Rating: 
Summary: Enjoy the process or do something else...
Review: I received this book along with three others for free upon joining a real estate investors group. Thus, I was not expecting too much from the volume. I also was blissfully ignorant of the authors and their prior successful works, and have not read the other two volumes in this motivational trilogy. As such, I was pleasantly surprised by the narrative and novel style. The use of the protagonist "Len" is quite refreshing and works extremely well. His visits to the "three Wise Men/Woman" are amusing. The three lessons learned are absolute truths in the working world and totally reinforced my personal belief that having fun while making money is essential. If you love what you do you will be great at it. I highly recommend this book to everyone with a open mind. It is a quick read (about a weekend ought to do it) and if read and followed, is sure to enrich your life both spiritually and financially. About my only criticism is that it is somewhat derivative of other motivational types such as Lou Tice (reticular activating systems); Ivan Meisner (givers gain);and the grandaddy of them all: Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich).
Rating: 
Summary: If Regis doesn't question you, buy this book!
Review: I'm already a millionaire several times over. My staff gave me Big Bucks! They thought it a "funny gift" for the company Christmas party. It was. Everyone laughed when I unwrapped it. I tossed it in my brief case and that evening began to look it over, then fasinated by what I saw, I began to read. I've come to Amazon, my favorite book store, to write this review, as having read Big Bucks! I now feel an obligation to tell everyone this book will tell you in a clearer, simpler and easier to follow fashion than I ever could, how I made my money. As I read I had an eerie feeling Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles were telling my story. That somehow they had got inside my head and discovered my best money making secrets. But they aren't secrets. If you make ten million that doesn't stop me from making another ten. Actually, when the economy is booming it's easier for everyone to make money. So buy this book now and pay attention. Big Bucks! is not a "bet the farm, get rich quick or die broke trying" book. As it says on the cover, Big Bucks! tells you how to get the energy you need, and then how and where to focus that energy. It will teach you about leverage, which means turning one dollar into a thousand. You will learn the importance of having an equity position. The lessons on how to make big bucks in the job you have now are alone worth many times what you'll pay for the book. That's my advice, and I ask only one thing. After you've read it come back here and post a review for others.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing earth-shattering, but it makes sense!
Review: In RAVING FANS, authors Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Knowles
concentrated on the importance of delighting customers . . . in GUNG
HO!, they focused on how companies could become the "employer of
choice" and attract the best employees . . . I liked both those
books and thus looked forward to listening to the taped version of
BIG BUCKS! . . . this third book promised me in its subtitle "How
to Make Serious Money for Both You and Your Company," something
that could be done by focussing my time and energy. Like other works by Blanchard and Knowles, the points are
presented in a parable . . . here, we're introduced to a man struggling
to make ends meet . . . he goes on a journey to discover the secret
to becoming rich and meets three wise (and successful) people
who present simple truths that can be applied to virtually any
situation. I liked the above fact; i.e., that when listening, I found myself
thinking that this stuff makes sense--and I should and could apply it to my situation . . . there's nothing overly earth-shattering,
yet I should add that it got me thinking . . . and it made sense. Also making sense was the conclusion, in which the authors
reviewed the simple tests that should have been learned from
either reading or listening: The test of joy . . . you can't make money unless you're having fun. The test of purpose . . .you can't make money unless making money
is more important than having fun. The test of creativity . . . incomes, less expenses = profit. And, lastly, there's perpetual prosperity . . . which comes to those
who help others.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing earth-shattering, but it makes sense!
Review: In RAVING FANS, authors Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Knowles
concentrated on the importance of delighting customers . . . in GUNG
HO!, they focused on how companies could become the "employer of
choice" and attract the best employees . . . I liked both those
books and thus looked forward to listening to the taped version of
BIG BUCKS! . . . this third book promised me in its subtitle "How
to Make Serious Money for Both You and Your Company," something
that could be done by focussing my time and energy. Like other works by Blanchard and Knowles, the points are
presented in a parable . . . here, we're introduced to a man struggling
to make ends meet . . . he goes on a journey to discover the secret
to becoming rich and meets three wise (and successful) people
who present simple truths that can be applied to virtually any
situation. I liked the above fact; i.e., that when listening, I found myself
thinking that this stuff makes sense--and I should and could apply it to my situation . . . there's nothing overly earth-shattering,
yet I should add that it got me thinking . . . and it made sense. Also making sense was the conclusion, in which the authors
reviewed the simple tests that should have been learned from
either reading or listening: The test of joy . . . you can't make money unless you're having fun. The test of purpose . . .you can't make money unless making money
is more important than having fun. The test of creativity . . . incomes, less expenses = profit. And, lastly, there's perpetual prosperity . . . which comes to those
who help others.
