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Starting from Scrap: An Entrepreneurial Success Story | 
| Author: Stephen H. Greer
Publisher: Burford Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $16.50
as of 9/4/2010 12:41 PDT details
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Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 129423
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 1580801609
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.7669042095125
EAN: 9781580801607
ASIN: 1580801609
Publication Date: March 16, 2010
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Product Description
Stephen Greer arrived in Hong Kong in 1993, a recent college grad with no financing, scant experience, and only a notion of starting some kind of business. Fourteen years later, his company Hartwell Pacific was a $250-million enterprise and a player in the global scrap-metal recycling trade. Along the way he encountered cultural roadblocks, ruthless and sometime unscrupulous competitors, and learned critical lessons in what makes a young business thrive. This remarkable story is chronicled here with humor, suspense, and keen insights into the strategies that made Stephen Greer a highly successful entrepreneur.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
One of the Best Business Books in Recent Memory August 23, 2010
Robert E. Kinney (Austin, Texas)
This is a quick read that will be a treasure for any budding international business entrepreneur or anyone interested in what business in Asia can be like (not to mention Mexico, where hearts and wallets continue to be broken). The author is exceedingly honest for a guy who must be (justifiably) quite proud of his accomplishments. He and his editors did an outstanding job chronicling the rise of Hartwell Pacific and the comapany's troubles in various markets. Most importantly, they keep the reader involved by boiling the events down to their essentials. Yet, despite cutting out a lot of the fluff I would expect in most such books, the personalities of the characters were also well developed. I'd like to know how Mr. Greer managed to retain such detailed memories of his experiences in some cases, but the narrative is very believable. It will take you six to eight hours to read this book and it's time well spent.
Excellent Book for Adventurous Entrepreneurs August 5, 2010
Coyne
Excellent account of a fresh college graduate who is tired of the 9 to 5 and boards a flight to Asia to explore his entrepreneurial dream. This is the first book that I have read in a while that I could not put down. The book takes you through many lessons he learns in both business and in life. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to explore an entrepreneurial endeavor or international business.
Are you a budding Entrepreneur? In that case this is a must read! May 31, 2010
Matthew S. Czarnek (PA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a great look at starting your own company. I love that he just went to Hong Kong and decided he was going to be successful and did just that. Very inspirational and makes me want to do the same thing. He began by knowing the business model he wanted to follow and then spent a lot of time figuring out which product to trade to make it work.
Another thing I like is that he shares everything including the good and the bad. I definitely learned a few lessons that I hope I can use in the hopefully not to distant future when I open up my own company.
To be honest it took me a little bit of time to get into it. I was interested in the Hong Kong culture and everything but seemed like he was trying too hard to be descriptive and worried because it seems like it was going to discuss this more than the actual starting a business.. if anyone else feels the same I'd tell them to get past page 15 or so and trust me, you'll have trouble putting it down till you hit the end.
Last thing to throw in is that my favorite moment in the book involved a machine gun and airport security.. you have to read it to find out what happened however :)
Basically this is a great read and I would highly recommend you order it right away!
Fast Read on Entreprenuerilism in South-East Asia April 15, 2010
Jeffrey M. Zwelling (Palo Alto, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Here's what I learned from this fascinating account how a kid goes from sleeping on a his friend's couch in Hong Kong to selling the company to a large public company.
1 - Always try to make a little business on your first meeting. I've never heard this idea before but I love how the author sees this as a means to learn about your partner before you go big but also getting something done on a first meeting.
2 - Steve's grandfather has some pretty good advice.
3 - Emerging markets are brutal on business. His company gets ripped off in Mexico and China - and Steve is incredibly honest in his recounting of it.
4 - Steve likes his wine and food. The book doubles as a Zagats in Asia.
I'd recommend this book especially to those of us who saw the opportunities in Asia but couldn't join the ride. Starting for Scrap is a great viewpoint into a time and place that was incredibly volatile, exciting and rewarding.
A Riveting Read! March 27, 2010
Beatrice Edgar (New Hampshire)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A fascinating, fast paced account of how this entrepreneur realized his dream through persistence and determination. I couldn't put it down! Steve and Mei handled daunting setbacks with grit, patience and humor through understanding the diverse cultural problems they encountered. Most people would have thrown in the towel and quit. What a roller coaster ride! It's a thrilling story of a partnership that works. Beautifully integrated into the book is the tale of their harrowing escape from death in Indonesian waters. This is worthy of a story by itself. If you want to know what makes a successful entrepreneur tick, this book is for you.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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