Digital Marketing and E-Commerce

Digital Marketing and E-Commerce (The Complete MBA Coursework Series), Hicham and Mohamed Ibnalkadi, 2021

Part of a series, this book attempts to give a short overview of the world of digital marketing.

The book starts by looking at "traditional" marketing. Some sort of marketing plan is needed, ahead of time. Segmentation of the market is also very important. Who is your customer? Don't say "everybody." What makes your product or service different from the rest of the market? The next thing to consider id the marketing mix (product, place, price and promotion).

Today, there are many more marketing avenues. Come up with several different ads, or several different versions of the same ad. What works on Instagram will not work on Twitter. An ad that works on Facebook will not work on Snapchat. There are ways to analyze how well each ad is working. How many people are clicking on your ad? How many of those people actually buy your product?

For millions of people all over the world, access to the Internet is through their cellphone. The average online banner ad will not work on a cellphone. There are a number of ways to reach a potential customer, like through SMS or text messages. Overall, don't ignore older marketing methods, like email mailing lists, and video marketing through YouTube.

This does a really good job at presenting an overview of the world of digital marketing. It is recommended for MBA students. It is also recommended for small and large business owners who want to start digital marketing. This is very much worth reading.

100 Business Math Questions and Answers

100 Business Math Questions and Answers (The Complete MBA CourseWork Series Book 2), Hicham  and Mohamed Ibnalkadi, 2021

The business problems described in this book (with answers explained) are not bookkeeping or accounting questions. These questions and answers involve calculus and linear algebra.

For anyone who loves math, this book is recommended. It is especially recommended for anyone who is on the journey toward getting their MBA. For the average reader, this book can be skipped.

Rose Red and Other Modern Fairy Tales

Rose Red and Other Modern Fairy Tales, Kate Swansea, Rainhouse Press, 2020

These four novelettes are modern re-tellings of lesser known fairy tales, with a good amount of romance included.

Rose is a struggling entrepreneur in present-day San Francisco. She is being pushed, hard, to sell her business, and the entire building, to a shadowy entity called VF Enterprises. They have gone so far as to spray paint graffiti on her front window, and leave dog droppings by her front door. During a vacation at Lake Tahoe with Snow, her sister, Rose meets Matthew, a tech millionaire with his own connection to VF Enterprises.

A male medical student from the East Coast intentionally to attend a small college near Seattle. It is to get away from his rich and domineering family. He is about to be thrown out of school, on a charge of fraternity graffiti. That is, until he meets the science nerd daughter of the female Dean of the college, a Dean who sets new records for being cold and domineering. A modern re-telling of "The Princess And The Pea" takes place at a California winery.

This collection is very much worth reading. They are modern stories, with very good writing. The best part is that the romance is not overwhelming (coming from a non-reader of romances). The reader will not go wrong with this one.

Automated Stock Trading Systems

Automated Stock Trading Systems: A Systematic Approach for Traders to Make Money in Bull, Bear and Sideways Markets, Laurens Bensdorp, Lioncrest Publishing, 2020

This book presents one person's automated method to make money in the stock market under any sort of market conditions.

The author emphasizes that his system should not be copied. You, the reader, have to decide what works best for you. Do you want to make big profits from few trades, or smaller profits from multiple trades? What is your tolerance for risk or volatility? It's easy to say that you accept the possibility of losing lots of money. Will you still feel that way, and stick with your system, when the balance in your trading account drops by, say, 25 percent? Do you want to specialize in one type of stock, like penny stocks or the S&P 500?

It's very acceptable (it's also a good idea) to have several different trading "systems" going at the same time. You don't want to put all your money in one place, for instance, betting that the S&P 500 will continue to go up. What if there is a major sell-off, like during the 2008 Great Recession? It's very reasonable to bet that the market will go up, or down, at the same time (you make money either way). Everything is based on what a stock has done, and not on trends, or fundamentals or Secret Tips available only from the author.

This is a very interesting book. For anyone who is serious about stock trading, reading this book is a very good idea.

Introduction to Econometrics

Introduction to Econometrics (The Complete MBA Course Work Series Book 1), Hicham and Mohamed Ibnalkadi, 2020

First in a series that attempts to provide an entire MBA course, as taught by top universities, This book is all about econometrics. It is "the unified assimilation of economic models, economic data and mathematical statistics."

