Rating: 
Summary: Almost unreadable, and not worth the effort
Review: After reading so many glowing reviews here an Amazon, I bought this book. I began reading and quickly found myself wondering when the introductory comments would end and the book itself would begin. Then it dawned on me... the entire book is written as a relatively loose collection of thoughts. Ugh!
I pressed on, hoping that some enlightenment might be found among all these scattered thoughts. On and on I went, far past the point of pain. I found myself reading with an oddly-placed determination that this book MUST have something more to it in order for it to have been so universally praised.
Well, I've made it through roughly half of the pages, and that is more than enough for me. Reading this book is like sitting down to lunch with your manic-depressive uncle during his manic phase. Worse, he's just had his second latte' and can't seem to focus on a single topic for more than a couple of sentences. There appears to be little thought given to structure or construct, and the result is a hyperactive jog through the author's mind. Unfortunately, you quickly start to recognize the scenery as you are led in various ways through the same small plot, and ultimately you are led nowhere.
To top it off, his experience actually seems quite narrow and brief. Thankfully, he relates the stories of a dozen other entrepreneurs, but these are too broad and anecdotal to provide much insight. The net result is a book of brief, common-sense admonishments.
I've rarely been so disappointed in a book. How it has received so many good reviews is beyond me.
Rating: 
Summary: I thought Barry had been following me around when I read it
Review: As the volunteer coordinator for Fast Company magazine's Entrepreneurship and Small Business SIG and after 13 years of entrepreneurial experience of my own, I can definitely say that this book is a must-read. If you have any desire to start or own your own business, Barry teaches critical entrepreneurial ropes and unleashes a lot of business wisdom. If you get a chance, catch him live....he's awesome!
Rating:
Summary: Book For Dealing With Psychological Ups and Downs
Review: Barry Moltz, founder of three start-up companies, shares what he's learned about being an entrepreneur in "You Need To Be A Little Bit Crazy: The Truth About Starting And Growing Your Business."
Moltz writes: "The reader should make no mistake; it is easier and in the long run more profitable to get a job than to start your own business. If you want to have your own business for the money, then forget it: go get a job. That motivation will never sustain you through the ups and downs of starting and building your business."
Moltz describes himself as an entrepreneurholic and says entrepreneurship is a disease, a curse even. He also says the natural business world is indifferent to your success or failure. He says high-tech entrepreneurs need to forget the 1990's and need to learn how to "right-size" their dreams.
Moltz writes: "Not every business that an entrepreneur starts must have $100 million in sales and go public. These are the unrealistic dreams that we artificially pumped into the veins of the start-up entrepreneurs in the 1990s....Plenty of wonderful companies never get beyond a few million dollars in sales. The owners of these businesses can live very financially successful and happy lives....Our dreams should be downsized to match what will make us happily successful. How do you right-size your dream? What will it take for you to feel like you have succeeded with your business? These individual benchmarks are important for you to find fulfillment in running your own business."
"You Need To Be A Little Bit Crazy: The Truth About Starting And Growing Your Business" is realistic about the psychological ups and downs of running a business and the issues entrepreneurs face.
Some of my favorite observations include:
* "Your network is your life." While Moltz says that the business world is indifferent to your plight, your team members-family, friends, mentors-do care. So, you're not completely alone! Moltz says you should review your contact list every few months and contact people you haven't been in touch with for awhile. He says you need to meet face-to-face to cement relationships and that you must be proactive and take the initiative to get what you want from a relationship.
* Work with people who you can trust and who you've worked with successfully in the past. Moltz says, "I could sell chairs if I were doing it with people I respected...who you are in business with is more important than what business you are in."
* Don't look for the next big thing, whether it's the Internet, wireless technology, or nanotechnology. Moltz says, "Go out and find pain points for prospective customers that they will pay money to fix."
* You don't know whether or not you'll be successful until you try to sell your idea to customers. Moltz says, "Primarily, I tell entrepreneurs to think for a short period of time, make a decision, and then do. The market will teach you more than you can ever learn from planning."
"You Need To Be A Little Bit Crazy: The Truth About Starting And Growing Your Business" is a great read for entrepreneurs who are starting a business or who already own one.
Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."
Rating:
Summary: Universal Truth #1 - Luck ... Universal Truth #2- Timing
Review: For any one who is already an entrepreneur, this book will definitely be a trip down memory lane. For all budding entrepreneurs, this book should be a must read.
I only have a slight feel for entrepreneurship. I, along with a friend of mine, run a very small website, www.gmatclub.com for aspiring MBA students. I am nowhere close to the experiences of Barry and other reviewers, but i would still like to share my review with you.
Central Idea: You need to be a little crazy to be an entreprenuer. note: not a successful entreprenuer, just an entreprenuer.
What i learnt: capital, passion, a great team , great leadership do not guarantee success, they just ensure that you have your best shot. Luck and timing are the two things that matter most for success. There couldnt be a better title for the book. If luck and timing are going to define your success, you indeed have to be a little crazy to start and most importantly succeed as an entrepreneur. It was a very humbling experience to read Mr. Barry Moltz's book. I am sure every entrepreneur goes through similar challenges and thats why have I have a lot of respect for what they do. Failure after failure after failure and you have to still come coming back.
He touches on simple yet important topics that no one else would probably care to talk about. I like the way he uses examples of other entrepreneurs. At the end of every chapter, he describes a true tale of an entrepreneur that serves to drive home the point he tries to make in the chapter.
