Free Book Summary : How to Almost Make a Million Dollars This article is based on the following book: I almost did it. You can almost do it, too! By Robert X. Leeds Epic Publishing Company, 2004 ISBN 0-9674025-5-7 246 pages

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.

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.

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.

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.

III.  On the Road to Success
Different people measure and define success differently. So, there is no use trying to meet other people’s standards of success. What’s important is that you stay true to your main goal.

A.  There is more than one road to success
It is the individual who desire and seek success who is the best judge of its varied dimensions. For example, some people will define success as having a secure job with a steady income. A born entrepreneur, however, will never be content with just being an employee of somebody else’s company.

B.  Timing! Timing! Timing! 
Location is important in a business, but the timing by which a product or service appears in the market is also very crucial.  

C.  Think Big! Act Big! Do Big!
One of the surest ways to establish financial security for you and your family is to start your own business. However, starting a business can be quite risky, especially for novice entrepreneurs.

D.  Financing your business
Raising the needed start up capital will not be easy. There are many ways by which you can raise the money to jump start your business. One obvious way would be to borrow money from a bank. However, most banks require some collateral before approving any loan. Furthermore, most banks rarely loan money to start-up ventures.

E. Every upside has a downside
Running your own business can be both financially and personally gratifying. Still, running a business entails taking chances and risks, so expect to experience your fair share of failures. Moreover, don’t be misled into thinking that success will come to you if you just keep trying different things.

F.  Beware of the “devil” and his minions
Make sure that you put into writing any offer, promise, or agreement that you enter into, and make sure that it is signed by all parties. Similarly, there is no such thing as a verbal purchase order. Remember, good intentions are not always good currency.

IV. The Myth of Getting Rich Quick
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as easy money. Even though there are many books and seminars that instruct readers and attendees on how to become instant millionaires, none of these “surefire, get rich quick” ideas or systems can really guarantee instant success and wealth. In most cases, these “get rich quick” seminars and “How To” books will only tell you forty-five percent of the story. Experience, with the help of providence, will teach you the other fifty-five percent as you go through life trying to make your dream of becoming a successful businessperson a reality.

V.  The More Important Things
The world is filled with many opportunities for growth and success. You need not always think of something new in order to succeed in business. In some instances, all you have to do is just make some timely and novel improvement on some ordinary or common-place thing. Also, always keep in mind that there is more than one road to success, although that path may be long and arduous. You may not see it at first, but life always gives you an endless array of options to choose from.

Robert X. Leeds is a poet, writer, adventurer, and above all an animal lover. Born in 1927, he was not an outstanding student and dropped out of highschool to go to sea. Upon turning seventeen he was accepted into the Army Airforce Cadet program. Afraid the war would end before he could see action,he obtained a six-month leave of absence under false pretenses, and shipped out to the South Pacific with the Merchant Marines. He returned to his Air Cadet training program and was honorably discharge in 1945. Following his discharge Leeds decided to spend seven years traveling around the world. His journeys took him to many countrys and two more wars. At twenty-one he flew with the Israeli Air Force and later trained and commanded the first Israeli Airborn Brigade in the 1947-1948 Middle East War. On July 4th, 1948 he married a Finnish volunteer and returned to America. They have two daughters and a son. Robert is still an active pilot and enjoys aerobatics. If asked what his greatest adventure was, without hesitating he will tell you it was operating the American Pet Motel.

Subscribe to BusinessSummaries Pro for only $69.95 and get:

1. Unlimited access to a continuously-growing online archive of over 300 business book summaries valued at $1,200.00.
2. A new summary each week for an entire year - a total of 52 books valued at $69.95.
3. Easy and convenient access to summaries in four easy formats:
1. Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
2. Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT)
3. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
4. Audio (Mp3)
5. HTML
4. Access to easy-to-navigate membership site.

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER!

Free copy of Inside the Guru Mind Series*

1. That is a total of 12 summaries valued at $49.95 at no extra cost! This is available only at BusinessSummaries.Com.

Get more than $1,200 worth of value for only $69.95 and:

1. Increase your business confidence by leaps and bounds.
2. Spend less time learning, and more time doing! Put the latest business ideas into practice immediately!
3. Remember better and learn more
4. Save time and reduce information overload!
5. Stay ahead of the latest marketing trends, learn explosive marketing techniques, and discover investment strategies for the new economy.
6. Improve your leadership skills and take your business into the global economy like a pro.
7. Increase your productivity – both personal and in your workplace.

Ready to dive into a vast sea of critical business information?
Learn and apply the latest business trends, ideas and concepts.
Subscribe to BusinessSummaries today for our promotional low rate of only $69.95!

Subscribing is totally risk-free. Not only do we guarantee a safe and secure payment process, we also over an unconditional 100% Money-Back Guarantee for the entire duration of your subscription!

You have nothing to lose so subscribe today!