An important part of creating these economic models is the quality of the data ("Garbage In, Garbage Out"). Is the data clean and legitimate? Is it reliable? Is it usable by the company creating the model? Is the data in the right standard of measurement? Make sure of the quality of the data before creating a model that ends up being worthless.

Now what do you do with this data? Do you know calculus? There is a lot of it in this book. The data goes into models with names like Linear Regression  Model and Classical Linear Regression Model. The reader will also be introduced to Ordinal Regression Models, multicollinearity and heteroscedasticity.

This book is recommended for anyone who enjoys calculus. It is also recommended for anyone who has started the journey toward getting their MBA. For the average reader, well, maybe not. This book gets four stars, maybe four-and-a-half stars.

The 30-Minute Stock Trader

The 30-Minute Stock Trader: The Stress-Free Trading Strategy for Financial Freedom, Laurens Bensdorp, Lioncrest Publishing, 2017

This book is the story of how one person, after much trial and error, came up with a computerized system of stock trading. He has been very successful, and has it set up so that he has to work for only 30 minutes per day (I know what you are thinking).

What is your trading philosophy? Do you want to make a small profit from many trades? Do you want to make a bigger profit from fewer trades? Do you want to monitor your trades every day, like the author? Would you rather do it every week, or every month? There will be days, or weeks, when you lose money. Are you going to stick with your computerized system when your trading account actually drops by, say, 25 percent?

The book goes into detail about when to sell this stock, or buy that stock. It is based on actual numbers, and not overall trends, or Secret Internet Tips available only from the author. It is then necessary to give all of this to a computer programmer, who will create a program to do the actual trading. This is not the sort of thing that the average person can put together in a weekend. After the program is unleashed, much testing is needed to make sure that it actually works.

This is a very interesting book. The author is good enough to keep the advertisement until the end. For anyone interested in trying their luck with the stock market, reading this book is a really good idea.

Win Paid Advertising

Win Paid Advertising: The Unconventional Marketer, Jason Burlin, 2020

For any business, small or large, the world of online advertising can be very confusing. This book attempts to take the reader through the whole process.

First of all, why are you advertising? Do you want people to buy your product or service? Are you looking for something totally different? If all you want is likes or followers, why are you spending all this money advertising? You have to decide how much you are going to pay Facebook, for instance, each time someone clicks on your ad; it's called Pay Per Click. That ad had better take the potential customer right to the main page of your website. The process in getting from the main page to your ordering page must be as easy as possible.

It's very acceptable to have several ads, on different platforms, going at the same time. But, do not use the same ad on multiple platforms. You have just pressed Send for your first online ad. Checking on it, a few hours later, or the next day, you see that not much has happened. Do you delete it, and start over? No, Leave It Alone. The machine learning algorithm needs time to work. Each time you change an ad, the algorithm has to start over from the beginning. If, after several days, one of your ads is not working is not working, then you can change it, or delete it.

There are ways to analyze how many people click on your ad. Next is the number of people who go from the main page of your website to your ordering page. How many of those people actually complete the buying process? The problem may be your product, or your website, instead of your ad. 

This book does an excellent job at explaining the online advertising process. It may take more than one reading to "get" this book, but it will be time very well spent.

You Are Not Them

 You Are Not Them: The Authentic Entrepreneur's Way, Sid Mohasseb, Leaders Press, 2021

This book takes a different approach to being an entrepreneur. Instead of being a How-To book, this book helps the reader to look inside themselves, to see what sort of entrepreneur they will be.

It's quite normal, and reasonable, to be inspired by the story of Steve Jobs or Richard Branson. Just don't try to imitate them, or be like them. Their story is not, and should not be, your story. You need to figure out your own Personal Entrepreneurial Philosophy, or PEP. 

According to the author, it's also normal to want to reduce risk as much as possible. Totally eliminating risk is not possible; risk is part of what makes us human. We would turn into a race of people who spend all day, every day, in bed. There is no "best" time to become an entrepreneur, there is only Now.

Do you want to have an active role in your life, making things happen, like a pilot? Do you want to have a passive role in your life, letting good and bad things happen, like a passenger? The early days of a business can be like being a fighter pilot, with risk coming at you from all sides. If your business becomes established, and runs on its own momentum, you suddenly become a commercial pilot. Your job is to keep things running smoothly. 

