Reviewed by Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

The Perpetual Paycheck by Lori B. Rassas begins by identifying the fact that ‘in the workplace, there are only short term commitments - an absence of mutual obligation between employer and the employee.’ Introducing the topic with a short discussion on paychecks and the necessity that one has to fend for oneself, Lori jumps to Secret #1: Cash is the king. Because of the transient nature of today’s workplace, one cannot hope to see it exist for a long time, let alone being a permanent part of it. Lori thereafter discusses Secret #2: Remembering who the Boss is. Other secrets follow, Turning troubles into triumphs where focus is on advantages, Expanding one's hunting grounds which talks about a more rational job search, and ending with How to develop and use the benefits of networking, which examines the potential of modern ‘communities.’

The Perpetual Paycheck by Lori B. Rassas is a book made for the present. Because of the fast pace of technological changes, society overall is facing certain shifts everywhere, one of the most notable areas being our workplace. This book has the potential to greatly increase one's self-confidence, an invaluable asset in leading a happy life in such an environment of transience. I wish I had read this book many years earlier which would have prepared me better in dealing with all the unsettling changes I faced. The book follows a simple and easy style of narration. Replete with humor, cartoons and anecdotes, this book is a light read conveying, however, more important ideas.

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

First there was Verne Harnish’s Best Seller: Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and now, after 12 years, Verne has revised his popular first book with Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). It’s power-packed with a wealth of information as to how familiar and iconic companies were able to scale up. Verne offers case studies, charts, plans, and principles that companies have created within their companies to obtain their desired outcome. Business owners, leaders, and CEOs make several business decisions whether they are home based or Fortune 500. They all have four basics in common: people, strategy, execution, and cash.

Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't by Verne Harnish is developed as if Verne was your coach and the book is your training manual. In using the resources, the reader is challenged and learns how to best overcome the barriers they may encounter as they scale their business. The case studies add an element in displaying how successful businesses view, manage, and improve their internal business processes. Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't by Verne Harnish is equipped to help the business owner analyze how people, strategy, execution and cash affect the growth of their business.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Back Taxes and Tax Debt by Donald Lowrey is an informative look at the IRS and how to deal with problems arising from tax debt and back taxes. Starting from the beginning, Back Taxes and Tax Debt takes you on a journey through a world that most fear - the IRS. Learn exactly how the IRS works and how their actions affect you. Understand exactly what the IRS wants and learn what your duties are. Understand exactly what your rights are when it comes to paying off taxes. Back Taxes and Tax Debts also teaches you what your rights are and how to deal with every possible tax situation without being an expert on tax law or even having any real knowledge of the system. Read case studies, learn how your personal information is used, and understand that fearing the IRS is natural; you just have to learn to face your problems head on.

Back Taxes and Tax Debt by Donald Lowrey is a fascinating insight into how the IRS works and where we fit in. I found it to be highly informative as well as being easy to read. Donald has created a masterpiece. Each chapter is written as a separate book which means you don't need to read the entire book from start to finish. You simply pick out the chapters that refer to your situation. However, no matter what your problem with the IRS, the full benefit can only be gained by reading the entire book and all I can say is, you won't be sorry you did.

Reviewed by Suzanne Cowles for Readers' Favorite

Keys to the Corner Office: Success Strategies for Women by Women by Rhonda F. Rhyne is the perfect how-to book for any aspiring female executive. Organized into five parts with sixty chapters, the practical manual provides the proven strategies and a road map for achieving career advancement. The book starts with a brief history of some of the most recent advances in the workplace for women’s equality, but the overall focus is more on what women can do now to improve their chances of breaking through “the glass ceiling.” It all starts with a positive self-image, dressing the part and creating a brand identity. Then areas are explored such as how to land the job, networking, the importance of communication, confidence in public speaking and keeping life in balance. In the back of the manual is an extensive suggested reading list.

Rhonda F. Rhyne shares her own personal experiences that help lend wisdom to the most common situations that women encounter in a male-dominated workplace. As a professional life-coach, she empowers women to live a well-rounded life where 40% of their time will be spent on career functions. Beyond the basic management and leadership topics, she offers examples of how to say no in a positive way, how to appear strong without being a “dragon lady,” and surviving gender-bias and double standards. This book is both motivating and inspiring, taking in the big picture of a 19% disparity between the sexes, but provides a clear-cut path to holding the keys to the corner office.

