Home
uk payday loans - eocash.com

The Parables of Business by Danny Brown: A Book Review

May 19, 2011 37 Comments

I have to start out by saying that I am biased. I think Danny Brown is the baddest motherfucker on the planet. Or at least in the social media space. While others talk a good game, this guy walks it.

So, what is this ebook, The Parables of Business, about anyways?

It’s 11 chapters that tell stories. These stories are relatable and applicable to most aspects of our life, but especially to business life. In fact, story telling is one of the major takeaways from this book.

If you want to stand out, tell your story

It sounds simple, but it takes confidence to open yourself up, be vulnerable, and tell the story that is yours alone.

After all, we are a story-telling species. From the dawn of man, we’ve gathered around the fire to tell stories. Nowadays, the fire has been replaced by TV sets and computer screens, but our drive to hear a good story is still there. Engrained and innate.

What I love about it

What I really love about this particular ebook is that its eternal. So many ebooks focus on technologies that change by the minute. Which then makes those books obsolete a month later.

The Parables of Business is the kind of book that your kids can read 20 years from now, and the lessons will still apply.

What I hate about it

I wish Danny would make it available in real-book form. Its the kind of book that I would love to give as a gift to many people.

My favorite chapter

My favorite chapter was The Boy With the Bread. I dare you to read that chapter and not feel it in your gut.

Big Fat Disclaimer

I want to thank Danny for sending me an early crack at the book. He didn’t ask for a review or help promoting it, he only asked for my opinion. I make no money from any potential sales made via links on this page.

You can purchase your copy here (not an affiliate link.)

Business Hacking
, ,
  • http://stanfaryna.wordpress.com Stan Faryna

    Um, Dino. Theoretically, there’s 11 lessons you could have highlighted for us from Danny’s book. Ok, I’m not going to be satisfied until you give me three insights. [laughing] I can wait…

    Stan

    Recently at my blog: Book of Carrot: Chapter 2.1 http://wp.me/pbg0R-eU

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Hi Stan,

      I can safely say that the butler didn’t do it, and horse riding is not for the faint-hearted. ;-)  

  • http://twitter.com/lorigosselin Lori Gosselin

    Hey Dino, (Hey Stan!)
    Great review! Thanks for not giving too much away – I haven’t read mine yet! (I’m saving it for when I can  relax with it and a cup of tea!)
    Now I’m looking forward to it even more!
    Lori

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Thanks as ever for your support, Lori, really appreciate it, and look forward to your feedback and thoughts :)  

  • http://twitter.com/RyanCritchett Ryan Critchett

     Awesome. I should check it out. I’m totally aligned with exposing vulnerabilities. Our BS meters have exponentially grown.

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Funnily enough, there is a chapter that has the Good Ship BS setting sail. ;-)  

  • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

     Hey there Dino,

    Thanks a lot for sharing, man, sincerely appreciate your support. And a print version, you say… ;-)

    • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

      Yah man…go with Lulu or some shit like that. Average book sells 500 copies. Did you know that? Big publishers cant compete with those kinds of numbers. They cant predict whats going to be a hit, and if they dont have a hit on their hands, they perish.

      We have so much going for us with out own platforms and self-printing possibilities. 

  • http://www.slymarketing.com Jens P. Berget

     Looks awesome. I am going to take a closer look at it once I finish the three books I’m reading now. After I bought the Kindle, I can’t stop reading, I’m ordering new books every single week :)

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Thanks Jens, and if you do buy it, would love to hear your thoughts on it :)  

      • http://www.slymarketing.com Jens P. Berget

        I’ll let you know as soon as I finish it :)  

    • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

      Which one did you get? The little one or the bigger one? 

  • http://twitter.com/janetcallaway Janet Callaway

    Dino, aloha.  Downloaded my copy and look forward to reading it later today.  Since I so love Danny’s style, I know it will be a delight to read.

    Why don’t you suggest to Danny that he put it on Kindle?  That way you could give it to anyone who uses either a Kindle or a computer.  