It reminds me of the classic "grass greener on the other side" thing. Almost everyone i know has a should've/ could've/will thing about entrepreneurship. Its the ultimate dream. Do what you want to. hope that you go public or get acquired and rake in the millions. Uh-uh.. doesnt happen to everyone everytime. Its not a question of if you will fail, its a question of when you will fail. How you deal with failure will determine your future. Its moving to read about his experience and the trials that he goes through and thats where the title of the book starts to make sense. Putting yourself on the line and your family for fulfilling a dream that may or may not happen has to border on insanity. But then thats where your resolve and your courage is tested. He talks about how luck and timing has played a role and emphasizes the impact this can have on your start up and your day to day business.
Two things clearly make the job even more difficult
1. Universal Truth #1 - Luck
2. Universal Truth #2 - Timing
Barry emphasizes the importance of these two factors in the success of a startup. Suddenly all our ideals of passion, ethics and hardwork seem suspect and the playing field seems unfair.
Barry also talks about knowing when to give up. I am sure this is the toughest decision any person will take. Its not that winners dont quit, they know when to quit and how to quit. Very interesting. Barry, i loved the title : Forget Vince Lombardi, do you know when to quit.
The book is engrossing and is a wonderful read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Barry Moltz Hits the Nail on the Head
Review: I first met Barry Moltz, the "Bill Cosby" of the Entrepreneur circuit, when he spoke at a conference on angel investing and entrepreneurs. As a long-time frustrated closet entrepreneur myself, who "jumped" nine-months ago, I found Barry's commentary on this lifestyle dead on and so I bought the book. This book has proven to be the most honest, insightful business book of the multitude of business tomes I have on my bookshelves. It's at once painful and fulfilling to read about what has become my life, right there in the pages of Barry's book. Barry captures the paradox and contradictions of being your own boss: at once free to do whatever you want and so busy that you can't seem to get anything done. The irony is that reading this book has in fact convinced me that I'm not crazy, because Barry documents as only a veteran can the common experience of a creative independent business starter. I'm realizing as I read that I'm not stupid / a failure / insane / a leper...I'm just trying to do what everyone says can't be done and this is what it feels like to have a vision and live it. Barry has given me strength to carry on and I'll reread this book, again and again. My advice to entrepreneurs is to throw out all those Ten Steps to Success books, read this one, reread it, and keep on (...).
Rating:
Summary: Don't look for formulaic secret to success here
Review: I pre-ordered copies of the book for my YEO (Young Entrepreneurs' Organization) forum group. Having a signed copy of the book was definitely the biggest hit of the year for the group. I have owned a business for the last 7 years, and I was AMAZED at how much Barry captured so many of my experiences without knowing me. I thought the chapter on networking was Fantastic! Unlike most other books about starting and running a business, here you aren't going to find the "secret" steps to easy success because, I believe, that Barry knows, like anyone who has really been through starting and running a business, there are no secret steps, just hard work, perhaps some good planning, hopefully a little luck and, a much greater likelihood of failure than success. Probably the best advice in the book is that if you are going into business to make money your odds are much better to just get a job.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't deserve a 5-star rating
Review: It's weird. I notice that all the reviewers give this book a 5-star rating, and at the same time, all reviewers come from IL. The author, Barry Moltz, is from IL as well. I would conclude that Barry Moltz has a lot of good friends ready to write a review on Amazon. Anyway... I think the book is great for people who are thinking about creating their own business but haven't started yet. It gives a lot of food for thought. However, if you have already created your own business, you will be a little disappointed because you will not learn much. This book is about the rollercoaster ride that is awaiting people who wants to start their own business. What you should expect to go through emotionally: everything that you should know and the problems you will go through with your family, your business partners, your health, etc. Don't look for insightful comments and business recommendations. That's not what the book is about. If you have already been through the trouble of creating your own business, you will probably already know what Barry Moltz is talking about.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY -- someone who tells it like it is!
Review: Kudos to Barry Moltz and his book You Need To Be A Little Crazy. I work with self-employed people all day and I can tell you that Barry has hit the nail right on the head with his advice and stories about creating your own business. Just when you think all is hopeless, Barry offers humor and stories that will inspire you to go ahead and start your own business, but he lays it on the line: it's not going to be easy and there's no guarantee of success. The real key, I believe, is Barry's identification that passion - as well as a sound plan and good finances - are really the keys to making it happen in business. The best parts of the book are when Barry shares his own stories and you get a first-hand glimpse into the ups and downs of his own businesses. After reading Barry's stories and ideas, and the other first-hand accounts in the book, you'll come away with a fresh, insightful perspective on being an entrepreneur. I recommend this book to all my clients as "must do" homework. Karyn Greenstreet, self employment expert and small business coach, www.PassionForBusiness.com
Rating: 
Summary: Buy (or borrow) this book before starting your business
Review: Set and manage your expectations with Barry Moltz's book.
If you have not started your business, just started out, or need a new approach to energize a struggling business, read "You Need To Be A Little Crazy".
Barry shares his insights and experiences to help entrepreneurs navigate the crazy, perilous, rewarding journey of starting a small business.
This book resonated with me at my core. While confirming my "craziness" as a serial entrepreneur, Barry's work also reaffirmed and strengthened my driving passions.
I plan to share many passages from this book with friends and family in the hopes that Barry's words will help them better understand who I am and why I do what I do.
Thanks Barry!
Rating:
Summary: Finally, An Author Who Gets It Right!
Review: Someone finally had the courage to write a book about the true entrepreneur's experience. I am glad this is not another book that is 10 steps to easy success and riches. I felt that this book was telling my story of the last 10 years of running a business with all its ups and downs. Moltz tells of the passion and hard work and the love he has for business. Read this book and you will realize that you are not alone. I feel rejunvenated and inspired after reading this book.
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