How do people—from comics to CEOs—grow little ideas into commercial, money-making staples? They experiment with little bets, John Allen Nelson explains. His enthusiastic narration keeps the listener’s attention on this exploration of the process of taking small steps that lead to creative business breakthroughs. Nelson strays into the nasal tones familiar to listeners of business-related audiobooks. But by deliberately using a varied pace and alternating emphasis throughout the array of quotations and dialogue, Nelson makes up for some of the standard fare to be expected from this genre. He pronounces each word crisply, pausing to distinguish between exposition, facts, historical overviews, and personal anecdotes.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2011
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The readers can't compensate for the unbearably pompous prose style of this extended parable about corporate politics and strategy.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.
Barbara Henslee narrates with an intimate, upbeat delivery and a sunny Southern warmth that feels like being personally recruited to the Mary Kay empire. Her voice suits the material perfectly, drawing listeners into a bygone era when women built empires through gatherings around kitchen tables and on front porches, long before they could open their own bank accounts. Henslee never oversells, just gently persuades, mirroring the company’s own quiet pitch to millions of women that economic independence and personal transformation were within reach. The balanced treatment of the realities of multilevel marketing, alongside the truly inspirational story of founder Mary Kay Ash, make this a compelling listen for anyone curious about the often mocked world of direct sales.
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281879
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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