Business Summaries: Wisdom in a nutshell

What is the next best thing to getting a hold of those damn great bestselling business books? I would say, having someone who have read the books in full explain to you what they are all about.

Some people, especially those with tight schedules, may even say it is better than reading the book yourself. You get the gist of what the book is saying, learn from it, without having to read it page by page.

It seems that is exactly what they do at Bizsum.com. By subscribing, you get to access their business (book) summaries which are available in various formats like PDF, Powerpoint, PDA, HTML, MP3, among others.

Because the summaries are just a few pages long, you get to learn great business ideas and strategies from some of the world's greatest minds in a matter of minutes. And, because there is no information overload, you get to appreciate them better.

Still not convinced? Try signing up for Bizsum.com's free 1-month trial and receive several 8 to 12 page book summaries, in addition a 2-day access to their full archive, and a lifetime subscription to their Business Summaries Lite, entitling you to receive one 2-page book summary for the rest of your life!

Now, isn't that a good deal?

Free Accounting for Non-Accountants ebook

Accounting is really easy. It is not rocket science. In fact, your regular accountant may be, as the popular tv game would say, not as smart at your regular fifth grader.

If you don't believe me, ask him on the spot what's the sum of 21 and 18. Or any other pair of 2-digit numbers at that. Chances are he will still punch the thing on his calculator before giving an answer.

Joking aside, accounting is really based on the very simple equation of "assets equals liabilities plus owners' equity". The methods used are just means of ensuring the integrity of this equation.

I have written about this before and would like to share my thoughts with you in this free ebook entitled "Accounting for Non-Accountants: A five minute Accounting appreciation course".

To download, just click on the link above. Feel free to reproduce or redistribute it, provided you keep its contents unaltered, and provided you do not do it for profit. If you have any accounting concerns, kindly visit us at www.lumantao.com.

Bo launches 7 Secrets to Real Freedom

Bo Sanchez launched yesterday at the Kerygma Conference his latest book entitled "7 Secrets to Real Freedom". The book promises to teach us how to get rid of hidden addictions and to achieve great success. It comes after such greats like "8 Secrets of the Truly Rich" and "How to Find Your One True Love".

The book was sold during the conference for a discounted price of P315. I failed to ask though how much is it without the discount. I have a feeling the book is really fresh off the press because when I searched for it at National Bookstore Online, it is still not there. For those who want to buy, I suggest you order it from Shepherds Voice Publications, Inc.

Although I wasn't able to buy the book during the conference, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be a good enlightening read. This man, who according to him has been preaching since he was 14 years old, is really a blessing to the world with his talks and his books.

One belief Bo shared during the conference that really struck me was that "success is not determined by the size of your enemy but the size of your God." I could not agree more. I mean, if you are doing the right thing, does it really matter who your enemies are?

Bo's 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich

I have just finished reading Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad book. It was an enlightening read for me who by definition will a very good "poor dad" example. I now intend to reform and be more aware the bad habits I shouldn't have. For that I need to learn more. And, even before I have even gotten myself a copy, I have decided that the next book I am going to read is Bo Sanchez's 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich.

According to Bo, people are not poor because they have no money. He believes that that is only the result. He says Filipinos are poor because of three giant monsters of poverty. First, we don't want to be rich. Second, we are financially stupid. And third, we insist on walking instead of riding. I guess he explained all these in his book which costs only P350. Know more about the book at www.nationalbookstore.com.

Negosyo: To Your First Million

Go Negosyo launched yesterday the book "Negosyo: Joey Concepcion's 50 Inspiring Enterpreneurial Stories" at the National Bookstore. The book is available for a quite affordable price of P280. It contains the success stories of 50 Pinoy enterpreneurs plus lessons from Professor Andy Ferreria of the Asian Institue of Management (AIM).

The stories include, I presume, that of Joey Concepcion III, Jay Aldeguer, Paolo Bediones, Dra. Vicky Belo, Larry Cruz, Illac Diaz, Margarita Fores, Julie Gandiongco, Ray Gapuz, Jr., Atty. Felipe Gozon, the Lopez Family, Ronald Pineda, Socorro Ramos, Les Reyes, Vivienne Tan, Donnie Tantoco, William Torres, Orlando Vea, Gov. Lray Villafuerte, Myla Villanueva, Alfredo Yao and Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

The book entices us to go make our first million like they all did. In most likelihood, it is going to be a bestseller in the coming months, a feat for Philip Cu-Unjieng, the editor.

Book Hunt

I am a fan of Amazon.com. I like doing searches there and seeing what books are there to buy. Aside from some downloadable ebooks though, I haven't purchased anything else there yet. The price of the books, the shipping cost, the worry of whether I will really get the shipment, have always stopped me from making a purchase, no matter how much I wanted them books.

A few months ago I came across nationalbookstore.com.ph and have since been an avid visitor. What can I say, this is more real. You can do the same searches and find books within your buying range. And, you can either purchase them online using your credit card or G-cash, or you may go to the nearest National Book Store and buy them there. Shipping costs are quite reasonable too.

In fact, "cheap" me did a search for books priced between P1 to P200 and found some very interesting reads, for me at least. This include:

• 2000 Word Drills by Gregorio Ching at just P90;
• A Pocket Book of Short Stories by Simon and Schuster at P85;
• Aling Charing's Filipino and Foreign Recipes by Rosario Fabian at P160;
• Arabic Reading, Writing and Grammar by Mohammad Tuusi at P85;
• Attitudes that Attract Success by Wayne Cordeiro at P175;
• Basic First Aid by the National Safety Council at P175;
• Basic Japanese by Yukihiro Shimamura at P99.50;
• Business Writing: Barnes and Noble College Outline Series at P135;
• Cat and Dog Theology: Rethinking with our Master by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison at P200; and
  
• Chinese Proverbs by Gregorio Ching at P135.

This is just an initial list. I am not even half-way through the search results yet. This is just to show what you can get for money equivalent to a meal or two at your favorite fastfood house. Yes, there are a lot of things you can read online and for free, but if you are like me, there is nothing like holding a book with your own hands and going through its pages one by one. Nothing, really.