Jump In!: Even If You Don't Know How to Swim

I really enjoyed this book! I'm a big fan of "The Apprentice" and always wanted to know more about Mark Burnett based on his success with different shows, so I started to read this book in the store and had to buy it! There are many interesting behind the scenes stories, but I found it inspiring for his life and negotiation advice. I vacation in L.A. for a few weeks each summer and I always joked about selling T-shirts on Venice Beach. Well, Mark successfully did it while I just joked about it. His confidence really helps him to jump in and makes things work. This book has given me good advice on how I should "jump in" more instead of over-analzying ideas. Another wonderful aspect of this book is the love of his parents and children that comes through. It's so good to hear someone talk about their great parents instead of hearing complaints. Mark really does love his family and I enjoyed reading about it. I started watching "the Contender" because of this book and I love it. I only watched the first season of "Survivor" but now that I enjoyed his book so much, I'm planning on watching it too. I highly recommend "Jumping In". It is a very enjoyable and inspiring book!! Don't over-analyze, jump in and buy it!!

Let's get one thing straight: this book is not about Survivor, The Apprentice, The Contender, or any of the other shows that Burnett has produced. Sure, he does mention them - as they helped to build his career - but not from the same point of view as some other reviewers perhaps expected. Thus, don't expect to learn about the inter-cast relationships on such shows. You will be disappointed if you buy this book with that intention. This is a book about taking chances and attaining greatness. Period. Burnett came to the U.S. in the early 80s with NOTHING. However, over the following twenty years, he would become a dominant force in television and alter its landscape dramatically - perhaps more so than anyone else has done in the past 100 or so years. That is the point of this book: how he went from a virtual NOBODY to a SOMEBODY. It's not very heavy on the business side, though chances are that you will learn something new if you read it with that intent. What it IS full of is how he took chance after chance after chance. The title alone should tell you this. I will say that he does praise his business partners, such as Martha Stewart, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Donald Trump, etc. But what did you expect? However, you shouldn't let that aspect of the book to keep you from getting his message: Jump In! : Even if you don't know how to swim!

This is a fantastic book and a very easy read about a great guy who works hard and deserves all the accolades he gets. His positive attitude and his daring entrepreneurial spirit show why he has been so successful. From his nanny job, to T-shirt salesman to reality superstar, Mark gives you a great feel for his life. I highly recommend this book!

A life like that can only be headed in one direction, and that's Hollywood. Burnett's unexpected milestones from being a paratrooper then of all things, a Beverly Hills nanny, then to exotic shooting locales and signing incredible deals that every producer dreams of, it's no wonder that Burnett found his niche in the entertainment industry. JUMP IN, though a too-good-to-be-true testament of Mark Burnett's mantras and success, it even has the biggest pessimist start believing in that inspire and motivational hoopla. This pessimist has officially "jumped in".

Even the most skeptical critics can have a field day with a title like JUMP IN!, but Burnett surprisingly stands his ground with his storytelling translating naturally to print. After reading JUMP, Mark Burnett deserves to live this charmed life and has raised the bar of genuine merit for who in Hollywood is the most worthy of success. The man's got it all, done it all and if adventures define a man, then Burnett is a dictionary of character. Throw in Trump, Stallone and Martha Stewart, well yeah, I'd write a book too.