I get a lot of books sent to me to review and rarely see one that practically leaps out of the stacks, begging me to review it. Then again, Mike Michalowicz managed to get it to me via a very trusted friend, but he really had me at “The Toilet Paper.” This is why I’m reviewing The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The tell-it-like-it-is guide to cleaning up in business, even if you are at the end of your roll.
Why this book is not like other entrepreneurial books.
- It doesn’t profile what he calls “media darling entrepreneurs.” He’s focused on the everyday Janes and Joes who plug away as entrepreneurs outside of the media spotlight.
- He’s in your face and often crude (most of the time, funny crude) but he’s not for everyone.
I really liked this book–the info and the attitude. The only critique I have is that although his TPE (Toilet Paper Entrepreneur) tips contained mostly great content, they didn’t generally flow with the context around them. That means it would be hard to go back and find one if you needed it and also was kind of jarring, like “Huh? Did I miss some discussion in the main text about this tip?” But that’s about it.
So what is a TPE? You have to read his hilarious introduction, which talks about how creative, innovative and resourceful we can all be when we’re on the toilet and suddenly notice that there are only three sheets of TP left on the roll . . . So, if you’ve ever had to be creative, innovative and resourceful because you’ve got nothing else going for you . . . then welcome to the world of TPEs!
Michalowicz tosses a lot of info at the reader (in between the potty humor). Here are a few that stood out for me:
- You don’t need a website to have a web presence. Make good use of social networks and other social sites.
- Envying others’ success is limiting your own potential for success because it’s admitting you can’t achieve what they have.
- Instead of forcing yourself to say “My business is great,” put “he or she thinks” in front of that, and it’s much easier to build your confidence.
- His section on livening up your company values is clearly there for the shock value, but thought-provoking in that it shows how useless a lot of the corporate drivel is that we often feel compelled to adopt.
- To be a market leader, your company must excel in one laser-beam-focused area.
- Select your key differentiator and focus all your innovation around it. For example, if quality is your key differentiator, innovate ways to keep increasing quality. If it’s price, innovate around lowering price. If it’s convenience, focus on that.
- Forget the business plan; instead have a prosperity plan, a quarterly plan and daily metrics.
- Most entrepreneurs don’t have a detailed plan, because if they knew what to expect, they would probably be too smart to be entrepreneurs. He includes a great analysis of the Founding Fathers flying by the seat of their pants. (Funny, must be the holiday as I wrote about the Founding Fathers being Innovators in another post earlier today ).
- You need to act internally (in your mind) as if you have already achieved what you want, and you must act outwardly in the way you want to be treated once you arrive at your destination.
And near the end, he gives us the only five things you need to do to succeed in anything:
- Determine what you want.
- Set an enabling belief.
- Commit focus and attention to your goal.
- Take the most obvious actions to achieve your goal.
- Monitor your progress, adjusting your actions to realign with your goal.
Top Shelf Bottom Line: If, as an entrepreneur, you’ve ever felt like you were down to your last three pieces of toilet paper, then this is the book for you. It’s got a lot of really good, realistic advice mixed in with a bit of low-brow humor. Not a bad summer read.
This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 1:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.2 Responses to “Toilet Paper Entrepreneurs”
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July 9th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Great review, Diane!
I was lucky to receive a copy when it first came out. Very practical & applicable content. But what I have found to be incredible is the TPE Virtual Community. Mike and the community are great and super supportive. His vlog has tips, business solutions and tons of PR opps in traditional and virtual media world. So definitely take advantage of that.
Definitely recommend the book for anyone who has not read it yet. I think it is also available on .mp3 (audio book).
Good fortune to all the aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs out there.
@teenbizcoach
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I loved Mike’s book because it came at just the right time, when I was starting my business.
I then had the opportunity to invite Mike to speak to my networking group in Tampa Bay,FL. He inspired the attendees to follow their passion, even made them write their commitment to where they wanted to be in 10 years and posted their declarations on his website!
I recommend his book to every entrepreneur starting a business or for the entrepreneur who is struggling and needs to refocus.
Happiness and success to all!