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Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat (Agora Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Masterson
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $15.54
You Save: $12.41 (44%)
New (32) Used (11) from $15.00
Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 4190
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0470182024
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.11
EAN: 9780470182024
ASIN: 0470182024
Publication Date: January 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
Whether you’re thinking about starting a new business or growing an existing one, Ready, Fire, Aim has what you need to succeed in your entrepreneurial endeavors. In it, self-made multimillionaire and bestselling author Masterson shares the knowledge he has gained from creating and expanding numerous businesses and outlines a focused strategy for guiding a small business through the four stages of entrepreneurial growth. Along the way, Masterson teaches you the different skills needed in order to excel in this dynamic environment.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 My Money is on Michael Masterson! September 2, 2008
John Hinds (Newark, NJ USA)
This is the first book that I've read by Michael Masterson and I came away quite impressed. Michael did a "masterful" job in laying the blueprint for the evolution of a small business into a large corporation (if that's your goal)
I am currently a Stage 1 business owner, and I found his advice refreshing. There's a lot of theory being promoted by so-called experts in entrepreneurship. The problem with it is that the overwhelming majority of these "experts" have no experience actually growing a business. They focus on the things that don't really matter like getting a pretty website or company brochure.
Instead, Michael reminds us that in the beginning, making sales is everything. He correctly states that at least 80% of your time should be spent on selling/marketing and only 20% on everything else. Once you're making sales as a Stage 1 business, you have the resources to address your other business needs.
Another great point that he made was when he said, "To be consistently successful, you need to anticipate the market, not follow it." This will enable you to become a market leader instead of a "Me too" competitor.
In addition to that, Michael talks about the importance of testing. Too many entrepreneurs make the mistake of wasting a lot of money and time on an idea that is going nowhere. Had they tested the concept first, they could have come to the conclusion that their idea was a bad one a lot sooner and saved money, and more importantly time.
As a result, I choose the cover of my new book by letting the market decide on two designs. The cover I chose was the runaway winner and it wasn't the one I thought would win. It was a great reminder that YOU are not buying your product, the market is and you should let them tell you what's the winning idea.
I have read and continue to read a lot of business books but this one was one of the most practical, timely, and valuable books that I have read in a long time. I will continue to use this book as a resource for years to come.
 Ok. Worth a read but better books out there August 24, 2008
Lothario (Earth)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was chalk full of generic advice for entrepreneurs -- I say "generic" b/c it didn't focus on any one strategy or industry, which I guess was was the author was going for -- but in doing so, in trying to be "all things to all people," he IMHO diluted whatever message he was trying to get across. Like another reviewer I did benefit from the repeated message of the importance of marketing and sell sell sell. This book is certainly worth a quick skim but it wasn't anything ground-breaking IMO.
 Perfect money saving book for Entrepreneurs July 21, 2008
Marcus Eikenberry
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I own multiple companies and have used the Ready Fire Aim method way before this book came out. Now that it has I have validation that my methods are very good. Not only did I get the validation but I also learned many new things. I'll be handing this book to my COO so that he can have a better understanding of my putting new ideas into production before they have been fully polished. It really goes against what he believes in when I do this. But with this book I think he will now understand why this is a really good method.
Marcus
http://www.markeedragoninc.com
 Massive self-promotion with some marketing tips thrown in June 2, 2008
Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA)
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
I enjoy the occasional book on marketing and how to acheive success. The cover blurbs for "Ready, Aim, Fire" seemed promising as did some of the Amazon reviews. So I figured why not.
I can now answer the question "why not" in detail and at length.
First, the good news. Michael Masterson does a reasonably good job of distilling the advice offered in dozens of other books on advertising and marketing, from Napoleon Hill to Rosse Reeve's "Reality In Advertising". However, the solid advice gleaned from those classics is diluted with Masterson's endless preening and outright bragging.
The overall experience is not necessarily enjoyable or instructive, unless you are inspired by someone telling you, over and over and over again, of how successful and great he is.
A careful reading led me to become very suspicious of Michael Masterson and to do some quick research. Masterson claims to have had titles on the New York Times, Wall St. Journal and Amazon best seller lists. Indeed, on two occasions - and that means two distinct dates - Masterson was on the Wall St. Journal best seller list. This is not like being on that list week after week: it was twice for one time each. As for the New York Times, a Nexis search shows Michael Masterson appearing in the Times just once, with a comment in an article. No appearances on their best seller list. Amazon's best seller lists are very different and appearing on them is on meaningless. It is said that having 30 friends order a book at the same time will put you on their best sellers list for a little while at least.
More disturbing are Masterson's associations, one of which is Agora International, which publishes a number of investment newsletters which seem to be of the "we have a tip for you" variety. Agora was sued for fraud by the SEC at one point. This does not reflect directly on Masterson since he claims a nebulous role of "consultant" with them. It does, however, reflect on the company he keeps.
The company he keeps also includes AWAI, American Artists & Writers, Inc. Masterson doesn't say that he authored a product for them, a course on copywriting. Both AWAI and Masterson are the subject of literally hundreds of online complaints.
As I said, much of this book is borrowed and adapted. I don't have a problem with that since solid knowledge is intended to be passed on, as long as it is not plagarized in violation of copyright laws. But even here, Masterson leaves himself open to question. He attributes the concept of the "unique selling proposition" to a 1980 book called "Positioning". In fact, Rosser Reeves first put forth the expression and the concept in his 1961 "Reality In Advertising".
Would I recommend that someone read this book? Sort of. It is an adequate distillation of marketing advice from many reputable sources. To his credit, Masterson doesn't claim to be the original thinking here. On the other hand, Masterson's personal credibility is questionable and you really have to take what he says of his own success with a very large grain of salt. Personally I think there are better books in this area to be found.
Jerry
Ready Fire Aim May 4, 2008
Dan E. Easton
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The main point I get from Masterson's book is marking your product. I know it simple but how many small business owners do all the other THINGS but market their products. Masterson beats the marking concept home! If you market and sale your products you will be successful. A must read before you start your business----If you have started; read the book fast. This book is about working smarter and making money and not losing your butt and working harder.
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