bit more variety with people of all ages with little or no college who turned their lives around.

One danger of the book: it might make starting on your own look too easy. Sometimes you can get the impression that the majority of these people just broke away, worked hard, and were successful with not very much planning or risk assessment. Surely, that is not the intent, but it is easy to feel that way.

This is not a detailed "how to" book, but a general book of encouragement and modeling. As such, it is great. All the people highlighted are to be commended and also thanked for their example and willingness to be profiled.

To Wes Moss I have this encouragement: when you do volume two, pick even more ordinary people from a larger variety of backgrounds and ages. (Just don't take this as a criticism.)

I gave this book to a family member and with each new chapter, she gives it high praises. She has even recommended it to a co worker who bought the book and loves it herself. Maybe I need to read this book.

I bought this book out of curiousity as a fellow Tarheel, Atlantan and Apprentice fan. I am an avid reader, and this book was by far one of my favorites on the subject of starting your own business. Instead of reading about people like Warren Buffet and Donald Trump, you can read about regular people with the entrepreneurial "bug" that made it happen for themselves. I loved that Wes did not write about how he became successful, rather took the time to seek out others that share the desire to get out of corporate world and fulfill their dreams of owning a business.

Far too often I read a biographical book about a business mogul who claims to have started from nothing only to find that's the farthest thing from the truth. Half way through these tall tales I would find out that they are descendants of billionaires or worked a job where they met a celebrity that changed their lives forever. I was craving literature that gave examples of people who literally made it from nothing; those who started with less than $10K, a home office that was literally at home, no affluent affiliations and those who grew businesses organically and worked full time while they did it. Finally...I found "Starting from Scratch" by Wes Moss.

This is a great book that highlights 22 entrepreneurs who started from scratch. Some of the names in the book are more recognizable than others, like Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, but all of the people profiled can serve as a role model in some capacity to ordinary people with a business venture in mind. Moss did an excellent job at capturing the foremost element of success for each business owner. For example, he points out that Sara Blakely's driving force was to keep her development a secret. As he tells her story, he consistently points out how she kept her secret and how that worked for her. Other strategies leveraged by the entrepreneurs include the Power of PR, Charm, and Going Global to name a few. Each profile told of an inspirational journey but also offered a business moral. Moss also did a superb job of breaking the profiles into categories that worked well to explain his theory of the HUNT. I highly recommend this book to emerging entrepreneurs, particularly those who will be starting from scratch.