Build a Business, Not a Job! Hardcover – January 1, 2011

David Finkel addresses head-on the pervasive problem I noted during my stint as a business consultant – business owners invariably get so caught up in the day-to-day aspects of their businesses that they lose sight of their original intentions. It’s not uncommon for them to feel trapped by the very businesses they thought were going to free them up. The statistics are that most businesses we start are fairly small – only about 6% gross more than $5 million annually. The average business owner works 52 hours a week, and 20% of us work 7 days a week. We had more free time in our 9-5 jobs! How do you fix that?Whereas I would help people realign with their original intentions when founding their businesses, David takes it a step or two farther and helps them realize their true desire was to start something that could develop a life of its own and allow them to step aside to do something else, whether that’s to create a new business, retire, or continue on in a manner that doesn’t make the company reliant upon them any longer. Instead, most of us have created something that depends almost entirely upon us. That’s why he calls what we’ve created for ourselves a “job”, and he wants to help us transition from that into making it a business. There are steps to go through to do that and he lays them out very clearly.While ultimately this book could be an advertisement for his firm’s consulting services (and I would consider it when my business grows to that point; I have met many people what have multiplied their companies’ sales and their own incomes, all while increasing their free time), this NOT one of those books that give tons of teasers for you to contract them to find out the “real” story. It stands on its own. One of the guiding principles he teaches is to always give a lot of value in every contact, and he does in this book. You may end up wanting to subscribe to his free email or attend one of his free seminars or webinars; lots of value in those as well. You don’t need to, however. This book is worth it on its own - if for no other reason than it gives you a new perspective as to what is possible with your business. It’s much more than that, though. It lays out the steps for you to get there. I recommend it to all my entrepreneur friends, and to you, too.Hope this was helpful.

Very good book

Una lectura de 3 o 4 días que puede ayudarte a cambiar el resto de tu vida empresarial y familiar.

Good business book for the value. Straight forward advice on how not to run yourself to the ground when running your own business.

I read a lot of business books as a young entrepreneur. This book is ACTUALLY worth the read. I’ve tabbed, highlighted, and made several notes.

Not for experienced businessmen, but good for students and new business owners

David Finkel is brilliant in the way he methodically breaks down how to get out of running in circles as an entrepreneur. In this book he lays out very clearly and powerfully what to do in three different stages of your business's development. One of the most outstanding aspects of his work is the simplicity with which he approaches the whole thing. Mark Twain once wrote, "If I had had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." David clearly took the time to develop a simple, elegant straight-forward, doable approach to getting out of the rat race as an entrepreneur. He writes about all aspects of building a real business so it doesn't run you... he covers how anyone can add people to your team, even if you think you can't afford to.For myself, I always thought that I was the only one who could do XYZ in my business. Through David's book as well as his workshops, I have learned there is a process to breaking down everything. He excels in creating systems that work for the smallest one-person company up to multi-billion dollar companies. I highly recommend this book and David's training courses. He basically gives you the knowledge you would learn in an MBA, but only the stuff that you actually need.

Definitely a must read for any business owner that is looking to take their business to a new level. Many ideas and concepts that I have included in my business and can’t wait to see how they pan out.