Synopses & Reviews
At the tender age of nineteen, Donahue Peebles entered the business jungle with no resources beyond his native smarts, a decent education, and a powerful drive to succeed. Seven years later he became a multimillionaire. Today, with a net worth of more than a quarter-billion dollars, he commands a real estate empire stretching from the boulevards of Washington, D.C., to the sparkling beaches of Miami Beach to the glitzy strips of Las Vegas. How did this determined young entrepreneur achieve such spectacular success so quickly? Can others learn his secrets and emulate his accomplishments? Can you?
Part The Art of the Deal and part Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun, The Peebles Principles distills the lessons Mr. Peebles has learned on his journey from congressional page to CEO of the largest Black-owned real estate development firm in the nation. These crisp, straightforward principles can help any motivated entrepreneur go from dirt poor to filthy rich in a hurry.
In entertaining first-person accounts of his most important deals, Mr. Peebles reveals how each transaction required him to find new resources within himself to ensure its success. ?Through this process, he discovered valuable principles that would aid him in all of his future endeavors. Some lessons are motivational and inspirational; many are hardball business how-to's that apply in any industry and any type of transaction.
Key Peebles Principles include:
Make your money going into the deal
Control of the deal is more important than cash
Being lucky means being ready
If the key doesn't fit, change the lock
Be a bulldog on details
Listen to your first instinct
Respond quickly to attacks
Find out what the other side really wants and give it to them
Turn vinegar into wine; setbacks are opportunities in disguise
Seeing value is everything
Be the last man standing
Colorful and detailed behind-the-scenes accounts of each transaction provide a real-world business context for each principle and show you how to apply them in practice.
Complete with a unique discussion of the importance of politics in business and how to make it work in your favor, The Peebles Principles is the indispensable resource for anyone eager to turn dreams of business success into reality very, very fast.
Synopsis
Tales and tactics in entrepreneurship from the CEO of the country' s largest Black-owned real estate development firm
Part Art of the Deal and part Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?, this book tells the story of Mr. Peebles' journey from a HUD appraiser of low-income housing to a developer of office buildings, hotels, and luxury condominiums in cities across the nation. Highlighting the key business lessons he learned on the road to building a quarter-billion-dollar personal fortune, Peebles offers a first-person, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur and businessperson from the ground up. Packed with practical, hard-won wisdom and personal business insight, The Peebles Principles provides valuable lessons - and fascinating anecdotes- for both aspiring and successful entrepreneurs.
R. Donahue Peebles (Miami, FL), Chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation, is one of the most successful and recognizable real estate developers in the nation. He is the country' s largest African American developer with more than $4 billion of current development projects in major cities including Miami, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. A former chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Peebles and his real estate projects have been profiled or featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, Inc., Black Enterprise, the New York Post, the Miami Herald, and the Wall Street Journal, among other prominent publications. He has been profiled on CNBC and CNN Financial Network and has appeared as a guest on Bloomberg Radio, as well as other local and national programs.
Synopsis
Praise for The Peebles Principles"Don Peebles is an example of what entrepreneurs are all about. In this engaging and witty book, Peebles shares insights from his own success in the world of high- powered real estate. What makes this book different is Peebles doesn't just focus on the positive, he discusses the failures too—something every entrepreneur can expect in his journey to success. This book should be on every aspiring business- person's bookshelf to be read again and again."
—Robert L. Johnson, Founder, BET and Owner, Charlotte Bobcats
"The Peebles Principles provides a fun read and a bird's-eye view of the ever- changing world of a real estate entrepreneur. It is a good gut check for would-be entrepreneurs to ask if they have what it takes."
—Dr. Peter D. Linnemann, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
"Wow! What magnificent inspiration The Peebles Principles is for anyone seeking to be involved in business. The ground rules found in each chapter are absolute gems, and those alone make the book worth buying."
—Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Radio One, Inc.
"This book is a brilliant example of entrepreneurship, creativity, and principles. Peebles walks you through many of his successful deals, from their inception to their completion. Once you start the book you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page."
—Dr. Sanford L. Ziff, Founder and Chairman, Sunglass Hut International Inc.
Synopsis
Praise for The Peebles Principles
Don Peebles is an example of what entrepreneurs are all about. In this engaging and witty book, Peebles shares insights from his own success in the world of high- powered real estate. What makes this book different is Peebles doesn't just focus on the positive, he discusses the failures too--something every entrepreneur can expect in his journey to success. This book should be on every aspiring business- person's bookshelf to be read again and again.
--Robert L. Johnson, Founder, BET and Owner, Charlotte Bobcats
The Peebles Principles provides a fun read and a bird's-eye view of the ever- changing world of a real estate entrepreneur. It is a good gut check for would-be entrepreneurs to ask if they have what it takes.
--Dr. Peter D. Linnemann, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
Wow What magnificent inspiration The Peebles Principles is for anyone seeking to be involved in business. The ground rules found in each chapter are absolute gems, and those alone make the book worth buying.
--Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Radio One, Inc.
This book is a brilliant example of entrepreneurship, creativity, and principles. Peebles walks you through many of his successful deals, from their inception to their completion. Once you start the book you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page.
--Dr. Sanford L. Ziff, Founder and Chairman, Sunglass Hut International Inc.
Synopsis
Praise for The Peebles Principles
"Don Peebles is an example of what entrepreneurs are all about. In this engaging and witty book, Peebles shares insights from his own success in the world of high- powered real estate. What makes this book different is Peebles doesn't just focus on the positive, he discusses the failures too--something every entrepreneur can expect in his journey to success. This book should be on every aspiring business- person's bookshelf to be read again and again."
--Robert L. Johnson, Founder, BET and Owner, Charlotte Bobcats
"The Peebles Principles provides a fun read and a bird's-eye view of the ever- changing world of a real estate entrepreneur. It is a good gut check for would-be entrepreneurs to ask if they have what it takes."
--Dr. Peter D. Linnemann, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
"Wow! What magnificent inspiration The Peebles Principles is for anyone seeking to be involved in business. The ground rules found in each chapter are absolute gems, and those alone make the book worth buying."
--Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Radio One, Inc.
"This book is a brilliant example of entrepreneurship, creativity, and principles. Peebles walks you through many of his successful deals, from their inception to their completion. Once you start the book you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page."
--Dr. Sanford L. Ziff, Founder and Chairman, Sunglass Hut International Inc.
About the Author
R. Donahue Peebles is Chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation. He is a recognized leader in real estate development and entrepreneurship, with a portfolio that includes four-star hotels and luxury residential and commercial properties in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Miami Beach. He is also Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. He and his projects have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise, Washington Business Journal, and South Florida CEO magazine, along with many other prestigious local, national, and international publications. He has been profiled on CNBC and CNN Financial Network, and has been a guest on Bloomberg radio and the Tom Joyner Morning Show. He and his company have received many regional and national awards in recognition of their entrepreneurial success, including the 2004 Black Enterprise Company of the Year award.
Table of Contents
Prologue.
Chapter 1. From Ground Zero: The First Deal.
Chapter 2. The Washington Marriott: No Money Down.
Chapter 3. North Capitol and G Street: Carpe Diem.
Chapter 4. The Barry Stigma: Time for a Change.
Chapter 5. The Royal Palm: Never Say Die.
Chapter 6. San Francisco: A Bridge Too Far.
Chapter 7. The Bath Club: Give Them What They Want.
Chapter 8. Perseverance: The Saga of Royal Palm.
Chapter 9. The Lincoln Road: The Power of Allies.
Chapter 10. San Francisco Redux: Diamond in the Rough.
Appendix. The Importance of Politics.