The Big Idea: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, From the Aha Moment to Your First Million

252 Pages·2008·16.23 MB·English

by  Donny Deutsch

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(continued
In The Big Idea, Deutsch draws not only on
his own tremendous focus and expertise, but on
that of dozens of the successful entrepreneurs
whom he has interviewed-to help you create
your own enterprise. From the "Gut Check
Moment" to "Mom Power," Donny Deutsch
takes aspiring entrepreneurs along every step
of the way. The Big Idea is your road map to
the American dream.
Before he began his nightly CNBC television
show. I I rose to prominence
as the maverick chairman and chief executive
officer of Deutsch Inc. Under his leadership, the
company grew into one of the nation's top-ten
adverti.sing agencies, with blue chip clients
including GeneraJ Motors, Johnson & Johnson,
, Sony, and DIRECTV. Both Advertising Age and
Adweek have honored the agency time and
again as "Agency of the Year." Deutsch was also
a lead member of the successful Clinton/Gore
communications team, and is a graduate of
the Whartoo School at the University of Penn
sylvania. He serves on the Executive Committee
of University of Pennsylvania's School of Social
Policy & Practice and the Board of Director£ for
the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research. Deutsch lives in New York City.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL
DREAMS COME TRUE, FROM THE
AHA MOMENT TO YOUR FIRST MILLION
Donny Deutsch
with Catherine Whitney
~HYPERIONI
New York
Copyright ©: 2009 Donny Deutsch Publications, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher. Printed in
the United States of America. For information address Hyperion, 77 West 66th
Street, New York, New York 10023-6298.
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2321-9
Hyperion books are available for special promotions, premiums, or corporate
training. For details contact Michael Rentas, Proprietary Markets, Hyperion, 77
West 66th Street, 12th floor, New York, New York 10023, or call 212-456-0133.
Design by Renata Stanisic
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
PART ONE: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?
1. Calling All Dreamers 3
Who Am I to Talk? 5
Love Is the Answer 9
Listen to the Little Voice 1 2
An Act of Life 1 4
My Promise to You 1 6
2. No Experience Necessary 19
What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You 20
Everybody Loves an Underdog 22
Fake It Till You Make It 23
From Battlefield to Boardroom 24
Your Lucky Napkin 25
The World Is Your Classroom 28
Your Smart Team 29
3. Why Make Someone Else Rich? 31
The Soul of an Entrepreneur 33
V CONTENTS
When to Say "I'm Outta Here!" 36
Control, Alt, Delete 40
4. Make Love, Not Work 41
Hold Your Nose and Jump 41
The Art of Bliss 42
Livin' Loud 45
Playday to Payday 46
The Power of Nostalgia 47
Lover's Leap 48
PART TWO: THERE ARE NO GENIUSES 51
5. There's Gatta Be a Better Way 53
Feel the Need 54
Five Steps to a Better Way 57
The Instant Grab 67
6. Why Didn't I Think of That? 69
A Moment of Clarity 69
A New Twist 71
A Captive Market 74
A Future Vision 75
Will Your Idea Make Millions? 76
Focus, Focus, Focus 81
7. Break Out of the Box 83
The Five Qualities of an Innovator 84
Home-Grown Innovation 90
8. Change the World with a Simple Idea 91
Do-Gooder Nation 93
A Company with Sole 95
Take on the World 95
CONTENTS
PART THREE: NO IS NOT AN OPTION 97
9. Why NOT Me? 99
The Entitlement Exercise 101
Success Is a Democracy 103
Bypass the Pecking Order 106
Who ... Me? 107
10. The Gut Check Moment 109
The Comeback Kids 111
A Life-and-Death Gut Check 115
Be Fearless 11 6
Embrace Your Butterflies 118
11. They Told Me I'd Never Make It 119
Hold the Obituary 120
The Best Revenge Is Making Millions 122
Four Ways to Turn Around a Turndown 124
The Cold Call 1 25
12. Saved By a Big Idea 127
Launching from the Bottom 127
Start with What You Know 1 28
Take the Down Staircase Up 129
The Bottomless Pit of Possibility 131
13. Who Said It Was Too Late? 133
Midlife Crisis=Opportunity 134
Riches to Rags and Back Again 136
What's Your Second Life Story? 1 37
Tear Off the Rearview Mirror 140
X CONTENTS
PART FOUR: GETTING TO YOUR FIRST
MILLION 141
14. From Zero to Millions 143
The $200 Windfall 143
Start a Business with $500 145
Don't Go for the Gold 1 47
Four Millionaire Shortcuts 149
Be Market Savvy, Not Market Shy 1 53
15. Fueled by Mom Power 155
Mothers of Invention 155
Moms Together 159
The Mommy Millionaire 160
Kitchen Table Wisdom 1 61
16. All in the Family 163
A Winning Formula 165
Ancestral Secrets 166
Boss, Mentor, Mom 168
Family First, Then the World 169
The New Family Business Model 170
Express Your Pride 1 72
17. People to People 173
What's Your Story? 175
It's Not About the Clothes 1 77
Become a Household Name 1 78
Build Your Network 179
When in Doubt, Throw a Party 181
It's the People, Stupid 182