"Those who operate their own company, firm, or practice typically plan for everything -- except success. Too often, business owners focus only on generating an income from their operations; they fail to realize the real payoff comes from building an enterprise that has value beyond the income they earn annually. The result is a squandered opportunity to truly achieve the American Dream. If you're a business owner and you want to avoid that mistake, read this book. It could be the best book on entrepreneurship I've ever read. It presents a highly realistic view of operating a business and offers practical advice that can make the difference between you selling your business one day for massive amounts of money -- or failing to get even a single offer. The sooner you read this in the life cycle of your enterprise, the better." -- Ric Edelman, Founder, Edelman Financial Engines