    Also, Dino, I wish you would loosen up a bit and tell us how you really feel about Danny.  Until later, my friend, aloha.  Janet

    • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

      From what I understand, Kindle DX (the big one) supports PDF natively. The little one doesn’t (or didnt a year ago when I checked).

      You cant resize and do some funky text manipulations unless its Kindle-book, but you can load and read PDFs none the less. Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to get myself a kindle… :-)

      • http://twitter.com/janetcallaway Janet Callaway

         Dino, while I don’t have a Kindle what I did do is download, for FREE, Kindle for PC.  When I went to the Mainland a couple of weeks ago, I took my netbook and read from Kindle on the plane.

        • http://spinsucks.com Gini Dietrich

          That and he’s in Canada and Kindle doesn’t support Canadian authors…yet. 

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Hi Janet,

      Definitely trying to get it onto Kindle. But man, do they take a boatload of money away from you – because the ebook is priced more than $9.99, we’d only get 35% of the sales, Amazon get 65% – so that’s kinda off-putting…

  • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

     Dino, this review rocks bro!

    Maybe you should write a song about it as in we will we will rock you!

    Kinda corn ball, eh? LOL!

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Haha, dude you are off your trolley! And I like it!!! :)

    • http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

      I would like to hear Danny sing a country song…………….y’all, eh? 

      • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

         I would pay to hear Danny sing a country song : )

      • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

        I will pay to see that as well…lets make it happen :-)

        • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

          Tell you what, Dino @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus and @markharai:disqus - there’s a certain charity relaunch coming up next month. If we can raise a certain amount of dollars, I’ll make a country video. In to help promote? ;-)

  • http://yogizilla.wordpress.com/ Yomar

    You had me at “the baddest motherfucker on the planet”.  LOL

    I often find myself going up on a soap box sharing the power of good storytelling.  Of course, I have not attained the rockstar success of Danny Brown but I’ve seen it’s power all around me.  A powerful story is easily the single most effective competitive edge (wow, that’s a mouthful) that any business can have, especially if you’re still in your tender infant phases.

    BTW, great job transitioning from your recent post over at DannyBrown.me to this.  The discussions we are having over there relate to this in many ways.  What’s particularly interesting to me is that, even though this should be common sense with all the massive success stories we’ve seen over the years, people are still stuck in what I like to call “old money ways”.

    I’m a big reader and reference is always at the top of my list these days soooo..  This is definitely next on my investment queue.  Danny Brown sounds like he can be up there with Seth Godin and Harry Beckwith.  They both focus on the soft side of business, the things that will always apply no matter what paradigm shifts, break-through technologies, and new trends are in play.

    Extra bonus points for making the point that technologies change by the minute, yet there the majority is still out there looking for quick fixes and shortcuts in technology.  Technology facilitates efficiency but it does not replace the leg work you have to do if you’re serious about being remarkable.  That’s what telling a good story is all about, if you ask me.

    So, am I giving “Griddy” a run for her money in the “writing epic comments” department? ;o)

    • http://www.allisondevelopmentgroup.com Erica Allison

      Yomar, I also loved that opener…only Dino could say it like that, or rather, write it.  If I wrote that, it would just sound bad, literally.  Dino makes bad-ass look good! 

      • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

        Like I replied to you over at my place, Erica, Dino’s approach is awesome! :)  

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Wow, Yomar, only just getting “introduced” to you through Dino’s post over at my place, but already liking you a lot (and yes, Griddy better watch out, haha!).

      Thanks for the kind comparison to Seth and Harry – I really can’t add anything to that except thank you. A lot.

      I really hope you enjoy the ebook, and please, let me know what worked and what didn’t – always open to feedback. It’s the only way we truly grow, after all.

      Have a wonderful weekend, mate! 

