Customer Reviews

Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Things about business I learned from this book

1. Low personal expenses. It's easy to bootstrap a business without debt when your life is simple; you have few gadgets; and your entertainment is family, games and visiting friends.

2. A fear of God. This persuades away from idleness, and into productivity and investing in the good of others.

3. A commitment to excellent craftsmanship. It glorifies God to make a thing well. That alone motivates quality and a reputation for quality and service that can command premium prices.

4. God, family, community before business. Business is used to fulfill your calling to God, to family and to community. The American mantra assumes that business success is THE goal. The Amish don't see it that way.

The book is well written because Erik gets out of the way and let's the Amish speak for themselves.

Author Erik Wesner, who writes the excellent AmishAmerica blog, spent two years researching Amish businesses in Pennsylvania and Ohio. His new book, "Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive" is the result.

By weaving together the Amish experience, common business knowledge, and ideas from mainstream business gurus, Wesner derives business lessons for the rest of us. As the title suggests, the Amish remind us that business doesn't have to be a complicated venture.

Here's a general summary of what's in each chapter:

Chapters 1 & 2: You learn about how the Amish use vision and faith to build successful firms. Next, Wesner explores how Amish people become successful with only an eighth-grade education, standard in the culture.

Chapter 3 describes the Amish approach to sales and marketing, which emphasizes relationship-building and customer service.

Chapter 4 dives more deeply into relationships and customer service. You also learn how the Amish tend their reputations and difficult clients.

Chapter 5 & 6 cover Amish approach to team-building, managing, and hiring. Many Amish people have to keep community interests at heart when hiring, firing, and motivating employees.

In Chapter 7, you learn how the Amish stay competitive. This includes how to compete in a friendly, sustainable way with others in your community--not something that's standard in so-called English (American) culture.

Wesner wraps up the book with the Amish definition of business and success, leading readers to ponder what community, success, and their overall goals mean to them.

Thoughts on style:

When I first started reading the book, I couldn't figure out whether Wesner was describing the Amish or imparting general business wisdom. He'd weave Amish tales, business expert quotes, and general business wisdom into the same section. After a little hesitation, however, the style grew on me. I ultimately saw it as unique and quite seamless.

If one thing about the book caught me off-guard, it was Wesner's gentle, respectful treatment of the Amish. Chock it up to bad media conditioning. I suppose I expect business books to dictate something to me, and this one didn't. It didn't assume wrong or right. It was respectful. (Hey, maybe we could use more of this.)

Wesner also has a knack for illustrating how the Amish operate in their day-to-day lives. His stories, anecdotes, quotes, and research made me feel like I knew the Amish. I could tell he spent a lot of time with them.

Thoughts on content:

If you read business books, you've probably already learned some of "Success Made Simple"'s business lessons, which cover general business topics like marketing and human resources. The lessons I found most useful, however, were those I hadn't heard before. These include how the Amish use faith as a catalyst for business motivation and success. Or how Amish treat competition when everyone's in the same community.

I was also fascinated to learn that the Amish don't go to court. That shines a new light on how to sift out and treat difficult customers without threatening them with legal action. These unique lessons, the ones you don't find everywhere else, made the book stand out.

Overall: A good read

"Success Made Simple" is one of those books everyone can benefit from. Its mellow style and interesting anecdotes make it a good commuting or poolside companion. I especially recommend this book for business students, anyone interested in general business lessons, or anyone interested in the Amish.

(book review by Drea Knufken)

Great read. I would recommend this book. Who knew there were so many successful Amish people? In a time after Enron, Lehman Bros., bank bailouts, etc. it is refreshing to be reminded that business can be both ethical and successful. This a great read for business people and entrepreneurs looking for strategies of success. It is also relevant to anyone looking for simplicity in their day to day lives. I even enjoyed learning about the Amish, a group I never really had an interest in. I have started keeping up with them through the author's blog [...]

It's a delight to read an excellent book about the Amish by someone who really knows his stuff. Erik Wesner, the go-to guy for all things Amish and author of the popular AmishAmerica blog, has done a terrific job of explaining the phenomenal success record of Amish-run business enterprises in SUCCESS MADE SIMPLE: AN INSIDE LOOK AT WHY AMISH BUSINESSES THRIVE. Whether you are interested in Amish culture or in entrepreneurship, you'll find this book simply fascinating. With his easy, engaging style and wealth of knowledge about all things Amish, Erik has created a book that deserves a spot in your library. From Marta Perry, Amish fiction author.

Erik does a great job opening up a world which is unknown to many and inaccessible to the majority of people. There's many things to admire about the Amish and great lessons to be learned, but the most important one is that leading by example has once again proven to be not the best way to lead, but the only way. Definitely a must-read for anyone working with or through people!

The author has presented a number of successful habits and principles as to why Amish businesses are so successful in a simple, easy-to-understand manner that can be duplicated. The intermittently dispersed facts and his personal experiences with them provide even the most curious reader with tidbits about Amish culture. From their reliance on "doing the right thing" to their reliance on their faith, the Amish have figured out a proven formula to success and balance. This book is a great read for anyone in business or is in need of some leadership and life principles. Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive

Recent high profile business disasters have reminded us that intellect and even competence are not the essential ingredients for business success. Success Made Simple captures the soul of Amish business and reveals how character, faithful relationships and a commitment to the greater good of community lead to "uncommon" success.

Dan Miller, author of 48 Days to the Work You Love

I bought this book about a week and couldn't put it down. Very interesting about the Amish businesses, but it also has
little tidbit information about the Amish throughout the book. For example, their church services being held in the homes, different kinds of buggies, speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. Maybe we "English" could learn a thing or two from the Amish.

Erik Wesner spent an intensive period of time in the Amish community even though he is not Amish himself. He started by trying to sell them books which he did with some success.

I always had a bit of childhood fascination with Mennonites who lived nearby as I was growing up. They are similar in many ways to the Amish. They dress in black, drive horse and carriages, don't believe in cars or electricity and generally live life more like the turn of the 1900's than today.

I learned that the Amish are opposed to automation because they place such a high priority on family and they think things like cars would allow people to travel too far away from family.

The Amish success in my opinion is built on their great work ethic. In general I've seen most highly successful businesses, are lead by leadership with great work ethic. And work ethic permeates the culture.

The Amish are highly religious. Because of that they can be quite calm in times of high stress. They turn there problems over to God rather than becoming twisted up inside.

There is an limit on Amish entrepreneurs because the church and the community frowns upon growing too fast and too big. I guess as in any entrepreneurs' situation, entrepreneurs need to be there own people and recognize the peer pressure just is.

In one sense I thought the Amish would have many disadvantages because of their lack of automation, however in business they are not opposed to using equipment and computers. I think being Amish has some advantages though too such as: work ethic, community, and even the Amish name which is quite well respected.

It's an interesting book that gave me some fascinating insights into the Amish people and although it's interesting I don't think I will become one

"Success Made Simple" is an excellent book of common sense. I'm always surprised by how uncommon common sense often is, how easily we forget these truths. What Erik Wesner has done is to take business principles from the Amish, break them down, and convey to the reader the best way to apply them. Erik has compiled many invaluable lessons into one readable, thoroughly enjoyable book. Well worth your time!