Writing with the positivity you’d expect from an innovator with his background, Vidmar addresses issues that can prevent or stall entrepreneurs and their businesses from reaching their potential. Much of the guide reads as a self-development checklist. Short chapters tackling concepts like responsibility, leadership, and decision-making are filled with compact, concise tidbits of practical advice: “Optimism is necessary for success in life, and possible for everyone to reach.” Although he explicitly highlights the many benefits of positive thinking, he warns against trying to make everyone around them happy, a critical mistake common amongst optimists. Instead, Vidmar urges readers to make their own goals the primary focus, to take accountability, and to accept negative responses and consequences as constructive criticism.

Vidmar’s engaging personal accounts of growing food near the North Pole offer ample opportunity to showcase his advice in action. As the guide progresses, readers are given a detailed breakdown of Polar Permaculture and the multitude of obstacles Vidmar faced throughout his journey to turn the arctic city of Longyearbyen, Norway, green. Culminating with a list of ten principles to hold to to achieve success, Vidmar’s unique guide provides a refreshing perspective to self-improvement. Although targeted at “fledgling” entrepreneurs, Chew on This provides solid tips for success in all walks of life, intertwined with an inspirational story that general readers, especially those with an interest in sustainable food, will enjoy.

Takeaway: This entrepreneurial guide makes the case that anything’s possible, even growing food in the Arctic.

Great for fans of: David J. Schwartz’s The Magic of Thinking Big, Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain is You.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B