Customer Reviews

You Call the Shots: Succeed Your Way-- And Live the Life You Want-- With the 19 Essential Secrets of Entrepreneurship

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I found this to be a very good book. I highly recommend it! Just as the title promises, this book provides 19 chapters, or 19 "secrets," of entrepreneurship. The chapters include:

0. Introduction
1. Put yourself out there
2. Start small
3. Make money work for you
4. Look close to home for great ideas
5. Balance work with life
6. Surround yourself with great people
7. Make yourself your brand
8. Don't be afraid to negotiate
9. Make your own tough decisions
10. Adapt or die
11. Find great mentors
12. Seek out new knowledge every day
13. Use the power of the press
14. Stick to your guns
15. Get experience on the ground
16. Never underestimate the value of your customers
17. Creatively build on your experience
18. Remember what it's really all about
19. Be the entrepreneur you want to be

This book is very well written. And it is organized very well, too. I appreciated the inclusion of the appendix at the end of the book that provides tips for getting started that most wanta-be entrepreneurs will devour. Each chapter makes a point that the author presents to us using examples from his life experiences. He is a son in a long line of entrepreneurs or self-employed. And he seems to take to that lifestyle and mindset very well.

I noticed this book in B&N on Christmas Eve and picked it up. I thought the chapter headings were wonderful. And I suspected I could recommend this book to many of my SCORE clients who are overwhelmed with trying to put together a business plan for a small business they want to start. When I got home I logged onto Amazon to see if many people there had reviewed this book. Usually I don't review a book if it has more than 10 reviews because I wonder what's my review going to add. Turns out there were 22 reviews posted. Wow.

I'm posting this review anyway because I find it easier to recommend a book to my SCORE clients if I post a review for it. And I definitely want to recommend this book to my clients from time to time. I believe it to be an important book. Also, the Table of Contents is not posted for this book. So my review which includes a listing of the book's 19 chapters should help anyone purusing the reviews learn a little more about it. 5 stars!

Because every business is, ultimately, a Customer Service business, regardless of the product or service that is sold, I enjoy reading books written by entrepreneurs because there's a chance I'll learn something new about Customer Service. You Call the Shots by 22-year-old Cameron Johnson fits the bill.

Johnson started 12 online businesses - each one lasting a year or so - before age 21. That alone is interesting and any teen who is remotely interested in business or frustrated with traditional schooling should read his story. It's a painless way to learn about venture capital, public speaking, public relations, surrounding yourself with mentors and finding business ideas that don't require start up money. The appendix is loaded with helpful resources as well as a link to his website where there are yet more resources.

For me, the most interesting part of the book was the chapter about his work experience at his father's Ford dealership, Magic City Ford, in Virginia . The dealership has been in his family for four generations. His favorite part of high school was his part-time job as the internet sales person at the dealership, even though he was making a ton of money from his online businesses. When he was 19-years-old the General Manager promoted him to General Sales Manager, leap frogging him over adults who had worked there longer than he was alive. Yes, he was that good. In 2004 their sales were double what they were the year before even though most other dealers in the nation had reduced sales that year.

How did he do it? He was innovative. He stopped advertising in the newspaper and used that $200K per year to create bonuses and incentives for the sales force. Most of all, he was successful because of superior customer service. "One of the most important things I've learned about selling -- no matter what you're selling, whether it's a Ford Explorer, a start-up to a VC firm, or tomatoes to your neighbor -- is something my father taught me: what you're really doing is helping people remove all their obstacles." So, if a customer said he couldn't make a decision until he talked to his wife, Johnson would offer to drive the car to her right then so she could decide. If a customer said he really wanted the car but wished it had a six-disc CD changer, Johnson would offer to install one for free. If a customer didn't want to put $500 down Johnson offered to make the down payment for him.

In a few years I'll have to purchase a new mini van and will now have high expectations from the sales person. If I am unsatisfied locally, who knows, maybe I'll find myself buying online from Magic City Ford.

As an entrepreneur who has read more than a hundred books on the subjects of "Business", "Marketing", "Sales" and "Advertising"... I rate this "You Call The Shots" masterpiece in my top 5. This Kid's practical, "common sense" approach to starting, running and growing a business is a refreshing change from the books that pack the shelves of "Business" sections in libraries and bookstores everywhere. The innovative approach to customer service, employee motivation & management, customer follow-up, mentor resources, as well as the "ingenious" advertising & marketing strategies that are detailed in this book make it a "must read" for anyone who is already in business or who is considering starting a business. I cannot recommend it enough.