Rating:
Summary: Save years of effort; read this book first!
Review: It took me years to make it to "big bucks." Then I read this book, which offers to help others do the same. I wish this had been around so I could have read it earlier and saved lots of years! But now it's out and this message needs to go out to those who are teachable on this subject. The authors boil down a lot of data and research into a few non-negotiables. This will disappoint the unenlightened but challenge the righteous to take the path to prosperity.
Rating:
Summary: A GIFT FOR ALL AGES - YOUNG AND OLD
Review: The book "Big Bucks" is well worth the bucks. This new book by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles may be small, but it is packed with information and the keys to success. That is not to say that the reader should look to this book for any "secrets" or revelations. The real magic of "Big Bucks" is that it points to the obvious. There is nothing complicated here. The book is clear and direct. It provides an easy formula, a step-by-step process that one could easily follow. However, this is not to suggest that this book's ideas are in any way a get-rich-quick game. Blanchard and Bowles simply provide the roadmap. It will be up to the reader to choose whether to follow it and stick with it even when presented with life's inevitable challenges. "Big Bucks" is for everybody. For some people it will be a reminder to stay the course while for others it will be a wakeup call. Just buy it, read it, heed it, and follow its message. It is a great gift for all, especially for oneself.
Rating: 
Summary: Ranks # 3 in the list
Review: This book is meant to be the third leg of a three-legged stool, the other two legs being Gung Ho! and Raving Fans by the same authors. After taking care of people who work for the organization, who in turn take care of customer delight, this book now aims at making big money both for the employee and the company. Logically this is a good sequence. The style is the same, powerful concepts explained through a parable. In Big Bucks our hero is Len who is a simple person with an ambition to make big money. Expectations at the beginning of the book makes one align Len with the Area Manager (Raving Fans) or with Andy (Gung Ho!). This comparison may let you down. I should confess that Big Bucks is not a story as powerful as Gung Ho! where Andy Longclaw with the squirrels, the beavers and the geese saves Walton Works # 2. Andy still lives in our hearts. In Raving Fans, it is sheer customer delight straight from first principles applied with absolute clarity and focus, and a feeling of joy that recharges anyone to see the customer in a new perspective. Big Bucks lags behind these two great books in creating such an impact. The third leg needs a bit of reinforcement. May be I will read the book again when I really decide to go after big money. Till then, Gung Ho! friends.
Rating:
Summary: Good at one third the price
Review: This is a good book at one third its cost. It would make a good pamphlet but for nearly $20 (counting shipping costs) it's little bang for too much bucks. The writing style is simplistic and predictable. Nearly every page presents two inches of blank white space and the font is oversized as if an attempt by the publisher to hide the shortness of the manuscript. The content is useful though nothing new is presented. I wanted to read the book because I am a fan of Ken Blanchard. He has a knack of popularizing good sense principles so that they are useful in practice. Unfortunately, I think this latest effort is more a whimper than a winner. If the readers of this review insist on buying this book, perhaps, the lesson they will learn is that people (like me) will buy anything if it comes from someone with a strong reputation. I hope Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Bowles develop more content if they collaborate again. They have much to offer, but this book isn't it...
Rating:
Summary: A quickly read business parable
Review: This is another book in the tradition of The One Minute Manager (co-authored by Blanchard): A quickly read business parable about a young man on a quest. This one is on the always interesting subject of how to get rich, which is quite simple (not easy, mind you, but simple) according to the authors of Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization and Raving Fans - A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service: First of all make sure you have fun. If you don't there is no way that you can create the intensity and work the long hours that are necessary in order to be really successful. This is the starting point of the book, which makes a lot of sense and even manages to keep a good perspective on ethics and meaning at the same time. Highly recommended!
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