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Books
This section contains books by Mike Southon and Chris West, plus other books that we think you will find useful:
The 'Beermat' series of books
The Beermat Entrepreneur
The original Beermat book, "The Beermat Entrepreneur" is a bestseller, and recommended by business leaders worldwide. It's an acknowledged classic- oh, and it's an easy read too. We know that if you're trying to start a business, you probably haven't got the time to read 800 pages of impenetrable text.
"I recommend it to any aspiring entrepreneur"
Charles Dunstone, Founder, Carphone Warehouse
"The Beermat Entrepreneur" is a step-by-step guide to starting up and running a successful company; from its birth as an idea on the back of a beermat through to a flourishing enterprise with 20 or more employees. You'll find out how to:
- hang onto the really workable ideas whilst eliminating the bad apples
- build the right team of talented individuals around you
- avoid spending too much
- know when it's right to grow
- and plenty more besides
Buy "The Beermat Entrepreneur"
Marketing on a Beermat
Marketing is the driving force of every small business, but many budding entrepreneurs are unsure how best to go about it. "Marketing on a Beermat", written by Beermat Entrepreneur Chris West, brilliantly demystifies this essential area of business enterprise, telling you everything you need to know about researching and identifying customers, creating an impressive marketing strategy, building marketing campaigns, and increasing consumer awareness and - therefore - sales.
Sales on a Beermat
"Sales on a Beermat" give you everything you need to sell successfully. It'
s not written for salesmen- it's written for people like you and me who want to get a business off the ground. Learn about the "Magic email" which really delivers results. And learn how the best salespeople are neither pushy nor devious- the secret of sales is to be honest and likeable.
"Highly entertaining, original and full of practical and concise tips"
Iain Henderson, Partner, Accenture
Finance on a Beermat
Finance is a subject many people prefer to avoid – but they do so at their peril. “Finance on a Beermat” is written in clear plain English by the authors of “The Beermat Entrepreneur” and two experienced financial directors, to help entrepreneurs understand and make friends with the subject, and turn it from something frightening into what it should be – a powerful tool for business growth.
"At last, a finance book that entrepreneurs can actually enjoy, understand and use"
Jason Porter, Co-founder, Friends Reunited
The Boardroom Entrepreneur
"The Boardroom Entrepreneur" brings the Beermat spirit of entrepreneurship into large corporations. If you've got an entrepreneurial frame of mind, but you don't want to lose the security of a big-company job, then this is the book for you.
"I recommend this entertaining and thoughtful book to all management eager to make a difference to their companies and to the world around them"
Sir John Rose, CEO, Rolls Royce
Buy "The Boardroom Entrepreneur"
Other books by Chris West
Myths About Doing Business in China
By Harold Chee and Chris West
China is rapidly becoming an economic superpower, yet has a very different business culture that is often misunderstood outside of China. This can result in costly financial and strategic errors. This book confronts the myths about China and Chinese business practice and gives the reader a clear understanding of the culture and how to engage with it successfully.
Death of a Blue Lantern
By Chris West
Beijing, 1991 and a night out at the People's Opera. But instead, Wang finds himself with a murder victim on his hands. His investigations lead him into the secret world of Beijing's renascent Triads and Communist Party politics and an increasing conflict between duty and conscience.
Death on Back Dragon River
By Chris West
Inspector Wang and his wife take a quiet break in a village. That is, until the Party secretary, Wu, invites the new arrivals to a banquet and welcomes them fulsomely, but three days later tells them to leave. Wu is then found bludgeoned to death with a bust of Karl Marx.
Death of a Red Mandarin
By Chris West
When the body of a senior Beijing official is found floating in Hong Kong harbour, its wrists fastened with handcuffs, Inspector Wang of China's Criminal Investigation Department is sent to investigate. Against the backdrop of the impending handover of the colony, Wang sets out to unravel the links between the dead man, the Triads and the burgeoning trade in pirated software. Or is the murder more closely lined with the victim's personal life?
The Third Messiah
By Chris West
Disappointed in her love affair with a wealthy businessman, Julie is left feeling bereft and heartsick, not just with her failed relationship but with her whole way of life. When the New Church of the Heavenly Kingdom offer her the chance to join their spiritual, harmonious life far from the distractions of contemporary Beijing, ushering in a new era of peace and love, it seems like an answer to her prayers. She leaves behind strict instructions that she should not be contacted by her family and goes to join the other young people who are opting out of Chinese society at the turn of the millennium. Concerned, her sister Rosina Lin discusses her fears that Julie is being indoctrinated into a cult with her husband Wang Anzhuang, an inspector in the police force. When Wang learns of reports of the death of the cult's mystical leader, he feels bound to investigate for both professional and personal reasons. The truth he discovers, underneath the persuasive rhetoric, is terrifying and time is rapidly running out. Written with a sympathetic eye for detail and a gripping plot, The Third Messiah offers a rare glimpse into the heart of contemporary Chinese society.
