Burn the Business Plan
What Great Entrepreneurs Really Do
Carl J. Schramm
“Schramm explains that the importance of a business plan is only one of the many misconceptions about starting a company. Another is the myth of the kid genius—that all entrepreneurs are young software prodigies. In fact, the average entrepreneur is thirty-nine years old and has worked in corporate America for at least a decade. Schramm discusses why people with work experience in corporate America have an advantage as entrepreneurs. For one thing, they often have important contacts in the business world who may be customers for their new service or product. For another, they often have the opportunity to strategize with knowledgeable people and get valuable advice.”
I quite enjoyed this book and I’m giving it a solid 4 stars. It provides a refreshing take on business and entrepreneurship, shedding light on the real struggles in a down-to-earth way. The stories are cool, especially the ones about businesses hitting the skids after years of hustling – kind of a bummer but definitely eye-opening.
Now, let’s talk real talk – the book had a bit of a slow start. The “why start a company” section? Meh. I could’ve used less of that. But hey, it rallied and got awesome towards the end. It’s a gem for anyone in the business game, especially if you’re just starting out. Forget the textbook stuff; this is some more realistic ideas of building a business from scratch. It is a reflective and impactful piece that can dispel numerous misconceptions about entrepreneurship, the pleasures of managing a business, and various other aspects.
If the idea of an MBA ever creeps into my mind, I’ll flip through this book again for a reality check. If you’re hustling in business or dipping your toes, this book’s got your back. If you love entrepreneurship, this is definitely the book for you! It’s not a perfect five, but it’s damn close and definitely worth a read. 4 stars.
Considering that the book is titled “Optimist” it did not leave me feeling optimistic, as it primarily focuses on a pessimistic view of the future. While I comprehend its message, it fails to inspire motivation for future action.
Sara Hosey is the author of three young adult novels: Iphigenia Murphy, Imagining Elsewhere, and Summer People. Her short fiction been shortlisted for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize and the American Short Fiction Halifax Ranch Prize and has appeared in journals like Cordella Literary Magazine and Mudroom Magazine. She is a parent, a community college professor, and a tree enthusiast.
Dirty suburbias are working-class neighborhoods in which girls who are left to fend for themselves sometimes become predators, as well as affluent communities in which women discover that money is no protection against sexism, both their own and others’.
The way the book is set up didn’t quite click with me. The chapters and sections felt a bit all over the place, and I couldn’t really see the clear connections between them. It’s like everything just melted together without any standout points. A bunch of it was things I’ve seen and heard a million times before – nothing groundbreaking, just common sense stuff. I guess if you’re new to this kind of thing, it’s a decent overview that gets you thinking, but it doesn’t dive deep into anything and tends to repeat itself here and there.
I really enjoyed this novel because it portrays life as a polyamory thruple that isn’t just about having mind-blowing and random sex all the time! Instead, it delicately probes what it looks like to be in a committed relationship with more than two people. I was plesently surprised by the whole book.
A Q&A with 
How would you describe the characters Tim and Martie? 
As an author who has written multiple books, how did the process of writing StarPassage: The Relic compare to your past work? 
Which writers inspired you as a kid? Which writers inspire you today? 
About the book
An interview with Martin Knight, author of ‘Justice Killer’
I have to confess I cannot bring to mind any actual dragons in books I have read. I guess they would have been in childhood and now distant memories. I did gobble up the C.S. Lewis books and I think a dragon or two figured there. However, I was greatly impacted by the film Enter The Dragon back in the mid-1970s about the time I left school. It was a vehicle for martial arts supremo Bruce Lee and I assume he was the “dragon” of the title. Hero worship of Bruce spread like a wildfire among teenage boys of the era. Kung Fu Fighting a song by Carl Douglas was top of the pop charts and kids couldn’t engage with each other without spinning around and jump kicking the air above the other boy’s head. I remember vividly seeing the film and leaving the cinema full of adrenaline after. When my bus pulled up and the doors opened I leapt on emitting a high-pitched war cry like Bruce and raised my hands karate style. The driver looked at me and unflustered said: “Where to, mate?”
My favourite previous novel is Battersea Girl written some twenty years ago. It was a lightly fictionalised account of my grandmother’s 100 year life. She was born in the year Jack The Ripper committed his murders and endured two world wars and grinding poverty. Her first husband perished in the so-called Great War. Her sister and niece were killed in the second world war bombardment of London. While I tried to stick to the broad facts and the characters were real people, of course, I had to imagine conversations, feelings and some events. Much of the content was based on stories told to me by my Grandma in the last years of her long life. I was comforted to discover as the years went by and ancestry web sites burgeoned that most of those stories – some incredible – could be confirmed.
About Justice Killer
An interview with Emma Roberson, author of Beast
Most often, I will write at home, in my room, looking out of the hills with a whisky glass or a mug of tea. If I write at night, I will often have a pet python sitting on my shoulders or head. During the day, my writing companion is usually one of my Blue Tongue Lizards.
About Beast
An Interview with C. Pierce, author of Legends of Icaria
Everyone has a ‘first novel’, even if many of them are a rough draft relegated to the bottom and back of your desk drawer (or your external harddrive!). Have you been able to reshape yours, or have you abandoned it for good?
I have heard of writers that could only write in one place – then that cafe closed down and they could no longer write! Where do you find yourself writing most often, and on what medium (pen/paper or digital)?
Social media is a big thing, much to my disgust! I never have enough time myself to do what I feel is a good job. What do you do?
I should have listened to the cover and not bought the book! It’s a quick read, throws some good ideas your way, but let’s be real, it’s not the be-all and end-all of entrepreneurship guides. This is more like an Instagram-worthy motivational pep talk with quotes galore. They toss around some practical questions to get your brain working, but don’t expect actual answers – it’s more like a brainstorming session without a whiteboard.