Reviewed by Samantha Dewitt (Rivera) for Readers' Favorite

Dennis definitely seems as if he’s in over his head when he begins working in a business unit called BLM. It’s a job he’s highly unprepared for, but luckily he has the support of someone who knows what he’s doing and can help immensely. Together Chuck and Dennis are able to overcome many obstacles and to improve the company so that it’s not only sufficient but actually operating well. This is a non-fiction story of how two men were able to turn around a company and Manage it Right! can help anyone else do the same.

This book may seem like a non-fiction biography of how Dennis and Chuck managed to turn around BLM, but that’s not all it is. In fact, even when you’re reading about the specifics of the one company these two men saved, it’s possible to apply many of the same tips and ideas to any problems you may currently be facing in business as well. There’s a lot of in-depth information contained in this book and it’s actually a very interesting read as well. I found myself caught up in the story and not even realizing that I was also learning some new management tools. Manage it Right! by Carlos Zorea and Dee Zorea is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who is working in the business industry. There’s a lot that can be done to save what some might consider a sinking ship and this book lays it all on the line.

Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite

An estate plan, budgeting, and investment are essential elements in helping to secure your financial future. In Frank J. Eberhart’s book, The Sexy Little Book of Finance III, is an easy to follow, fill-in-the-blanks workbook to help you design the road map to your personal success.

Eberhart begins with estate planning and discusses wills and the consequences of not having one, trusts, probate, and executors and their duties. He also discusses the importance of having the information concerning your business interests written down when the time arrives for others to sort things out and protect the assets for which you worked so diligently. In book two, he discusses the differences between your personal, business, and retirement budgets and how each affects your success. He further discusses the different aspects of your health care as you continue to age, including Medicare and Medicaid, as well as long term health care and a basic formula for how much life insurance you should have. The third book discusses investment strategies for different levels of risk and best probable returns over a long term, including 401Ks and IRAs and the best way to protect those investments to insure maximum benefits after retirement. He also discusses different characteristics that one must consider in a financial advisor. All three books blend well and work together to help the reader plan all three parts of their financial future.

The Sexy Little Book of Finance III is a simple and easy to follow guide which leads the reader through the necessary steps in each of the three areas in order to help plan and execute their goals. The workbook is as easy as filling in the blanks on a form with excellent guidance from the author. Straight forward, easy to use and excellent advice makes The Sexy Little Book of Finance III a book that will provide an excellent return in knowledge for a very small investment of time.

Reviewed by Suzanne Cowles for Readers' Favorite

How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated? The Practice of Empathy-Based Management by George Langelett, PhD is a brilliant play-by-play book for business managers. Organized into five easily digested chapters, the in-depth book also comes with a summary of the overarching concept, daily worksheets and an extensive suggested reading list. Dr. Langelett, an experienced college professor of management and economics, explores a new paradigm to manage employee behavior based on the neuroscience of the brain. At the core of his thesis is “empathy,” a skill that everyone has which can be used to motivate an employee’s ethical decision-making through shared trust. The old system of monetary rewards only fosters a short-term gain in changed behavior. Personally connecting with the emotional side of the brain and making a person feel accepted and understood is the only way to win staff loyalty. Other topics examined are: the benefit of consequences versus punishment, fostering hope in an environment to maintain motivation, giving undivided attention and controlling body language. The remainder of the guide focuses on the proper responses to work-related situations to defuse the fight-or-flight response, which produces stress.

While there are shelves full of managerial books on the market, Dr. Langelett provides just the right combination of scientific research to support his original thesis. I especially enjoyed his focus on treating employees like people rather than machines. Many of the personal examples given to illustrate ideas were touching. The top-notch book presentation format and professional editing quality were visible throughout, as were the importance of the subject matter to the author and care for minute details. This excellent manual is a must-have reference for anyone who routinely manages staff and needs a better way to increase productivity with lasting results.

