Full title: Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur
(Why I Can’t Stop Starting Over)
Author: Stuart Skorman
(with Catherine Guthrie)
Format: Hardcover, 193 pages
Published: 2007, USA
This was my second entrepreneurship book in a row.
Once again, I was introduced to this book by Hubs, who seemed to be chain-reading on books of this genre. I was in the middle of SMEE when he was devouring CSE. Once again I asked: Is the book any good? He replied: Yes.
Paused. Looked over to the SMEE in my hand. Then he elaborated: Better than that. That only gives you the overview, while this (indicating CSE in his hand) details how the problems are solved.
Ho-hum. Well, as soon as I am done with SMEE, I jumped over to CSE. And oh boy, what a ride it was!
Stuart Skorman, together with Catherine Guthrie, is an extremely gifted entrepreneur and storyteller. He details his journeys and forays into the entrepreneur world as one would relate a magical fairy tale with thrilling plots. His narrations are easy to comprehend, very light and humorous in many areas. It has been very easy to follow him along as he journeyed through the various start-ups and the failures and successes that come along the way.
Skorman’s resume and very varied work/life experiences are very impressive and colorful. From managing a rock band, he then went on to try to salvage (which he failed eventually) his dying family business. Next, he discovered fitness and well-being and he preached healthy and organic foods. This interest and passion led to an on/off relationship with his employer/mentor. After that stint, he decided to rediscover himself by going cross-country on his bike. His experiences and encounters with colorful characters that he met during his bike tour unknowingly prepared him to be an entrepreneur.
His first Midas touch was an video empire. Skorman was intelligent enough to identify the needs and wants of a certain neighborhood town and he went on relentlessly to fill that need. He even went as far as to CREATE a need that his customers did not even know exist (his movie matchmaking).
He departed from his video business a millionaire but he realized early that he could not just retire. He was itching too much. He became a professional poker player – an experience that he claimed has taught him on how to identify risks and when to take it and when to bluff your way out.
Skorman also took advantage of the dot.com bubble and within three years, his Internet dot.com company was sold for $100 million.
Of course, all these successes are not without the failures and miseries. He also relates the reasons behind the downfall of another dot.com company and the constant friction that he had with his then-mentor during his stint in the health foods industry.
He gives the insight on how and why he thinks this way and that – at that point of time – and his explanations are very simple and straightforward. He often injects humor in his tales that I almost forgot that this is a non-fiction book to start with!
At the end of each chapter, Skorman would put together a bunch of useful entrepreneurship tips, from the importance of having mentors to making the transition from a big company to a start-up.
I’ve tried to pull out a couple of juicy gist here and there, but I realize that this book does not allow me to. I realize very quickly, because of the way the narration is being told as in a story, I am unable to identify certain highlights. One highlight is correlated to another in the next chapter. There is no way to break these down.
.: The TRUIzM
Once again, I was introduced to this book by Hubs, who seemed to be chain-reading on books of this genre. I was in the middle of SMEE when he was devouring CSE. Once again I asked: Is the book any good? He replied: Yes.
Paused. Looked over to the SMEE in my hand. Then he elaborated: Better than that. That only gives you the overview, while this (indicating CSE in his hand) details how the problems are solved.
Ho-hum. Well, as soon as I am done with SMEE, I jumped over to CSE. And oh boy, what a ride it was!
Stuart Skorman, together with Catherine Guthrie, is an extremely gifted entrepreneur and storyteller. He details his journeys and forays into the entrepreneur world as one would relate a magical fairy tale with thrilling plots. His narrations are easy to comprehend, very light and humorous in many areas. It has been very easy to follow him along as he journeyed through the various start-ups and the failures and successes that come along the way.
Skorman’s resume and very varied work/life experiences are very impressive and colorful. From managing a rock band, he then went on to try to salvage (which he failed eventually) his dying family business. Next, he discovered fitness and well-being and he preached healthy and organic foods. This interest and passion led to an on/off relationship with his employer/mentor. After that stint, he decided to rediscover himself by going cross-country on his bike. His experiences and encounters with colorful characters that he met during his bike tour unknowingly prepared him to be an entrepreneur.
His first Midas touch was an video empire. Skorman was intelligent enough to identify the needs and wants of a certain neighborhood town and he went on relentlessly to fill that need. He even went as far as to CREATE a need that his customers did not even know exist (his movie matchmaking).
He departed from his video business a millionaire but he realized early that he could not just retire. He was itching too much. He became a professional poker player – an experience that he claimed has taught him on how to identify risks and when to take it and when to bluff your way out.
Skorman also took advantage of the dot.com bubble and within three years, his Internet dot.com company was sold for $100 million.
Of course, all these successes are not without the failures and miseries. He also relates the reasons behind the downfall of another dot.com company and the constant friction that he had with his then-mentor during his stint in the health foods industry.
He gives the insight on how and why he thinks this way and that – at that point of time – and his explanations are very simple and straightforward. He often injects humor in his tales that I almost forgot that this is a non-fiction book to start with!
At the end of each chapter, Skorman would put together a bunch of useful entrepreneurship tips, from the importance of having mentors to making the transition from a big company to a start-up.
I’ve tried to pull out a couple of juicy gist here and there, but I realize that this book does not allow me to. I realize very quickly, because of the way the narration is being told as in a story, I am unable to identify certain highlights. One highlight is correlated to another in the next chapter. There is no way to break these down.
.: The TRUIzM
This book is a bonus – to aspiring entrepreneurs and to bookworms. As I fall in the latter category, I am hooked on it since Page 1. And even if I do not fall into the first category (yet), I find that the tips and lessons that Skorman dispenses and teaches are very easy to follow, straightforward and idiot-proof.This is one book that you cannot do without.
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