Decisions: Making the Right Ones, Righting the Wrong Ones

by Jim Treliving

Co-owner of Boston Pizza and star of CBC-TV’s Dragons’ Den, Jim Treliving reveals the secrets of his success, taking you behind the scenes at critical points in the building of his businesses—which also include Mr. Lube and interests in real estate and sports franchising. Covering the “big” decisions—from what to do with your life to how to source capital, find partners, handle change and inspire growth—Treliving sets out the tools for making effective choices and explains why every decision requires action. He also discusses how to bounce back from those no-so-good decisions, explaining how to refocus and recalibrate, just as Treliving had to do when he realized that Boston Pizza’s expansion into Asia was causing the company to drift off-brand. Pulling back from Asian opportunities was a tough decision at the time, but the move became crucial to guiding successful BP expansions later on. Always candid, Treliving also shares his insights on some very public choices, ones you may have seen him make on The Big Decision or Dragons’ Den.

Down to earth, sensible and filled with vision and humour, Decisions is a book for budding entrepreneurs and for those who want the inside business stories beyond what we see on TV. But it’s also for people who want to transform their companies into ones that create steady wealth and lasting success. Even if you’re not in business, Treliving’s inspiring story and astute advice will help you make wiser decisions in your life and move forward with confidence in your chosen field.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Biography, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Autobiography

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 24, 2012

Reviews

[Christopher Lewis Kozoriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does Jim Treliving make decisions?

1. For "work" he makes decisions with his "heart";
2. For "money" he makes decisions with his "head"; and
3. For "people" he makes decisions with his "gut".

Excellent book from the founder of Boston Pizza and Dragon on the popular Canadian show "Dragons Den".

Jim shares his story of how he started the Boston Pizza Franchise and other business endeavors.

[Marijana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was filled with great advice and background rationale on how to put your ego aside and not only make a strong decision but also stick with it. I feel like we live in a society of second-guessers who in turn only make a decision because they have to. If you feel like you fit into the aforementioned category, I recommend picking up this book.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes you need to read vanity memoirs just to see if the person unintentionally reveals something about themselves. Nothing much in this one, as far as I could tell. Still trying to figure out where the name for bandera bread came from...

[Karl Grebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Informative and Inspirational

This book gives a fantastic insight into both the ups and downs that entrepreneurs will eventually face. Jim gives some excellent rules of thumb to consider when facing similar experiences in one's own journey. I am a fellow Canadian who now lives in Mexico. It was a big decision to move here, but a few months ago, they built a Boston Pizza in my city. I had no idea how this came to be until reading this fantastic book. I learned about Jim after reading books by another fellow Canadian entrepreneur, Kevin O'leary. He also has some great must read books.

[Isabella Hodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read! Kind of cool to explore the life behind one of Canada's living legends from Dragon's Den. I liked how Jim framed each chapter as a lesson and really thought through what he learned as well as the skills he applied. This is light reading material - and sometimes when you don't want to get lost in headspace that's just nice! There's not a lot of creativity here, but it's non-fiction and is fairly to-the-point so I wasn't expecting to be blown away with quirky word choices. Good read, though.

[Teresa Ballantyne · Rating 2 out of 5]

More memoir than advice

This isn't a bad book. It is well written and had some useful insights. I would have preferred more advice and less story. Also, I'm not from Canada and had never heard of the show that was referenced throughout the book. So, an explanation of that show at the beginning of the book would have been helpful for me.

[Readonaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the book was a good and fun read. Yet whilst reading I didn’t expect it to be that detailed about his experiences in his life etc., in between it felt like a biography that he wrote about himself. Simultaneously, by doing this he gave perfect examples on the principles he later on shares with the reader. It’s a matter of taste, and to me, it was a bit too much “telling his story”.

[Mason Mohkami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good lessons to be learned from Jim.
The main reason why I like to read autobiographies and book written by successful people is to learn from them and apply them in my life.

[Matthew Tolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that I didn’t have high expectations for this book. However, I really enjoyed it. Jim was very relatable and provided sound business advice.

[Jennifer Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of dragons den and of Jim. Good read on his bio and what got him to where he is today

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, part biography, part self-help and most of all a great guide to making decisions. There was so much great advice and it was really easy to read.

[Vinh Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite book. Give you a genuine vision and important decisions throughout the history of a successful business man.

[Mr Hưng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nội dung sách giống như tự truyện về cuộc đời và công cuộc xây dựng sự nghiệp của tác giả, từ đó chia sẻ các bài học hay.

