Book Summary Preview : How to Almost Make a Million Dollars

The Big Idea

How to Almost Make a Million Dollars recounts the author’s hilarious odyssey towards becoming the successful person and entrepreneur that he is today. Not only does this book narrate one of the most exciting financial quests of the century, it also provides a definitive rebuttal to the “get rich quick” systems and ideas proliferating in numerous “Become Instant Millionaires” seminars, books, and infomercials. In addition, the rich reservoir of entrepreneurial wisdom contained in this book will help you become better prepared and aware of the many problems that entrepreneurs need to overcome in life.

Moreover, this is not your typical “How To” book. It does not provide a financial roadmap towards financial wealth. Rather, the humorous stories and the 100 proverbs for success that sum up the author’s more than 65 years of entrepreneurship will motivate and encourage you to maintain a positive disposition in the face of failures and adversities that you, as a fellow entrepreneur, will surely encounter. If you are looking for a book that conveys an infectious air of energy, and which disparages time-worn myths about instant success and wealth, then this is the book for you.

I.  Quitters Never Win
One thing that separates entrepreneurs from other businesspersons is their capacity for tenaciousness and courageousness that most ordinary people find overwhelming.  It’s not everyday that you find someone willing to put everything in line to pursue a dream. Take the case of the late Colonel Harland Sanders, the man behind the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In 1952, at the age of 62, he traveled the length and breadth of America for two years looking for a restaurant that will buy his recipe for fried chickens. He finally succeeded in selling his fried chicken concept on his 1, 010th try. Now, here was a man who got rejected 1, 009 times, and still he did not think of ever giving up.   

By 1964, Col. Sanders had sold more than 600 franchises, and by the time he retired and sold the company, KFC had already grown to more than 3,500 franchised and company-owned restaurants all over the world. Then by 1982, KFC restaurants have totaled to almost 32, 500 in more than 100 countries. Consequently, Col. Harland Sanders was ranked as the second most recognizable celebrity in the world back in 1976.

Col. Sanders succeeded in his business venture because he didn’t give in to failure. His story, and others like him, testifies to the courage and persistence of entrepreneurs in the face of challenges and adversities. Remember, it’s normal to fail. People who try at anything will fail at something. However, what will distinguish you from other people is your ability to pick yourself up and continue with the fight. Keep in mind that you only become a failure when you decide to give up.

II.  Starting from Scratch
Life wasn’t meant to be a spectator sport, and so is entrepreneurship for that matter. You won’t succeed by just sitting in the comforts of your home and by just waiting for things to happen. You have to go out and make an effort to make your dreams come true. More importantly, you have to believe in yourself.

Not everyone who tries, though, will succeed. Nevertheless, failing despite your best efforts is better than not trying at all. You have to take chances and accept risks. You also have to accept the fact that you will experience failures along the way. What matters most at the end of the day is that you are still able to pick up the shattered pieces of your efforts and go on. Remember, no prize awaits those who don’t play the game. 

A.  The Formula of Success
Being born into a rich family or inheriting wealth will not guarantee you success; nor will a high IQ or the ability to invent extraordinary stuff assure you of the same. By and large, it is the desire to succeed against all odds which makes all the difference in this world.

For example, Dr. Robert Jarvik, the man credited for inventing the world’s first artificial heart, was not your typical medical genius. In fact, his detractors, as well as many of his friends and teachers, judged him unworthy of the medical profession. For them, he lacked the necessary skills and aptitude to master the requisites for a medical doctor. He, however, proved them all wrong.

Thomas Alva Edison, the famous inventor, is another good example. Unlike Jarvik, this man, however, was a certified genius. Nonetheless, his exceptional brain power did not always ensure him of success. He, like many other great men, has experienced the despairing effects of failure. In 1927 up to 1931, for instance, he worked on developing a substitute for rubber using agricultural plants. He spent four years and tried 16, 999 different plants before he finally picked the right kind of plant; namely, plant number 17, 000. Imagine, failing 16, 999 times for four straight years! That’s perseverance for you.

What these two examples show is that success is not merely ten percent inspiration, and ninety percent perspiration. Rather, it is ten percent inspiration, thirty-five percent perspiration and persistence, and fifty-five percent providence. More often than not, one’s good fortune depends on one’s good efforts; and when logic tells you to give up on your dreams, better give up on logic.  

B.  The Tale of Ambition, Doubt, Fear, and Failure
Once upon a time, four very close friends, namely, Ambition, Doubt, Fear, and Failure, sailed out to the ocean. However, misfortune struck and they were left in the middle of the ocean with no means or tools to get back to shore. Doubt, Fear, and Failure did nothing except to bemoan their situation and predict their impending demise. Ambition, on the other hand, instinctively knew there was still a way to survive.

 

Want to read the rest of this summary? click here >>