This has been the question that even I have asked myself over the past two years. Back in 2002 when I started writing the book the Apprentice had yet to hit the airwaves. Now that it has arrived, business advice books have moved to the forefront of popular culture. Donald Trump put his book out. Bill Rancic followed, as did Carolyn Kepcher. Even Amy Henry, the season one third place finisher, has a book in print. So is there room for a book written by Robert J. Safuto?

Absolutely.

I didn’t write this book to catch on to a fad. I didn’t write it to capitalize on some new found fame. I wrote Welcome to the Beehive to address a very pressing need. The need that I indentified was the large gap of information and advice available, to those people who need it most. Those people I refer to are newbies to the business world.

When I graduated from college I didn’t think I needed any advice. I thought that college had prepared me for all I was to face. I was wrong. As a result I gravitated toward a variety of advice books. Each of these books helped me and provided me with bits and pieces of information to assist me in my personal growth and my growth in the business world.

What I didn’t find was an approach that started with the basics. And I mean the raw basics. I needed material that spoke to me on a very basic level, so that I could start with the most important topics and later move on to more complex concepts. I mean, there are a million books out there on leadership, management and creativity. Those books can only be helpful if you understand and have mastered the core skills required to be successful in business. I was determined to start with the basics.

The ten lessons you find in Welcome to the Beehive, are the raw basics. They are critical to development as a business person. And they are often taken for granted. You probably saw some of these topics in school courses, but they weren’t presented in this manner. I’m talking to you from the experience of someone who has worked for my success from the ground up. I don’t spout high flying theories. I present facts backed up by very relevant anecdotes from my many and varied experiences.

I see Welcome to the Beehive as the first of at least three courses on the realities of the world of business. The second one, Thrive in the Hive, is in development and will address more complex issues. For now, Welcome to the Beehive is the thing.

I wrote the book for people like me who came charging out of school into a foreign environment where I struggled to find perspective while the expectations were piled upon me. I wrote this book for every artist or technical person who finds themself at the mercy of corporations who take advantage of their lack of business knowledge. I wrote this book because I thought I could make a difference in the lives of at least a few people.

Now that the book is written, I’m glad to have done it. And I’m confident that my words belong on the shelf next to the reality show stars of the day.

Let the journey begin!