To be successful you have to get over your panic. Not only must you develop confidence in your ability to handle problems, but your whole way of thinking about them has to change. You have to accept a never-ending flood of complications as a normal part of the business process, and you have to learn to enjoy that process. How? By getting caught up in the fun and excitement of finding solutions.

I usually like to use a picture of the book I’m reviewing for posts like this.  So at 5am this morning I sat down and typed “The Knack” into Google.   It gave me that video.  I found the video too good not to share.  It’s also related to the book.  The knack that Brodsky refers to isn’t engineering though, its the ability to start and lead companies.

I found the book to differ from other entrepreneurs’ books in one very refreshing way; the advice that Brodsky provides is practical.  Benioff’s Behind the Cloud, the last such book I read, has 111 tips for starting a business.  The first one from his book is, “Take some time off.  Let inspiration strike you like it did me, on a beach in Hawaii.”  You never find Marc Benioff talking about how to pull out pencil and paper and calculate gross margin.  You never even hear him say what an acceptable gross margin might be.  Brodsky’s first piece of wisdom, “If you’re going to make money you’re going to need gross margin.  If you can’t figure out how to make that realistic, don’t start your company.”  Benioff might be right and many of us may have richer, more rewarding and even more successful lives if we took some time away.  However, when I buy a book about how to be an entrepreneur, I prefer to end up with Brodsky’s battle stories and actionable lessons.

As an (almost) MBA, none of his advice was shocking.  If you’re an experienced business person it probably won’t shock you either.  However, how much can it hurt those of us with that background to hear those important lessons again?  Especially if we’re about to put our own hard earned money on the line?

If you’re thinking about starting your own business and don’t have an extensive business background, then this is a MUST read.  I haven’t read every book about starting a company, but I’ve read enough to know this one should be in your library.