I've Seen a Lot of Famous People Naked, and They've Got Nothing on You! Business Secrets from the Ultimate Street-Smart Entrepreneur (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I DON'T KNOW how she tracked down my telephone number because I never got around to having it listed..." (more)
Key Phrases: fitness training business, fitness products, professional sports league, Body By Jake, Major League Lacrosse, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After a brief career in professional bodybuilding, Jake Steinfeld found his calling in helping others pump themselves up. Beginning as a personal trainer to Hollywood celebrities, he soon started his remarkably successful Body by Jake brand of health and fitness programs. Now he hopes to motivate readers to start their own businesses. His experience of learning on the fly and following his instincts led him to believe that street-smart, self-taught entrepreneurs like him have a unique perspective on starting, running, and growing a business that MBA teachers and graduates don’t have. And he must be on to something--in addition to his workout videos and exercise products, he also started a 24-hour fitness television network (that he later sold for $500 million), a profession lacrosse league, and many other ventures.

In a humorous, down-to-earth way, Steinfeld offers practical tips on writing a business plan, building a team of partners, hiring and training employees, securing start-up money, branding and marketing, and even working with philanthropic organizations. Though the information he offers is not groundbreaking, the way he tells his own success story should inspire would-be entrepreneurs. Steinfeld obviously loves what he does and his enthusiasm is contagious. He wants people to not just build a career, but to build a life; something that makes them excited to go to work, or better yet, to not think of it as work at all. Breezy and fun to read, the book strives to help people find their motivation, pick a goal, learn from failures, and most importantly, never quit. Good advice for business or any other pursuit. --Shawn Carkonen

From Publishers Weekly

Here's a book where the title really sets the tone—as the reader quickly learns, the fitness trainer and Body by Jake founder really has seen a lot of famous people naked (or at least in their workout clothes), including Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. Of course, Steinfeld's point is that everyone is pretty much the same underneath it all, and therefore business success is attainable to anyone willing to put in some dedicated effort. Indeed, Steinfeld himself proves an exemplary role model. Working his way up from an early career in bodybuilding, he started a personal training business that has since expanded to include a line of fitness products and a 24-hour cable station. While the book's business start-up advice is basic and sometimes gets bogged down in details like how to register a Web site domain name, Steinfeld really hits his stride in the second half, where he talks about branding and marketing. Steinfeld's goofy sense of humor also adds a down-to-earth honesty to the book and makes it a worthwhile read for those who need to get pumped up about starting a business. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (September 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814408605
• ISBN-13: 978-0814408605
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #656,814 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Informative!, September 19, 2005

By	Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Jake Steinfeld is a man with a mission and it screams from the pages of his new book, I've Seen a Lot of Famous People Naked, and They've Got Nothing On You! His mission is living life ,and not in survival mode as many do, but in fulfillment of dreams, visions and hopes.
In his book he takes you on a mini journey of his life and his rise to fame. He shares with you fears, mistakes and triumphs that he encountered along the way; and he does this in a sincere honest manner that leaves you comfortable with the author and the information that he is sharing.
The main thrust of this book is to help you achieve the dream in your heart to be your own boss; look forward to going to work, and have more than a get-by existence, all the while doing something you love. His business start-up advice is top-notch, very detailed and given with a few giggles along the way. He leaves very little details out, giving much needed steps to proceed, shares advise from his heart and his words truly inspire you to charge forward.

I know that this work was mainly written to help hopeful Entrepreneurs; yet I sense others maybe encouraged by Mr. Steinfeld's words in many areas of their lives. It is always refreshing when you read a success story of someone who started out with little and ended up with much; and it is sweeter when that person also is content and happy as Mr. Steinfeld is.
Whether you are about to undertake a new venture in business, take a leap of faith towards your dreams or just want to smile at the success of another; this book will encourage and uplift you.
A down-to-earth, face to face read awaits you in these pages and I think everyone who reads it will find at least one morsel of advise to apply in their own lives. Well done Mr. Steinfeld
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Naked Truth, November 7, 2005

By	P. King (Michigan) - See all my reviews

I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first glanced at this book --What could a fitness guru teach me about business? But when I actually started reading, I was not only pleasantly surprised, I was truly inspired. Jake Steinfeld is a master story teller and he is not afraid to reveal EVERYTHING he's learned about business--the good, the bad and even the embarrassing! Jake's honesty and humor is reason enough to buy this book!

It's obvious Jake knows what he's talking about--You don't remain on top for as long as Jake has without knowing a thing or two about people, business and making smart decisions.

The guy has made me a believer...and that's saying a lot!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can Finally quit my day job!, October 4, 2005

By	B. Morgan (California) - See all my reviews

I recently saw Jake on "Fox and Friends" when I was getting dressed for work--a job that I hated by the way! And everything he was saying rang true for me. Why was I wasting up all my creative energy and passion on a job that was literally sucking the energy right out of me? I went out that day and bought his new book, "I've Seen A Lot of Famous People Naked, and They've Got Nothing on You!". I felt like he was taking directly to me! The thing is that I have always had this idea of a business I wanted to start but just has never had the courage to follow through... but after reading this book, I'm not afraid anymore. The funny thing is, once I made the decision to just do it-- everything has fallen into place! I May not win the contest he talked about on the show--but it doesn't matter, because I'm already so far ahead of the game...and I'm never looking back!