Customer Reviews

Stone Soup: The Secret Recipe for Making Something from Nothing

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A funny thing happened when I started my first company. After 6 months of hard work, we asked each other why we joined the venture. It was a particularly relevant question in 1999 because talent was extremely scarce and this team was top-notch. The answer seemed obvious to me: we all joined to build something great and change the world.

But that wasn't the answer most provided. The primary reason people joined the venture was my enthusiasm.

If had Stone Soup in my hands a decade ago I would have understood exactly why. Our company was a boiling pot of water in the center of the village and I had added the first two ingredients for Stone Soup, the recipe for innovation:

One generous portion of belief
One or more enthusiastic catalysts

Like an aroma that drifts through a village from a boiling cauldron, these first two ingredients were enough to attract them.

And, with the benefit of a decade of reflection, I also understand why my own shortcomings, and the world at large ultimately lead to the venture's downfall: we were missing a few other critical ingredients like "A triple dose of reality", and "One well defined context, communicated well."

Stone Soup isn't for the "quick buck" entrepreneurs or investors who view innovation as numbers in a spreadsheet. It is for people who are committed, through ups and downs, to figuring out the recipe from making something from nothing. It is for those of us who are trying to understand how innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity fit into our lives and relationships.

In the book we experience the life of Ruby who - not unlike Bill Liao - is a true renaissance person with the skills and passion to change the world. At each new challenge, victory, and tragedy of Ruby's life the author slowly builds the ingredients of Stone Soup. In the process he also relates his own experiences of a lifetime of innovation. At the book's conclusion, he ties the story together and provides specific advice for anyone trying to build something new. It is simple without being simplistic.

At times while reading Stone Soup I felt like I was sitting with Bill drinking a cup of tea, getting advice about my life and ambitions. I could almost picture Bill asking me questions, listening intently without judgement to my answers and letting me come to my own conclusions about what I need to do to achieve my goals.

I hope that Bill Liao continues to write because Stone Soup left me hungry for me more advice on setting goals, listening, or the other necessary skills discussed in the book.

Stone Soup is feast best savored for moments when you have time to reflect about your life and what you want to do to change the world. So grab a copy for you next airplane flight or quiet Saturday morning and join the rest of us who are planning on following Bill's lead of driving innovation in this century.

Bon appetite!

Stone Soup is a smorgasbord of mythical storytelling, practical business tips and insightful business perspectives which Bill Liao morphs nicely into a thought provoking and delightful tale. The use of many contemporary authors as a means of establishing the context and validating the impact of the storyline through quotes works well.

A good business book makes you want to do a better job; a great business book makes you want to be a better person. Stone Soup IS a great business book!

In a world that is too often limited by transactional myopia (get the deal, do the deal, next deal), Stone Soup is transformational. If you want to transform yourself and your company or your organization from "all about me" to "all about we," buy copies of Stone Soup for your key team members and have a weekly "book club" to discuss how it speaks to everyone on your team and furthermore how its lessons can be applied to make you company or organization more productive and your people more fulfilled. Who could ask for anything more than that?

One of the greatest qualities of this book and of Bill Liao if you ever have the good fortune to meet him, is his sincere ability to not only be compassionate about others, but to be happy for them. That generosity of spirit is a tonic for a "zero sum" world, just in case you could use a sip.

Mark Goulston
"The Resilient Life" at the Huffington Post
author of: Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone

Using the Irish Story "Stone Soup" this book by that title goes on to write a story of a woman named Ruby, whose life is challenged in oh so many ways. Ruby becomes for many of us who read this a vision of what can be done in the face of major obstacles in our lives.

The basic gist of "Stone Soup" as a story and a book is making something happen where there is dearth. I told a friend of mine the Irish tale and he was astounded at the impact that one can truly have if each of us just tries to make a difference.

Ruby you find is a misfit in her own world, down trodden and disliked. Eventually, she is cast away into other worlds, but keeping the story of "Stone Soup" near to her heart she impacts everywhere she goes and everyone she touches in the most positive of ways. Her world, like ours, is stagnated, challenged, with walls and other things to keep people from each other and from a way through to mutual prosperity and growth.

In many ways it seems our author has lived this in his life and look what he has done, creating jobs for thousands and granting opportunity for many more who wish to start a business venture. Bill gives us a recipe at the end of the book to have "Stone Soup" in no matter what environment we find ourselves. He also offers a reward of sorts, an initial investment for someone or anyone who has a business idea that resonates with him. You see, he is practicing the story of "Stone Soup" by beginning the process that can make success for people who wish to work.

Throughout the story he gives us anecdotes to address things in our personal and business lives. There are pithy sayings like 'invent your future,' or 'no one can achieve success alone,' and the like. He gives us hints looking at differences positively. He mentions the Irish and their proclivity to connect with people. Amazing how they ask questions to gain a common ground. I saw that in my background and always wondered why I do this, pretty cool.

