The point of the book is that it is not necessary to get an expensive MBA to be successful in business. I was recommended this book as an introduction to basic business fundamentals. It is as advertised. The book divides into roughly two sections. In section one, Kaufman reviews what he calls the 5 fundamental pieces of business. He doesn’t spend very much time on any one subject. His goal is to sketch out the most important material and then refer you to a couple other sources if you would like to read more on that subject. The second half of the book is really focused on the personal aspects of practicing business: Working with Yourself (ch. ), Working with Others (ch. ) etc.
I appreciated the structure of the book. Some of the topics in the first section I was very familiar with and liked not having to wade through a ton of material I already knew. Other sections were new to me and actually ordered a couple of the books he recommended to learn more. I found the second half of the book the most interesting. Here he dives into more of the physiological, social and psychological elements that go into being successful in business. I found it very interesting to see how it all tied together. I enjoyed the book.
