Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat (Agora Series) | 
| Author: Michael Masterson
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $14.94
You Save: $13.01 (47%)
New (38) Used (15) from $11.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  61 reviews
Sales Rank: 6921
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
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
Condition: Great condition, no marks
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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 56 more reviews...
 Motivational manual on entrepreneurial excellence September 26, 2008
As a fabulously successful businessman and author, millionaire Michael Masterson certainly qualifies to advise budding entrepreneurs. You can't help but be impressed by his accomplishments, and his enthusiasm and energy are contagious. Masterson's basic premise makes a lot of sense: don't wait until you've fine-tuned your product or service. Shoot from the hip. Fire before you aim. Don't worry about being perfect - just get it on the market. Masterson explains that early in his career, he spent too much time tweaking newsletters instead of focusing on selling them. He uses his experiences to provide instructive lessons for the reader throughout the book. The problem is that Masterson - or anyone else, for that matter - can't give you talent or motivation. If you have the ability and drive, however, getAbstract believes that he can help you squeeze every ounce of potential from your business venture.
 Exaggerations, Over-Simplifications and Ego September 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Exaggerations can make a point. Simplification can speed things up and to run a 100 million dollar company there is going to be.... The problem with the this current crop of marketing book authors is that they are so busy with self-promotion that they don't think the marketplace, you and I, the customers are worth treating with respect.
Mr. Masterson has maybe done what he claims but this book is only telling us the good part of his story. If you read some of the on-line forums that comment on his business, you get a much different picture. And the most favorable reviews here on Amazon are written by his cohorts.
There is very useful information in here but it was hard for me to get past his ego and the very ego driven delivery of it all.
I did like his break down of the 4 different levels from infancy to beyond 100 million dollars. But only a copywriter like Masterson puts a title on his book that says you could do it "in no-time-flat." Really, Mike?
Proceed with caution my fellow marketers and entrepreneurs, he has good information tucked in this book but keep a snorkel close while reading. It gets deep after the drop-off.
One of the Best Entrepreneurship Books I've Ever Read September 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Frankly, I am baffled that anyone could write a negative review of this book. Have those people actually read it?
I am real-life entrepreneur with the real-life challenge of taking a business from nothing (when I started) to something great. Michael Masterson appealed to me for one very simple reason: he claims to have started in one fashion or another more than 20 companies, most of which went on to $1 million in annual sales, some above $100 million. How can you argue with that kind of success?
This book is spot on about the dynamic of growing a business. Masterson helped me realize how fundamentally important sales & marketing is to the first stage of a business. I realize now that most businesses "coast" in this area, whereas the ones that really stand out focus relentlessly on this.
He helped me understand that power of an Optimal Selling Strategy, and how your company is fundamentally limited until you discover it.
He crystallized for me the relative non-importance of things like brochures, nice office furniture, and nice artwork, and he helped me understand the proper context for customer service and product quality. Obviously, we all want to do a great job on our products and services and keep our customers happy, but Masterson helped me understand how to look at that in the context of a growing business.
By the way, I'm only on page 127. I have not yet completed Part 3, Part 4, or Part 5, because I don't believe that our business is there yet.
This is hands down one of the best business books I've read. Ever. It's that good. Avoid this book at your peril, since it basically defines step by step how to build a successful business.
Thank you, Michael Masterson, for writing this.
My Money is on Michael Masterson! September 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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
0 out of 2 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.
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