I'm inspired I can have it all..
This book really put things into perspective for me. As a 25y/o college educated woman, reading this book gave me hope that I too can raise my family and continue to move up the corporate ladder.

Chambers, Teachers ARE Successful, College-Educated Professionals!
I have one peeve with this book: The author excludes teachers as successful, college-educated professionals (pg. 6 Introduction, hardcover)! Teachers, at the time she wrote this book and today, are required to earn a Bachelors degree, to receive specialized, professional training to be certified, AND they must obtain a Masters Degree within about 5 years after completing the training just to keep their jobs. With all of those educational requirements, how could Chambers say that teachers are not "college-educated professionals"? Then to make matters worse, Chambers says that she uses "success" in the "broadest terms" to include teachers. So teachers aren't successful in her eyes. According to her, a successful Black woman must be an attorney or a doctor or have earned an MBA or have earned a Bachelors degree from an Ivy League school. Even though I meet her standards for the successful Black woman, I can appreciate the ambition, brains and professionalism in my past teachers. Moreover, I have family members who are teachers, and they are just as ambitious, smart, and (dare I say) more humble than some of the women Chambers praises in this book. I hope she realizes that it took successful teachers to help those Black women she features in this book to get to where they are. And those teachers, as well as many others, are just as successful as any other degreed middle and upper-class professional she'd put on a pedestal.

Must Read for Young Adult Black Women...
I'd heard about this book numerous times. I'd read about it in Essence, read numerous customer reviews and knew I would have to read it one day-- if only I could get through the 200 pages of assigned reading I had to do. Little did I know once I picked this book up, I would be unable to put it down. I found myself opening its pages anytime I had the opportunity and finishing it in no time. It's that good.

As a college senior about to graduate in less than a month, this was perhaps the best book I could have read to prepare me for the journey that lies ahead. In it I found images of myself...who I am now, and who I'd like to be. Chambers does an excellent job capturing the emotion, joys and pains of Black women who live successful lives as mothers, professionals, and socialites, and this book makes it clear that success definitely means different things to different people. It provides much needed evidence that "Black women" is not a monolithic category full of angry, money hungry, lazy, uneducated, snobby, or lonely women. Instead "Having it All?" shows that Black women in America and around the world are living it up and dealing with the same issues women of all races proclaim to be their own.

Chambers beautifully intertwines interviews with sisters from every street in the black middle class and upper class neighborhoods with parts of her own life, providing a diary-like, advice filled, "here's how I did it, how I'm doing it, and you can too" type of book. What I liked most was that Chambers and the women she spoke with were completely honest about their lives. The ladies' honesty and eagerness to open and reveal the most personal aspects of their lives for our benefit radiates off every page. But dont read this book if you are looking for advice on how to "make it," instead read it to be inspired and reminded that despite what anyone else might say about us, no matter what people think we can or cant do, you can create the life you want...at your own pace and in your own way.

I hope you enjoy :o)

Don't wait to read this book!
I have never encountered a book that is more about ME as a black woman than HAVING IT ALL? by Veronica Chambers. I didn't read the book when it was published in 2003, and I really regret that now. This book is interesting and captivating from cover to cover. Granted, it isn't a book or guide to success as a black women. Rather, the book focuses on the fact that many black women are now and historically have been very successful in America, although we are rarely portrayed that way in American art, media, or history books. And despite the problems and challenges that we face along the way -- from unsupportive families, to office politics, to general racism -- black women continue to make sigificant, even if invisible, achievements, and to define "success" in our own terms.

I am SO impressed by this book, and I was moved and inspired by the accounts of the black women that Chambers speaks of in this book. This book should be required reading for successful black women everywhere. It is so good to really see that we aren't alone and that we aren't the firsts. We are everywhere.

Missing Stats to support claims
This book is an interesting read and I enjoy the women's stories the author chose to profile. However, I picked up this book with hopes of more key success techniques for black women hoping to attain the status of those mentioned in the book. Instead was an overwhelming reinforcment of captalism, consumerism and black women using white/western definitions of success.

Chambers however did pick a unique topic that is becoming very influential in Black American culture. But with lack of statistics, surveys and data to show numbers, many of the statements were more opinions and less factual.

For the sequel, I hope she emphasizes the techniques that move the women to the "top" and provides more numbers to give a broader view of middle class professional black women

manging fo rstakeholders:
A great introduction to a new way of seeing business. It is not only about making money, it is about giving a contribution to a better world. Managing for stakeholders is strong in its ideas and practical in how you make them happen. Make money for your owners and aim at doing somthing good for all the other stakeholders as well.

A practical approach to business management
Good business leaders know they can help their firms succeed by connecting to their communities and by improving their relationships with employees, suppliers and customers. Yet, many executives still make the grave mistake of focusing solely on their shareholders and bankers, ignoring other important stakeholders. R. Edward Freeman, Jeffrey S. Harrison and Andrew C. Wicks provide new thinking and techniques to help you best manage stakeholder relationships and boost your firm's success. They offer practical advice for balancing the needs of your financiers with those of other stakeholders. getAbstract recommends this book to all managers and business thinkers. Board members and other professionals who want to understand their new roles and responsibilities in the globalized world of commerce will also value the authors' take on business ethics.

