Audiobooks narrated by Brian Holsopple

HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company

Think big, buy small. Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards-as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you determine if this path is right for you; raise capital for your acquisition; find and evaluate the right prospects; avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search; understand why a 'dull' business might be the best investment; negotiate a potential deal with the seller; and avoid deals that fall through at the last minute.

Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Robert's Story: A Texas Cowboy’s Troubled Life and Horrifying Death

Tired, disoriented, and confused, Robert East was no match for the wolves when they arrived. Robert East loved his older brother, Tom, but always resented Tom’s favored role in the family cattle business based at their San Antonio Viejo ranch near Hebbronville, Texas, just north of the Rio Grande. Tom was a figure to be reckoned with, a cattleman with ambitions to supplant their Uncle Bob Kleberg, head of the enormous King Ranch, as the leading cattle raiser in Texas. Robert, by contrast, was a cowboy who cared little for what occurred beyond the San Antonio Viejo’s main gate. Handsome and ornery, with no head for business, he nevertheless chafed in his brother’s shadow until 1984, when Tom died young of a heart attack, just as their father, Tom East, Sr., had 40 years earlier. Suddenly Robert was the new and untested patrón of 250,000 acres of East Family ranchland—and the majority owner of the ocean of natural gas pooled beneath East rangeland. It was his turn to issue the orders. Robert’s contentious nature drove the Easts into bitter intra-family legal hostilities that persisted for a decade. He lost his beloved sister, Lica, to cancer, and as old age advanced, he found himself alone and isolated on a remote ranch with only an unreliable foreman and a scattering of vaqueros and other workers for company. The physical wear and tear from decades of working cattle on horseback began to show. Robert’s knees gave out, and he developed serious cardiovascular problems. His doctors prescribed pain pills, sedatives, and medications for his chronic depression. In 2000, drillers hit the most productive gas well in the U.S, if not the world, on East property, making the rich old man suddenly and spectacularly wealthy beyond his comprehension. Soon enough the wolves began to circle, and Robert’s grotesque final days were at hand.

Stephen G. Michaud (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Beat the Crowd: How You Can Out-Invest the Herd by Thinking Differently

Most investors are wrong most of the time. To be a true contrarian investor, you know you wont be right all the time. You know the market is The Great Humiliator and you expect to be wrong 30-40% of the time. The difference though is that a contrarian will be right more often than wrong. The real contrarian knows markets look 3 to 40 months out and look hardest at the next 12 to 18 months. They know every earnings report, corporate action, GDP release, etc. is baked in nanoseconds after its released. They know its not a matter of whether things like Obamacare are good or bad, because anything so widely discussed is already priced in. They know infinite, unforeseeable technological changes will collide to address whichever long-term thing everyone fears. So they look at todays fundamental reality, and they try to game how it will impact corporate earnings looking forward. They look at sentiment and try to game whether its too high or too low given where earnings will be. This is Beating the Crowd.

Elisabeth Dellinger, Kenneth L. Fisher (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny

A demographic futurist explains the coming Super Age—when there will be more people older than sixty-five than those under the age of eighteen—and explores what it could mean for our collective future. Societies all over the world are getting older, the result of the fact that we are living longer and having fewer children. At some point in the near future, much of the developed world will have at least twenty percent of their national populations over the age of sixty-five. Bradley Schurman calls this the Super Age. Today, Italy, Japan, and Germany have already reached the Super Age, and another ten countries will have gone over the tipping point in 2021. Thirty-five countries will be part of this club by the end of the decade. This seismic shift in the world population can portend a period of tremendous growth—or leave swaths of us behind. Schurman explains how changing demographics will affect government and business and touch all of our lives. Fewer people working and paying income taxes, due to outdated employment and retirement practices, could mean less money feeding popular programs such as Social Security and Medicare—with greater numbers relying on them. The forced retirement or redundancy of older workers could impact business by creating a shortage of workers, which would likely drive wages up and result in inflation. Corporations, too, must rethink marketing strategies—older consumers are already purchasing the majority of new cars, and they are a growing and vitally important market for health technologies and housing. Architects and designers must re-create homes and communities that are more inclusive of people of all ages and abilities. If we aren’t prepared for the changes to come, Schurman warns, we face economic stagnation, increased isolation of at-risk populations, and accelerated decline of rural communities. Instead, we can plan now to harness the benefits of the Super Age: extended and healthier lives, more generational cooperation at work and home, and new markets and products to explore. The choice is ours to make.

