Customer Reviews

Trump 101: The Way to Success

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I listened to Trump at the Learning Annex Real Estate Expo in New York two months ago, and was a little dissappointed with his speech because he spent a lot of time bragging about how smart he was and very little time teaching us his secrets. He did give us ten tips but did not really elaborate on them. Therefore, when I first saw this book Trump 101, I didn't expect that I would like it. I thought it would be just another tool to show off his wealth and smartness, but I am glad I was wrong. This is a very concise yet powerful and inspirational book. It introduces and very well explains 33 secrets of his success, including passion, thinking big, setting high standards, living with excellence, working hard, doing a lot of preparation before going into a deal, being confident and thinking positively, etc. These are very practical advice so you can apply it in your real life instantly. To make the best of this book, you should not read it lightly. You really have to think deeply about your life and your business approach and digest the book thoroughly with your mind and heart. For anyone who is thinking of running a business, this is a great coach. I myself have been considering starting my own business lately and Trump has definitely pointed me into the right direction: To be successful, you have to do what you really love, not just what makes money. If you do what you love and do it well, money will follow. A lot of the time people are caught up in jobs or businesses just for the money itself. However, you will soon lose your passion and then likely the money too. Remember something very true that Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki both believe in, the biggest asset in your life is time, and don't waste it on work you don't love!

Finally, after releasing the God awful "How to Think Like a Billionaire", Trump hits his stride in "Trump 101". I'd say Trump 101 is the best since "The Art of the Deal", which was excellent.

This book is very good. Trump 101 crystalizes The Donald's advice. There is almost no filler in this book.

In a nutshell, what I learned from Trump 101 is that you need to have tremendous passion, drive and work ethic to really make it.

You will not be dissapointed in this book, I promise!!

This is not a deep book. But if you keep in mind that this is Trump 101 and not Trump 475, you may really like it. The book is intended to introduce Trump University, but it does not beat this into the ground. Instead, it's more like having coffee every day for a month with Donald Trump in which he talks to you about important principles for success.

Mostly, this book is about attitude. Thirty-three (33) short, easy-to-read chapters are as inviting and encouraging as they are interesting and entertaining. From "Don't waste your life on work you don't love," to "stay focused on what matters most or you could be expelled," Trump encourages positive, forward-thinking, informed, realistic, and focused energy. "Energy," he says, "is the key to accomplishment. Harness your energy and you will have the ability to achieve your goals." Above all he emphasizes (1) learning your area of interest "inside out" and (2) hard work. My personal favorite quote from the book is this:

"If you really want to succeed in business, you have to work at it every day. I do. The big time isn't for slackers. When you work at it, an amazing thing occurs: You accumulate an incredible body of knowledge in your area of expertise and develop the uncanny ability to make the right calls consistently. Getting to this level is an awesome achievement; it's the essence of success."

Highly autobiographical, this book comes across as informational, inspirational, and even warm. A large number of pictures of Trump buildings and personal shots punctuate the book. The book is a great place to start or even to come back to for success basics.

Personally, I wish he'd talked a bit about the bankruptcy woes of his casino business; he does talk about his "lowest point" when he was $9 billion in debt, sloshing through a downpour for 15 blocks at 3:00 A.M. to meet with "a bevy of international bankers to whom I owed money." It's all a general description, but it is still interesting and helps you feel like he's not just spouting theory.

The book doesn't come to any conclusion, it just stops. Even so, it's a great book, well worth the read. For a 101 reader, it is excellent.

I'm not a big fan of Donald Trump or his other books. However, this book surprised me. It contained a lot of good ideas and they weren't overall presented from a place of arrogance. Although it is simply written, there is a lot of good business sense contained between its covers. The real challenge is to live those ideas, which is a point that Donald doesn't address in detail. Nonetheless, the general reader can pick up some good information and inspiration here. My true rating on this is 3.5, partly because I think Trump could have covered more ground in an equally engaging way.

Before reading this book, I was told about trumps ego-centric style of writing. How he always talks about his success and vaguely says how you can do the same. Well this book is different. Now don't get me wrong there are examples of his success but in this book he gives you straight to the point advice. Each chapter is another piece of advice which can be integrated into many different fields from real estate to running a company to working in a company. I love the short chapters because I could only read at short intervals and I wasn't left hanging during a long text filling chapter. Plus he also give you an insight in to a week in his life which is not too informative but interesting. It kind of gives you an idea of what you would go through at trump status. Anyway I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to pick trumps brain and learn some different ways to succeed.

Issued quietly, and overshadowed by the near-simultaneous release of Trump's collaborative effort with Richard Kiyosaki ("Why We Want You to Be Rich"), this book is a refreshing contrast in practicality. No doubt it is designed to be an introductory text for students of Trump University. As such, it is sure to motivate those individuals as well as a number of casual readers and potential Apprenti who come across it.

Unlike the one-note litany of the Trump-Kiyosaki book, this offering contains a variety of affirmations with suggestions on how to implement them in one's life. It does not emphasize being rich, per se. Being successful in one's own eyes, yes. Being satisfied with one's job and status, yes. But nowhere does the author reference the intention of amassing a fortune larger than a U.S. state budget. Of course, the sidebars focusing on Trump initiatives around the world and the author's personal stories about mega-deals and celebrity friendships all imply that being wealthy is definitely a nice thing. We would expect nothing less.

