I didn't read the praise on the jacket cover. For one thing, I rather get my own impression of a book, and I could care less what those folks say who are merely trying to piggyback on an author's success. Looking at the cover of DREAM BIG AND WIN, I thought it would be one of those motivational books, the kind the flim flam man sells to the room full of hopefuls in which he touts as the secrets of being successful. Instead, it was simply the story of how a young woman built a financial empire through hard work. You know, the American dream.
As I read this story I not only had admiration for her, but actually cheered for her as struggled. It was a long, hard battle up her Mount Suribachi. Once she had reached the pinnacle of her career and planted her flag I lost some of my earlier enthusiasm, only because I couldn't relate, though I still admired her. After she sold her company, she set up foundations to share her wealth and to help others, which was very noble of her. After all, you can't take it with you, even if you were an Egyptian pharaoh.
This woman admitted that it was her parents who molded her into the type of person she became. Life's lessons taught her what she needed to succeed. The self-discipline she developed read like a motivational manual for me, and I took the advice to heart. Goal setting and self-discipline went hand in hand, hard as it was at times. But that was her secret.
As a child of ten she had learned to earn money. Life wasn't easy for her, but it was a learning process that built character. For that reason she always put her studies first, especially before partying in college. Later on she rewarded herself for reaching short term goals, even if it was only a refreshing walk or cup of coffee. Not everyone can do that, and that is partly why we aren't billionaires. It is easier to work for somebody else, even if you hate your job, than to follow in her footsteps. She didn't live beyond her means either. She would spend the weekend sitting in front of a box fan in a dorm room reading books on arbitrage trading while "guys in the office came back with sunbunt foreheads and noses from spending the weekend on the links or on some friend's boat."
Frustrated by observing all the wrong things they were doing at her places of employment, she started her own translation company. Avoiding their mistakes, which she capitalized on, and implementing her own ideas paid off, but it took hard work, which was mentioned time after time.
I got a kick out of reading the advice she mentioned in her book. She said she had been told to "Dress for the job you want, not the job you had." She was bilingual. She had passion. Wasting money on foosball tables, fancy chairs, massages, and chef's meals for employees was silly in her opinion. Integrity was a must! Have a cake when a person is hired, not leaving! Showed them on day one they were welcome. When interviewing potential candidates, she preferred students who had loans to small colleges rather than those who didn't from Ivy League universities. The poor were hungrier than those who were spoon fed.
I will add my own comments here. When I first transferred into the lab at a major pharmaceutical company it was common practice to move someone who was a good worker from production into the lab. For one thing, working conditions were so much better in the lab. Being as most of these lab techs only had a high school education, somebody decided that in the future they would only hire college kids instead, I guess because they were smarter? What happened was I would train them and then after one year they were trying to transfer out because they felt they were management material, whereas those with the high school education would stay on the job till retirement. And who do you think did a better job in the lab for the company? The author seemed to agree with my logic as she felt the Ivy League felt they had already paid their dues.
They say you have to spend money to make money, but throughout her career she was not one to go into debt. Expansion only came when justified, and even then she didn't go overboard. In my town there was this Pizza Hut that was located on the corner of a busy intersection. They offered a pizza buffet. Every time we went in there they were packed! But then they decided to upscale and moved to the end of a dead end street, built a new building with the usual sports bar decor, sports memorabilia, flat screens, and all. They also did away with the pizza buffet. Now the place looks dead. By comparison, the local Tasty Freeze is still in the same little building they have been in for some 25+ years, but they had to buy the huge lot next to them so cars could have a place to line up!
I could go on and on pouring out praise for this book, but instead I will say that you won't be disappointed if you read it for yourself.