What do you think?
Rate this book
You Call the Shots: Succeed Your Way-- And Live the Life You Want-- With the 19 Essential Secrets of Entrepreneurship
Why work for someone else when you can call your own shots, pursue your dreams, and find success on your terms by starting your own business? So many people end up bored with their jobs, stuck in the corporate grind, never following their true passions. As wildly successful young entrepreneur Cameron Johnson shows, you don't have to live that way. We've entered a new age of entrepreneurship, with the Web making it easier than ever to start and run your own company. As Johnson's remarkable story reveals, the entrepreneurial way of life is a great way to make sure you love what you do -- and it offers the potential to achieve extraordinary success by following your gut instincts and going for what you really want. What about the risks? Don't you need lots of money? Don't most start-ups fail? Johnson shares his essential secrets to entrepreneurial success that show you how he got into the life at very low risk, and, with very little money, took an idea that excited him and ran with it, achieving great success and satisfaction with businesses he loved. He didn't have an MBA; he didn't even have a college degree. But he had learned the simple yet vital secrets he reveals. Cameron Johnson is a seriously happy entrepreneur who started his first business when he was nine with $50 and a home computer. Before he'd turned twenty-one he'd started twelve successful businesses and was offered $10 million in venture capital to grow his hot Web company CertificateSwap.com -- praised by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the Web businesses helping the tech industry get its groove back -- even bigger. He has never taken out a loan or racked up any debt, and every one of his businesses has been highly profitable -- so profitable that he made his first million before graduating from high school, and he's put away enough cash so that he could retire today. But that's the last thing on earth he'd want to do; he's much too happy starting up new companies. Through the story of his own impressive career so far, in You Call the Shots , Johnson takes you behind the scenes of entrepreneurial success and empowers you to hit the ground running with your own great business idea, no matter how young you are or how little money you have to invest.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2007
13 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 7, 2021
Read it until page 168. Nothing much to learn from it other than the life of the author and his businesses. All basic stuff. The only great takeaway from the book is that there's always a business opportunity to be made. You just have to find out what problems around you that you know there's something you can do about it.
September 8, 2011
I read this book in college, but I wish I had read it earlier. I recommend this book both as an entertaining read as well as a motivator to start your own business.
July 27, 2012
I wish all of my business students would read this book. How inspiring and sincere! Great advice and what a role model. Thank you for writing!
January 18, 2019
Look just not really worth the money, nothing groundbreaking in here
February 28, 2023
Author spends most of the time talking about himself rather than giving meaningful advice. When he DOES get to something important, he handwaves right by it and starts talking about himself again. Seems more like this guy wanted to write an autobiography about how awesome he thinks he is rather than help an aspiring entrepreneur.
May 17, 2020
An interesting story chronicling the life and rise of this entrepreneur of the early 2000s. While most of the advice is not particularly novel, it is presented in an entertaining and easy read with frequent anecdotes.
March 6, 2013
A book full of wisdom and I definitely recommend it. I don't regret for a second having read it and I am actually getting ready to reread it for at least two more times.
My reservation relate to two points in the content. First, I find it funny to see how C. Johnson relays his being republican especially when it comes to commending Donald Trump. I could understand it if he did that when he reported his childhood memories, but again when he is a teenager was little surprising for me. Oh well, let me remind myself that Donald Trump is part of C. Johnson's network. The second point relates to hiring Indians rather than Americans to do the coding for one of his projects. Now, let me put it this way, had it been me, had I known that I would be making that much money, I would have opted for hiring my compatriots, or at least 50-50 ratio of fellow nationals and foreigners. This is only to help those people who may not find jobs. Probably that's why I am not Cameron Johnson. Oh well, was just saying. Of course these remain your own decision and you're the only one to make them.
Nontheless, it's a good read and reflects Cameron's goods heart in sharing details of his venture. Thanks Cameron.
My reservation relate to two points in the content. First, I find it funny to see how C. Johnson relays his being republican especially when it comes to commending Donald Trump. I could understand it if he did that when he reported his childhood memories, but again when he is a teenager was little surprising for me. Oh well, let me remind myself that Donald Trump is part of C. Johnson's network. The second point relates to hiring Indians rather than Americans to do the coding for one of his projects. Now, let me put it this way, had it been me, had I known that I would be making that much money, I would have opted for hiring my compatriots, or at least 50-50 ratio of fellow nationals and foreigners. This is only to help those people who may not find jobs. Probably that's why I am not Cameron Johnson. Oh well, was just saying. Of course these remain your own decision and you're the only one to make them.
Nontheless, it's a good read and reflects Cameron's goods heart in sharing details of his venture. Thanks Cameron.
December 22, 2016
I can't even remember when I bought this book until I checked its printing year at the back of the cover. It was a very popular book when it first came out and was all over in the bookstore. Naturally, I brought a copy home, but life has kept me busy, and I never had the chance to opened it until this month. Now, after finished reading it, I wished I'd have opened it sooner.
The book is well-chaptered and filled with lots of quick-to-the-point insights for startups as Johnson leads us through his journey as a young entrepreneur. The book came out almost a decade ago and some resources suggested in the book has already expired; however, the experience and knowledge offered in the book are timeless. Many of the principles are quite fundamentals but were surprisingly overlooked by many. It is a must-read for anyone who's planning to start a business or to join a startup company.
The book is well-chaptered and filled with lots of quick-to-the-point insights for startups as Johnson leads us through his journey as a young entrepreneur. The book came out almost a decade ago and some resources suggested in the book has already expired; however, the experience and knowledge offered in the book are timeless. Many of the principles are quite fundamentals but were surprisingly overlooked by many. It is a must-read for anyone who's planning to start a business or to join a startup company.
April 19, 2008
A book anyone who wants to have thier own business should read. Here a young boy starts his own busines and by high school is a millionare!
Lots of basic ideas, yet most of all shows what anyone can do with a plan, focus and belief.
This should be given to high school people so they can see what is possible. Also to executives so they can see the potential of people at any age.
Lots of basic ideas, yet most of all shows what anyone can do with a plan, focus and belief.
This should be given to high school people so they can see what is possible. Also to executives so they can see the potential of people at any age.
March 26, 2015
While it's a good review of entrepreneurship, and I would probably recommend it to any high school or college students I knew who were interested in starting businesses, I personally am not interested in doing so, so the book wasn't really for me. Also, the resources are pretty dated, so I hope the author's website is more current -- I checked.
July 10, 2008
One of the best books that I have read from a business perspective. It really is fascinating - 12 successful businesses before he is 21. Cameron knows business and this book is really inspiring to young entrepreneurs.
March 14, 2010
It's a good book, but it focuses a lot on internet businesses and the attention and opportunities that Cameron was given because he started out so young. There undeniably is some good business advice in here but this book wasn't as good as I expected.
January 9, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this autobiographical book about Cameron Johnson and his many businesses. The book is arranged so that he focuses on major principles in each chapter. Even with this the book is fairly chronological, which builds towards where he was when the book was complete.
March 5, 2008
I just got this from the library! It is a great book and it truly inspires you that you can do it too! I definitely recommend this book and I am only 40 pages into it so far!!
November 18, 2008
There are lots of practical tips on starting and run business given by Cameron.
January 25, 2012
Good read, kid is a go-getter. Good book for a young ambitious kid to read, it will give them inspiration and practical advice to continuing to their dreams.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews