Shark Tank Secrets to Success: How to Propel Your Business from the Tank to the Bank    by Michael Parrish DuDell Order:  USA  Can Kingswell, 2016 (2016) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch The popular television reality series Shark Tank has not only attracted legions of viewers but it has also spun off numerous books by the cast of entrepreneurs featured on the show and about the people who appear on it. Shark Tank Secrets to Success: How to Propel Your Business from the Tank to the Bank by Michael Parrish DuDell is the latest of these books that take the reader behind the scenes and offer advice on how to succeed in launching his/her own business. The second book the author has written on Shark Tank, this volume features the stories of nine entrepreneurs who were lucky enough to not only appear on air but also make a deal with one or more of the regular panel members. If you recall seeing the individuals who created companies like Wickedly Good Cupcakes, Tipsy Elves, Grace and Lace, and ZooBean, you'll probably enjoy discovering how they started their businesses and also how they found their way to Shark Tank. Each chapter ends with a couple of pages of advice dubbed Playbook for Success, where these folks share how they built their businesses and made them prosper. Frankly, after a few chapters, I started to skip these pages for they were filled with platitudes and were not that revealing or helpful. The most interesting aspect of the book was hearing how the entrepreneurs came up with their ideas and were able to turn them into viable businesses which then took them to the television show. In some cases luck played a big role in their success while other times numerous setbacks and obstacles made the path a challenging one. While most of the people profiled actually auditioned for the program, I was a bit surprised to learn that in a few instances the show's staff contacted individuals they had heard about and asked them to consider appearing in the tank. Although this was a quick and entertaining read with plenty of anecdotes, it wasn't really that revealing about how the television program functions or how one can make it through the preliminaries to actually appear on air. There are other books and articles available that are far more useful in explaining and sharing this type of material. This is formula writing, which means the narrative is passable but not inspired. Basically Shark Tank Secrets to Success is just a way to capitalize on the TV show's high ratings and success rather than actually help the reader create a new business. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews