Video Review from Andrey Sizov for the book "Business Incognita: How to Expand the Boundaries of Entrepreneurial Thinking"
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!
My name is Andrey Sizov. I am a businessman, writer, and founder of a scientific school for sales training and the art of motivating people. I have been engaged in this field for 30 years. But right now, it’s not about me—it’s about something that has greatly contributed to my development and, frankly speaking, has taken me to an entirely new level of perceiving business, entrepreneurship, and even the enjoyment of everything I do—including money. I consider money to be one of the components of business, strangely enough. And, of course, money brings pleasure. Without a doubt, if there is no money, it is hardly possible to call it a business.
And here is this tool. Fate, providence, introduced me to an absolutely remarkable author, researcher—one might even say scientist. A person who can analyze and examine many processes in interaction with life as a whole, rather than separately. This is Mr. Yaroslav Kaplan. And here is his book, "Business Incognita." You can find it under this title on the internet. You know, there are milestone events in life—when you follow a certain path, and then your direction suddenly shifts to a more positive and vertical trajectory in terms of income and development.
Of course, there are also events that diminish you. This event—studying this book (and I say "studying" for a reason)—I wouldn’t even call it just a book. "Business Incognita"—Unknown Business. This is not just a book; it is a whole scientific study, a kind of educational manual. Although, I wouldn’t even call it a manual, because that would diminish it. It is a textbook or methodological guide of a very high level—first in terms of competence, second in terms of reliability. It is absolutely clear that everything Mr. Kaplan writes about has been tested in practice, through experience, and you can observe these things yourself.
To put it briefly, the focus of many entrepreneurs is on various kinds of problems, and this creates a lot of fuss. Issues with personnel, motivation challenges, difficulties with financial planning—perhaps struggling with money allocation, deciding who to pay and how much. A rather petty hustle, to be honest. The fact is, when you have money, you don’t have problems with financial planning or personnel either. If you can pay people a decent salary and engage them in activities that allow you to pay them such salaries, then everything will be fine. And this is exactly what is well described, researched, and explored in Yaroslav Kaplan’s book "Business Incognita."
It might seem that there are plenty of books out there. Of course, I have read and continue to read an enormous number of books, but they all provide a somewhat blurred perspective, offering vague directions—"You could do it this way, or maybe that way, or perhaps another way." No. Kaplan’s book is a textbook. It is a very clear methodology. And it follows a classic approach: first, the theory—why this is important in the first place. While studying the theory, your brain starts to explode, shifting into place.
I would say that his book is bold. I would even call it, in a way, "outlaw"—but in the best sense of the word. Because it completely changes the perception of certain things. It makes some long-held beliefs irrelevant—things that have been considered important for decades—and shifts the focus to what truly matters. If you keep your focus there, you will have more money, more pleasure, and more expansion. And you will realize your potential to a greater extent.
The idea is not just to develop a product and endlessly struggle in the market, but to find yourself as an entrepreneur. To maximize your potential. Every person in life, and every entrepreneur especially, has their own pedestal. Yet many, for some reason, prefer to climb onto someone else’s, trying to imitate others, copy their approaches, and so on.
Kaplan’s book first helps you understand that you don’t need to do this. Second, it shows you what you should do. It’s a technological approach, you see? The 167 laws of entrepreneurship at the end serve as a kind of checklist. And you begin to see things clearly: "Aha, here’s a growth point; aha, here’s another growth point; and here, I’ve been stubbornly banging my head against a dead-end where there is no money." Although it should have been obvious to me, I just didn’t know where to focus my efforts. He shows you where the money is, where the pleasure is, and where your clients’ incredible attraction to your business is. He explains how to create that attraction.
There’s a huge difference between selling water somewhere in Manhattan—even in Manhattan—or selling water in the desert. And this book is about creating that "desert effect"—creating an incredible perception of value for your clients regarding your company. How to sustain and develop it so that your business grows easily, freely, for a long time, and with great prosperity. This book is a precise guide—"Business Incognita"—Unknown Business.
You know, it was completely unexpected—making certain discoveries. Do you understand? Realizing: "Oh, you mean I could have done it this way?" That phrase probably sums it up best. And even now, you see?
This book is not one that you read once and forget. No, it is a tool. I constantly have it open on my computer. I keep coming back to it. I apply it in practice. I realize there are things I haven’t fully grasped yet. And I return to it because I need to figure it out, work through it, savor it. You need to test it against your past experience and apply it in real life. It’s a practical recommendation. You simply follow steps A, B, C as outlined. You get results, analyze them. The book even explains how to analyze them properly. Did I do it right? Could I have done it better, more effectively? What should I focus on? Which indicators should I track? Am I moving in the right direction? The answers are there.
Well, I think I’ve said a lot. I highly recommend it. You know, my only complaint to the author is this: I just want to ask him, "What have you done, you clever devil?" He has set the price for this book at the cost of a pastry. Just visit the links below, and you’ll see what I mean. He is selling golden, diamond-encrusted treasures for the price of a pastry. And they are far more valuable than gold and diamonds—because gold and diamonds eventually run out. But if you apply even 10% of what’s in this book, these treasures will always be with you. And it’s an incredible expansion of business knowledge—because suddenly, it becomes clear why certain companies thrive, why your past businesses failed, why things happened the way they did, and where they disappeared. You find answers. And you also understand what you need to do to move in the right direction. With the right people. For the right people. And at the same time, have as much money as you like.