The entire world of "business," including suppliers, customers and market conditions, can be likened to an ocean. Can you adjust accordingly, and quickly, when an underground mountain is suddenly right in front of you? Will you manage to hit an iceberg, and sink, like the Titanic?

This is a very interesting book. It will help the reader see just what sort of entrepreneur they will be (there is no Way to do it that works for everyone). Reading this book is a really good idea.

The Rock of Achill

 The Rock of Achill, Jim Sheehan, Newman Springs Publishing Inc., 2020

Set in Ireland during the time of Napoleon (around 1800), this is the story of a young man named Donn. Intending to save enough money to recover his family's land, Donn joins a crew of rebels and Irish knights as they attempt to restore an ancient kingdom. It involves recovering the lost treasure of Tuatha de Danaan.

Donn has all sorts of adventures in his travels. He battles faerie guardians and Barbary pirates. There are giant sea creatures that can sink a ship very easily, and brawls in foreign ports that quickly turn deadly. Uppermost in Donn's mind is the lovely Bridget, waiting for him back home. Or, will she wait? Her parents are pushing her to marry someone more "acceptable." Does Donn survive the voyage? Do Donn and Bridget live happily ever after?

This is a half-fantasy/half-historical novel, and the author does an excellent job. The reader is right in the middle of the story, with enough romance and action for anyone. Here is some Really Good Writing.

How to Sell on Amazon.com

 How to Sell on Amazon.com: Complete Guide for Selling on Amazon.com, Aleksejs Leal, 2020

This book attempts to explain how anyone can sell on Amazon.com.

Why do people buy online, instead of in person? Among the reasons are: a more extensive choice of items, lower prices and convenience/availability (open 24 hours a day). Why do people sell online? Among the reasons are versatility, higher profit margins and being able to gain insight into the shopper. The book talks about dropshipping vs. customary order fulfillment vs. outsourcing.

Among the good parts of selling on Amazon are sales (of course), customer acquisition and Amazon's worldwide influence. Among the bad parts of selling on Amazon are lots of competition for your product, having to follow Amazon's rules once you sign up and Amazon's fee structure (learn it ahead of time).

The book goes through the process of setting up an Amazon seller account and what documentation is needed first. After you have set up your account, the author also explores how to add your product. Included are things that must be considered, like customs, shipping and Amazon's fees when calculating your selling price. Once your "business" is up and running, the book includes tips on turning from an average seller to a successful seller.

This book is pretty good. It is brief, less than 70 pages, so it is a good place to start your quest to become rich selling on Amazon.com. On the negative side, this book could use a trip, or another trip, to a proofreader or a copy editor.

20 Japanese Short Stories for Travelers and Learners

 20 Japanese Short Stories for Travelers and Learners, Yokohama English Japanese Language and Travelers Club, 2020

Intended for students of the Japanese language, this book contains short stories written in Kanji, Hiragana and Furigana (different types of Japanese writing). There is also a line-by-line translation of each story into English, so that a student can compare the English and Japanese words.

This book is not intended for beginners; some familiarity with the Japanese language is needed, This is my first exposure to learning Japanese, so others are qualified to assess this book's effectiveness. This feels like the right way to do it, with the Japanese and English words right next to each other. For intermediate students of Japanese, this is very much worth checking out.

Waiting for Gary Cooper

 Waiting for Gary Cooper, Gabriel Bensimhon, 2020

Set in Israel of the 1950's, this is the story of Jonathan, a young boy who, along with his family, emigrated to Israel from a small town in Morocco.

Jonathan is in love with Nurat, a Sabra (born in Israel) girl who listens to the opera "Carmen." He get a copy of the record, and immerses himself. But, she only has eyes for someone else.

Jonathan's uncle is an exorcist; there is not much need for them in modern-day Israel. After the family made it to Israel (Jonathan and his younger brother travelled separately from their parents), Dad, a carpenter, got the required permissions to turn an old, abandoned building into a synagogue. He did everything the right way, and built it all himself. Everything was good, until the members of the synagogue started arguing about what songs should be sung during the service. Dad got fed up, and left, to build a new synagogue, and another, and another, with the same arguments breaking out. Jonathan got a job at the local movie theater running the translation machine. Someone else did the actual translating into Yiddish. His job was to get the translation on the screen at the same time as the English words spoken.

This has lots of politics and culture, but it is not a political novel. It does a very good job of showing life in 1950's Israel, warts and all. It has lots of good writing, and will certainly keep the attention of the reader.