Our complex society requires corporate management to consider its context as well as its income
I really have little use for the socialists who insist they have property rights to influence, control, and even run the daily operations of private (or even publicly traded) companies. This is not only a bad idea, it is bad for society. However, this book stops short of this "social responsibility" claptrap. The idea these authors present is that society is so complex that there is no such thing as a stand alone corporation. Companies require the infrastructure that society provides, they certainly need customers, and most have vendors. Those who pay the taxes, run the companies that supply other firms, and who live in the communities where these companies work, and who work in these companies, all have an interest in how these corporations influence their lives. If a firm bulls ahead without regard to the interest of these stakeholders, they will actually create more problems for themselves.

The idea in the book is that a firm that works WITH its stakeholders actively rather than waiting until problems arise, is going to be more competitive, and contribute more net good to its shareholders and all who are affected by its work.

When anyone claims the stakeholders are equal or greater than the shareholders, you lose me. I don't think these authors are claiming that. They are just claiming that prudence dictates that the corporation has more considerations than just the net income that can be provided to the shareholders. It makes some sense.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Quick Read - Grist for Meaningful Reflection
Generally, I am suspicious of any book touting a stakeholder model over one grounded on shareowners. The problem is one of identification. Without a clear party in control, the CEO and board can rationalize just about any position based on balancing "stakeholder" interests.

I'm also concerned with a book on ethics sponsored by the Business Roundtable, since that organization has a long history of ill-founded opposition to shareowner interests, such as expensing stock options and proxy access. Despite these reservations, I can honestly recommend Freeman's book. The corporate form exists for more than simply maximizing shareowner wealth. A stakeholder approach is appropriate in most day-to-day decisions, and this small volume offers good advice.

Any executive or board can benefit by more thoroughly examining their corporation's community of interest. As the authors posit, companies which "find a way to create value for conflicting stakeholder interests will be the winners." Engagement often leads to value-creation. Even when it does not, a few simple cooperative steps can often diffuse what might otherwise be a damaging situation. "Unilateral action increases the risk of conflict escalation."

The book lacks ex ante rules for deriving a hierarchy of stakeholders but, instead, takes a more organic approach. More discussion of the fundamental tension between the expectation for substantive debate over disagreements with stakeholders and the reality of our common preference for social cohesion and conflict avoidance would have added value. In Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative versus Participatory Democracy, for example, Diana C. Mutz, reports finding that the degree of cross-cutting discussion decreases as levels of income and education increase. This helps explains why so few corporations make an adequate effort to communicate with stakeholders. Rather than limiting active engagement to the like-minded or withdrawing, Mutz argues for "weak ties" that foster loose engagement and build tolerance.

I would have also liked more of a conceptual framework. For example, readers might have benefited from a discussion of the "rights" of stakeholders using Wesley Hohfeld's fundamental legal concepts of a claim against, a liberty or privilege, an authority or power, and an immunity. Such a discussion would be helpful in framing expectations around stakeholder engagement.

While readers are warned the book is "written for executives, not for academics," and "we are in the process of creating a separate book that will contain all the academic support," this reader would have benefited from more science and a more rigorous conceptual framework. Instead, the authors appear to argue that management is still more art than science.

Still, I liked the discussions on the principles of ethical leadership and on leadership by choice, which emphasizes that people must have adequate knowledge of alternatives and at least some options before they truly engage in a genuine choice to follow. Pack the book for your next flight and you'll probably find a reasonable amount of grist for meaningful reflection.

Another useful tool for identifying at least some of your company's stakeholders is touchgraph.com. Try it out by entering the name of your company or its URL to visually portray your firm's 6 degrees of separation in cyberspace.

Intriguing, winsome, and insightful
Though they are unplugged, informally educated, and committed to the mores of 1693, the Amish are genius business men--and women, flourishing far beyond the average rate of success in 2010. Erik Wesner's book is full of fascinating stories of how the Amish thrive in commerce through old-fashioned, counterintuitive methods that sometimes fly in the face of our "fancy" modern business methods. My late dad, a small bookstore owner, would have loved this book's advice; he already followed its credos of taking care of your employees, going above and beyond in customer service, and creating honest, well-crafted products that hearken back to the days before everything was made in China and Guam. Any small business owner will be inspired and informed, and anyone interested in the Amish will find tons of tidbits about Plain life from someone who knows this sub culture extremely well. Here is a novel and fresh business book with broad appeal!

Vivid Stories and Quality Business Lessons
Author Erik Wesner, who writes the excellent AmishAmerica blog, spent two years researching Amish businesses in Pennsylvania and Ohio. His new book, "Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive" is the result.

By weaving together the Amish experience, common business knowledge, and ideas from mainstream business gurus, Wesner derives business lessons for the rest of us. As the title suggests, the Amish remind us that business doesn't have to be a complicated venture.

Here's a general summary of what's in each chapter:

Chapters 1 & 2: You learn about how the Amish use vision and faith to build successful firms. Next, Wesner explores how Amish people become successful with only an eighth-grade education, standard in the culture.

