Industries & Professions

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.  

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

If you are in business to sell consumer goods -- or you want to be -- you should be on Amazon.com.

More than 90 million customers shop at Amazon. As its global business booms, Amazon is inviting all sorts of independent sellers -- large and small businesses, individuals, and mom-and-pop shops -- to sell their merchandise right on Amazon.

Whether you're just starting or already in business, you can boost your sales and profits by showing your wares on Amazon, the world's biggest store. Everything you need to start converting your items into cash is in this book by Steve Weber, one of the most successful and highly rated sellers in Amazon history:

• How to set up shop on Amazon and generate worldwide sales volume with no up-front cost, risk or advertising.
• Run your Amazon store from home, a warehouse or a walk-in store-or outsource everything to Amazon's fulfillment center.
• Find bargain inventory; target niche markets for big profits.
• Get tax deductions and write-offs for business use of your home.
• Use Amazon as a stand-alone business or a lead generator for an existing busines.
• Pay lower sales commissions on Amazon.
• Sell your inventions, crafts or intellectual property on Amazon.
• Guard against scammers and rip-off artists.
• Automate your business with easy-to-use tools

FROM THE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

GET STARTED ON AMAZON
SEE THE FOUR DEGREES OF AMAZON
LIST AN ITEM ON MARKETPLACE
DESCRIBE YOUR ITEM'S CONDITION
RATE YOUR ITEMS' CONDITION
SET YOUR PRICE
SET SHIPPING LOCATIONS, OTHER OPTIONS
SET QUANTITY AND SKU
TAKE AMAZON PAYMENTS
PAY FEES AND COMMISSIONS
IDENTIFY YOUR PRODUCTS

MANAGE INVENTORY
SEARCH AND SORT YOUR LISTINGS
REPRICE YOUR LISTINGS
Q&A: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REPRICE?
EDIT YOUR LISTINGS
RELIST YOUR ITEMS
MANAGE INVENTORY THE SMART WAY
RECONCILE YOUR INVENTORY
UPLOAD INVENTORY FILES TO AMAZON
USE SKUS
SECURE YOUR AMAZON ACCOUNT
BEST PRACTICES
VIEW AND SEARCH YOUR ORDERS
CREATE A PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE
AMAZON VELOCITY LIMITS
BEST PRACTICES
CONTACT AMAZON.COM
GET HELP FROM OTHER SELLERS

STAY ON THE LAW'S RIGHT SIDE
YOUR BUSINESS'S LEGAL STRUCTURE
LOCAL ORDINANCES

STAY ON AMAZON'S GOOD SIDE
PROHIBITED ITEMS
LISTING RULES
PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE OFFENSES
CONTENT PROHIBITED ON DETAIL PAGES
SOFTWARE SALES
AMAZON PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
CONDITION GUIDELINES

KICK IT UP A NOTCH
AUTOMATION
GET EFFICIENT WITH FULFILLMENT SOFTWARE
DO-IT-YOURSELF BULK LISTING
WORKING WITH SPREADSHEETS
REFINE YOUR TEMPLATE
A WORD ABOUT SKUS
A WORD ABOUT ISBNS

SOURCE USED ITEMS FOR RESALE
LIVE AUCTIONS
GET MERCHANDISE ON CONSIGNMENT

EXPLORE SELLER CENTRAL
USE SELLER CENTRAL
CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
INDIRECT COMMUNICATION
SELLER DESKTOP
UPLOAD PRODUCTS TO AMAZON
AMAZON PRODUCT INFORMATION

HANDLE YOUR FULFILLMENT
OTHER SHIPPING RESOURCES
CHOOSE A SHIPPING COMPANY
SHIPPING MATERIALS
SHIPPING TIMEFRAMES
BEST PRACTICES
Q&A: IS DELIVERY CONFIRMATION WORTH IT?

OUTSOURCE YOUR FULFILLMENT
GET A LEG UP ON COMPETITION
TYPICAL COSTS OF FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON
USE FBA 'BASIC FULFILLMENT'
COMPETING WITH FBA
DRAWBACKS OF FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON
LOST OR DAMAGED FBA ITEMS
FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON FACTS
BEST PRACTICES
SMART FBA SHIPPING
AMAZON EASYSELL
USE AMAZON AS A DROP-SHIPPER
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS
EXPORT ITEMS
PREPARE ITEMS FOR SHIPMENT

COMPETE WITH FEEDBACK
FEEDBACK GROUND RULES
KEEP A HIGH FEEDBACK AVERAGE
SELLER PERFORMANCE TARGETS
FEEDBACK REMOVAL
RESPOND TO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
Q&A: SHOULD I REFUND MY IRATE CUSTOMER?
SEE YOUR FEEDBACK SUMMARY
RETURNS AND RESTOCKING FEES
Q&A: DO CANCELED ORDERS HURT SELLERS?
CHARGEBACKS AND A-TO-Z CLAIMS
Q&A: SHOULD I ASK BUYERS FOR FEEDBACK?

