Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat - Ready

Wow, Michael Masterson really gets it! I couldn't believe all the answers that were in this book. It is apparent that Michael has actually lived being a successful entrepreneur, compared to all the ivory tower educators that have no real reality on what it takes to run a successful business. I only wish he would have written this book about 10 years ago. It would have saved me a bunch of doubt, uncertainty and worry. With my company now in Stage Two, I know what I need to do to get through Stages Two through Four and over the $100 Million sales mark. I am excited to make it happen. All I can say is thanks to Michael, your book has really helped me.

I purcased the book Ready Fire Aim. It was recommended by a stock report I subscribe to. It is an excellent book to read and learn from if you want to start a business, have a business and want to troubleshoot some problems you are having in it, or you want to increase your business to the next level. The author has a no nonsense get right to the point attitude with his experience and how he achieve his outstanding success in several businesses he has started, built up to the next level, and has helped others succeed in theirs. After one reads the book, one asks the question how did I miss it? The logical simple steps one should do in starting a business and succeeding.

I bought the audio-book version so I could listen to it over and over again. Being a long time subscriber to the Author's "Early to Rise" daily email newsletter I wasn't turned off by Michael Masterson's healthy ego. As a proven business builder, rainmaker, multi-millionaire teacher-mentor he has earned the bragging rights. It is a must read for entrepreneurs new and old. I wish I had this information many years and thousands of dollars ago. The advice is timely and vital for anyone hoping to survive in this tough economic climate. The audio-book makes great gift idea for anyone that spends any time commuting or business traveling.

Well, the Great Simplifier has done it again. Michael Masterson has crammed into a single volume just about every rule and procedure anyone going into business -- or hoping to expand his or her business -- could expect to find in an entire library. What is especially useful is that the principles are laid out so clearly and so logically. Here is a book that not only gets the juices flowing; it's a book that leads the reader, fearlessly and confidently, through the maze of problems and uncertainties that otherwise would have a would-be business owner wondering, "What should I do next?" Masterson says, "This is what you should do next" ... and invariably, he's right on-target.

I recently read, "Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat." I have to say that it actually surpassed my high expectations. To me, the thing that separates this book from other similar publications is that it's written by someone that has used these principles over and over to make a fortune. The book explains in crystal clear terms how to take specific actions to become rich. And I know that Michael Masterson knows what he's talking about. He's been a consultant for my business for only a month and sales have already doubled following his strategies. This book is a "must buy" for any serious entrepreneur.

Paul Lawrence
Owner/Paul Lawrence Productions, Inc.

I am in the process of expending our little family business and this book is very inspiring, not everything here i can put to work )at least not yet) but i found many tips and strategies I like ( and I am still in section one). In fact, I just ordered a 2nd copy to send to my good friend who is about to open his first business in Israel. Of course the book alone is not enough, however it provides a great tool and a great start.

I read most of what Michael Masterson writes. I have worked with a number of his companies and sometimes with him personally. The term "genius" is overused, but he does have a genius for business and making money. All his books are good, but two stand out: Automatic Wealth and now Ready, Fire, Aim. If you start with only one, read Ready, Fire, Aim first. It really is his magnum opus (so far), encapsulating more of his success principles than any of his other works. Michael is a far better businessman and writer than I am, but after decades of working with him, I have learned to tolerate this.

The book starts really well with reference to future chapters made for given business situations that are met along the expansion route. The structure of the book is good, following the growth of entrepreneurial businesses. However, as I read through it, besides the usual business sound bites, you never get the complete explanation you are waiting for. I have no doubt the author is an accomplished businessman but there are lots of books written in the same general terms as this one. Its is an enjoyable read and will leave you with more ideas then when you start but that is about allReady, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat (Agora Series)

Michael Masterson is definitely inspirational, but when you walk away from what you bought from him, you are still left to your own devices to work your way through life; armed from him with only a bit of cheerleading to push you along and nothing really new and helpful. He's great at selling you hype and emptiness with great promises of wealth if you're smart enough to have everything go well for you as you struggle along. I've read a few of his books and I was even duped into buying one of his "success" packages. When I didn't succeed with his Success program, I called to cancel and get my money back. After I found they were still pulling money from my account I got the BBB involved and have no trust in anything he's trying to sell. My hat is off to that bastard and his company for getting a few hundred dollars from me without having to give me anything worth anything. Please don't trust anybody, especially a salesman from the beach in Florida.

"Nothing matters more than selling," says the author. "Many first-time entrepreneurs have the impression that they are doing things in a logical order when they look for the perfect office space, have logos designed, and order a lot of inventory. The reality is they are wasting valuable resources on secondary and tertiary endeavors. If no one is going to buy what you want to sell, you've just wasted a bunch of money on a business that will never be."

I see this when a client comes to me and has spent most of his small budget on Web site design and left the important thing, the sales message, for least --- just to fill in the beautiful design. They've spent their money on the least important and have no money left for the most important. This book addresses just these issues.

In this new book Masterson gives a three-step process that entrepreneurs should follow in order to have a successful business. Unfortunately, most do not. I've seen this first hand in my own consulting business. Entrepreneurs tend to put their values and their money on all the wrong things --- and this leads to certain failure.

Here are the steps according to Masterson:

Step one: Get the product ready enough to sell, but don't worry about perfecting it. Step two: Sell it. Step three: If it sells, make it better. While this all sounds fairly easy, it's not.

"Selling can be terrifying," Masterson says. "It can be tough, gritty, unglamorous work. But when you make that first big sale, you realize it's also exhilarating. And like it or not, you probably won't become a successful entrepreneur until you can sell your product or service in your sleep."

