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  • The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

  • Written by: Josh Kaufman
  • Narrated by: Josh Kaufman
  • Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (169 ratings)

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The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

Written by: Josh Kaufman
Narrated by: Josh Kaufman
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Publisher's Summary

Audie Award Nominee, Business and Educational, 2013

Getting an MBA is an expensive choice - one almost impossible to justify regardless of the state of the economy. Even the elite schools like Harvard and Wharton offer outdated, assembly-line programs that teach you more about PowerPoint presentations and unnecessary financial models than what it takes to run a real business. You can get better results (and save hundreds of thousands of dollars) by skipping business school altogether....

Josh Kaufman founded PersonalMBA.com as an alternative to the business school boondoggle. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. Now, he shares the essentials of entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, productivity, systems design, and much more, in one comprehensive volume.

The Personal MBA distills the most valuable business lessons into simple, memorable mental models that can be applied to real-world challenges.

True leaders aren't made by business schools - they make themselves, seeking out the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to succeed. Read this book and you will learn the principles it takes most business professionals a lifetime of trial and error to master.

©2010, 2012 Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC (P)2012 Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC
  • Unabridged Audiobook

What listeners say about The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great distillation.

Great condensed overview of the important concepts in business, with a reading list to consult if you want to dive deeper. Kaufman does a great job of distilling complicated ideas into memorable lessons. No complaints with the material or performance. However, I found myself want to take notes, which I couldn't do while listening to this in the car.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A book about business and about life

This book is a little gem. It can qualify as both an excellent business book, and as a useful "self-help" one.Kaufman treats business as what it is: a system of systems that's part of a greater picture. To articulate his vision, he draws on a number of disciplines and sources, from finance and psychology to science and systems theory, without ever being shallow or superficial. From start to finish, this book is easy to listen to and to follow. Kaufman's performance, as narrator, is also up to par.

The Personal MBA provides the reader with a toolkit of ideas, skills and know-how to successfully create and manage a business. It covers the basics of accounting, financial ratios, cash flow, data analysis, HR management, etc. without getting complicated (it clearly references its sources for those who want to dig deeper-something I really appreciated). It also provides the reader with takeaways about the human side of business: managing stress and time efficiently, making sound decisions, coping with success and failure, and staying the course through thick and thin.

Readers looking for a handbook on how to navigate their way to the top of a large business may be disappointed. Kaufman's personal MBA, I believe, is better suited to present and future small business owners. Those already working on an MBA may find the book's "out-of-the-box" approach to business, and its use of disciplines not usually covered in traditional business courses or programs, an excellent complement to their studies.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

just terminology

this book has nothing to do with MBA. it is just a terminology of words commonly used in business.
it tells nothing about business but an advertisement of writer's own business.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Very general, there is no Mastering of any kind.

I have read this book 3 years ago and I downloaded just to refresh the memory, it's good book but just the heads up here there is no learning of anything unless your knowledge of business is zero, goes against the schools and it doesn't learn you anything at all. For example I have had my Final exam on The elasticity of the supply and demand, it's big topic and the book dedicates 10 seconds to it. If you like to hear all the economic in one book go for it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Une introduction de choix au domaine des affaires

Très bonne introduction aux différents concepts du monde des affaires. Il a clairement développé l'art de la vulgarisation.
Ce livre à lui seul ne remplace certainement pas la formation qu'offre les programmes MBA, mais est définitivement un incontournabke avant de se lancer dans une telle aventure.
J'aimerais que M. Kaufman, inclut un peu plus d'exemple et d'exercices, ce qui en feraitun outil beaucoup polyvalant.
Bref, je le recommande sans hésitations!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The narration is the best yet!

The narration is excellent and the writing is excellent. Highly recommend book for any aspiring businessman!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

Very helpful for beginners! Helps build a foundation that you can build upon. His wording is efficient and organized.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Sam
  • 2023-02-03

Excellent overview of basic business concepts for the beginner

I enjoyed listening to this and found it to be a good overview of basic business concepts.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worthwhile but mainly motivational

I love the concept and he teaches some good approaches but it's largely motivational. His full reading list will provide the most value but it was worth listening to if you're unsure of the value of a formal education.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

do da doodo, da da Doo do.

hits the bullet points, but long winded. that musics got to go. two thirds ten

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