  • Anonymous

    Wow, first Mr. Falchetto talks up this awesome e-book, and now you give this awesome e-book your seal of approval. I wonder if it’s time for me to actually get off my English bum cheeks and purchase this e-book…

    It probably is, I’m a big fan of Danny’s work, and he’s been very kind to me since I wandered aimlessly over to his site (partly by accident). He combines social media talk (which a lot of people do) with story-telling (which not so many people do), but he’s the first person I’ve seen to do both elements so freakin’ well. For this, he stands out from the crowd.

    Great review Dino, I hope Danny’s got you on some kind of commission ;-)
     

    • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

      Danny published my Fucking and Punching story on his blog. Its something I didnt have the balls to publish on my own blog, and Danny went and did it on his…. THAT, to me, is way better than any commission. But short answer no, no commission. Danny is a great guy and I was inspired to do this as soon as I read the book.

  • http://billdorman.wordpress.com Bill Dorman

     Hey, I thought you said I was the baddest mo fo around………

    That Danny Brown, I think I’ve heard of him; isn’t he pretty new?

    Danny is a story teller with wisdom and respect. He has certainly earned his position in the ‘food chain’ and a testament is the fact 3 people I follow are doing a review of his book at the same time. That’s what it is all about and you reach that level then you must have done something right along the way.

    I agree w/ you Dino, a paper version would make an excellent gift.

    Good to see you, hope your weekend is well.

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      I will gladly relinquish that title to you, mate, though I think @ginidietrich:disqus may have something to say… ;-)

  • Pingback: SuperPost Sunday - Danny Brown's TouchDown, SlamDunk and Goal! | nittyGriddy

  • http://www.highballblog.com/ Constantin Gabor

     Sounds interesting and I’m sure there’s value there BUT it blows my mind when I think a hardcover is cheaper (big names, established books)… In my opinion Ebooks are too expensive, considering there are no marginal costs to delivery. 

    Who knows… I pay $250 for a climbing rope but $15 for 36 pages seems too much – I think I need it in hardcover to see and feel it before I buy it. I perceive the value better if it has a physical presence. :-)  Anyway I trust you and I don’t doubt the book is worth it. I’d be happier to know you’re making commission’s on sales. :-)  

    • http://dannybrown.me Danny Brown

      Hey there Constantin,

      Hope you’re keeping well and had a great weekend. :)

      Completely understand the question on “value”, and yes, print – “proper books” to some – can be less expensive (if working on page ratio basis). So there’s always that question (value) and why should you pay $15 for a short book?

      The answer is simple – you shouldn’t, if you perceive more value from traditional books as opposed to newer ones by lesser-known writers. And that’s understandable.

      I’d say the real value is in the different takeaways you can take from each chapter, and it’s not just limited to a certain niche (which a lot of traditional books are). This offers it (hopefully) more value than a more traditional book where it’s a “read once and forget” approach.

      But, like I say, completely understand your question, and respect it. With regards to marginal costs, that’s slightly incorrect. If you’re selling it on Kindle, the royalties are appalling. If you’re book is under $9.99, then you can receive 65% royalties (Amazon takes 35% for distributions and hosting).

      However, if your book is more than $9.99, then you only get 35% royalties – Amazon takes a whopping 65% from you. So you immediately lose 2/3 of your profits.

      And I’ve actually set up an affiliate package now for the ebook, so all the hard work that the likes of Dino and others who have been kind enough to share their thoughts can benefit from it too. I’ll be sending out information about that.

      Cheers for the feedback, Constantin, much appreciate, and have a great week ahead! :)

      • http://www.highballblog.com/ Constantin Gabor

        Thanks for the reply, Danny.

        I had no idea Amazon takes so much… 

  • http://vizsource.info/ Kim Davies

    Hi, Dino. 

    I have yet to download this because like you, I would have loved to buy a paperback edition or even the hardcover. I bet you will agree with me that this would really look cool printed, right? I especially love the cover. But, since I don’t know when that will happen, I guess I’ll just have to download the ebook version, huh? A real bummer if you ask me, I still prefer books with real physical pages. ;)

    • http://diyblogger.net/about Dino Dogan

      I really liked the cover as well.I told Danny this when he first unvailed it.