Name Calling

By Debra Phillips

When you think of entrepreneurship, you invariably think of fishing, right? OK, we don't either. But however unlikely it might initially seem, the analogy of fishing to business is surprisingly effective in Fishy Business: How the Wisdom of the Angler Can Help You Succeed at Work (Berkley Books, $12 paper).

Co-written by brothers Bill and James P. Ignizio, Fishy Business extracts sound business advice from such notable fishing commandments as, "Any lure that catches fish is a good lure." In this instance, the underlying entrepreneurial truth is that you should stick with products or services that are doing well--and not pursue unnecessary diversification. Another mandate: "Don't fish for pike like you would for bass." (In business-speak, this means you should know your customers.)

Designed to appeal to fishers and nonfishers alike, Fishy Business is a fun read. Or, in angler-speak--our version of it, anyway--the fish are really biting.

This article was originally published in the May 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Name Calling.