Chapter 3 describes the Amish approach to sales and marketing, which emphasizes relationship-building and customer service.

Chapter 4 dives more deeply into relationships and customer service. You also learn how the Amish tend their reputations and difficult clients.

Chapter 5 & 6 cover Amish approach to team-building, managing, and hiring. Many Amish people have to keep community interests at heart when hiring, firing, and motivating employees.

In Chapter 7, you learn how the Amish stay competitive. This includes how to compete in a friendly, sustainable way with others in your community--not something that's standard in so-called English (American) culture.

Wesner wraps up the book with the Amish definition of business and success, leading readers to ponder what community, success, and their overall goals mean to them.

Thoughts on style:

When I first started reading the book, I couldn't figure out whether Wesner was describing the Amish or imparting general business wisdom. He'd weave Amish tales, business expert quotes, and general business wisdom into the same section. After a little hesitation, however, the style grew on me. I ultimately saw it as unique and quite seamless.

If one thing about the book caught me off-guard, it was Wesner's gentle, respectful treatment of the Amish. Chock it up to bad media conditioning. I suppose I expect business books to dictate something to me, and this one didn't. It didn't assume wrong or right. It was respectful. (Hey, maybe we could use more of this.)

Wesner also has a knack for illustrating how the Amish operate in their day-to-day lives. His stories, anecdotes, quotes, and research made me feel like I knew the Amish. I could tell he spent a lot of time with them.

Thoughts on content:

If you read business books, you've probably already learned some of "Success Made Simple"'s business lessons, which cover general business topics like marketing and human resources. The lessons I found most useful, however, were those I hadn't heard before. These include how the Amish use faith as a catalyst for business motivation and success. Or how Amish treat competition when everyone's in the same community.

I was also fascinated to learn that the Amish don't go to court. That shines a new light on how to sift out and treat difficult customers without threatening them with legal action. These unique lessons, the ones you don't find everywhere else, made the book stand out.

Overall: A good read

"Success Made Simple" is one of those books everyone can benefit from. Its mellow style and interesting anecdotes make it a good commuting or poolside companion. I especially recommend this book for business students, anyone interested in general business lessons, or anyone interested in the Amish.

(book review by Drea Knufken)

Excellent Book for All Small Business Owners
There is a tremendous amount to be learned from Amish business owners, and Erik Wesner hits the target with Success Made Simple.

Here are some of the most powerful small business lessons that remained with me when I finished reading the book.

Your level of formal education doesn't determine your level of success -- Wesner explained in the book how many successful Amish business owners have just an 8th-grade education under their belts. Not to reduce the value of an education, but this really does exemplify how there's a lot more to business success than book smarts. As explained in the book, knowledge and experience can come from a multitude of places, including hands-on learning, having a mentor and/or reliable sounding board, and adopting a can-do-open-to-learning attitude.

There is no substitute for excellent customer service -- As business owners, happy clients/customers are the goal, and the book delves into all of the ways Amish business owners put the customer relationship first. Wesner describes how Amish business owners focus on customer satisfaction including providing a high-quality product/service, inviting word of mouth referrals, and showing appreciation for the best clients.

Storytelling is more than a bedtime ritual -- I love the marketing section of the book where Wesner discusses how many Amish business owners use a compelling narrative to boost their sales and marketing activities. This is an excellent way to engage your audience, and differentiate yourself from the competition ... necessary elements in all marketing campaigns.

Success Made Simple

Erik Wesner spent an intensive period of time in the Amish community even though he is not Amish himself. He started by trying to sell them books which he did with some success.

I always had a bit of childhood fascination with Mennonites who lived nearby as I was growing up. They are similar in many ways to the Amish. They dress in black, drive horse and carriages, don't believe in cars or electricity and generally live life more like the turn of the 1900's than today.

I learned that the Amish are opposed to automation because they place such a high priority on family and they think things like cars would allow people to travel too far away from family.

The Amish success in my opinion is built on their great work ethic. In general I've seen most highly successful businesses, are lead by leadership with great work ethic. And work ethic permeates the culture.

The Amish are highly religious. Because of that they can be quite calm in times of high stress. They turn there problems over to God rather than becoming twisted up inside.

There is an limit on Amish entrepreneurs because the church and the community frowns upon growing too fast and too big. I guess as in any entrepreneurs' situation, entrepreneurs need to be there own people and recognize the peer pressure just is.

In one sense I thought the Amish would have many disadvantages because of their lack of automation, however in business they are not opposed to using equipment and computers. I think being Amish has some advantages though too such as: work ethic, community, and even the Amish name which is quite well respected.

It's an interesting book that gave me some fascinating insights into the Amish people and although it's interesting I don't think I will become one

A Book of Common Sense
"Success Made Simple" is an excellent book of common sense. I'm always surprised by how uncommon common sense often is, how easily we forget these truths. What Erik Wesner has done is to take business principles from the Amish, break them down, and convey to the reader the best way to apply them. Erik has compiled many invaluable lessons into one readable, thoroughly enjoyable book. Well worth your time!