Journey to the Middle Kingdom
By Chris West
"Journey to the Middle Kingdom" is a celebration of travel: it is the memoir of a young musician's first visit to China. Fulfilling a long-cherished ambition, Christopher West filled a rucksack and headed for China. He travelled up the eastern side of China by train, bus and boat, following an idiosyncratic intinerary which included places as diverse as modern, capitalist Guangzhov (Canton); the home of a Communist Party official in Suzhou; and Qufu, the provincial town where people still revere a king who died 3000 years ago. The process comes to a climax on the Great Wall, high in the beautiful Yanshan mountains. As he confronts the world's oldest continuous civilization, the author is forced to embark on a parallel, inner journey, testing his Western values and beliefs against those of his new surroundings.
Recommended books
Marketing Judo
By John Barnes and Richard Richardson
A guide written to inspire people who want to build a brand or business but don't have the budgets for conventional marketing. As in judo, it suggests, use brains not brawn. The authors came together to transform Harry Ramsden's from a single restaurant into a famous brand on a limited budget.
The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published
By Rachael Stock
There are plenty of books on how to write, but few until now on how to get your book published. This book, written by a publisher, also draws on her research and interviews with fellow publishers and with agents. It details every stage in the process, from writing a proposal, through finding an editor and hooking a publisher. It even covers self-publishing, understanding contracts and increasing your sales. It covers various genres including fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry.
Millionaire Upgrade
By Richard Parkes Cordock
Through the combined wisdom of interviews with 50 self-made millionaire entrepreneurs, this book takes you on your own personal masterclass in success, as experienced through the eyes of Tom, a frustrated employee who is upgraded on a long haul flight, and finds himself sitting next to self made millionaire Michael. During the flight Michael shares the science and secrets behind his own success.
Business Upgrade
By Richard Parkes Cordock
Entrepreneurship isn't just for start-ups. From the team that brought you Millionaire Upgrade, comes Business Upgrade, your guide to succeeding in business by tapping into the secrets every entrepreneur knows. Find out how to use the skills and techniques of successful entrepreneurs in a corporate environment, helping you, and your company's, stock rise.
And Death Came Third
By Andy Lopata and Peter Roper
Do you hate going to networking events? Do you hide at the back of the room when you have the opportunity to present your business? Are you uncomfortable approaching people you don't know? Does the thought of speaking in public fill you with dread? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions you need to read this book! In 1984 a New York Times Survey on Social Anxiety placed death third in the list of people's biggest fears. The top two responses were walking into a room full of strangers and speaking in public. In '.and Death Came Third!', Andy Lopata and Peter Roper share their wealth of experience and insider secrets on networking and public speaking, giving you the tips, tools and techniques you need to overcome your fears and make the most of all the opportunities that come your war.
The Impact Code
By Nigel Risner
The Impact Code is a beautifully simple approach to life. So simple you will wonder why it never occurred to you to do it before. So, it's time to get off your butt and start living for yourself, for your dreams and for your life. Nigel Risner's approach is direct, sincere and devastatingly honest. If you follow the code, you will see and feel a difference in your life and the life of everyone around you. Your life is waiting for you to get started. All you have to do is crack the IMPACT Code and the world will, quite literally, be yours. The choice is yours; it always has been.
Working with Americans
By Allyson Stewart-Allen and Lanie Denslow
Working With Americans, published 30 May by Prentice Hall Business, is the first ever guide on how to succeed in doing business with people from the US. Written by Americans Allyson Stewart- Allen and Lanie Denslow, it sheds long-needed light on US business culture, explaining how to understand potentially deal-breaking differences in values, etiquette and language - and how best to capitalise on them. Included in the book are many tips on how to be successful in business with Americans, whether they be working in the US or abroad, plus dozens of colourful and amusing anecdotes about American business relationships gone awry. Its aim is to save readers time and money, as well as aggravation and frustration, in their dealings - existing or potential - with American business people.
More than Men and Make-Up
By Seven Suphi
More Than Men and Make-Up provides a series of techniques accompanied by enjoyable and simply structured exercises to help you work through issues of career, relationships, family and health, helping you to determine the right priorities for each area of life and set your own goals based on what is important to you. Whether you’re refocusing your whole life and wanting clarity in every area, or concentrating on specific areas of importance at a particular time of your life – this book will help you overcome any obstacle.
Qi Book of General Ignorance
By John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
Compendium of popular misconceptions, misunderstandings and common mistakes culled from the hit BBC show, QI. If, like Alan Davies, you still think that Henry VIII had six wives, the earth has only one moon, that George Washington was the first president of the USA, that Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, that the largest living thing is a blue whale, that Alexander Graeme Bell invented the telephone, that whisky and bagpipes come from Scotland or that Mount Everest is the world's tallest mountain, then there are at least 200 reasons why this is the book for you.
