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Big Shots, Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder Business the Richard Branson Way (Big Shots Series)
 
 

Big Shots, Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder Business the Richard Branson Way (Big Shots Series) [Kindle Edition]

Des Dearlove
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Des Dearlove is no stranger to singing the praises of the corporate great and good. As an author and journalist, Mr Dearlove has also undertaken a study of the mighty Bill Gates in the same BigShots series. Here, as with Gates, a top businessman is anatomised through the medium of a business guide. We are promised "10 secrets of the world's greatest brand-builder" but what we get is more hagiography than inside track. This is somewhat surprising given the book's opening challenge, viz. do we "see him (Branson) as the bearded crusader or simply capitalism with a hairy face?" After 160 pages of almost unadulterated praise, agreeing with the second statement might well be prosecutable under crimes against the state. Mr Dearlove, you are well named indeed.

On the other hand, Business the Branson Way positively brims with the snappy titles that make the author such a sharp practitioner of this genre. "Beard faced cheek"; "All teeth and no trousers"; "Have brand will travel" give the book a pacey feel. As Dearlove herds his text forward with admirable alacrity so he is careful to match speed with prudence in a series of bulleted reminders at the end of chapters.

Not the most objective study but lively enough for your next three-hour flight. --Jasper Reid

Product Description

Now brought completely up-to-date for this new edition, Business The Richard Branson Way, not only reveals the secrets of Bransons' remarkable success, but also draws out the universal lessons and idetifies strategies that can be applied to any business or career. from picking on someone bigger than you to moving faster than a speeding bullet, and from making work fun to keeping the common touch, Business the Richard Branson Way reveals the secrets of a business superstar.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1631 KB
  • Print Length: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Capstone; 2 edition (1 Sep 1998)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B001C4MYVG
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #258,526 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Des Dearlove
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Very enjoyable - 10 Jan 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a very well written book and for less than a tenner is worth getting. It manages to give some insight into the workings of Richard Bransons Virgin empire, but certainly isn't going to turn the budding entrepreneur into a multi-millionaire business tycoon. My only complaint is that large sections of the material in this publication have been 'lifted' directly from other books written about the toothy tycoon. If you're a fan of Mr. Branson (as I am)then I would recommend you order his autobiography 'Losing my Virginity' before buying this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an easy read, taking little more than a couple of hours. It carries the subtitle '10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand-Builder'.which offers the promise of answers to those who seek them, and might be why it's taken me so long to get around to reading it.

The book begins with a potted history of Richard's life, from schoolboy entrepreneur to rich CEO. The `secrets' of this journey are outlined in ten chapters which each refer back to examples from Branson's career.

They each make interesting reading and offer insights and ideas to explore. In a nutshell the secrets are
- Pick on someone bigger than you
- Avoid sticking with convention
- Negotiate everything
- Make work fun
- Protect your brand
- Exploit publicity
- Don't lead sheep, herd cats
- Move quickly
- Think big, but keep it simple
- Keep the common touch

Though promising secrets no doubt helps sell the book, perhaps the real secret is left to the `Last Words' where it is stated that Richard Branson's motto should be ars est celare artem - `The art lies in concealing the art'.

Here the book succinctly highlights the problem of almost all best practice adoption. You can copy what he does, but that's not where the real secret is. The real secret is to understand who he is being.

Rudyard Kipling nicely captured this,
"They copied all they could follow but they couldn't copy my mind
so I left them sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."

An interesting outline of Branson's journey, and if you're not looking for answers, the potential source of some interesting lines of thought.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Good Read! 4 Nov 2004
By Rolf Dobelli TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This book is a handy compilation of observations, hypotheses and speculations on the subject of Richard Branson. Author Des Dearlove freely and frankly admits his debt to several other writers who have probed the Branson story in depth and breadth. There is little if anything original to be found, aside perhaps from the author's style of presentation, which tries hard to be light and deft. Although the book carries you along, its biggest punch resides in the author's list of "10 secrets" of Branson's success. Readers who would like to know in the most general terms what Branson has done and how he has done it, and who are willing to swallow a few clichés in lieu of explanations, will seize upon this book.we think you will enjoy it and, after all, enjoying your work is one of Branson's great secrets.
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Popular Highlights

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&quote;
 The ability to identify appropriate growth opportunities  The ability to move quickly  The willingness to give day-to-day management control to relatively small operating teams. "'We try to keep our companies small," he says. (Even though the airline now has 6000 staff, Branson likes to think it has "retained it small company environment and informality.")  The ability to create and manage effective joint ventures. &quote;
Highlighted by 5 Kindle users
&quote;
Others have suggested Branson's own real core competence is the ability to motivate people and push them to the limit. &quote;
Highlighted by 4 Kindle users
&quote;
 it must be of the best quality  it must be innovative  it must be good value for money  it must be challenging to existing alternatives  and it must add it sense of hill or cheekiness. &quote;
Highlighted by 4 Kindle users

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