Rating: 
Summary: Beans, not my cup of tea
Review: Not only is the appearance of the book child-like but the writing is sophomoric and the 4 principals are dummied down to an in-excusable low for a business audience.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-contained Training
Review: That's what they should call wonderful little books like this, because the author has basically done the trainer's job for us. The discussion questions in the back, paralleling the teaching points in each chapter, are absolutely the perfect tool for getting people in an organization talking. The fable itself is charming, but the questions and the pages from the consultant's notebook add an extra dimension that you don't often find in business books. I applaud this attempt to give managers a non-threatening way to remind employees that it's really about the Golden Rule: treat your customers like you want to be treated yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't get into it
Review: The book didn't ring true for me so I just couldn't get past the thirty pages.
Rating:
Summary: Use it to re-energize your staff
Review: The earlier customer reviews got me to order this book, and I am glad I did. The story is very strong, but as the training manager for a family-owned camera business, I will use it to get our employees to re-focus on customer service. The four pages from the consultant's notebook summarize the major points in the book, and the questions in the back that are designed to encourage group discussion will make this an easy book to train from. Just like Fish, there is more here than meets the eye.
Rating:
Summary: Management 101
Review: There is nothing new here, but it is presented in such a charming story-like framework that I felt like I was hearing it for the first time. Maybe that's really why these parable and fable books work so well for solving so many problems. In this one, however, the characters are totally engaging and believable and you really root for them to do the right thing. I also liked the fact that you were kept guessing as to whether they would decide to expand the business, close the business, or change the business. If you are a small business owner or manager, I can't recommend this book highly enough. You can read it in just a few hours and I think it will not only inspire you to be a better manager but maybe even make you realize why you ended up in small business in the first place. Small business propels the world economy, yet I feel I get a bit of a sneer when I tell people I run a little flight instruction business and not a Fortune 500 company. Maybe they're thinking of the 9/11 connection and I don't even know it. If so, then that's not fair either.
Rating:
Summary: Worthless
Review: This book is so poorly written it is laughable. This is a fable for yuppies who are fascinated by Seattle and expensive coffee drinks. The points it tries to make are so obvious (treat customers well, etc) that anyone who still needs to learn them has no place in the business world.
The author keeps inserting street names and places in Seattle as if to say "I know Seattle, isn't that cool?", but the writing is so bad and the points so obvious it could be condensed to a three or four page pamphlet.
I read the author's bio, and apart from working at Amazon (that's in Seattle!) he does not appear to have any real world experience. This is a bad book written by two "consultants" looking to cash in on the self help business book boom.
Leaf through it in a book store sometime and you will see what I mean.
Utter crap. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: So what is it you don't get?
Review: This is a simple story about a business success. The reviews below mine indicate people think it's something else. I am a customer of the "real" coffee company this book talks about. I am a little disgruntled (pissed off is more appropriate, if that can be printed here) that some people think something about this book rings false.I used to work for the business this book is based on. Any attempt by the right wing that somehow the business is run by leftist (i.e. Communist) organizers is completely ridiculous. If people show up daily for their "brew", isn't that a sign of customer loyalty? This book is an honest, everyday portrayal of a business that has strived during tough times and flush times. If you want to berate that story, then go for it. And I invite George W to show up for his own brew. Surely this is better than the Kool-Aid you and your family (all three generations) have obviously swallowed.
Rating:
Summary: Timely and Straight Forward
Review: This is a thoroughly enjoyable and timely read. Beans is a great reminder to get back to the basics done through a story based on research and an actual business situation. The elegance of this book is in its simplicity similar to "Good to Great" and Gung Ho". The plot line takes us through the situation analysis to obervation that creates an awareness of the basic concepts while addressing awareness of the complexity of business. Sucessful businesses practice the common sense basics identified in Beans. The El Espresso coffee shop is the vehicle used to identify the what and the how businesses develop as they follow their passion and intention. Focus on customers and that relationship is side by side with product quality. This book can be used as a format for learning, discussion and planning in existing teams or businesses by referring to the questions in the back of the book. There is also a recap of the main principles which makes the book extremely functional. Beans provides an entertaining story with timeless, proven principles for business. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Story
Review: This is a very powerful little book with a deceptively non-traditional message. In this era of corporate greed, when growth and profits are the only criteria that most use to judge success, Beans serves to refocus us on what is truly important. This book is extremely timely, and I recommend it to everyone who has been frustrated by the blinders that we wear which prevent us from acknowledging that there are many ways to judge success, and many ways to find contentment. The world will be a better and more evolved place when we internalize the Beans message.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle: not to be underestimated
Review: This is an easy read with a great message. Unfortunately, some may underestimate its potential. The Four Ps are critical elements for creating a "community" of close followers, namely, loyal customers who love the total experience of quality products, caring attention, and personal affinity. It's the sort of thinking that helped IBM reinvent itself by getting decision-making closer to the customer and Xerox, by building better product while focusing on customer needs and expectations. If every manager throughout an organization -- large and small -- had the passion and caring of a Jack Hartman, El Espresso's owner, there would be a thankful world of happier customers and healthier organizations.
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