What you'll never learn on the Internet
by Mark H McCormack

This is a sure fire page turner, coming from an astute business mind who actually knows what he is talking. Mark is a lawyer by profession who developed a sport stars and celebrity management business International Management Group from scratch. His company has managed the endorsements for the some of the biggest names in the international sports arena, big names such as Tiger Woods, Pete Sampras, Michael Schumacher, Derek Jeter, Charles Barkley and models Kate Moss and Elizabeth Hurley. Today IMG is the world's premier sports and lifestyle management and marketing firm, with more than 2,200 staff in 70 offices across 30 countries. I was mad about his first book What they don't teach you at Harvard business School? and picked this book up as the Author's name was familiar.

Coming from a man who actually built such a dynamic and emerging business, the book is filled with simple and totally down to earth business situations. The first few pages are spent justifying the title, as to why you cannot learn these soft skills on the Internet which is a bit of a drag but then the book gets interesting where he starts giving advice in his unique practical style.

Every thing that he suggests is based on an experience that he has had in his company. Time and again he does on about small social niceties that matter more than many bigger things. He has divided the book into chapters for typical situations in business , say if you were recruiting someone, or if you suffered a setback or a demotion at work, typical business etiquettes and office politics and communication. A lot of what he says has got more to do with managing relationships and people, but well when you think of it, isn't managing a business all about managing people ?

As for the book in general, it lives up to its somewhat odd skewed title this is indeed stuff that you could never learn on the internet(unless of course pirates put an copy of this book online;-)).

The Lonely Planet Story
by Tony and Maureen Wheeler

Part autobiography, part corporate history, part travelogue this is a book with a difference. This is written in a major part by Tony with Maureen pitching in with personal stories or anecdotes.

A very interesting fast paced book that takes you through the start of Lonely planet in a Rented Apartment in Sydney till today when the same Lonely Planet is a Multi million dollar company with a Brand so well entrenched in the traveler psyche that it has become completely synonymous with Travel.

For a book about a Travel company, there is hardly a 2 page section about the wheelers in which either of them haven't been traveling to some place or the other. Flip open any page at Random and chances are that the Wheelers are in the middle of traveling to somewhere or have just arrived from somewhere.

It starts with Tony and Maureen, penniless and hungry in Sydney , and thinking of what to do next. They have just come to Australia after a RTW (Round the World trip), from UK > Europe > the Stans > Asia > to Australia. It is on this experience that they write their first book called "Across Asia on the cheap". Then the tale goes on with telling us of the Humble beginnings of Lonely Planet, when the complete Stock of LP could fit into the boot of Tony's car. He tells us how they then started with SE Asia guides gradually expanding and covering other bigger regions. How the marketing , folding , typesetting of the book was done in the initial days, by Tony, Maureen and friends.

From there on the book advances with the growth of LP and its international expansion, to Europe, USA and other places. There are amazing descriptions of real life travel adventures that he had while covering the regions for writing Guide books. The Book is also filled with little anecdotes by Maureen about certain incidents , one of my favorites being the description of how they met in a Park in UK.

The Later part of the book is filled with Advice for people interested in the Travel / Guide book industry and gives the reader a thorough feel of what it is like to run Lonely Planet or be a travel writer, its not as mushy as it sounds. As for the book i give my thumbs up to this ! This is a Page turner !

The Dick Smith Way
by Ike Bain

After a long time I read an interesting business book organized in short snippets on various topics. For those who don't know Dick Smith, he is the founder of a very large retail electronics chain here in Australia which has now successfully expanded into America. He also has two other successful businesses Australian Geographic and Dick Smith Foods. The writer was Dick Smith's right hand man in all these businesses over a period of 25 years.

This book unlike typical business biographies does not follow the growth of business chronologically, instead Ike has organized this into a more of an advice / lessons kind of way at the same time without loosing its practical feel. The book is filled with anecdotes and experiences of Ike's experiences as the right hand man of Dick Smith (perhaps think of him as Australia's Richard Branson). If Richard Branson was knighted, Dick Smith has been given the similar Australian of the year award. Richard Branson went around the world in a hot air balloon, Dick smith too has similar achievements in adventure, In 1983 he became the first helicopter pilot to fly solo around the world and in 1995 he completed a second helicopter flight around the world, this time from east to west. In 1989, flying a Twin Otter, he completed the first vertical circumnavigation of the world, landing at both the North and South Poles. In 1993 he and a co-pilot completed the first non-stop balloon crossing of Australia.

Almost the same way there are a string of business successes to his credit, Among the various comments and snippets the one struck home base with me was a comment by Dick Smith in which he says he is confident that he can bring any business to success just by purely focusing on customer service and doing it better than the competition. Reading such books really pumps you up especially living in a free economy with unlimited opportunity. Want to start a business or work on your business back from the basics, this would be a good one to read.

Finally the Author rightly sums up his intentions behind writing this book

"I've written this book for business people, for those who might hope to be in business one day, and for people who might not have the slightest interest in a business career but would like to know why Dick Smith is so good at it. I hope you will be entertained by the sense of fun, enthusiasm and adventure that spills out of The Dick Smith Way
–Ike Bain, author.

McDonald's: Behind the Arches
by : John F. Love

If you have ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at every Mc Donald's restaurant this is the book for you. How does Mc Donalds have your order ready by the time you drive through from the order mike to the pick up window? What is the story behind the Clown Ronald Mc Donald and why is he so popular today (by some records he is second in popularity in the US only to Santaclaus) as the Mascot of Mc Donalds? This is the book to read.

The books starts when Mc Donalds was just a fledgling operation , a single store sun by the Mc Donald brothers who have discovered a better, faster and a more efficient way of running a Fast food Joint and then takes you on a Roller coaster ride of the history of Mc Donalds from day one till about 1986 when the books was originally published and Mc Donalds became the huge monolith that it is today. The evolution part is really interesting, for example why and how do Mc Donalds French fries taste the same all around the world, and what is the secret behind those french fries, with just the right amount of crispiness, the soft insides and the tasty golden crust. did you know the Mc Donalds fries are dipped in a light sugar solution just before frying to give that golden brown color.

The book gives you a good insight into the mind and thinking of founder of modern day Mac Donald's - the indomitable Ray Kroc and the hundreds of suppliers and franchisees who made Mc Donalds the success that it is today. The author is of course unabashedly positive about the company and the people behind the scenes but I guess that is the compromise you have to make if you want the inside view of such a business. After all why should people speak to you if you are going to write a critical commentary of their business.
But critical or not, the book is an immensely good read and with 450 + pages in pretty much detail. Should be a must read for anyone entering into a franchising / food business.

For Marketing fanatics the pages present very good lessons in how Mc Donalds initially stumbled and how it got back on track when the chain expanded internationally customizing to just the right amount to local tastes.

PS: This is not from the Book , Also have a look at the regional Mc Donalds dishes and the amount of customization they have done here.