How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis is a refreshing and captivating book for anyone who enjoys business biography books.
Pairs With: Dennis would pair this one with a glass of expensive wine but since I don’t know wines, I’m pairing it with chocolates from Around the Globe Chocolate Bar Gift Box because the flavors sound delicious and it looks fancy!
Overview
How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis is a refreshing and captivating book for anyone who enjoys business biographies and self-help books. If you’ve been disappointed with business biographies in the past, I recommend giving this one a try!
This book is broken out into four parts.
Part I is, “Reason Not to Get Rich.” This is where Dennis explains how the odds aren’t exactly in our favor.
Part II is all about “Getting Started.” In this section, Dennis Addresses the fear that holds people back and lists The Five Most Common Start-up Errors:
- Mistaking Desire for Compulsion.
- Over Optimism Concerning Cash Flow.
- Reinforcing Failure.
- Thinking Small and Acting Big.
- Skimping on Talent.
Part III is titled, “Getting Rich” and is where Dennis discusses luck, negotiating, ownership, delegation, risk, and focus. This is where Dennis informs readers, “Remember that few of us are any good at detailed negotiations. That includes your opponent, by the way.”
Lastly, Part IV is called, “Troubleshooting and End Game.” This is where Dennis addresses how to stay rich, recaps the book, and gives the reader eight secrets to getting rich.
No-Nonsense Advice
Dennis takes readers behind the scenes of how he made his fortune in magazine publishing and shares unfiltered no-nonsense advice for anyone aspiring to get rich. Dennis’ first piece of hard-hitting advice is that “You’ll never get rich working for your boss.” Throughout the book, Dennis stresses the importance of having your own business and owning 100% of it. He tells readers, “Never, never, never, never hand over a single share of anything you have acquired or created if you can help it. Nothing. Not one share. To no one.”
Reasons to LOVE This One
This book reminded me of Rich Dad Poor Dad in that Dennis shares stories about what made him rich and what mistakes jeopardized his wealth. He also grew up very poor but became very wealthy.
Unlike most CEOs’ books, this wasn’t another one full of look-how-great-I-am stories that leave readers with no real advice they can apply to their own life or business. Instead, this was a real account of how he got rich. What went right and what went wrong and what readers can learn from his experiences. I LOVED how honest Dennis was about his failures and that he didn’t sugarcoat his journey. This was one of the first books I’ve read by a CEO that felt truthful, open, and real.
Overall this read with quick, light, and entertaining. I guess that’s what you get when a poet who made his millions publishing magazines writes a book. It’s done well.
Conclusion
I love reading business and finance books but I’ve found that most CEOs should stick to their day job and let someone else write their story. I’ve stopped reading so many of them that I’ve lost count!
However, if you’re into business biographies and have also been disappointed with them in the past, I’d recommend giving this one a try! Dennis does an excellent job of sharing his experiences while also giving readers tangible advice they can implement into their own journeys.
This is one where you might actually learn something you can apply to your own business (or life) and you’ll be able to enjoy a real and honest story of a businessman’s pursuit of wealth.
P.S. If you enjoyed this one you may also like, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker!
