Bands, brands and billions - Lou Pearlman

Lou Pearlman, the genius behind 'NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and O-Town, has brought his personal story and his business rules together in an informative, entertaining book that will appeal to business readers and pop culture mavens alike. Pearlman's story begins in Queens. The child of working-class parents with a fascination for the Goodyear blimp, Pearlman went on to become a millionaire in the aviation industry by age 21. Today, his Trans Continental Companies, based in Orlando, has 14 affiliate divisions and more than 300 employees. Its holdings include a charter airline with a fleet of more than 50 plans, jets, and other aircraft, restaurants, an aviation leasing finance company, a web site marketing company, a music publishing company, an entertainment management company, a security company, a record company, a recording studio, and a travel services company. He is, of course, best known for creating the boy band phenomenon. 'N SYNC alone has sold over 60 million albums, and the press has called Pearlman a "modern day Louis B. Mayer." His net worth now exceeds 1 billion dollars.;Pearlman represents an exciting new figure in business leadership, one with his finger on the pulse of popular culture and an entrepreneurial talent that can only be described as awe-inspiring. The business principles he sets forth in this book - from building teams to taking risks, from savvy marketing moves to chasing the money - are brought to life with illustrations from his own experience. His lessons are both instructive (e.g., good and bad options for raising money to finance new ventures) and inspiring (keep building on your dream and never give up). His anecdotes are object lessons in thinking outside the box. Just a few: Rule no.1: You Gotta Love It: How Pearlman made the about-face from blimps to boy bands - and became successful in the face of massive obstacles and opposition. Rule no.2: Tune Into Opportunity: How Pearlman turned his college thesis into a half-billion dollar industry Rule no.6: Make It Fly: How Pearlman raffled off mink coats to save a flagging airline Rule no.8;: Mad Dog Marketing: How Pearlman deployed a blimp on the desk of a Macdonald's exec to win a contract Pearlman offers business advice in a practical, instructive, and highly entertaining way - and in a form designed to appeal to today's generation of business entrepreneurs.