...and that's needed today more than ever. I had never heard of Marc Allen before finding this book in audio format at a local rental store. You may not have heard of him, either, but whether you are starting a business or just trying to manage your life better, I encourage you to check out the audio or print version of this book.
I was just looking for something to help me in my work. The title "Visionary Business" caught my eye. It was a short, yet unabridged audio book, and read by the author. I figured it might help. Couldn't hurt. Why not try it? What I expected to get was the usual one or two good ideas that might make it worth the price of the listening...
It's such a thin volume, after all.
What I got instead was a new vision and practical approach to my business and to living, which was so amazing...
It's such a thin volume, after all.
In it, we meet a character named Bernie, who says (among other things):
"When you believe in yourself enough, your most important desires will become intentions, and your intentions will manifest in reality. It's a law of nature. Intentions produce results. Our thoughts and our words are powerful -- powerful enough to create what we want... So be it. So it is."
At the same time, I was reading THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle, and having daily Ah-Ha's that were nudging me into a little more presence and away from some of my old head trash...
In Visionary Business, I was reading a story of a struggling start-up business and an entrepreneur who reminded me of myself. I'm sure many readers would feel the same.
At one point, Bernie asks the young man how his business plan is working, and he describes it as a barge that is very hard to move... He is then encouraged, not to work on his plans, forecasts, action plans, etc., but on his VISION -- the vision of that barge... because as long as he sees it as not moving, nothing else he does will matter.
Understanding that your vision is the controlling factor is vital. There's a song I love by David Wilcox, that includes the words:
"I got such a mess between my ears
like dishes in the sink
Stuff I don't believe just tumbles in
until I don't have room to think...
...All my failures are on display,
the broken dreams of yesterday
Stuff I should have thrown away,
but I've kept it here instead
I've got to empty out the inside of my head"
Stuck barge or cluttered head, we get what we envision, and the power of our intention is greater than we have dreamed.
This is a storyteller's tale. Spun more than told, and practical as well, with business advice and guidelines for a healthy enterprise in addition to the emphasis on working on your vision (and emptying the trash from the inside of your head).
A final thought that I found helpful (in reading the author's bio) was this: Decide you are going to do everything in life in an easy, relaxed manner & a healthy and positive way... I appreciate that bit of vision a lot -- maybe most of all, and I'm seeing its fruit in the lives around me.
This review pertains to the Audible.com version of the book. Initially, I enjoyed hearing the tale of a novice company builder and his patron, a wise old business man. The narrative style reminds me of sections in "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." A number of pithy maxims are shared with us through the eyes of the pupil, but towards the end of the book we start getting sermons.There are long spiels on how science has only realized what many deep thinkers (e.g. Buddhists) have known all along. One silly example was his point that the Buddhists say "we are empty", and the author goes aha -- see they knew that before the physicists discovered atoms are mostly space. Maybe I'm overdramatizing here, but the author's naivete and aggrandizing statements remind me of the spin Nostradamus lovers present to the rest of the world. Other sermonizing statements include (paraphrasing) "if you don't know what to do with a company problem, put it in God's hands and do his will." Of course, the author must be unbiased, so he always says "God as you see him or her." Sounds reasonable, but then he goes into this section where even atheists *must* know there is some kind of God, and if they don't, can they create universes? Some great reasoning and open minded thinking there.
There were lots of other statements where I just shook my head thinking the author should stay grounded on earth, or at least, stay focused on the supposed topic. If you get this book, I suggest you avoid the final sections where he becomes heavily spiritual.
It is important to understand that this is a fictionalized account of a true story, and, that the twelve "Keys of Visionary Business" will be of greatest benefit to those who are about to begin or have already embarked on an entrepreneurial venture of some kind. My own opinion is that the same twelve "Keys" could be almost as valuable to everyone else in business. I say "almost" because the perils and opportunities of entrepreneurship pose quite unique challenges which almost always must be overcome with limited resources, including (especially) experience. In Allen's fictionalized account, there are two main characters: The narrator and his mentor, Bernie. Allen devotes a separate chapter to each of the 12 "Keys" and then provides an Epilogue, followed by an Afterword in which he includes 25 principles and practices of visionary business. This term has many different, sometimes quite different denotations and connotations. In this context, Allen means (a) being able to envision with absolute clarity what you want your business to be and (b) building the business guided by that vision. Having embarked on a number of entrepreneurial ventures myself, and now working with many others who have, I can personally attest to the great value of the "Keys" but it would be a disservice to the author and to you, were I to divulge them here. Each must be shared within the context of the on-going interaction between the two. Bernie asks all of the questions I wish someone had asked me. Of even greater value is the wisdom he shares, sometimes strategically withholding it until the narrator is ready for it. Their rapport reminds me of the rapport which Mitch Albom describes in Tuesdays with Morrie.
An entrepreneur is one who (literally) "undertakes", often at great risk and amidst uncertainty. That is true of the narrator. With all due respect to the practical value of Bernie's business acumen, Allen reveals certain dimensions of Bernie's spirituality which are -- for me, at least -- at least as important as his impact on the narrator's business decisions. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Robert L. Wallace's Soul Food. Both books share much in common (eg thoughtful, well-written, practical, and reassuring) even as they approach similar subjects from different perspectives. For those who are about to begin or are now embarked on an entrepreneurial venture, these two books are essential resources.
Great Book, very inspiring
Entertaining and Instructive until it gets patronizing
