Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk From a Business Rebel

BEYOND GREAT!!!! Holy smokes; I was just noticing some lower than 5 Stars Reviews. You have no idea how great this book is. I'm 83% through the book in under a week and have over 55 highlights/notes in my Kindle. This is instantly an Investment Classic. This has to be Top 3 of all time books ever written on "how to think" and "how to structure deals" and "tax efficiency" and "how to create/build a company culture". For those with less stars, go fly a kite and continue to put your head in the sand. I can't believe how great this book is and I was raving to my wife, "I can't stop reading it, this is the best among all real estate biographies/action books I have ever read". I have read ALL THE MASTERS including the other Sam Zell book by Johnson. I have read: Zeckendorf, Rouse, Hines, Trammell Crow (2), Maverick RE Investing & Financing (2), AG Spanos, Dynasty Families, Fred French syndication, etc, etc (pretty much anyone who is anyone is real estate and development). My favorite RE Investors include (current & today): Zell, Barrack and Sternlicht. If you didn't glean an MBA in deal making or actually past that, you are a moron (is that too subtle?). This is up there with all the best real estate books ever written and the best Value Investors classics on "how to think & structure or underwrite deals" (not technical, but big picture) such as: Graham/Buffett/Munger (probably most akin to Munger like thinking), FWS by Ponzio, Einhorn, Klarman, Charles Koch (both books by Koch on culture such as Science of Success / MBM / Good Profit just worth $22B), Greenblatt. If you are new to real estate or seasoned, you need to read this book. It is ripe with "wisdom". I wish I could have been fortunate enough to work with Zell and those who have at EQR, EOP, Equity Commonwealth or others; consider yourselves blessed. What a hero. The Tribune naysayers, you should have listened to him, he actually cares and aligns interests. Truly a unique wise and sound individual. I have left a few reviews in the past, but you are a fool not to read this book and if you have less than half the book highlighted, you aren't seeing it. Thank you Sam Zell. I am forever grateful of shortening my learning curve and hope to come even 25% close to what you have accomplished. This is RE Investment, Risk Analysis, LBO's, Value Investing all-in-one. Sam Zell is a master of making complex situations "simple". He can synthesize information into basic concepts and formats. What takes most people a paragraph or more to convey, he can do it in a sentence. Brilliance & Genius in simplicity. If you can't see it, I'm sorry for you. If you can say "thank you" and "blessed to have read this book". Sam: "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THIS". I hope to do similar things and have learned so much.

It’s no overstatement for me to say that this book is one of the most critical reads I’ve had thus far as an entrepreneur. Sam sets out to tell the story of his journey & talk to those climbing that hill. And this does just that in a 360º kind of way. He opens the book by setting the scene: “Conventional wisdom is nothing to me but a reference point.” From there, he explains his core business fundamentals (supply & demand, reliable apórtenles, good governance, etc.). He gives examples of how he’s developed these fundamental beliefs of what makes a good business/investment. Sam also talks a bit about being a leader & that section alone is worth the price of admission, IMO. I also found great insights into risk, identifying and managing investments and company culture. Reading through this book is like attending a fireside chat w/ Sam looking back over the decades he’s been in business. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy learning from those who’ve excelled in business, so you don’t start from scratch.

This biography of the late Sam Zell, of blessed memory, is very interesting if a bit self indulgent.

I have seen Sam Zell interviewed on CNBC and on other TV outlets over the years and I always came away thinking how smart he was. Zell is a true iconoclast and does not follow the herd mentality. Clearly this has held him in good stead as he has become a billionaire. I bought his book as soon as I knew it was being published as I figured there was a lot to learn from him. His wisdom seemed pretty simple and homespun, although like Warren Buffet, the man is shrewd and understands how to assess risks. After reading the book what really comes through as setting Zell apart is how he does not follow the herd mentality. The man is a true clear thinker. This is not a guy who makes his decisions from listening to the often ill-informed talking heads in the media. He does his homework and then makes his own decisions. He does a good job of explaining his philosophy, including giving examples. To his credit, Zell discusses not just his successes, but he also talks about his mistakes, namely his investment in the Tribune Company and in parenting, for examples, because you often lean more from your failures. Ultimately you should judge a book that dispenses advice on how practical the advice is and whether there is anything actionable to take away. He offers a lot of insights that are good, but also that any experienced business person already knows: work hard, have good ethics, do your homework, go against the crowd. What sets the book apart (and I’m gathering Zell as well) is how he tells the story and thinks just a little bit differently. The nuances and details are often important, and the little things Zell points out as lessons I found the most meaningful. Surprising, for a captain of industry, Zell preaches being nice to everyone; and he explains why you don’t have to be a jerk and get in people’s faces to be successful. That doesn’t mean shirking from the truth and being direct, as the book’s title says, but getting the right balance as Zell outlines has clearly worked for him. Having read dozens of books by entrepreneurs and business people over thirty years, I found this to be one of the best. The advice is there for the taking, the question is do most of us have the fortitude to stick with something you believe in when everyone is telling you that you are wrong?

Zell's witty, conversational style of writing, complete with real life stories to bring his book to life is refreshing! This book is inspirational, filled with little nuggets of business and investing advice. Easy and Enjoyable to read. Two thumbs up!

I just finished this book. Sam Zell seems like a genuinely very nice person and also just seems really cool and would be fun to hang out with. His parents instilled amazingly great morals in him and also seemed like great people too. His parents story about getting to America is amazing. Sam was the result of taking advantage of being born in the right time, great parents to teach him, and having a lot of drive to succeed and create. He seems like a great person. As to the book, I wish it would of gotten a little more financially detailed in his equity office deals, but thats more just a personal request, and I also wish he would of spoke more about his relationship with Jay Pritzker. Another guy who was just a business titan. I think he also could have told a few more stories, like the story where he was in Abu Dhabi, (I dont want to spoil the book). Overall, it was a quick read and I enjoyed it. I would recommend it. Thank you Sam for writing this book. Now write another one! ha

This is more biography than business book, which surprised me after so many people in the industry had suggested it. I'm not big into hero or money worship, so it wasn't my favorite. Probably good to know more about so that you can participate in conversation when Zell comes up, but not a role model for many.

Fantastic book! Absolutely loved it. Sam Zell does an outstanding job walking the reader through his life journey. From his parents escaping Nazi Germany all the way to building his business empire. An incredibly inspiring story.