Bradley Schurman (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Tractor Wars: John Deere, Henry Ford, International Harvester, and the Birth of Modern Agriculture

Discover the untold story of the “tractor wars,” the twenty-year period that introduced power farming—the most fundamental change in world agriculture in hundreds of years. Before John Deere, Ford, and International Harvester became icons of American business, they were competitors in a forgotten battle for the farm. From 1908-1928, against the backdrop of a world war and economic depression, these brands were engaged in a race to introduce the tractor and revolutionize farming. By the turn of the twentieth century, four million people had left rural America and moved to cities, leaving the nation’s farms shorthanded for the work of plowing, planting, cultivating, harvesting, and threshing. That’s why the introduction of the tractor is an innovation story as essential as man’s landing on the moon or the advent of the internet—after all, with the tractor, a shrinking farm population could still feed a growing world. But getting the tractor from the boardroom to the drafting table, then from factory and the farm, was a technological and competitive battle that until now, has never been fully told. A researcher, historian, and writer, Neil Dahlstrom has spent decades in the corporate archives at John Deere. In Tractor Wars, Dahlstrom offers an insider’s view of a story that entwines a myriad of brands and characters, stakes and plots: the Reverend Daniel Hartsough, a pastor turned tractor designer; Alexander Legge, the eventual president of International Harvester, a former cowboy who took on Henry Ford; William Butterworth and the oft-at-odds leadership team at John Deere that partnered with the enigmatic Ford but planned for his ultimate failure. With all the bitterness and drama of the race between Ford, Dodge, and General Motors, Tractor Wars is the untold story of industry stalwarts and disruptors, inventors, and administrators racing to invent modern agriculture—a power farming revolution that would usher in a whole new world.

Neil Dahlstrom (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Berezina: From Moscow to Paris Following Napoleon’s Epic Fail

Lire Magazine Best Travel Book Take four friends, put them on two Ural motorcycles (complete with sidecars), send them off on a 2,500-mile odyssey retracing history’s most famous retreat, add what some might consider an excessive amount of Vodka, and you’ve got Sylvain Tesson’s Berezina, a riotous and erudite book that combines travel, history, comradery, and adventure. The retreat of Napoleon’s Grande Armée from Russia culminated, after a humiliating loss, with the crossing of the River Berezina, a word that henceforth became synonymous with unmitigated disaster for the French and national pride for the Russians. Two hundred years after this battle, Sylvain Tesson and his friends retrace Napoleon’s retreat, along the way reflecting on the lessons of history, the meaning of defeat, and the realities of contemporary Europe. A great read for history buffs and for anyone who has ever dreamed of an adventure that is out of the ordinary.

Sylvain Tesson (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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JFK vs. Allen Dulles: Battleground Indonesia

For fans of conspiracy theories and JFK assassination theories, the untold story of Indonesia, gold, JFK, Allen Dulles, the CIA, and secret military coups. Two of the most fascinating figures in history, John F. Kennedy, thirty-fifth president of the United States, and Allen Dulles, our nation’s longest-serving CIA director, often clashed over intelligence issues and national security. However, one such conflict has remained in the shadows until now. JFK vs. Allen Dulles: Battleground Indonesia takes reader to the vast archipelago 3350 miles wide where this secret showdown occurred. In 1936, an Allen Dulles-established company discovered the world's largest gold deposit in remote Netherlands New Guinea. In 1962, President Kennedy intervened, and Netherlands New Guinea was added to President Sukarno's Indonesia. Neither Sukarno nor JFK was aware of the gold, since Dulles had not informed Kennedy. Dulles planned a complicated and ruthless CIA regime-change strategy to seize control not only of Indonesia itself, but also of its vast resources, including the gold. This strategy included a push to start Malaysian Confrontation. Yet Kennedy's plan to visit Jakarta in early 1964 would have sunk Dulles' master plan, which included the destruction of the Indonesian communist party as a wedge to split Moscow and Beijing. Only an assassin's bullet put an end to Kennedy’s plan of peace. Did Allen Dulles arrange for JFK to be killed to save his plan and his gold? Was his coup for gold successful with JFK out of the picture? Using archival records as a basis, Greg Poulgrain adds word-of-mouth evidence from those people who were directly involved—such as Dean Rusk and others who worked with President Kennedy and Allen Dulles at the time; or the person who was with Michael Rockefeller when he mysteriously disappeared in West New Guinea during this whole affair.

Greg Poulgrain (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised time after time 'a net spending cut' to make government smaller in order to cut the deficit. But the huge increase in government spending and debt, and the resulting higher future taxes will make America a poorer country. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the deficits that President Obama proposes for the years from 2011 through 2020 come to a staggering $126,000 per family of four. That is on top of the $35,000 per family already chalked up under the first two years of Obama's administration. But has all the new government been worth it? Are Americans happier because the government has determined where this money should be spent? The answer is clearly no. Obama's economic policies have raised unemployment, slowed economic growth, dramatically raised the national debt, squandered taxpayer money through poor investments, and further damaged the housing market. The economy will eventually grow, though slowly. The No Tax Pledge will explain why Obama's policies on spending, taxes, regulation have all worked to harm the recovery, increased unemployment, and depressed housing prices. This debate is part of a broader debate over Keynesian economics most notably involving Paul Krugman in the New York Times. The authors plan on dissecting these arguments and explaining why Keynesianism represents more a way of transferring wealth to desired political constituencies than it provides a legitimate economic theory for how the economy operates.

