Crazy Is a Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags

Rottenberg, cofounder and CEO of Endeavor, boldly presents a road map for taking great ideas to scale and making the entrepreneurial lifestyle work for you. According to the author, this is a great time to be an entrepreneur, since company loyalty is no longer rewarded with job security and a pension. Even if your ideas look nutty to others, focus on your dreams, advises Rottenberg. After all, mastering the art of entrepreneurship is about learning to take chances. The book is illustrated with plenty of examples to provide inspiration, such as Sara Blakely of Spanx, Bette Graham of Liquid Paper, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. The entrepreneurial types she describes are divided into gazelles (creators of new high-growth business ventures), skunks (who advocate for new endeavors within an existing corporate structure), dolphins (who display an entrepreneurial spirit inside the social sector), and butterflies (small-scale and lifestyle entrepreneurs). The lesson: anyone, anywhere can become an entrepreneur. Rottenberg’s energy is contagious, and the chatty, conversational presentation is designed to get readers moving. This is a great guide for those with more dreams than courage. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency. (Oct.)