Street Smarts

An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs

By: Norm Brodsky, Bo Burlingham

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

People starting out in business tend to seek step-by-step formulas or rules, but in reality there are no magic bullets. Rather, says veteran company-builder Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street-smart entrepreneurs solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. Brodsky shares his hard-earned wisdom every month in Inc. magazine, in the hugely popular "Street Smarts" column he cowrites with Bo Burlingham. Now they've adapted their best advice into a comprehensive guide for anyone running a small business.

©2010 Norm Brodsy, Bo Burlingham (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"One is tempted to say 'the only book you'll need on starting a business.' Brilliant! Genius! Choose your superlative - it'll fit." (Tom Peters)

Muy útil y aplicable a todo tipo de actividades

Lecciones y consejos concretos, vale la pena oirlo seguido. El resumen de 30 segundos al final de cada capítulo ayuda mucho.

Very Useful

Would you consider the audio edition of Street Smarts to be better than the print version?

I consider this book a "must have" for every entrepreneur.

What did you like best about this story?

It is practical - out of real life

Excellent

An excellent audio book perfectly narrated.

Great material, great presentation, very useful for any business person and joy to listen to.

Bravo.

This great audio was originally called The Knack!

I had heard about The Knack for quite some time, and how important it is for any business owner to have. I was delighted to find that The Knack has been released again as Street Smarts and it is as relevant as can be.

I was captivated by this audiobook. The author answered so many questions I had as a business owner. I found the examples he presents to be interesting, useful and yet still entertaining. I highly recommend it for every entrepreneur.

Jugular of an Entrepreneurs business financials

What made the experience of listening to Street Smarts the most enjoyable?

The story and simplicity of presenting numbers that could be complicated

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author of the book because he told his whole story with the success and mistakes

What does Sean Pratt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

For me he makes is so easy for me to track conversations and he knows how to express what is being is being stated bringing the story to life for me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Know your numbers makes good blood - not knowing them brings death

Any additional comments?

Really, if you are an Entrepreneur and finance is just not part of what you understand or even care that much about. Then this is for you because he goes right to where the rubber meets the road and stays there so you will understand the most important issue.

Timeless stuff

This was really refreshing for me to read. It seems like modern thought share in the business literature is how to raise money quick or grow ASAP with secret recipes for success. This book isn’t about that.

Very common sense stuff that is easily overlooked is in this book. Really useful rules of thumb, like salespeople won’t make a return on investment for their first year, so be prepared to carry them. Or: Always be ready if a customer doesn’t pay because it will happen. So always have enough cash in the bank in case they fall through.

Another: Don’t hire friends, it clouds your judgement big time.

All of these examples are demonstrated through the Author’s own personal life experiences, giving them more credibility.

Good stuff. Will re-read.

Business, where the rubber meets the road

Would you listen to Street Smarts again? Why?

Definitely, the lessons learned cannot be reiterated enough and there are so many of them.

The book is full of sound practical business advice that has crossed my radar in university and in business publications. The difference here is in how Brodsky illustrates every concept through his real life business experience.

As a business owner myself, I identified with his caveats e.g. about entrepreneurs being too optimistic, or how businesspeople's default assumption is that negotiations are always about price.

I strongly recommend this book to entrepreneurs and those aspiring to start their own business.

Very informative

Author has years of business experience that really enables him to impart crucial pearls of wisdom for any business owner, new or seasoned. Not only does he offer solid operational advice, he reminds the reader that integrity, transparency, and fairness are just as important as finances.

spectacular

loved all the stories especially the one with king hussein of jordan. the narrator is also great

A very good book. Picked up a lot of points

I think the book is full of a lot of wisdom that is earned first-hand. I also liked the no-nonsense style of the author, who makes it plain that there's no easy path to success. All in all, the book is absolutely worth the time, money and effort. The narrator does well overall, but has an annoying habit of saying an very pronounced 'h' before any word that starts with 'wh'. Basically, 'what' becomes 'H-what'. And once you discover this, it is hard to ignore. Not a deal breaker in any way though.