Product Description

Deborah Meaden is known to millions for her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach on BBC2's "Dragons' Den". A brilliant entrepreneur herself, she knows exactly what questions to ask and what pitfalls to avoid when deciding whether or not to invest in a new venture. In "Common Sense Rules", Deborah shares the secrets of her success, drawing on years of experience to offer advice that is both candid and straightforward. How do you turn a bright idea into a commercial proposition? How do you inspire others to get on board? How do you ensure that a setback doesn't become a disaster? Above all, how do you make sure that you stay focused and achieve the goals you've set yourself? Some of Deborah's insights come from observing the successes - and the failures - of others. Many more, though are drawn from her own life and business ventures. She shows, for example, how an early stint as a bingo caller in a holiday park gave her a crash course in customer relations. She frankly and honestly analyses why her first enterprise, which started so promisingly, turned sour. And she explains why turning down a multi-million pound offer for her chain of holiday parks was the best decision she ever made. As direct and to-the-point on the page as she is in the "Den", Deborah Meaden is a superbly clear-sighted and experienced observer of business success, and her book is guaranteed both to inform and inspire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15762 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
'A refreshingly sensible look at an area plagued by hype and mythology'
--Management Today

From the Inside Flap
Deborah Meaden is known to millions for her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach on BBC2’s Dragons’ Den. A brilliant entrepreneur herself, she knows exactly what questions to ask and what pitfalls to avoid when deciding whether or not to invest in a new venture.
In Common Sense Rules, Deborah shares the secrets of her success, drawing on years of experience to offer advice that is both candid and straightforward. How do you turn a bright idea into a commercial proposition? How do you inspire others to get on board? How do you ensure that a setback doesn’t become a disaster? Above all, how do you make sure that you stay focused and achieve the goals you’ve set yourself?
Some of Deborah’s insights come from observing the successes – and the failures – of others. Many more, though are drawn from her own life and business ventures. She shows, for example, how an early stint as a bingo caller in a holiday park gave her a crash course in customer relations. She frankly and honestly analyses why her first enterprise, which started so promisingly, turned sour. And she explains why turning down a multi-million pound offer for her chain of holiday parks was the best decision she ever made.
As direct and to-the-point on the page as she is in the Den, Deborah Meaden is a superbly clear-sighted and experienced observer of business success, and her book is guaranteed both to inform and inspire.

From the Back Cover
To succeed in business you have to do more than just be there.You've got to love every minute.

Customer Reviews

Common sense rules.
Fantastic book, the title says it all. Full of good sense and lots of ideas for business novices and the experienced. Makes you look at practices and ideas with a fresh eye. A very good read.

The best of the batch
I've read all the books that the Dragons have produced to date. They all have something to offer but this is by far the best of them all. Very readable style with lots of good practical advice. Recommended!

Interesting Autobiography, but not focused enough
Surprisingly, not really written as a business reference book. More of an autobiography, which is interesting in its own right, but not what I was expecting. I am still a fan of Dragon's Den, and this seems to be one of the better of their books, but not a reference book, more a "get up and do it" encouragement book. Perhaps also useful for small business owners, to understand the objective, and how to make more money, if that is what you want to do.