Carolyn 101: Business Lessons from the Apprentice's Straight Shooter

The book arrived yesterday afternoon. I started reading it after dinner and finished it before I left for work this morning. It is a real page turner. I'm not a business person, so I didn't read it for the advise, I'm just a fan of the show and wanted to know more about Carolyn. What surprised me is how much I learned about relationships. Thanks Carolyn for a great book on treating people with respect while earning it from others. Also kudos to Stephen Fenichell for doing a great job in assisting Carolyn tell her story.

To be honest, I am impressed. The book starts from an email to Carolyn, judging her current senior executive position in Trump Organization was due to a related or personal connection to Donlad Trump. As a matter of fact, ten years ago, Carolyn, just like the contestants in The Apprentice, fought all her ways to a dream job, from restaurant waitress, hotel manager, director of sales and marketing, to today's Executive Vice President and COO in Trump Organization. In this book, Carolyn uses her rich work experience to walk you through different topics with excellent tips, like becoming Trump's apprentice, dealing with different types of boss, being a good manager and employee, asking for promotion and raise, managing work and personal life, etc. In addition, she addresses some "Do's" and "Don'ts" for resumes and cover letters writing, as well as job interviews. I personally find them greatly helpful and very different from those typical reference books about "Job Hunting" or "Ace Your Interview". Carolyn gives you the precise advices in her book. In addition, you will also see a lot of Carolyn 101's hints & tips inserts through out the entire book. She explains those tips & hints along with her day-to-day work experiences. Couples of my favorites are: - "A good employee is the master of his or her domain." - "Promoting yourself is the best way to get promoted." - "Asking for a raise of more than a small percentage of your base salary is a major step, to be contemplated only if you truly believe your new position requires either significantly more work or that much more responsibility than your present position." - "Never forget that today's mailroom clerk could be tomorrow's manager." Knowing how to become a good employee, you may think this is a common sense to everyone. Unlike other books just showing you a list of rules of thumb to be a good employee, Carolyn uses her daily job scenarios to depict each of the rules in details of the reasoning, so that readers won't just memorize and follow the rules but with rationales to support them. In her book, Carolyn clearly defines the seven GOOD EMPLOYEE rules as below: 1. If one player wins, we all win; if one player loses, we all lose. 2. Everybody on our team has to appreciate everyone else's job. 3. You've got to want to be there. 4. Be in the know. 5. Bring me a solution, not a problem. 6. When in doubt, make a deciion and stand by it. 7. Become an expert in your field The most profound topic I found in the book is about getting promotion and raise. I have read couple books that show you different negotiation tactics to get promotion or raise. None of them is as honest and helpful as Carolyn's book. Her advices are truthful and undoubtfully practical. Overall, it's not a micky mouse book, I do really think it's an excellent book that should be read by everyone. I give it a true FIVE STARS. (Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 4-Dec-2004)

The book "Carolyn 101", as its author tells us right away, is about how she got to the point in business she is currently at. And the book certainly delivers. Ms. Kepcher captures a high altitude view of what has thus far been her life in a succinct book that flows easily and with adequate suspense to want to know more. It's a page-turner filled with shells of wisdom undoubtedly collected from the intellectual shores of many valuable people, such as her parents, friends, and colleagues, including an ocean of resource named Donald Trump. Always working in a team has been the general theme of Ms. Kepcher's life, and excelling in such an environment. Be it waiting at a restaurant or playing volleyball, it's all about working with people, communicating with them, and keeping your cool during difficult times. It is easy to relate to all of Ms. Kepcher's stories because many of us live through them. Everything Donald Trump has had to offer her is matched only by all she has delivered and delivering. With her book we at least get some taste of Trump's joy in crumbs of words.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book! I learned a lot about how to operate as a young professional in business, both as an employee and as a future employer. Carolyn is smart, straightforward, and insightful regarding how to succeed in the workplace, especially as a woman. Also, I appreciated the insights into the show The Apprentice, and definitely think the candidates from both seasons could have benefited from reading this book! Highly recommended.

...and why shouldn't she be? The 35-year old corporate executive not only holds a dream job; she's also acquired skyrocketing fame because of her involvement with the TV show, "The Apprentice." Millions of us watch the program each week in order to see Donald Trump issue those classic final words to an unsuccessful candidate. But it's Carolyn that the fans, especially women, are now seeking out for business advice. Hence the need for this book. Each chapter begins with the text of an actual e-mail sent to Carolyn: one from a fan, asking a basic business question. Her expansive answers draw on her personal experiences and the business sense she has gleaned throughout the course of her career. Through these stories, we learn of her transformation from Avon-selling teen to high school volleyball captain; from waitress to Manhattan restaurant manager; and from country club director of sales and marketing, to general manager of Trump National Golf Club, and finally to her current position as an EVP and COO in the Trump Organization. Along the way, Ms. Kepcher addresses such topics as employee-boss relationships, management styles, job searches, qualities of a good manager, qualities of a good employee, qualities of a good company, team-forging, and women's and family issues in the workplace. The chapters are sprinkled with Carolyn 101 maxims -- 68 of them! Each one could be printed and posted as a desk-side reminder for motivation. Examples are: "You're the one in charge of your learning curve." "Be the real thing, because all the highfalutin' pictures in the world won't hide it if you aren't." "In the absence of trust, even the most generous act seems questionable." "It is appropriate to go above your boss's head when he or she is managing you to fail." "Never forget that today's mailroom clerk could be tomorrow's manager." "The biggest office isn't always the best." "A bad apple with a bad attitude can compromise the team." "The best team is the team that continues to perform even when the manager is absent." "Succeeding at difficult tasks is what will make you great." And the resounding cry repeated throughout the text is the Trump credo: "If one of us succeeds, we all succeed. If one of us fails, we all fail." This stuff may sound trite to an MBA graduate, but it obviously works. This book came to me at an appropriate time. Six months ago I resigned from a management position (under a "toxic boss," I've figured out, thanks to this book), and next week I will begin working in a new job with another organization. Ms. Kepcher's words were self-affirming and inspirational to me, coming as they did after tedious months of answering ads, mailing letters and resumes, and going to interviews. I now recognize my management style, and I now know what kind of environment I want to foster for my new fellow employees. I highly recommend "Carolyn 101" to anyone becoming a manager for the first time. I recommend it to anyone who's currently