The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows that You Don't

Foreword

Congratulations, entrepreneur-minded reader. In your hand is a terrific book with real-life, ready-to-use-now lessons that should help you see more success and tackle life more comfortably.

In my 40-plus years in the investment business—most of which has been as head of my own firm—I’ve read over 100 books on starting and running a business—some useful, others less so. Most business books fall into one of two camps: how to start a business, or personal ruminations on business leadership from some widely recognized figure. There’s nothing wrong with either, and many of those are great, but if you’re a would-be entrepreneur or a business owner embroiled in the day-to-day business of business, there’s not much that speaks to the full life cycle of what it means—truly means—to be an owner, manager, CEO, and board chairman.

That’s where Bill McBean comes in. I know Bill personally—have for years—and he’s a sharp, shrewd, no-nonsense businessman. Most folks are lucky to find business success once, but Bill has met repeated success in a variety of venues, geographies, business lines, you name it. One time is luck and more than once is skill, but if you’re as repeatedly successful as Bill has been, that takes serious acumen and drive. Oh, and by the way, he’s a heck of a nice guy. His experience alone would probably make a good business book.

But this book isn’t memoir or rule book. It’s a usable, open kimono look at the nitty-gritty of what’s truly required not just to start ...