When your business is new, you should begin to build a base of customers or clients --- that means you have to sell. Online, that would mean you have to have a powerful sales message on your Web site and in all of your online advertising.

Successful entrepreneurs should (and generally do) spend most of their time --- especially in the beginning --- on selling. Most are very bad at it.

"As the business grows out of its infancy--as it goes beyond the million-dollar revenue mark by selling many more products through many more channels--you can let other people do most of the selling," says the author.

"But by establishing your marketing credentials during the first stage, when the selling secrets of your business are still unknown, you will gain a deep understanding of your business that will serve you well for the rest of your career."

The author writes in an engaging style. This material should help those starting their own business and even those already in business. I see so many mistakes that entrepreneurs make and they tend to be the same things all the time.

If you can avoid those mistakes, you can quickly leap over everyone else and become successful.

Ready Fire Aim is a solid Business Book for anyone who owns their own business but really more helpful for those who own internet businesses.
Many helpful ways to market yourself and your business. i own a service business and use many of the marketing strategies in the book. I especially enjoy the authors website.

Michael Masterson's learning and experiences building businesses
are an excellent guide to anyone who wants to make it work for
themselves. This is a recipe on how to do it and what to watch out for. I give Masterson 4 ****.

A must read for anyone thinking of starting a business. Michael Masterton lists very practical ways in which new ventures would have the best chance of succeeding. An enjoyable reading style with a central message that is easily understood and implemented.

The first section gives good but unsurprising advice on starting a business. Most of the book pp129-356 is devoted to the problems of growing businesses of value beyond $1,000,000 to $10,000,000. If you are in that category it may be worth buying, but my guess is that you would know it already. My advice: If interested, borrow, do not buy.

The positive reviews have to be paid reviews. This book is, by far, the biggest joke of a "business" book I have ever read.

You can sum up this book in one short sentence - market yourself.

The rest are unsubstantiated boasts, or self-promotions. Google the author's name, and exercise some healthy skepticism.

If you want a savvy business advice, here is one - skip this trash, and save yourself some time.

Masterson should just launch an infomercial business business so he can be like Kevin Trudeau, but he doesn't because it is far less expensive to do viral marketing via the web. Look at the reviews for this book yourself; Most all of them are very complimentary yes, but several are from Agora, the publishing company that Masterson owns.

Further, the reviews from those who say they have "worked" with Masterson are likely people who have paid Masterson to attend his workshops that cost in the thousands of dollars. I could be wrong here, but I searched the reviews and cannot find one that says "Masterson worked for me and did a great job." For someone who is supposed to write outstanding copy and be a high priced expert consultant, it seems odd that there would not be a review from a satisfied employer.

Lastly, the biggest thorn in the side of a copy writing business (other than losing the reader's attention) are typos. If you read Masterson's self aggrandizing posts, under the heading "A Good Way to Start the Day" dated 4 January 2008, second sentence. "He thanked 'me for sending me' a copy of Ready Fire Aim....."

It's your money, buy the book if you want. But if you want a better return on your educational and success building dollar, go to business school.

I enjoy the occasional book on marketing and how to acheive success. The cover blurbs for "Ready, Aim, Fire" seemed promising as did some of the the store reviews. So I figured why not.

I can now answer the question "why not" in detail and at length.

First, the good news. Michael Masterson does a reasonably good job of distilling the advice offered in dozens of other books on advertising and marketing, from Napoleon Hill to Rosse Reeve's "Reality In Advertising". However, the solid advice gleaned from those classics is diluted with Masterson's endless preening and outright bragging.

The overall experience is not necessarily enjoyable or instructive, unless you are inspired by someone telling you, over and over and over again, of how successful and great he is.

A careful reading led me to become very suspicious of Michael Masterson and to do some quick research. Masterson claims to have had titles on the New York Times, Wall St. Journal and the store best seller lists. Indeed, on two occasions - and that means two distinct dates - Masterson was on the Wall St. Journal best seller list. This is not like being on that list week after week: it was twice for one time each. As for the New York Times, a Nexis search shows Michael Masterson appearing in the Times just once, with a comment in an article. No appearances on their best seller list. the store's best seller lists are very different and appearing on them is on meaningless. It is said that having 30 friends order a book at the same time will put you on their best sellers list for a little while at least.

More disturbing are Masterson's associations, one of which is Agora International, which publishes a number of investment newsletters which seem to be of the "we have a tip for you" variety. Agora was sued for fraud by the SEC at one point. This does not reflect directly on Masterson since he claims a nebulous role of "consultant" with them. It does, however, reflect on the company he keeps.

The company he keeps also includes AWAI, American Artists & Writers, Inc. Masterson doesn't say that he authored a product for them, a course on copywriting. Both AWAI and Masterson are the subject of literally hundreds of online complaints.

As I said, much of this book is borrowed and adapted. I don't have a problem with that since solid knowledge is intended to be passed on, as long as it is not plagarized in violation of copyright laws. But even here, Masterson leaves himself open to question. He attributes the concept of the "unique selling proposition" to a 1980 book called "Positioning". In fact, Rosser Reeves first put forth the expression and the concept in his 1961 "Reality In Advertising".

Would I recommend that someone read this book? Sort of. It is an adequate distillation of marketing advice from many reputable sources. To his credit, Masterson doesn't claim to be the original thinking here. On the other hand, Masterson's personal credibility is questionable and you really have to take what he says of his own success with a very large grain of salt. Personally I think there are better books in this area to be found.

Jerry