Madame Alexandra's Rule of Business by Claude Roessiger

I requested this book from NetGalley based on the title alone. I was like "a lady businesswomen shares her secrets? Yes please!"

When I got the book, I realised this is supposed to be from the journals of Madame Alexandra, apparently the proprietress of a famous brothel in Paris. I saw "apparently" because I found this interesting, but Google isn't showing me anything but the book. So I have no idea if this is true or just a clever story.

This is, though, a very interesting little book. It alternates between normal paragraphs and italics, with italics representing a certain example. I'm not sure if the whole thing is supposed to be from Madame Alexandra's journals, or if only the italics are, but whatever it is, it's easy to read and understand.

The principles of business are simple: treat your clients right, make sure you hire only the best, provide the best service (at a price that's seen as reasonable), and try to keep things in cash as much of possible. I think the accounting section, about credit and cash will probably be the one that generates the most debate - people tend to feel very strongly about capital financing and all that. But, the rest of the book is probably something that you'll nod along with and agree.

This is a very short book, but interesting and informative. It's definitely worth a read, although I'm not sure if it's going to be required reading anytime soon.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.