The Velvet Rope Economy

The Velvet Rope Economy
Author: Nelson D. Schwartz
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-03-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0385543093

From New York Times business reporter Nelson D. Schwartz comes a gripping investigation of how a virtual velvet rope divides Americans in every arena of life, creating a friction-free existence for those with money on one side and a Darwinian struggle for the middle class on the other side. In nearly every realm of daily life--from health care to education, highways to home security--there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how Americans live. On one side of the rope, for a price, red tape is cut, lines are jumped, appointments are secured, and doors are opened. On the other side, middle- and working-class Americans fight to find an empty seat on the plane, a place in line with their kids at the amusement park, a college acceptance, or a hospital bed. We are all aware of the gap between the rich and everyone else, but when we weren't looking, business innovators stepped in to exploit it, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit by serving the privileged. And as decision-makers and corporate leaders increasingly live on the friction-free side of the velvet rope, they are less inclined to change--or even notice--the obstacles everyone else must contend with. Schwartz's "must read" book takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality and shows the toll the velvet rope divide takes on society.

Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope

Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope
Author: Ayanna Dozier
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2020-09-03
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1501355031

The question of control for Black women is a costly one. From 1986 onwards, the trajectory of Janet Jackson's career can be summed up in her desire for control. Control for Janet was never simply just about her desire for economic and creative control over her career but was, rather, an existential question about the desire to control and be in control over her bodily integrity as a Black woman. This book examines Janet's continuation of her quest for control as heard in her sixth album, The Velvet Rope. Engaging with the album, the promotion, the tour, and its accompanying music videos, this study unpacks how Janet uses Black cultural production as an emancipatory act of self-creation that allows her to reconcile with and, potentially, heal from trauma, pain, and feelings of alienation. The Velvet Rope's arc moves audiences to imagine the possibility of what emancipation from oppression--from sexual, to internal, to societal--could look like for the singer and for others. The sexually charged content and themes of abuse, including self-harm and domestic violence, were dismissed as “selling points” for Janet at the time of its release. The album stands out as a revelatory expression of emotional vulnerability by the singer, one that many other artists have followed in the 20-plus years since its release.

Book Yourself Solid Illustrated

Book Yourself Solid Illustrated
Author: Michael Port
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2013-03-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118611357

A visual way to easily access the strategies and tactics in Book Yourself Solid Learning new concepts is easier when you can see the solution. Book Yourself Solid Illustrated, a remarkable, one-of-a-kind work of art, transforms the Book Yourself Solid system into a more compelling and easy-to-consume playbook for any business owner. You won't find business school graphs or mind maps. Instead, you'll find compelling, visual stories that reinvent old and tired business concepts, making Book Yourself Solid Illustrated a fun and playful book that you will revisit year after year as you get more clients than you can handle. There isn't a business book on the market that can show you how to apply the strategies, techniques, and skills necessary to generate new leads, add more clients, and increase profits through visuals. Previously you could only read or listen to advice, now you can see it and get it faster. This illustrated version is organized into four modules: your foundation, building trust and credibility, simple selling and perfect pricing, and the Book Yourself Solid 6 core self-promotion strategies. Reengineering the book with visual strategist, Jocelyn Wallace, has given author Michael Port new ways of explaining and expanding his gold-standard material. Author Michael Port has been called a "marketing guru" by the Wall Street Journal and "an uncommonly honest author" by The Boston Globe, and wrote Book Yourself Solid (in it's 2nd edition), Beyond Booked Solid,The Contrarian Effect which was selected as a 2008 top ten business book by Amazon.com and the 2008 #1 sales book of the year by 1-800-CEO-READ, and The New York Times Bestseller, The Think Big Manifesto. Author is one of the most popular business coaches in the world and headlines events all over the world. Master the techniques in Book Yourself Solid Illustrated, and take your service business to the next level today. For the first time ever you can have the Book Yourself Solid Mobile app. Install it on any device and the Book Yourself Solid System comes to life. Do all of 49 exercises from the new book on any device, including your desktop computer. This thing rocks.

Beyond the Velvet Rope (Club Babylon, Book 1) (Mills & Boon Spice)

Beyond the Velvet Rope (Club Babylon, Book 1) (Mills & Boon Spice)
Author: Tiffany Ashley
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1472074165

Welcome to Club Babylon: where the A-list VIPs come to play Scoring a gig at Miami’s Club Babylon is a fantasy come true for New York promoter Thandie Shaw. The hottest club on the strip is a magnet for major South Beach movers and shakers. And Thandie’s about to meet the biggest player of them all.

TMI

TMI
Author: Perez Hilton
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2020-10-06
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1641604069

"Delicious memoir. . . . catnip for Hollywood gossip hounds." —Publishers Weekly The story of how Mario Lavandeira becomes Perez Hilton, the world's first and biggest celebrity blogger, with millions of readers around the globe. With Perez's help, many promising young artists reached the masses—Katy Perry, Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga, to name a few. Soon Perez was a Hollywood insider, but after a dramatic fallout with Lady Gaga, his blog became increasingly mean. When people called him a bully and a hypocrite for outing gay celebrities, Perez was forced to reevaluate not only his alter ego, but also himself. TMI reveals the man behind the blog in a new, revealing, and still juicy memoir.