Trump's advice is conveyed in short chapters that are easy to digest. Each one concludes with "Coach Trump" prompts for action and further contemplation. Scattered throughout the text are excerpts from a week of his daily schedule, a popular feature in past Trump books. This week's diary is special because it includes the birth of Barron William Trump in early 2006.

So what does he give us here? The same type of guidance that you hear him give in interviews and on "The Apprentice." Donald is nothing if not consistent. Being a well-read individual himself, he always emphasizes going above and beyond expectations, especially where education is concerned. Given his position in the business world and society at large, he's worth listening to.

This book is Donald Trump's answer to all those people who run up to him in person and ask him for advice. We can almost hear his standard answer: You want some advice? Read the book. Or: run the risk of becoming a disaster.

A lot of motivational writing. Nothing new from his other books. Just more of the same.

Passion is your trump. Aim high. Be persistant and courageous. Balance knowledge with experience. Think realistic but be persistantly positive. find your niche. find common ground with your allies. Be a brave pioneer but not a stupid one. work for passion not money. This is just one fourth of Trump's wise and balanced maxims along with commentary. Its worth checking out.

Unless you just feel like being a nice person and donating some $$ to Donald Trump, do'nt buy this book! Its a terrible excuse for donald to just write down all of his accomplishments in a book, and sell you on how great his golf courses and buildings are! Watch the apprentice, save your money. At least the apprentice is FREE and somewhat entertaining!

Trump 101: The Way to Success is a quick book to read, and worth the time it takes to learn the simple but direct lessons Donald Trump and Meredith McIver included in this little gem.

Just because the chapters are short, does not mean they don't contain some valuable advice. Some of it seems to be common sense to many people, but then we must remember that sometimes common sense is not as common as we would like. A short reminder of certain principles or strategies for success can be motivating and the prompting needed to get up and succeed.

One criticism some may have with this book is the promoting of Trump University. I actually believe this is a hidden lesson one can learn. Right up front in the introduction Trump states that a purpose of the book is to introduce the reader to Trump University, so you should not be surprised that there are plugs for Trump University programs. One thing Donald Trump does phenomenally is promote. He promotes himself, his businesses, and other businesses, products and causes that he believes in like no other. This is an important lesson!

Regarding the chapters and the lessons Donald Trump shares in this book, they are all simple and direct, but very important. Following all or some of the advice in this book will doubt help a person increase their levels of success. These chapter lessons include:

1. Don't Waste Your Life On Work You Don't Love: Passion Will Help You Do Better.
2. Set the Bar High: Make People OOH and AAH.
3. Think Trump Scale: Bigger is Better
4. Tough It Out: Be Persistent
5. Without Knowledge, You Don't Stand A Chance: Gain and Use Information To Your Advantage
6. You're Fired! Words No One Wants to Hear - Or Say
7. The Proof Is In The Doing: Learn By Doing and Taking Risks
8. Your Gut Is Your Best Advisor: Listen To Your Instincts
9. Personalize Your Pitch: Know Who You're Addressing
10. Surround Yourself With Beauty: Enhance Every Aspect Of Your Life
11. Negotiate to Win: Use Diplomacy
12. Think On Your Feet: It's The Fast Track To Success
13. Work With People You Like: It Sure Beats Working With Enemies
14. Where There's A Will, There's A Win: Think Positively
15. Swim Against The Tide: The Comfort Zone Can Pull You Under
16. Money Is Not Always The Bottom Line: It Can Be a Scorecard, Not the Final Score
17. Learning Is Exciting: Each New Project Is An Adventure
18. See the Whole Picture: But Be Prepared For the Picture to Change
19. Wait For the Right Pitch: Business Success Is All About Patience and Timing
20. Avoid Fixed Patterns: Be Open and Flexible
21. Speed Kills - The Competition: Get Right To The Point
22. Do More - Always Do More: Constantly Try To Top Yourself
23. Leaders Set The Pace: Find Your Working Tempo
24. Results Matter More Than Routes: Let People Follow Their Own Paths
25. Approach Your Work As An Art Form: Work Brilliantly
26. Keep Your Mind In The Game: Pay Attention and Stay Focused
27. It Takes Courage To Persist: Business Pressures Never Stop
28. Join The Explorers' Club: Learn About the Mysteries of Life
29. Confidence Is a Magnet: It Will Draw People To You
30. Keep Your Momentum Rolling: But Never Lose Control
31. Is the Problem a Blip or a Catastrophe? Expect Problems and Keep Moving Forward
32. Reach Within To Rise Above: But Temper Your Reach With Reality
33. Concentrate on the Target, Not on the Weapon: Focus On What Matters Most

It is pretty obvious with the chapter titles as to what the lessons of each chapter are. And as I stated, the chapters are short and quick to read, but they do contain pearls of wisdom. I found the book very easy to read and enjoyable as Trump illustrated the lessons with his own personal experiences.

Trump also included sections on a week of his life, as he has done in other books. I enjoyed reading these as well, and the week he included was the week his son was born, so you know it was a special week for The Donald.

Overall, I recommend this book as a quick, easy, motivational read with some direct and practical advice on success. If you do more than just read the book, that is follow some of the advice that is given, you will increase the successes of your life.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.