EXPLORE THE SOCIAL JUNGLE
GET CRAZY WITH LISTS
SO YOU'D LIKE TO . . . GUIDES
WRITE PRODUCT REVIEWS
GET CREDIBLE WITH PEERS
AMAZON TAGS
TAG-BASED MARKETING
MAKE FRIENDS AT THE RIVER
ADVANCED AMAZON TOOLS
BUY X, GET Y

PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING
GOOGLE ADWORDS
CLICKRIVER/AMAZON PRODUCT ADS
AMAZON PRODUCT ADS

YOUR OWN WEB SITE
WEBSTORE FEATURES
MANAGE YOUR WEBSTORE
OTHER E-COMMERCE HOSTS
AMAZON ASTORES

AMAZON ADVANTAGE
ADVANTAGE VS. FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON
MANAGE THE DETAILS
ADVANTAGE PROFESSIONAL

“You need know absolutely nothing about baseball to appreciate the wit, snap, economy . . . and incisiveness of [Moneyball]. Lewis has hit another one out of the park.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times

Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s general manager, is leading a revolution. Reinventing his team on a budget, he needs to outsmart the richer teams. He signs undervalued players whom the scouts consider flawed but who have a knack for getting on base, scoring runs, and winning games. Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball and a tale of the search for new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.

INSIDE APPLE reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.

If Apple is Silicon Valley's answer to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the "DRI" (Apple's practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).

Based on numerous interviews, the book offers exclusive new information about how Apple innovates, deals with its suppliers and is handling the transition into the Post Jobs Era. Lashinsky, a Senior Editor at Large for Fortune, knows the subject cold: In a 2008 cover story for the magazine entitled The Genius Behind Steve: Could Operations Whiz Tim Cook Run The Company Someday he predicted that Tim Cook, then an unknown, would eventually succeed Steve Jobs as CEO.

While Inside Apple is ostensibly a deep dive into one, unique company (and its ecosystem of suppliers, investors, employees and competitors), the lessons about Jobs, leadership, product design and marketing are universal. They should appeal to anyone hoping to bring some of that Apple magic to their own company, career, or creative endeavor.

Learn how to use your cellphone as a treasure detector, and find items to resell at big profits. Find out which apps are the best, and how to use them.

Check prices instantly, and know your potential profits before risking a dime. Learn to resell on eBay and Amazon, and rake in the profits.

Find bargain inventory virtually anywhere--yard sales, retail stores, outlet malls, warehouse clubs, wholesale dealers, bargain basements, and online bulk suppliers. Learn to specialize in books, videos, games, toys, electronics, grocery, fashion, health and beauty, auto parts, niche regional products--or take them all!
 
Many books promise to teach you how to start an online business. Look closely, though, and you'll see that very few are written by someone who's really done it. Author Steve Weber has been a full-time, five-star seller on Amazon.com and eBay for 10 years!

• Feed your e-commerce business with a continual stream of hot products.
• Learn how to leverage the "Long Tail" of retail for low-risk, high-return profits.
• Uncover niche products online shoppers want to buy.
• Diversify your product line.
• Learn to minimize sales taxes and write off the business use of your home office and car.
• Find new and hard-to-find products from real wholesalers.
• Know exactly how much potential inventory is worth, and how quickly it sells.
• Get dirt-cheap warehouse space.
• Get the best product research tools available for your phone.
• Outsource your fulfillment and customer service tasks.
• Benefit from advice from the most experienced, profitable online sellers.

The Internet Gold Rush is just getting started. In this insider's guide to online selling, you'll learn the secrets to profitable trading. You can profit from price differences in local and global markets. This book teaches you how, every step of the way.

Destined to be the business publishing event of the year, or even the decade, this is the long awaited new book by the co-author of Built To Last. In it, Jim Collins shares his latest long-term research - and shows how even mediocre companies can become long-term world beaters.

Jim Collins has become a best-selling classic business author, with 590,000 copies sold to date, and has been translated into 17 languages.

