Book Review – Think Like a Billionaire by Donald Trump
When I first picked up Donald Trump’s book “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire,” I thought the book would be an intuitive and easy read. The book was very easy to read, but not overly revealing. Trump has divided this book into roughly 100 chapters of roughly two to three pages each describing a different tip or aspect of the life of a billionaire.
Trump gives advice on all aspects of life, from finding a lawyer, what golf clubs to play with, romance and keeping up his appearances in the business world. It basically tells you how to live life the way he does. Trump gives you his tips and tricks in five different chapters. Chapter one is about real estate. Some of the topics in this chapter are how to get your property appraised and inspected, how to deal with a broker and a lawyer, how to fix your landscaping, how to choose an interest rate and a down payment, and how to find a good office.
Chapter two deals with the subject of money management. Trump gives you advice on such topics as how to divide your portfolio, how to save pennies, how to save and pay for college, how to decide how much risk to consider, and how to plan for retirement. This chapter is shorter and less informative than the real estate chapter. Donald Trump is the undisputed master of real estate buying and development, so his real estate chapter is expected to be the best in this book.
Chapter three is titled “The Business of Life.” This chapter is primarily about introducing yourself and getting the most out of life. Some of the topics Trump covers are how to make good friends, how to love his job, how to behave in a meeting, how to dress and show up at work, and how to balance work and pleasure. This section offers some interesting advice from a perspective that many people do not know. For example, how many of us really know what it’s like to dress up like a billionaire and balance life in a billion dollar business with a personal life consisting of a model wife and a super mansion? This chapter, more than the others, gives an insight into the personal life and tastes of a billionaire.
Chapter Four is titled “Slices of the Billionaire’s Life.” This chapter is basically a hodgepodge of councils and organizations that Trump is involved in. He talks about topics like the Statue of Liberty, Columbia University land issues, beauty pageants, the value of boldness, the Mar-a-Lago beach club, and most importantly, Trump, featuring Saturday Night Live. The Saturday Night Live part of the book is interesting as it explains what a host must endure during rehearsal, being asked to do the show, and the endless punishment Saturday Night Live actors gave Trump. This is one of the lightest and most entertaining sections in the book. After this, Trump spends between thirty and forty pages describing a week of his life. He tells the reader how he gets up early, stays at work for twelve hours, takes conference calls and attends meetings all day, and goes home to do more business and see his wife.
The final chapter is about a previous season of The Apprentice. Trump is very excited and praises his show repeatedly, and takes the reader through the logistics of his reality show. He even gives a brief overview of all the upcoming contestants and why they qualified for his show and how they have all succeeded on their own outside of the show. Donald Trump will explain a week of his life during the filming of The Apprentice and how even a billionaire with overwhelming confidence can get nervous before filming.
As you read this book, the reader will realize that Donald Trump’s number one fan is Donald Trump. He has all the confidence in the world and it shows easily in his writing. Not only does he praise his business decisions, he repeatedly praises his Mar-a-Lago club. He has a great deal of power and ability as a billionaire, and it’s easy to see from this book that he really enjoys the power. Personally, I would not recommend this book. The advice Trump provides is not unique, and when it is given in just two or three pages at a time, you don’t have a real idea of how to take advantage of his advice. He just skims the surface of all his topics, where all the topics could really use at least one chapter to explain. If you are looking to take a look at the life of a powerful billionaire, this book is for you. If you are looking for business advice and how to be a more successful person, you might as well read something else.