A Nice-Guy User’s Manual for Life and Business

By Tim Berry

Some cranky folkloric baseball manager from decades ago was asked why he was such an SOB. He answered: “Nice people finish last.” In Enchantment, however, Guy Kawasaki tells us how and why nice people finish first. Don’t misunderstand the word enchantment. It’s not magic. There’s no Pied Piper. Guy’s enchantment is good common sense and... Read More »

Jonathan Fields’ Great Title Idea

By Tim Berry

This is so cool. I’m really jealous. As he finishes up his next book, Jonathan Fields turns to the web and his so-called tribe for help with the book title. In Help Me Choose The Title Of My Next Book, he put a poll onto his blog and promoted in there and in Twitter, Facebook,... Read More »

Build A Referral Engine Right

By Tim Berry

I love this paragraph: There are three ingredients necessary for a rewarding and successful business experience: You must enjoy what you do and feel a sense of purpose; you must be good at what you do; and you must be able to convince other people to pay you for what you do. That’s from John... Read More »

What Amazon and iPad Teach us About Strategy

By Tim Berry

I love it: now when I buy a Kindle book from Amazon.com, I can have it on my iPhone, my iPad, my Mac laptop, my Windows laptop, my Mac Desktop, or my Windows desktop. This makes me feel like I really own the book. If I have a spare 10 minutes, just about wherever I... Read More »

eBooks: Hot, Flat, Crowded, and Not on Amazon.com. Let the Games Begin

By Tim Berry

(Important: late-breaking news. Since this was posted earlier today, Amazon has reversed its position on this. Macmillan is back, but with its own pricing on the Kindle. This is important. Here’s a link.) eBook wars, you say? On one hand, it’s about time. On the other, wow, this is strategy in action. And interesting spectacle... Read More »

Social Media Serendipity; or, the Social in Social Media

By Tim Berry

I like serendipity. Not just because the word sounds like a refreshing drink in the shade on a hot day, but because when serendipity happens, it’s always good. Here’s the Wikipedia definition: Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. … So I had a... Read More »

My New Favorite Book: Escape From Cubicle Nation

By Tim Berry

You want this book: Escape from Cubicle Nation, by Pamela Slim. She’s been writing a great blog for several years, and now she’s put much of the soul of that blog into her new book, with the same name. You want it if you’re working for a company and thinking about going on your own.... Read More »

10 Ways to Avoid Falling Skies Next Time

By Tim Berry

I’ve posted before on this blog about The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s powerful book, written before the big downturn, which some say (he wouldn’t) predicted it. With a beautifully written mix of history, stories, studies, and logic, Taleb shows how the big events are completely unpredictable. And that we kid... Read More »