The appendix of this book alone is worth the purchase... as it is loaded with numerous "priceless" resources that most entrepreneurs would kill for.

So incredibly brilliant, educational & insightful is this book, that it wouldn't surprise me if in the near future it becomes "required reading" at all the top business schools in the country.

It is truly... that essential!

Pete Kaczynski (Springfield, MA)

I laughed...I cried...I thought...and I thought some more. I was inspired with great ideas! If you own a business, manage one, or are thinking about starting one, this book will keep you turning the pages. Cameron's engaging story-telling style brings you through every stage of his business life, candidly sharing with you valuable secrets to success he's learned on the way. You Call The Shots is the most enjoyable and thought-provoking business book I've read in a long time. Buy it for yourself...and for your kids!

I hate Cameron Johnson. Why? Because I graduated high school with about $6 in my pocket and Cameron made his first million before he turned 18.
Cameron's fascinating story is chronicled in his great new book, "You Call the Shots." Starting with his decision to launch a greeting card and stationary company at age 9 and ending with his most recent accomplishments, the book details his history and philosophy.
The best part about reading a book about a whizkid entrepreneur? The lessons are all relatively simple and easily understood. Since many of Cameron's guiding principles were formulated at a young age, he never felt the need to prettify them or gussy them up with bizspeak or overly-complicated grammar. His straightforward business advice is refreshing.
The structure of the book is also easily understood, and for that he can obviously thank John David Mann, his co-writer. Mr. Mann is the author of several other business books, all of which have been clearly written and well-researched.
And while Cameron and John don't tread a lot of new ground here, their writing is crisp and the information shared is relevant to the current business world. I'm sure Cameron's experiences in the tech world (he created most of his 11 successful businesses as online companies) will help lead many older (and more entrenched) business people toward the new e-conomy.

I picked this book up at a hotel in Los Angeles a few days after it's released. As a businessman based in Tokyo, I planned to read it on the way back home. But I didn't --'Cause I finished reading before getting aboard!
His lessons really work! I just couldn't put it down while reading it. I was surprised that he knows when and how to sell his companies before hitting drinking age. Isn't that amazing? As an entrepreneur myself, I can tell lots of fellow entrepreneurs have difficulties in selling his companies, as Michael Gerber points out.
There's no doubt this will be a classic for everyone in business, as well as "The Road Ahead" by Bill Gates, "Direct From Dell" by Michael Dell, "Losing My Virginity" by Sir Richard Branson.
I sincerely think of translating this book into Japanese.
Give it a try, I guarantee you he won't let you down.

It's a great book. So many books tell you to have this great attitude and act like you're driving your mercedes and living in a mansion with servants - it's the attitude that makes the person. That being said, this man tells you to roll up your sleeves, look at what's around your neighborhood and get to work. He's practical and very level headed.

I was given this book by my wife. She thought I would be interested in reading about a young entrepreneur who started and sold several businesses. I have to admit that I've read dozens and dozens of entrepreneurship books since I started my own company ten years ago, so--besides Cameron Johnson's age--I was wondering how this book was different from all the rest. After reading this book I realized that what makes it different is Cameron Johnson's straightforward "roll up your sleaves and do it" insight into how he started, grew, and sold his businesses--and his genuine enthusiasm for helping readers do the same. While many entrepreneurship books cover the generic high points of starting and running your own business, few books make this potentially daunting process as manageable and practical as You Call the Shots. As a winner of my city's Entrepreneur of Year Award, I feel comfortable recommending this book for soon-to-be entrepreneurs and those like me who have started the adventure.

This book is really excellent. I've read so many that tell you ways to either get into businesses or how to structure a business... Cameron Johnson's book takes you from start to finish along his real-life business life - talks about the structuring, marketing, and sometimes, the sale of a business. He also gives you his 19 principles for young entrepreneurs which I implemented in my own business.

I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. GREAT BOOK!!!

I thought I will never listen to someone younger than me much less a 21 year old but Cameron Johnson knows what he's doing and he's inspiring. In the web business ,I always thought that companies need millions of venture capital funding , master programmers and MBA holders to become successful, Cameron Johnson proved otherwise. Further more all this wisdom was packed in a light easy to read book. Easy not because it has few pages but his story is so interesting you want to read further more in every chapter.

The writing is clear,concise and full of details,examples and advice without being didactic. I learned so much.