Business Book Summaries

According to author, consultant, and entrepreneur Chris Brogan, there has never been such a promising time for “freaks” to succeed in business. These innovative, independent thinkers are perfectly positioned to take advantage of opportunities that others lack the vision or passion to pursue. At the same time, entrepreneurial success still depends on discipline, structure, and productivity. In The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth, Brogan provides readers with specific guidance for how they can harness the power of out-of-the-box ideas, overcome their fears of failure, and build lives that they love.

According to Brogan:

• Today’s business world is far more open than in the past to entrepreneurs who cannot or will not conform to corporate structures and expectations. However, even the most creative and hard-working nonconformists still need clear plans and to understand fundamental business skills.
• A freak is someone who does not fit in with conventional businesspeople, dislikes settling or compromise, and seeks ways to make these characteristics an asset. Freaks can make a profit by finding and serving communities made up of like-minded people.
• To succeed in business, freaks need to determine not only what makes them unique, but also how to sell to and build relationships with their customers. This involves building discipline, overcoming fear, and learning from experience.
• Mastery of certain skills is critical to every business. These include basic legal contract skills, finance skills, marketing skills, and sales skills.
• Some freaks can be successful as employeepreneurs, or people who work for companies but do their jobs like entrepreneurs. They take ownership of available resources and find better ways to get things done.
• Freaks use media outlets to tell stories that people can relate to and choose to consume. This type of storytelling helps build communities that can then become markets for different products and services.
• When things go wrong, making excuses or shifting blame never helps. The most effective way for people to deal with their problems is to define what went wrong, reassess their goals, and take action. If others have been hurt, they must give meaningful apologies.

To download three free summaries, please visit our site.