Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter

olliebob - My sister and I fight over the new Dork Diaries, every time a new one is released. I was the first to read this one, and it was great. After Mackenzie Hollister transfers to North Hampton Hills International Academy, she practically steals Nikki Maxwell's life. She says that Nikki is her good friend, that Brandon Roberts is her boyfriend, and that she did all the amazing things that Nikki has done, giving Nikki NO CREDIT WHATSOEVER! When Nikki and Brandon find a Golden retriever named Holly and her seven puppies outside of Fuzzy Friends, Brandon tells Nikki bad news: "Well, according to our case manager, Fuzzy Friends has been at full capacity all week. And it gets worse. We won't have room until Sunday morning! He has actually been refusing new animals. I absolutely HATE when this happens, because we're turning away animals, and not all places in the city have a no-kill policy like we do." So, Nikki, Brandon, Chloe, and Zoe take turns watching the dogs, but it proves harder than first assumed. In the end, they manage to find homes for all of the dogs. And one of them is Nikki's!

December 4, 2000
Succeeding in today's 24/7 Internet world requires a variety of business skills--and luck. If there's one common thread among the myriad entrepreneurs who have started Internet companies, say Aspatore and Abell, it's their relative youth and lack of traditional business experience. Today, it's not years on a job that will land an Internet pioneer financing and a board of directors but persistence, connections and, most of all, a sound business concept. To illustrate these principles, the authors have focused on nine Internet companies that have been launched over the past few years. Some--like Varsitybooks.com and BuyandHold.com--have already received media attention, while the others, including Startups.com and LivePrint.com, are less well known. Aspatore, a business consultant and author of The New Electronic Traders, to which Abell was a main contributor, goes behind the glamorous veneer of the dot-com world and talks with the founders of each venture he profiles, who candidly describe their work routine and how they were able to get their companies off the ground. Accompanying the practical lessons learned by those on the firing line is specific advice for other would-be Internet entrepreneurs. Much of the counsel is familiar--manage your time, seek customer feedback, hire the right people. Occasionally, though, there are more meaty comments such as "Take intellectual property protections seriously and get legal advice on this matter--for yourself and any third-party suppliers." While the book is topical, the interviewees appear na ve and awestruck, and only readers lacking extensive experience in Internet business will find this book useful.