Copy This!

Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea Into One of America's Best Companies

By: Paul Orfalea, Ann Marsh

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Copy This!, Paul Orfalea's inspiring personal story of turning lessons into lemonade, may be the most unusual business memoir ever published.

Paul Orfalea struggles mightily to read, to write, and to sit still through business meetings. So what's the problem? By working with the obstacles life dealt him–he call his dyslexia and ADHD "learning opportunities"–he grew a 100-square-foot shop named Kinko's into a $1.5 billion-a-year company that Fortune named one of the best places in America to work.

The is the story of a boy who flunked out of second grade–a boy who was fired by a gas station for writing illegible receipts. But it's also the story of a boy who learned from the world directly, who was brave enough to fail, who knew he had to rely on other people. When Paul Orfalea first looked out on the worried, hopeful faces of his customers, he knew that he was in the problem-solving business–at four cents a page. Kinko's doesn't much handle paper as it handles dreams.

Paul Orfalea really did do it his way. With humor, wisdom, and compassion, he shares his invaluable experiences and unorthodox business lessons with the millions of those who are just a little bit "different," and who wonder if there's a place for them in the world. There is: at the top.©2005 Paul Orfalea and Ann Marsh; (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Insightful and motivational

This is a great motivational listen about how a man overcame a personal handicap and used the power of other people to build the Kinko's empire. There is a lot of common sense wisdom on building a business, investing money and dealing with people that young and old will find valuable. I thought the book was well read and held my interest throughout.

great

great story. every min is shot of knowledge. related to real life. deductible is the word I heard growing up

Good read

This was a book worth listening to. Paul's management philosophy is almost opposite to all other business leaders and he has been very sucessful. This really shows that there is no one formula for sucess and we all need to find what works for us best. Two key items I learned is the manage the work enviornment not the employee and how investing in employee's can pay huge dividents.

Unique business leader

By and large I loved this book. Great firsthand stories of his experience building Kinko’s in an unorthodox way. I thought he spent a little too much time talking about some of his shortcomings, otherwise it would be 5 stars. It felt at times like he was trying to atone for things in the book. Other than that, I think this book deserves a place in any entrepreneur or business leaders well-rounded library.

Read This!

Very good book. Entertaining but with great insights. While at times his company seemed dysfunctional, Paul's used his strengths and his weakness to build a successful company and a successful life. He shares it all in his book.