“The Biker’s Guide to Business” by Dwain DeVille c.2009, Wiley & Sons $24.95 / $29.95 Canada 216 pages

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You discovered something intriguing the other day, and there’s no way you’re going to ignore it.

It’s a new road, and it’s enticing. It might be filled with lots of turns and rough spots – roads are like that - but the challenge will be satisfying. Although you can’t see the end of this road, you’ve got a clear vision of where you want it to go. You can’t wait to get started, but you’ll need to be mindful. You don’t want to crash.

Riding? Or business? How about both, says author Dwain DeVille. In his new book “The Biker’s Guide to Business”, he utilizes the language of one to explain success in the other.

Just before he hit “the big 5-0”, Dwain DeVille experienced a few rocky roads, both personally and in business. The fall of the Twin Towers rocked him badly, he’d just had a health scare, and he felt as if he’d hit a plateau in his company. He decided to take time off to ponder what he calls The Question: What do I want my life to look like five years into the future?

On a motorcycle trip through the mountains of Colorado, he had several insights that led him to create worksheets (included in this book) to help determine his next directions. He soon realized that the issues he was struggling with were the same as those that his clients were experiencing.

“Knowledge isn’t power until you apply it,” DeVille says. He began to see business and life as a series of roads and exits. The goal, he says, is to find the direction that will allow you to have fun while you become a success.

Understand that the level of accomplishment you’ll enjoy is parallel to your willingness to make sacrifices. Know that the “key to success isn’t recognizing opportunity, but instead recognizing the opportunities you should not chase.” Sweat the small stuff and remember that the in-between is what’s important. Recognize that wipeouts are a fact and the best entrepreneurs learn from their road-rash. Communicate. Plan. Remember that this is your ride.

For the first twenty-five pages of “The Biker’s Guide to Business”, I was completely mesmerized. While drawing comparisons between black leather-wearing and black gabardine, author Dwain DeVille speaks to the heart of entrepreneurs who need to know where to go when enthusiasm has tempered, the business has plateaued, and goals have been reached. I could’ve sworn he was sitting in my living room.

But then, the advice slowed and skidded to an almost-stop. This business book became more of a memoir, there was a lot of conflicting advice, and DeVille’s “seize the gusto” theme was lost amid boggy advice on getting the most out of employees. My enthusiasm level went from 80 to crawl in about a chapter.

Yes, there are many decent nuggets in this book, and it’s surely worth hitting the highlights if you’re newer to business. For most seasoned entrepreneurs, though, “The Biker’s Guide to Business” just ran out of gas.

-- Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.

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