Reviewed by Gail Sosinsky Wickman for Readers' Favorite

Why Do My Employees Hate Me and Other Answers You May Not Want to Hear by William J Eisenbrandt is certainly not a book for every business owner. If you like your business advice in the form of sweet parables, if you want quick and easy fixes, if you are offended by the word "dumbass," if you become indignant at the thought that the problem with your business could by you, don't read this book. If, however, you are the kind of business owner who takes personal responsibility for the success or failure of your business, and you are willing to take a good look at what you can do to improve your workplace, your reputation in the community and your bottom line, Eisenbrandt's book is a solid source of the wisdom he has gained in his years as a business consultant for Vertical Business Group, the consulting and management firm he founded.

The chapters in the 175 pages of Why Do My Employees Hate Me and Other Answers You May Not Want to Hear cover topics ranging from employees relations and motivation to customer retention and control of expenses. Eisenbrandt includes interesting views on social media and marketing, particularly regarding the current money-sucking obsession with brand awareness. He also enters into the philosophical, discussing how your financial success is good corporate citizenship.

Throughout Why Do My Employees Hate Me and Other Answers You May Not Want to Hear, William J Eisenbrandt remains focused on the responsibility and impact you, the business owner, have in matters of success. For those of you who see this as empowering, this book is a valuable resource, and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by JP Bary for Readers' Favorite

If you’ve already read a few of the many self-help books for salespersons, Michelle Moore’s Selling Simplified—55 Fast Tips to Jump-start Your Real Estate Business might seem at the outset to be something of a rehash of the standard shibboleths that characterize the genre: commit to excellence, develop a business plan, manage your time, be trustworthy, be wise, be a team player, and dress for success. But I suspect the author included these items because they are important (which is why they tend to show up so often in the genre), and she didn’t want her readers to get into further details without emphasizing how fundamental they are. The virtue of her approach is that she writes with energy and precision and doesn’t labor over any of these subjects. Each of her tips is communicated in a few easy-to-read pages, and if you feel like you already know what she is driving at, you can always skip to the next one. Be careful not to skip too quickly, however, because as she progresses into the skills most intimately associated with real estate sales, such as the value of a planned presentation, and knowing the details of what you are selling (and especially the numbers), she drops in some very useful tidbits, such as the value of keeping a pair of mud boots in the car, eleven details that buyers need to know, and the value of using powerful words, such as “site” instead of lot,” “custom” instead of “standard,” and “initial investment” instead of “down payment.” Moore particularly emphasizes communication skills and gets into the importance of details like tone of voice, asking “involvement questions,” and responding to the predictable and unpredictable moods that home-buyers have. She helps readers create a process in which these skills can be used to facilitate closing deals in a way that is constructive and solid, rather than overly aggressive.

The book is filled with testimonials and self-promotional asides, yet there is a constructive lesson here too. She uses these to authenticate the value of what she is communicating and to “build the dream” for her readers, but she encourages them to do the same with their buyers. Finally, she reminds her readers to be balanced and have fun, emphasizing that they will only be successful in the long run if they make the job of selling real estate an integral part of a fulfilling life. I have read a number of books meant to introduce new real estate agents into the basics of selling. This is clearly the best.

Reviewed by Samantha Rivera for Readers' Favorite

Kole Crutcher has written "Electric Living: The Science Behind the Law of Attraction," a book that allows the average person to understand more about science and the way things work than they are likely to from usual sources. "Electric Living" is about the real science behind everything that happens in the world and in your life and how you can control it. It gives very detailed scientific explanations that break down the concepts so that an average person can understand the concepts. There are online videos that can help make understanding even simpler. This book is great for anyone who wants to know more about getting the things they want in life.

I'm definitely amazed after reading this book about all the different things that I learned. I never really understood a lot of science before but now that I have read it I am aware of a lot of scientific processes. I really wanted to learn more about how to get the life I really want and that is definitely what I learned. I really enjoyed reading this book because it provides a lot of interesting information and a lot of new information too. The author gives you lists of other sources as well and videos that better explain what you are being told or shown. This book can definitely help you change your life for the better without making you crazy about it. You won’t have to put in all those late hours at the office for no reason anymore because you’ll know the best way to get the promotion you want.