Published February 2015, Chart House Press.
“To every lost entrepreneur and dreamer who is looking for a better way.”
This dedication says it all in Jeff Hastings’ new book, The Most Successful Failure in the World.
As a fellow entrepreneur and business owner with her own share of work-life struggles, it was a privilege to edit Jeff’s compelling tale of the rise, fall, and redemption of billionaire CEO Alex Moss. His character learns through tragedy to create a life and business of meaning, and anyone who has wrestled with the sacrifices of having a business and having a family knows that his struggles are relevant and his consequences are real.
Jeff is artful in his ability to step back and forth between the worlds of fiction and nonfiction: Each fast-faced chapter ends with a few pages of business learning and notes. One moment his writing teeters in drama; a moment later, it is planted solidly in a business conversation. But that is the unique perspective of his character, Alex Moss: He speaks from a dual perspective of failure — with its missed opportunities and relentless aftertaste — and success — both his rise and redemption.
But what really sets this book apart is the poignancy of it and its author. Jeff is an entrepreneur and business coach who bustles with frenetic energy and new ideas but who also, in quieter moments, reveals a thoughtful sadness. Sitting across from him at lunch last week, intensely punctuating my opinion about a plot twist with chopsticks, I was suddenly struck by realization that this story is more personal than I know. This man has experienced highs and lows like Alex Moss, and readers will wonder how much of Jeff’s own life parallels the life of his character.
The Most Successful Failure in the World is for everyone. Whether you or someone you know is starting a new venture or reevaluating life, riding the waves of success or standing in rubble, wanting to talk business or simply wanting to enjoy a good story — this book offers something for all of us.
To purchase an e-book for only $10 or to find information on signing and radio events, go to The Most Successful Failure in the World.