My name is Andrey Sizov. I am a businessman, writer, and founder of a scientific school for sales training and the art of motivating people. I have been engaged in this field for 30 years. But right now, it’s not about me—it’s about something that has greatly contributed to my development and, frankly speaking, has taken me to an entirely new level of perceiving business, entrepreneurship, and even the enjoyment of everything I do—including money. I consider money to be one of the components of business, strangely enough. And, of course, money brings pleasure. Without a doubt, if there is no money, it is hardly possible to call it a business.
And here is this tool. Fate, providence, introduced me to an absolutely remarkable author, researcher—one might even say scientist. A person who can analyze and examine many processes in interaction with life as a whole, rather than separately. This is Mr. Yaroslav Kaplan. And here is his book, "Business Incognita." You can find it under this title on the internet. You know, there are milestone events in life—when you follow a certain path, and then your direction suddenly shifts to a more positive and vertical trajectory in terms of income and development.
Of course, there are also events that diminish you. This event—studying this book (and I say "studying" for a reason)—I wouldn’t even call it just a book. "Business Incognita"—Unknown Business. This is not just a book; it is a whole scientific study, a kind of educational manual. Although, I wouldn’t even call it a manual, because that would diminish it. It is a textbook or methodological guide of a very high level—first in terms of competence, second in terms of reliability. It is absolutely clear that everything Mr. Kaplan writes about has been tested in practice, through experience, and you can observe these things yourself.
To put it briefly, the focus of many entrepreneurs is on various kinds of problems, and this creates a lot of fuss. Issues with personnel, motivation challenges, difficulties with financial planning—perhaps struggling with money allocation, deciding who to pay and how much. A rather petty hustle, to be honest. The fact is, when you have money, you don’t have problems with financial planning or personnel either. If you can pay people a decent salary and engage them in activities that allow you to pay them such salaries, then everything will be fine. And this is exactly what is well described, researched, and explored in Yaroslav Kaplan’s book "Business Incognita."
It might seem that there are plenty of books out there. Of course, I have read and continue to read an enormous number of books, but they all provide a somewhat blurred perspective, offering vague directions—"You could do it this way, or maybe that way, or perhaps another way." No. Kaplan’s book is a textbook. It is a very clear methodology. And it follows a classic approach: first, the theory—why this is important in the first place. While studying the theory, your brain starts to explode, shifting into place.
I would say that his book is bold. I would even call it, in a way, "outlaw"—but in the best sense of the word. Because it completely changes the perception of certain things. It makes some long-held beliefs irrelevant—things that have been considered important for decades—and shifts the focus to what truly matters. If you keep your focus there, you will have more money, more pleasure, and more expansion. And you will realize your potential to a greater extent.
The idea is not just to develop a product and endlessly struggle in the market, but to find yourself as an entrepreneur. To maximize your potential. Every person in life, and every entrepreneur especially, has their own pedestal. Yet many, for some reason, prefer to climb onto someone else’s, trying to imitate others, copy their approaches, and so on.
Kaplan’s book first helps you understand that you don’t need to do this. Second, it shows you what you should do. It’s a technological approach, you see? The 167 laws of entrepreneurship at the end serve as a kind of checklist. And you begin to see things clearly: "Aha, here’s a growth point; aha, here’s another growth point; and here, I’ve been stubbornly banging my head against a dead-end where there is no money." Although it should have been obvious to me, I just didn’t know where to focus my efforts. He shows you where the money is, where the pleasure is, and where your clients’ incredible attraction to your business is. He explains how to create that attraction.
There’s a huge difference between selling water somewhere in Manhattan—even in Manhattan—or selling water in the desert. And this book is about creating that "desert effect"—creating an incredible perception of value for your clients regarding your company. How to sustain and develop it so that your business grows easily, freely, for a long time, and with great prosperity. This book is a precise guide—"Business Incognita"—Unknown Business.
You know, it was completely unexpected—making certain discoveries. Do you understand? Realizing: "Oh, you mean I could have done it this way?" That phrase probably sums it up best. And even now, you see?
This book is not one that you read once and forget. No, it is a tool. I constantly have it open on my computer. I keep coming back to it. I apply it in practice. I realize there are things I haven’t fully grasped yet. And I return to it because I need to figure it out, work through it, savor it. You need to test it against your past experience and apply it in real life. It’s a practical recommendation. You simply follow steps A, B, C as outlined. You get results, analyze them. The book even explains how to analyze them properly. Did I do it right? Could I have done it better, more effectively? What should I focus on? Which indicators should I track? Am I moving in the right direction? The answers are there.
Well, I think I’ve said a lot. I highly recommend it. You know, my only complaint to the author is this: I just want to ask him, "What have you done, you clever devil?" He has set the price for this book at the cost of a pastry. Just visit the links below, and you’ll see what I mean. He is selling golden, diamond-encrusted treasures for the price of a pastry. And they are far more valuable than gold and diamonds—because gold and diamonds eventually run out. But if you apply even 10% of what’s in this book, these treasures will always be with you. And it’s an incredible expansion of business knowledge—because suddenly, it becomes clear why certain companies thrive, why your past businesses failed, why things happened the way they did, and where they disappeared. You find answers. And you also understand what you need to do to move in the right direction. With the right people. For the right people. And at the same time, have as much money as you like.
