Rating: 
Summary: It got me from the start
Review: I just wanted to let people know that though this is one of those "feel good" business books, it has some real lessons that, if people will heed, should make a difference in how your company is run. For me the most important thing was being reminded how big a part passion plays in whether your work is rewarding or not. Several years ago I decided to quit the corporate BS machine to do computer and website consulting from my home. I thought I would be good at it, but I soon realized that I was doing it primarily so I could work from home - not because I felt like it was a true calling. I ultimately gave that up and opened a small catering business with a friend and it seems much more closely aligned with what is meaningful to me. I think just about anybody would find this book inspirational if you're considering a similar path. Let it begin with passion!
Rating:
Summary: I Recommend You Buy "Beans!" Today
Review: I like books that tell a story, use examples and create benefits that is I can use. "Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad" is that kind of book!The authors choose the "Ps" of Passion, People, Personnel and Product. They lead us through the success of Jack and Diane's coffee shop. It is an easy read. It will urge you to understand your workplace journey. It doesn't matter if you are an employer or the employee. "Beans" is a journey from employment for a major airline (working for money), the unfulfilled entrepreneur step of self-employment selling martinis, and arriving at a passion for selling a cup of coffee. The realization that the "Ps" of Passion, People or Personnel will not make up for a quality Product leads Jack to develop the "best" cup of coffee! It takes all 4! If you liked "Fish!" - you will like "Beans." You might like to buy extra copies and give them to your personnel!
Rating:
Summary: I Recommend You Buy "Beans!" Today
Review: I like books that tell a story, use examples and create benefits that is I can use. "Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad" is that kind of book! The authors choose the "Ps" of Passion, People, Personnel and Product. They lead us through the success of Jack and Diane's coffee shop. It is an easy read. It will urge you to understand your workplace journey. It doesn't matter if you are an employer or the employee. "Beans" is a journey from employment for a major airline (working for money), the unfulfilled entrepreneur step of self-employment selling martinis, and arriving at a passion for selling a cup of coffee. The realization that the "Ps" of Passion, People or Personnel will not make up for a quality Product leads Jack to develop the "best" cup of coffee! It takes all 4! If you liked "Fish!" - you will like "Beans." You might like to buy extra copies and give them to your personnel!
Rating:
Summary: simple and straight forward advice
Review: I love books like "Beans",easy to read, easy to remember and easy to apply. I read it over coffee at my favorite coffee shop. I can also apply the "4 basic principles" in my own consulting company. So, I have shown the book to two of my clients and they have given me great feedback so far.
Rating:
Summary: Be clear on your intentions
Review: I love the importance the author places on matching your vision of success with your intentions. The other principles in this book are pretty basic but seeing everything through the "Eye of Intention", at least to me, was fresh and exciting. For years I have been beating myself up for failing at a retail clothing store that I raised quite a lot of money to start. All of my investors, mostly my family but some business associates as well, ultimately got repade, but the business never reached the level they expected. I loved that store and my customers, but it just never hit the homerun they wanted. I have felt like I disappointed them, but now I think I have been too hard on myself. As this book makes clear, the truly ethical way to run a business is to be clear on your own measures for success -- your intentions -- and communicate them regularly to your staff *and* your investors.
Rating:
Summary: Packs a powerful punch
Review: I manage the buying team for a major department store chain. Someone recommended I read this book and I am glad they did. I ultimately bought 35 copies for my staff and we read a chapter a week for three months or so and discussed each one at our Monday morning staff meetings. It's really a powerful and inspiring story. Because of this book my team decided to start spending one afternoon a week on the floor with customers, as they felt they had gotten too far away from the people who actually pay our salaries. If there's anyone out there who wants a new way to motivate your employees, this book is definitely it. And by the way, I walk three blocks out of my way every day to get my coffee at the real company that this book is based on. They make the best vanilla latte in Seattle.
Rating:
Summary: A truly great book
Review: I picked this book up on a business trip and had the time to read it on the plane. I have nothing else to say other than it's wonderful and eye-opening. I thought I knew what it takes to run a proper business until I read this book. There are times when every entrepreneur wonders whether she or he has made the right move. When I read the opening chapters of this book, I realized that by opening my own business I had done the right thing. I just need 10,000 customers to agree with me!
Rating:
Summary: Timely and inspiring
Review: I started reading this book over the shoulder of a woman sitting next to me on a plane. She began telling me about hearing the author at some event and how she was planning to use it with her staff. She said there was a message in it that really spoke to her. I didn't think much more about it until I saw it sitting on my boss's desk the next week. I mentioned that I had been meaning to read it and he went off on this tirade about how everyone in our department should read it because they were concentrating too much on their own problems and not on the patients (I work in a managed-care facility.) I asked him if I could borrow it and he almost thrust it into my hand. I read it and have now been talking throughout the office about the basic principles that are at the core of this book: be passionate about what you do, remember that it's about people, make every interaction personal, and serve a great product (which is health-care, in our case). A lot of people look at me like I'm nuts, but my boss is right - many people on the staff have forgotten that it's not about their problems but about serving our patients/customers. I think this was one of the best reminders ever about the power of getting back to basics. I am hoping we all get a chance to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Simple but not simplistic
Review: I think one of the main points of this book is being missed. In my opinion, it offers one of the best illustrations of something I have long believed: that employee loyalty translates to customer loyalty. I remember reading an article on the topic a while back, maybe in HBR, but it was more like a white paper that was pretty academic. Read this book, talk about the four principles with your employees, and watch what happens in their interactions with customers. There's a new Verizon commercial, coincidently set in a coffee shop, that makes this point too. I'll bet somebody there read this book!
Rating:
Summary: A wondeful story
Review: I think these simple principles will make a difference in your own organization. Simple is often much, much better.
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