While opening the book each chapter looks like it follows a format where the chapter is a “Profit Rule†which you are supposed to follow like a checklist. The introduction pages starts off by painting a very gloomy picture where you are running a business that seems like it is going under. At the same time, most people would blame external factors like the economy and so the author is pretty blunt in saying it’s your fault not anyone else’s. He believes that most problems are internal which means it is fixable.
Cloutier then goes on to say how he has seen it all in terms of companies going down yet for the most part he was able to find ways to turn things around. He then makes a remark which I guess is semi controversial. Basically, he mentions that if you start a business your main reason or goal in doing so should be “to make profits.â€
I know a lot of people would instead say focus on what you love and not the money as the money will come after.
He then goes on edifying himself it seems by talking about his company and what he has done to help people turn around. At the same time, he is trying to get across to the reader that he is one of those “been there, done that†type of person which is why you should pay special attention to the advice that he is giving in this book.
Towards the end there are some questions that he says you should ask yourself when it comes to you and your business. Essentially, it’s like a self checklist to see how serious you are in wanting to be successful and to make a profit out of your business. Some example points are things such as him saying you need to love your business as much as your family and that you need to stand by your convictions.
There was one point that I found might ruffle a few feathers. He mentioned that if you play golf you should stop as that could be time being spent with your business instead. I don’t play golf personally, unless you consider video games like Wii Golf the same, but I know many business people that do so for networking purposes.
I’m not too shocked so far as most of what I have read is along the lines of the tough love type of advices that I have heard from other sources as well. I think it is going to be mostly the examples that he uses where he puts what he preaches into practice that will be the most interesting.