In a time where people are turning more inward, there is still a true hope that we can make a difference to the world around us by keeping at connecting with people and being willing to add what we have to the "Stone Soup" that is the world we live in.

Each one of us adding our flavor, ingredients that may include our special skill or ability topped off with all pulling the same way can lead to a better world.

Bill Liao touches a nerve here and has an answer to the challenges we face. Read and share "Stone Soup" and make a difference.

Stone soup -- an old story with a new twist. The subtitle is accurate: the secret recipe for making something from nothing. The book encourages doing just that -- when things get difficult, try something creative. Something that might not be that hard to come up with, you just need ... some stone soup.

The book is refreshingly open. It's not another management tome from on high. It's down to earth and clearly based on personal experiences. And it's not trying to sell you on something.

If you're frustrated at work or in your personal life, it might be a good time to relax and read this book. Will it solve all your problems? No, but it might give you some ideas. At least it will give you some hope.

It's hard to be negative about an upbeat book, but there was one thing that bothered me over and over, mostly in the first half of the book. It was enough that I normally might have stopped reading it. The issue: probably 30% of the text could have been removed -- it was just too wordy and often redundant. Not as in lopping off whole sections, just a thorough going-over to remove, well, wordiness. Sadly, it's the reason for dropping one star.

Keep reading because there are some golden nuggets in there.

Bill Lia's Stone Soup is a light hearted read illustrating the journeys of Ruby and how she walked and searched and perservered to survive and even thrive. Many intersting turns and twists take place throughout as she encounters many hardships. However with perserverance Ruby never gives up and ends up inspiring the lives of many along her fantastic journey.

Ths summaries of her journies and lessons learned are quite worthy although I am a bit annoyed of the constant repetition of the Stone Soup Ingredients that sometimes occur every few pages. A different approach would have corrected this minor drawback.

Nonetheless, I like this book as it is long on inspiration.

Stone Soup-
The Secret Recipe For Making Something from Nothing
Published by Bookshaker. com 2010
Author- Bill Liao the Co-founder of Xing

Reviewed by : Dr. Joseph S. Maresca

The book builds from a simple set of ingredients to a
considerable soup. Herein lies the stuff of the title
"Stone Soup". The presentation is folksy in places with
stories of ordinary people like Sister Dorothy.

We are urged to look for the best and help it bloom.
All endings are beginnings. Logically, this statement
makes sense because an ending necessitates that we seek
to do something else. Another pearl of wisdom is that
complex workable systems are derived from
simpler workable systems. By implication, a complex
system should not be derived from itself unless there
are simpler and smaller workable subsystems.
Is any part of this theory our problem with the oil
spill in the Gulf ?

There are corollaries to these statements on systems.
That is, never build a system or process that cannot
be turned off. Following logically,
a system or process should operate ; such that, the servicing
is uncomplicated and the downtime kept to a minimum.

I like the reference to Franz Kafka which states that
" Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind the
slime of a new bureaucracy."
The statement conjures up the theoretic rationale for anarchy.
Then again, how do major projects get done without some form of
social organization and management ? Adam Smith attested
to the need for management in the Wealth of Nations.

At some point, the author constructs an alphabet soup of advice
called " Stone Soup". There are a plethora of snippets stringed
together to assemble the "Stone Soup". i.e.

o Belief- People buy if they can be connected on an emotional level.
o There are one or more catalysts to accomplish getting things done.
o There is a well-defined catalyst communicated well.
o The soup has other ingredients like emotions, trust, empowerment
et al.

There is a memorable quote by Bertrand Russell.
" The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always
certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."

We can apply this statement to a whole range of decision-making in
business, government and our daily lives. Overall, I found that the
presentation was logical and easy to read . The acquisition
is perfect for both the young and old.

Similiar to the folk parable of the same name, author and enterpreneur Bill Liao blends a thoughtful mixture of ideas, concepts and philosophies into a rich recipe for changing ones life. He incorporates wisdom from diverse and wide-reaching sources and I believe many readers will find this to be useful in helping them to attain personal and professional goals.

This is not the typical entrepreneur or management book, but I think it's even more useful because it focuses primary on the human and social dimensions, in a context broader than business itself.

I remember clearly my father telling me the 'Stone Soup' story when I was very young. Bill Liao has turned the story into a marvelous fable that describes the journey of woman called Ruby through life and some very difficult challenges. The Ruby character personifies all the good qualities that a good leader and entrepreneur should have and each episode results in precious lessons which slowly construct the 'Stone Soup' recipe for success.

Success in business and life is primarily determined by having the right attitude, frame of mind, integrity, principles and values. Highly recommended!

Principles and concepts are much more likely to be ingrained in the psyche when they are imparted through story and metaphor. Great teachers know this and often practice it through parable, fable and such. Stone Soup offers business people very practical wisdom through story as well as an entertaining read. As with most wisdom, it is simple too.