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78 of 79 found the following review helpful:
Empire-Building 101 (perfect for eager Apprentices) Mar 09, 2004
By Christopher Hefele
"Trump, who believes that excess can be a virtue, is as American as Manhattan's skyline," wrote George Will in the 1980's. Regardless of whether you think Donald Trump as a symbol of American success, or you think he's an annoying, chest-pounding egomaniac with bad hair, this book will show you what it took for him to build up his empire. The book shows Trump doing what he does best -- boldly making big deals -- during the "greed is good" decade of the 1980's. I found it interesting to see how much of his current empire he had built up before his 40th birthday, and to understand how he pulled off various deals. The majority of the book is a swashbuckling, detailed history of his biggest projects. He talks about all the details, from negotiating with landholders, arguing about zoning with city officials, lining up contractors, interviewing architects, dealing with partners in various projects, negotiating with banks to line up financing, and the like. Trump also devotes a couple chapters to his background. He was the son of a successful developer of rent-controlled & low-income housing in Queens and Brooklyn, NY. He was a mischievous, aggressive kid (he once punched a teacher), and was sent military school during his high-school years. He started college at Fordham in the Bronx, NY, to be close to home, but then then transferred to the Wharton Business School (at the University of Pennsylvania) because he liked its entrepreneurial emphasis. Shortly after college, he worked with his father to buy a troubled apartment complex in Cincinnati, which he fixed it up and sold for a multi-million dollar profit. Hungry for bigger things, he moved to a small studio apartment in Manhattan, and progressed from small deals to bigger ones, from renovating a hotel, to building Trump tower, to building and buying casinos in Atlantic city, along with a many other projects. Besides the stories of his deal-making, Trump gives some tips for aspiring moguls. Although he believes you need a certain innate instinct for negotiating well, he thinks there are some tips everyone can use. For example: when planning deals, one should think big, always have a plan B, keep your options open, and use your advantages as leverage in negotiations. When executing a deal, one must deliver results, control costs, and fight competitors when necessary. Also, promotion of your project is important to get the word out. And finally, of course, Trump says one has to have fun doing all this -- if it's not fun, why do it? Overall, the book was an OK read, and it moved quickly (I read it in about a day). Some reviewers were put off by Trump's bravado (but give me a break -- it's Donald Trump!! what did you expect?). If you can get past the bluster, you can see what it took to assemble his empire. I was inspired to re-read the book because of the success of Trump's new TV show, "The Apprentice," and I don't regret the day or so it took to re-read -- it's light reading & moves very quickly. If you'd like a quick refresher on Trump's rise, as I did, then this book (and some say the best book) should be on your reading list.
112 of 120 found the following review helpful:
 A book about his deals Jun 08, 2002
By Jeffrey Leeper
"kem2070"
This book is not a how-to book for deal making or negotiation. This book is more autobiographical. Each chapter covers a different deal, which were mostly in the 1980s. To learn from this will require some reading between the lines and some extrapolation. With the exception of the first couple chapters, which talk about his early years, each chapter goes into some detail about a different deal, like the USFL and Trump Plaza. Trump talks about some negotiations, licensing, and construction. Reading about the steps behind each deal has some benefit if you are patient and read carefully. Unfortunately, you need to understand the time, New York/New Jersey, and Trump to get this information. Since the information is from the 80s, it is a bit dated. Also, if you are not familiar with New York or New Jersey, many of his references (which are oftentimes just the streets involved) will mean nothing to you. Trump also does a lot of name-dropping. If you are not from the area, then most of the names will mean nothing (with the exception of some of the USFL players he mentions). I would rate this book higher if it wasn't so dated. If you are familiar with the area and time covered in the book, then this can be helpful.
34 of 38 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent book by "the Donald" Apr 24, 2000
This is a must read for anyone in the real estate industry or those intending to enter the industry. Donald Trump tells how he did it - about himself, his deals, his money, the people he dealt with, his women... He tells you how the real estate industry really works and about the city he loves - New York. The stories of his deal-making strategies are absolutely captivating. I also recommend reading The Art of the Comeback.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Trump: The Storyteller Apr 02, 2004
This book was recommended to me at the start of the inaugural season of "The Apprentice" -- Trump's reality TV Show. "It's one of the most inspirational business books I've ever read," he said. Personally, I found it more entertaining than inspirational. It is a quick read, offering glimpses into The Donald's life in the 80's. These tales included some of his most successful real estate deals told in the first person from Donald's (somewhat biased) point-of-view. I kept wishing there was an alternate account of some of these tales to get more of a balanced view. And, after finishing the book, I also found myself longing for a similarly-executed book detailing his successes (and failures) in the 90's. But despite some of its biases and lack of business or even "deal-making" tips (as its title might suggest), I think it would make a terrific gift for fans of Donald Trump and "The Apprentice" as well as for the entrepreneurially-minded. And I would strongly recommend it -- just not as part of a business course curriculum!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
It's a book, not Mana. DO SOMETHING ELSE! Apr 29, 2004
I've been reading the reviews for this book from people who are either upset that trump actually talks about HIMSELF (duh), or upset that this book doesn't just hand them billions of dollars and some skyscrapers. This book should not be construed as a "how to" book, but as an inspiration for anyone who - idunno - wants to be successful in a capitalist society? Maybe you should go back to school and get a degree if you can instead of sitting on your rump watching "The Apprentice" every week TWICE. Think that might work? How about night school. How about learning a little more about whatever it is that interests you. I have a problem with seeing people talk about what they love doing and then they go and do it halfway. I'm into music, and I get tired of seeing people who love to sing or rap or what have you, but they only make music in their rooms with lackluster equipment to post on the web. The value of this book is that it teaches you to think big. It does that in the excerpts on the cover. Think a little bit beyond what you think is "reasonable" and you will get out of the corner you painted yourself into. Remember: we can't all be worth 5 billion dollars, but there should be nothing stopping you from being worth at least 3 quarters of a million by doing what you love. If it's music, aspire to be more than a musician and actually learn how to own your craft/label/copyrights/name/likeness, etc. If it's real estate, learn about "ground leases" and the like, pick up a book that teaches you about the ins and outs if you like reading so much. If it's medicine, try and figure out how to get into that profession, maybe you need to go back to school. I myself was in grad school with people on their second career: forty year olds in business or law school is not uncommon, for example. That's a quick way to a six figure salary, and if you have that, then you are where trump was when he graduated college (worth 200,000.00 only. I don't see where he so-called "inherited" all this money you naysayers say he did.) If you find a way to make a six figure income (and i've seen non-college graduaters do it), then you can live off of half of that after taxes and use the rest to create a market and a business enterprise to set you up for some of the good life. Donald trump is worth 5 billion. Personally, I don't WANT all of that. But I would like to know what kind of mentality it takes to be a "deal maker". It's the deal makers that make the money, not the people that go into work day after day doing the same thing on the clock, that's not going to lead you to wealth. Making a deal - whether it's negotiating the price for your home or your car (which he talks about and we can ALL learn from) or negotiating the cost for services from contractors or subcontractors on your project (in his case a building, or in my case an album) or what have you, learning the "art of the deal" IS DEFINITELY what will make you money in this deal-driven world. Also, pay attention to how he managed to make a ton of loot DURING FINANCIAL DOWNTURNS IN THE U.S. ECONOMY! That is VERY important. Did you people MISS ALL OF THAT??!?
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