Grover Glenn Norquist, John R. Lott (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Gross Deception: A Tale of Shifting Markets, Shrinking Margins, and the New Truth of Used Car Profit

A journey of discovering and correcting a hole in the used car universe. Dale Pollak, innovator and leader of the automotive sales and management industry, will once again, have you rethinking how to manage the used car business. More than a how-to business book, Gross Deception is a story of finding a problem in the reliance on gross profit and the trials to create a solution. This thoughtfully written book not only shows you the trial and error of potential answers, but also how to apply the answer that culminated from years of work. Referred to as ProfitTime, Dale's solution includes both the “New Math of Used Vehicles” and the “Investment Score” system, helping you to know the ROI and net profit potential of every vehicle. With Dale’s ProfitTime solution you will: • Invigorate your cash flow • Increase your sales volume • Introduce new metrics • Initiate value-based management • Identify market shifts Through metric and methodology, Gross Deception will restructure how you view a car’s time on the lot.

Dale Pollak (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Inconvenient Facts: The Science That Al Gore Doesn't Want You to Know

You have been inundated with reports from media, governments, think tanks, and "experts" saying that our climate is changing for the worse and it is our fault. Increases in droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and poison ivy-to name a few-are all blamed on our "sins of emissions" from burning fossil fuels and increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Yet, you don't quite buy into this human-caused climate apocalypse. You aren't sure about the details because you don't have all the facts and likely aren't a scientist. Inconvenient Facts was specifically created for you. Writing in plain English and providing easily understood charts and figures, Gregory Wrightstone presents the science to assess the basis of the threatened Thermageddon.The book's sixty "inconvenient facts" come from government sources, peer-reviewed literature, or scholarly works, set forth in a way that is lucid and entertaining. The information likely will challenge your current understanding of many apocalyptic predictions about our ever dynamic climate.You will learn that the planet is improving, not in spite of increasing CO2 and rising temperature, but because of it. The very framework of the climate-catastrophe argument will be confronted with scientific fact. Arm yourself with the truth.

Gregory Wrightstone (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Like I See It: Obstacles and Opportunities Shaping the Future of Retail Automotive

Simply Selling More Cars Won’t Be Enough: Revolutionizing the Retail Automotive Industry Dale Pollak believes that the car business—and the dealers who make their living in it—are in more trouble than anyone cares to admit. After four decades and three best-selling books, Pollak has witnessed the trials and triumphs of the retail automotive industry from a vantage point that few get. While car dealers are making good money, he warns that the industry is at a critical turning point, with too few paying attention to how inefficiency and lack of transparency are sapping the industry’s true potential. Amid the ever-faster confluence of technology, the Internet, and changing consumer preferences, the future prosperity of the industry is far from secure. Like I See It offers practical solutions, such as making the sales process more customer-focused and digitally driven to encourage sales, managing new and used inventory to mitigate margin compression, and ending factory bonus checks. It spurs much-needed conversations and sets guideposts that help dealers, OEMs, and solution providers improve how they do business. It also shows dealers how to stay relevant, evolve to keep up with the changing times, and deal with issues like high personnel turnover and the coming disruption of ride-sharing, self-driving cars, and Millennials who don’t want (or can’t afford) to own a car. Pollak believes that success will come to dealers who recognize that each customer engagement is a chance to make a positive impact and create a bond. He offers a collectively minded approach that will help build a better, more profitable, and prosperous retail automotive industry for tomorrow.

Dale Pollak (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Wallace D. Wattles Trilogy: The Science Of Getting Rich|The Science Of Being Well|The Science Of Bei

This audiobook trio includes The Science Of Getting Rich, The Science Of Being Well, and The Science Of Being Great. These timeless classics written over 100 years ago by Wallace D. Wattles are still relevant today and are being used by thousands of people to improve their lives. These digitally mastered audiobooks with their professional narration are some of the highest quality recordings ever made of this classic book series. The narrator does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and enthusiasm of Wallace D. Wattles, and his captivating voice makes it a pleasure to digest and learn the material. The Science Of Getting Rich-This book takes the mystery out of the accumulation of wealth and breaks it down into a scientific formula. By doing things in this certain way, you can find the easiest and most direct way to acquire riches. The Science Of Being Well-The Science Of Being Well was written as a follow up to The Science Of Getting Rich. Wattles knew that in order to be truly successful, one must live a balanced life, and getting rich is only one part of the equation of success. Good health is essential to a happy functional life and in this audiobook, The Science Of Being Well, Wattles builds on his Certain Way methodology and applies it to health and well being. He breaks it down into easy to understand actions that you can implement into your life on a daily basis. In doing so, you are setting yourself up with healthy habits, a healthy way of thinking and ultimately a healthy life. The Science Of Being Great-The Science Of Being Great is the third book in the The Science Of... series. In this book, Wattles rounds out the trilogy with his unique perspective on how anyone can attain greatness. He illustrates how you can tap into the Principle of Power to unleash your inner genius and become what you want to be.

Wallace D. Wattles (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Brian Holsopple