How to Catch a Shark

To understand a little more about what this book is about, here is a recap on a couple of chapters.
Identifying Your Prey
What is a shark in today’s business world? Sharks are tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons and they are always searching for the best businesses and products that America has to offer. There is even a critically-acclaimed reality show called Shark Tank where entrepreneurs try to convince a panel of sharks to part with their own money and become investors in their company.
Warren Buffet, Richard Branson, Oprah, Ted Turner – these are powerful people who are potential investors in your company – all are sharks. Entrepreneurs understand how much value a shark can bring to their effort; they bring their business acumen, their connections, they can bring advice. But no matter what phase a company is in, the owner needs to be able to identify the different types of sharks or they could easily be gobbled up themselves.
Amos describes the unique types of sharks, from the nocturnal Nurse shark who is known for being the silent partner; they may invest as part of a group and really only care about the return on their investment, to the Hammerhead shark, the most social of the sharks who enjoy swimming in large schools of other business experts and have no natural enemies. These and several more types of sharks can provide the funding and connections you may desperately need as an entrepreneur, but if you pick to hunt the wrong shark you may end up just chumming the waters.
What’s For Supper?
Amos introduces how to never lose the millionaire mindset, even if your bank account may not reflect the same. Crediting a nice guy attitude, he shares how you may need to cut your losses when hunting for sharks, but that you need to do it nicely. How sometimes you can land the wrong shark, and what to do about it, and Anthony introduces his personal friend, business partner, and shark, Kevin Harrington.
“Nice guys are shark bait,” says Amos, and he describes his own personal stories and brushes with the wrong sharks including explaining why congruent values are critical, adding value to business is a priority, and creating a partnership that is fun and rewarding is your best chance for hunting sharks.
According to Amos, entrepreneurs hunting for their own shark should ignore the old saying that “nice guys finish last.” And they should also remind themselves of another saying, this one from John Cassis, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Using some history from our last decade of financial collapse, Amos explains how the me-first attitude in business was turned upside down and entrepreneurs realized their approach had to change. Increased collaboration with suppliers, taking on financial strategic partners and teaming with other companies who shared similar demographics, even taking the option of returning to the workforce while still stoking the embers of ambition on a part-time basis; all of these became critical for success in a new economy and marketplace.