[Amanda Tipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the anecdotal nature of the writing and Jim's honest assessment of general (and his own) decision making.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of "Dragons' Den" and like Jim Treliving (he's the only original Dragon left). He seems fair on the show but doesn't put up with any BS. So I was interested in reading his story.

Jim was born in a small town in Manitoba. While stationed in Edmonton as a Mountie, he became friends with Gus, who along with his brothers, had owned a couple Boston Pizza restaurants and was the franchisor for others in western Canada. At this point, he had no idea what pizza even was! Jim liked the restaurant lifestyle and saw the possibilities. He quit the RCMP and opened a Boston Pizza franchise in Penticton, BC. There he met George Melville, who ended up became his business partner (and still is). Jim and George eventually bought the chain. There are now Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. In addition, they also own Mr. Lube among other things.

This book is about how Jim makes decisions and the decisions he's made along the way. He makes decisions about work with his heart, about money with his head and about people with his gut ... so he's emotional about work, practical about money and instinctual about people. At the end of each chapter, there is a checklist for making the first life decision, for becoming a decision maker, making decisions about money, etc.

I enjoyed this book. I found it interesting and honest. I liked the writing style ... I could hear Jim's voice. What comes through is his passion, loyalty and strong work ethic.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/02...

[Crosser2186 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It's a quick read and there are only a few areas where the material is a little dry. I admire the "decisions" that Treliving made that ultimately brought him great success after years of hard work and determination. I enjoy reading autobiographies from successful individuals such as Jim every once in a while, but this one really hit home for me because of the parallel's I was able to draw between Jim's early life experience's and my own. Those who know me well will understand. I'm a big fan of the show "Dragon's Den", and after reading this I'll likely read books written by the other Dragon's. And although the messages are likely the same: hard work and determination will lead you to success; it's always interesting to see the different paths people have had to take to be successful.

[Rich Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watch Jim on Dragon's Den and thought it would be fun to read his book. Decision making is something I have studied and practiced in the corporate world so I was drawn in by the title.

Jim sets out to explain his process for making decisions and how it worked creating his Boston Pizza empire as well as a dragon on the show.

I found the book very well written and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Great primer for entrepreneurs starting or growing a business. Jim had a tough slug and tells it all.

Highly recommend

[Amanda Vollmershausen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. An interesting success story, coupled with advice on making decisions. His advice struck me as a little too simplistic and too personal to be useful to anyone else. I did enjoy the autobiographical components that took you through his life from an RCMP officer and Manitoban to where he is now. He's certainly an interesting Canadian figure worth knowing something about, but I'll take a pass on the metaphors of golf and business he writes about.

[Andrea Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the casual way Jim breaks down his entrepreneurial journey. He also really emphasized that making decisions and taking action go hand in hand. He also writes about building relationships.

I had no idea what to expect from the book and I would highly recommend it. There are pearls of wisdom to be found in the book.

[Maureen Rue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to build you own business? This is the book that'll tell you how it's done. It's the Boston Pizza/Dragons' Den guy Jim Treliving recounting his story of rags to riches. With pointers of what to do and what not to do, it's the perfect primer for the budding entrepreneur. And it's an easy read.

[Lisa Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow start but ultimately great read with specifics on how many times Jim "fell" down and then got back up and persevered. Often we look at people with immense success and fail to realize the road was much much harder than you can imagine.

[Jane Blaufus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim openly shares the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. The courage we all must go through sometimes daily to succeed and make a difference not just in our lives but those we touch. It’s a good read for anyone thinking about starting a business and for those already in business.

[Gerald Boersma · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wondered what it takes to build a multi-million dollar company from nothing, read this. There is more than meets the eye to Jim when you see him on Dragon's Den!

[VaughanPL]

Click here to find it in the catalogue.

[Betty-anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Jim's story, given he is a Dragon in the Den & I like how pensive he is, now I know why.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.. it was lik Jim was sitting across the table telling me his life story...

[Xulferdica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candid, insightful, and inspiring. Read from cover to cover in less than 24 hours because it was just that good! Look forward to seeing Jim's progress over the next 20 years!

[bruce davidson]

excellent. tells of the pros and cons of owning your own biz. as well as the costs of it. it cost him his marriage

[Tealia · Rating 5 out of 5]

very inspirational! Boston Pizza is an amazing business. the book taught alot about how one decision leads to another place so you have to be careful and plan out what the consequences are