Inside Studio 54

Inside Studio 54
Author: Mark Fleischman
Publisher: Vireo Book, A
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781945572579

InInside Studio 54, the former owner takes you behind the scenes of the most famous nightclub in the world, through the crowd, to a place where celebrities, friends, and the beautiful people sip champagne and share lines of cocaine using rolled-up hundred-dollar bills. In the early eighties, Mark Fleischman reopened Studio 54, the world's most glamorous and notorious nightclub, after it was closed down by the State of New York. Ten thousand people showed up that night, ready to restart the party that abruptlyended after the raid in 1978 landed its former owners in jail. Inside Studio 54 invites you to revisit the happening scenes of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, the post-Pill, pre-AIDS era of free love, consequence-free sex, and seemingly endless partying. Following Fleischman as he builtconnections as a hotel, restaurant, and club owner that lead him to Studio 54.Inside Studio 54 takes the reader from Brazil to the heights of debauchery in the Virgin Islands and finally to New York City. A star-studded thrill ride through decadent and drug-fueled parties at the legendary Studio 54.

How to Be a Bad Bitch

How to Be a Bad Bitch
Author: Amber Rose
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2015-10-27
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1501110144

An edgy yet accessible “bad bitch” guide to life, love, and success from Amber Rose, renowned model, entrepreneur, and pop culture personality. Bad Bitch (n.): A self-respecting, strong female who has everything together. This consists of body, mind, finances, and attitude; a woman who gets her way by any means necessary. Amber Rose didn’t let her early years in the tough neighborhood of South Philly keep her from achieving her star-studded goals. From the sets of music videos, to high fashion runways and magazines, to life at home with her beautiful son, Amber doesn’t hesitate to command her personal stage with confidence, edge, attitude, and her own form of grace. For the first time, this renowned model, actress, socialite, pop culture maven, and self-proclaimed “bad bitch” is sharing her secrets on how to lead a powerful life in this edgy yet accessible guide to life, love, and success. With unparalleled candor, “Muva” pulls back the curtain on her rollercoaster of a journey from a young trailblazer to a worldwide phenomenon—and it’s this evolution that has influenced her intoxicating, authoritative outlook on life and love. Filled with expert advice and personal anecdotes, How to Be a Bad Bitch covers finances, career, love, beauty, and fashion while emphasizing confidence, positive self-acceptance, and authenticity. Above all, Amber delivers a message to all women in this fiercely fearless guide: work hard, love yourself, embrace your femininity and sexuality, and most importantly, chase the best vision of you possible.

Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget

Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget
Author: Margaret Josephs
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2021-04-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1982172436

Pretty Mess meets #Girlboss in this part memoir, part entrepreneurial manifesto from The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s “Powerhouse in Pigtails.” Margaret Josephs is a hustler. She’s a tough cookie. She speaks her mind. She never leaves the house without lipstick on. She’s also a devoted wife, mother, daughter, businesswoman, lifestyle expert, and fan-favorite star of the reality TV series The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Sounds pretty glamorous, right? Well, things are never exactly as they seem. Before she arrived where she is today, “The Marge” was born to young immigrant parents. Raised by a single party-girl mother who left her physically abusive father when she was one and a half, she was taught that it was more important to look good than to feel good. No structure. No rules. No blueprint for future success or stability. But like most people who struggle through atypical childhoods, destructive relationships, and career challenges, she forced herself to wake up every morning and put one high heel in front of the other, even if she didn’t know where she was going. Margaret took the cards she was dealt and eventually turned them into a winning hand, and she wants to arm fans with the ability to do the same. In Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget, she’ll talk about how to launch a lifestyle brand, how to work with family members, and how to be an uncompromising woman in a man’s world. She also spills stories from her personal life about the son Real Housewives viewers don’t know exists, the time Joan Rivers gave her the best advice she ever got, the rendezvous she had with a famous rock star, and the affair with her contractor that ended her marriage but gave her the happily ever after. Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget takes fans along Margaret’s wild, bumpy journey to entrepreneurial success and reality TV fame, written in her trademark no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek voice with the perfect combination of grit and glitz.

Life Just Got Real

Life Just Got Real
Author: Sadie Robertson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-06-13
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1501127063

Sixteen-year-old A.J. Smith, who was born and raised in backwoods Tennessee, attends school with Kate Kelly, a fashionable girl on a reality show, and the two Christian girls eventually become friends, even as the show's producers try and cause conflict.

The Entrepreneur Equation

The Entrepreneur Equation
Author: Michael Port
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
Total Pages: 438
Release: 2011-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1459617320

It's time to drop the rose-colored glasses and face the facts: most new businesses fail, with often devastating consequences for the would-be entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur Equation helps you do the math before you set down the entrepreneurial path so that you can answer more than just Could I be an entrepreneur? but rather Should I be an entrepreneur?. By understanding what it takes to build a valuable business as well as how to assess the risks and rewards of business ownership based on your personal circumstances, you can learn how to stack the odds of success in your favor and ultimately decide if business ownership is the best possible path for you, now or ever.Through illustrative examples and personalized exercises, tell-it-like-it-is Carol Roth helps you create and evaluate your own personal Entrepreneur Equation as you: Learn what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in today's competitive environment. Save money, time and effort by avoiding business ownership when the time isn't right for you.Identify and evaluate the risks and rewards of a new business based on your goals and circumstances. Evaluate whether your dreams are best served by a hobby, job or business. Gain the tools that you need to maximize your business success. The Entrepreneur Equation is essential reading for the aspiring entrepreneur. Before you invest your life savings, invest in this book!