Business Fiction

Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered more than 60 tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl from their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive. Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help through the Dear Santa app, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that would no doubt land her on the naughty list.

John, a high-performing yet overworked sales manager at Spectra Robotics, has built his life and career on relentless ambition and constant pressure. Trained in the cutthroat world of Stretch Selling—a method that thrives on exposing customer pain, challenging their decisions, and driving hard closes—John has achieved success by playing the game as it's always been played. But as the demands of his job intensify, his world begins to unravel. Impossible targets. A fractured family life. An identity tethered to fleeting successes. Beneath his competitive exterior, John loathes the endless...

This is a bible. Not Your Mama's Bible, though—a different kind. You can say goodbye to those negative voices in your head and focus on the positive ones. You won't find any fake pleasantries here, just honest guidance which you can use to build a solid foundation in your life. In this book, we will break down the barriers of what's holding you back and how to build your self-confidence from there on out.

What enables some talented people to rise to the top and live their full ambitions at work and in life, while others stop short? In 2008, Joanna Barsh launched and sponsored Tthe Centered Leadership Project at McKinsey and Company to answer that very question. In the process, they uncovered what distinguishes leaders who are successful from those who achieve true greatness. They called it Centered Leadership because these leaders find their balance in the midst of chaos and lead from their most resourceful self to unleash the potential of others.

When Lisa Doris makes the tough call to leave her new love interest and work things out with her ex, did she make the right one? Years after her decision, she’s carved out a new life that seemed to be divinely led. As a music journalist for a hip, Black-owned magazine, and a wife and mother expecting baby number two, her plate is full. How could she not have it all? Yet, for years, the behind-the-scenes turmoil from the estrangement of her mother and the nagging absence of her father remained buried. When her father returns to her life, old resentments relentlessly fly to the surface.

After years of diminishing income due to cratering sales in the music business, Mixerman accepts a timely and lucrative offer from an Indian billionaire to mentor his son, Kanish Kanish. Mixerman's mission? To teach the young "billionheir" everything he knows about producing records. But it isn't long before they're teaching each other about life in general. After an initial carefree romp through California inspires a catchy ditty, the two partner up to produce the song and then break it on the Internet in an effort to get radio spins.

Generating and executing great ideas is the key to staying ahead in a rapidly changing world. It seems so basic. Why is it so hard to actually get right? According to innovation expert Phil McKinney, the real problem is that we're teaching people to ask the wrong questions about their businesses - or none at all. There has to be a better way. In Beyond the Obvious, McKinney will help you use his proven FIRE (Focus, Ideation, Rank, Execution) Method to dig deeper and get back to asking the right questions - the ones all companies must ask to survive.

That deeper calling within you? Don't ignore it! It's time to start listening to your intuition - and following it to find your true purpose.

Sie arbeiten im mittleren Management mehr oder minder bedeutender Unternehmen, sie tragen so klingende Namen wie Hunold, Huber, Lindner oder Glaser, und sie sind schrecklich erschöpft von all den Synergien, Strategien, Hierarchien, Gehaltsforderungen, Terminkollisionen und Verteilungskämpfen am Kaffeeautomaten. Dann ist es so weit: endlich Ferien! Und was machen sie daraus? Die Ferien managen oder die eigene Familie oder das Hotelpersonal, bis allen der Kragen platzt. Oder einen Weg finden, nicht in die Ferien zu fahren.

Josiah Howard lost his parents to the Spanish flu and became an orphan at age five. After five turbulent years in foster care, the desperate ten-year-old Josiah ran away. During the Great Depression, he finds himself alone on the streets begging for food. So desperately hungry that first week, he takes off again, this time to the woods to survive on his own. He thinks that if Tarzan could survive in the forest, so can he. Using his wits and ingenuity, he’s able to survive in the woods for five weeks.One night as Josiah is exploring by a creek looking for shelter, the old button maker ...

I never imagined a little charade with my best friend would ignite feelings powerful enough to change everything. Amanda—my fiercely independent, delightfully quirky best friend—has always been my rock. So when I suggested a fake relationship to dodge the town matchmaker’s relentless efforts during the Summer Festival, she surprisingly went along with it. But as we play our roles, something real blossoms between us. As I leaned in for our first kiss, the world around us faded away, and I felt myself tumbling deeper into a love I never expected. In the warm glow of her living room, our...

The war for the future will not be fought with armies. It will be fought with whispers. When Maya Chen-Nakamura collapses during her keynote on conscious capitalism, it's more than a medical emergency—it's the latest chapter in a four-generation cycle that has claimed every visionary in her family. Her daughter Aria's research reveals a chilling pattern: innovation, success, then systemic breakdown at increasingly younger ages. But this personal tragedy masks a far grander design. Buried in the family archives is a secret her uncle David has hidden for decades—the business card of Kenji...

Things have been going pretty great for us these days. Inkerbelle's Tattoos is doing well financially. Our clientele is growing by the day, and we're about to purchase the guest house we've been living in from our dear friend Knuckles. Finally, we'll have the roots we've so desperately yearned for. Now, if only we could figure out how to get rid of the troublesome demon inside me... We've also been focusing on Coop and her efforts to live her best life. As a newb to Earth, she's on a quest to experience as much as she possibly can and that includes her latest passion, makeup.

Only a small percent have learned that they can take their retirement dollars out of Wall Street and invest them elsewhere. For instance, they can invest in real estate; in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies (very hot now); in gold and precious metals; in tax liens; in loans and mortgage notes. Some are even investing in things like Arabian race horses, treasure hunt amusement parks, Hollywood films, etc. An SD IRA opens up an entirely new field of opportunity that most people in the $20 trillion group have no idea exists.

In Taking Care of Business, the Livingstons are enjoying plenty of success - Toussaint is a Food Network star, Malcolm’s BBQ Soul Smoker is the toast of QVC, and Bianca’s Taste of Soul Tapas Style restaurant is a hit. In fact, only Jefferson has yet to make a name for himself - a problem he blames on his cousin, Toussaint. But when a stranger threatens the Livingstons’ legacy, Jefferson must put his damaged ego aside and help his family fight to stay in business.

When a band of backwoods hunters crash a corporate retreat in the wilderness, executives find themselves held hostage by men who will do anything to get the largest ransom in history. The corporate big shots hadn't wanted junior exec Jake Landry there. But now he's the only one who can save them.

Twelve-year-old Davis lives in an old brownstone with his mother and grandmother in Brooklyn. He loves people-watching in Prospect Park, visiting his mom in the bakery she owns, and listening to the biggest operas he can find as he walks everywhere. But Davis is having a difficult summer. As questions of sexuality begin to enter his mind, he worries people don't see him as anything other than "husky".

Growing up, Haley Lane's mom had more boyfriends than flowers have petals. A fact that has given Haley zero hope for love. It doesn't exist. But when a charming man with an annoyingly perfect smile and a habit of volunteering keeps running into her, she wonders if she was wrong all along. That is until she realizes he's the one who stole her flower shop.

Drop-dead-gorgeous Ethan Chambers loves his life as Hollywood's most eligible—and elusive—bachelor. Plus, the talented actor has just gotten an offer he can't refuse: a starring role on TV's hit medical drama. But it's the show's sultry makeup and wardrobe director who's got his pulse racing—and making him think twice about staying single.

J.D. is a barber battle champion. He's graduated from home haircuts to having a regular chair at the neighborhood shop, Hart and Son, and he's making enough money to keep his candy jar stocked and his comic book collection growing. And yet, J.D. knows it's time for his next challenge. He doesn't just want to be the best barber in Meridian, Mississippi - he wants to be the best barber in the state...and maybe the country!