For my book about the history of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, I interviewed the founder and CEO of HealthSouth, Richard Scrushy because, after all, his company was the original financial backer of TNA Wrestling in 2002. Knowing that he built a massively successful business empire, I was interested in reading Richard’s book, which is entitled When Building a Billion Dollar Company: Here Are a Few Thing to Think About. Read on for my thoughts on this book.

I should point out that, as I write this, we’re just a few days away from the release of Richard’s second book: It Should Not Happen in America: From Selma to Wall Street—’A Journey of Fire and Faith.’ If you’re interested in reading all about the legal troubles HealthSouth got into and the impact it had on Richard’s life, make sure to check it out. I look forward to reading it myself, as I know it’s going to be a fascinating story.

I’ve interviewed Richard several times for my TNA book project, and they’ve been great discussions. He’s a smart, honest man who is more than happy to open up and offer his insights on a myriad of topics. I always believe that you should treat people the way they treat you, and Richard has treated me wonderfully. So, I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. That’s why I was interested in reading his first book: When Building a Billion Dollar Company.

This book sets out to do one thing: provide inspiration to others, so they can build a solid business and grow it into a billion-dollar company. After all, Richard has extensive experience with major companies and executing profitable ventures, so he has plenty to offer as it relates to this.

As he notes in his book, overcoming the fear of the unknown — whether it be challenges, mistakes, or looking foolish in front of others — is a key component of realizing your dreams. To be successful requires a leap of faith, and Richard goes into detail in this book about the importance of faith.

While I am an employee, I have an entrepreneurial spirit and, obviously, I’m writing my own book, so I’m definitely taking a leap of faith to pursue a dream. Therefore, a great deal of the advice in this book is applicable to me. Richard spends a fair amount of time explaining why it’s so important to assemble a great management team and support staff. He talks about motivating people to reach their full potential, and how to learn from his experiences and avoid certain pitfalls. I also enjoyed the section with stories about the great business leaders and political figures that Richard has met over the years and what he learned from them. It provided yet another layer to this already compelling business book.

Richard is your guide to the top throughout this book, providing actionable advice so you can turn your dream into a reality. Like every businessman, he’s faced challenging situations throughout his life and career, but those experiences have only made him stronger. Whether you’re looking to start your own business or simply want to glean wisdom from someone who has attained massive success, When Building a Billion Dollar Company is absolutely worth reading.