With “The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business,” Josh Kaufman provides the crash course in business that has been long missing from most MBA degree programs. He has removed the fluff included in many business courses and has added a lot of more modern context. This book allows for a faster learning pace, so you can climb the ladder as a leader in business sooner rather than two years later. The style is easy to read for business owners, managers, and beginners alike. You can even apply some of the skills in this book to your personal life.

According to Kaufman, much of what is taught in MBA programs is outdated and not worth the high tuition fees. This book grew out of his blog that he started. Through that blog, he wanted to address the lack of a “filter” for good versus bad business research and resources. Each short chapter in this guide provides wisdom from the good material that he found. The practical concepts and methods offered range from the rules of value creation to pricing methods and even bias analysis. Readers learn strategies to establish and keep improving their business systems and relationships.

Kaufman keeps the subject matter simple and zeroes in on the fundamentals of business. Nevertheless, there are some chapters that can still help readers who are not yet ready to go into business. For example, the author draws attention to the harm of being complacent and staying in any dead-end job. He teaches you how to form goals and take the steps to reach them. Readers find out how to ask the right questions at the right time. To know what to ask, you will learn how to use the everyday patterns that you see in your business. This book will correct your misbeliefs about what business involves and requires.