The foundation for all modern economic thought and political economy, "The Wealth of Nations" is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who introduces the world to the very idea of economics and capitalism in the modern sense of the words. Smith details his argument in the following five books: Book I. Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Power of Labour, Book II. Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock Introduction, Book III. Of the Different Progress of Opulence in Different Nations, Book IV. Of Systems of Political Economy, and Book V. Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth; which taken together form a giant leap forward in the field of economics. A product of the "Age of Enlightenment", "The Wealth of Nations" is a must read for all who wish to gain a better understanding of the principles upon which all modern capitalistic economies have been founded and the process of wealth creation that is engendered by those principles.

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.

Praise for The Truth About Getting the Best from People

 

"Finally, a no-nonsense primer for leaders on how to build...and keep...extraordinary talent. This book should be in the briefcase of every exec in the world and should be pulled out every day for a refresher on how to be a real leader."

Dan Walker, Former Chief Talent Officer for Apple, Inc.

 

"A fun and easy-to-read blueprint on understanding and creating engagement within a team. No high falootin' business jargon here--Martha Finney tells it like it is. She helps supervisors and managers uncover the secrets of employee engagement through behavioral examples, successes at top companies, and her charming storytelling."

Kirsten Clark, Senior Director, Organizational Capability Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts

 

"Martha succeeds in reducing one of the business world's most sought-after but amorphous concepts--employee engagement--into 49 digestible truths."

Christopher Rice, President and CEO, BlessingWhite

 

"A must-read for new supervisors and managers, with lots of essential lessons and tips."

Tom Mathews, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Time Warner Cable

 

"Easy-to-read stories and useful truths about leading. I wish I had this book when I first became a manager. I had to learn some of these truths the hard way!"

Scott Shute, Senior Director, Xilinx

 

"The book is outstanding! Very easy to read....great examples, great advice, and the corporate world would be a better place if just 50 percent of the managers would follow your advice!"

Peg Wynn, Former SVP/HR, Adobe

 

"I started reading and found myself grabbing for a highlighter. I got to the following line 'Getting the best is about building a culture of trust, connection, growth, and service.' I had to drop a box around that one."

Tiane Mitchell Gordon, Senior Vice President, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, AOL

 

"Finney has gifted us an important compendium of accessible and eminently actionable insights about employee engagement. Using 'The Truths' as a guide, generations of managers will find infinite opportunities to unleash, inspire, and leverage the inherent talent in their people. My advice? Seize it! It will enable you to dramatically affect the future of your team, your organization, and your own career."

 

Jane Creech, Founder and Principal, Strategic Business Systems (Organization Consulting & Leadership Coaching), Former Sr. Director, OD, eBay

 

"If you are looking for a great way to deliver Management 101, just distribute this book. It has everything that someone new to management needs to know. Savvy, and sassy, and smart, this is an easy but important read!"

Beverly Kaye, Coauthor,Love 'Em or Lose 'Em

 

"Just when I thought one truth was as good as it could get, the rest lived up to it! I loved the anecdotes and the final truth, 'You're still the Boss.'"

Ed Martin, Vice President, Global Human Resources, Atheros Communications

 

"The subject is important, pragmatic advice told in an entertaining way. Front line managers need this for perspective. This book has some great 'keys' to bringing out the best in people!"

Jim Wiggett, President & CEO, Jackson Hole Group

 

 

Build a culture of engagement...one person, one interaction at a time

You can build and lead teams full of self-motivated, innovative contributors: people who love their jobs, believe in their mission, and perform with focus, enthusiasm, and creativity! This book reveals 49 PROVEN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES for getting the best from every employee, every team, every organization! 

• The truth about building a self-driven workforce that’s positive, committed, passionate
• The truth about what really motivates people--and what doesn’t
• The truth about leading with authenticity, clarity, consistency, and inspiration

You can build and lead teams full of self-motivated, innovative contributors: people who love their jobs, believe in their mission, and perform with focus, enthusiasm, and creativity! Top leadership consultant Martha Finney reveals 49 proven leadership principles for getting the best from every employee, every team, every organization. She shows how to build a workforce that’s positive, committed, passionate...how to really motivate people, even on a tight budget...how to lead with authenticity, clarity, consistency, and inspiration. These skills offer powerful, quantifiable business value. They are completely learnable--and this book is the fastest way to master them. It distills the world’s best thinking on getting the best from people: the truth, and nothing but the truth!