A great book that will help you think about ways to generate buzz around your product/service without spending major money doing it! I just started reading it the other day, and ideas are already flying through my head. I highly recommend it for any entrepreneur, and especially recommend it to executives!

The book is about what causes trends to spread out from small niche groups into world wide phenomena. It talks about what key roles/players are needed to cause things to "tip," and how those players influence the outcome. I would suggest every entrepreneur read this book as well! I'm still listening to it, but like it so much that I got a hardback version to mark up and highlight key concepts. As far as I'm concerned this is another great buy.

While it's not a very challenging read, it gives great insight into what enabled eBay to become what it is today. In my opinion, individuals starting p2p internet startups should pick up this book as it highlights the importance of community, what creates it and how they help startups survive.

I would not say this book will solve your problems in a quick fix kind of way - but I think it will show you how to fix customer acquisition problems, if you have them. More importantly, this is a sales book - and sales is everything from acquiring customers to advisors to getting venture capital. Thus, the suggestions given apply very well to all levels of entrepreneurship. When it does relate to sales alone, some of the suggestions assume you've got an established product, but not most. Some of my big take always here were:

•  Give value first: before asking someone to do something for you (buy your product, give you money), give them something of value first - advice, tips, etc.  Although the book does not directly suggest this - I took one of his illustrations of how to add value first and extended it to early stage entrepreneurship - If you are building your business now, but have not launched, you can offer a newsletter or blog on a related topic and offer valuable advice in this manner.
• Go where your buyers are and network: go to their association events and regional meetings. I used to do this all the time. It's soooo helpful!
  
• How to know if you're doing sales correctly. The biggest take away here is - are you talking to the decision maker and how do you know? tips for how to get to that person and around the gate keeper.  He gives excellent suggestions here - worth reading, and especially so if you're in the B2B.
• You will be out beat by those who are always educating themselves. Don't stop learning and improving yourself. couch potatoes watch out!
• There are things that are too expensive and you cannot afford - do them anyway because that's where your sale is. examples: video testimonial for sales presentations, going to industry networking events. if you're company does not pay for it, suck up the cost yourself. and he has great reasons why.
  

Great read for anyone interested in building a business, and especially great read if you're coming out of big corporate America! Talks about how great businesses have been built in saturated markets, such as:

• [yellow tail] - created substantial growth in a stagnant, saturated market

• iTunes - need i say more here

• Cirque du Soleil - grew out of a market with small, and declining market share to achieve substantial growth

• Curves - health club for women that did exceptionally well by simplifying the offering and attracting an overlooked segment of the market.

The book gives an interesting frame work for thinking about how to find your next venture.