TESTIMONIALS
VALUABLE, COLORFUL, AND FUN
“This book is valuable. Colorful and fun, it is bursting with little facts and big ideas. It all adds up to an important celebration of the spicy mix of ingredients—and the exhuberance—that has made Texas successful over the years.”
-Walter Isaacson, CEO Aspen Institute, former CEO of CNN and Managing Editor of Time.
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
“Everyone should read this book. Yeah, everyone, Texan or not.
It’s no secret Texas is on the right economic track. We created more jobs here than all the other states combined in the past ten years. It’s pretty inexpensive to live here, and businesses are free to take risks, invest, and grow. Texas Got It Right by Sam and Andrew Wyly is an in-depth look at why the Lone Star State is beating all the others.
Chock full of charmingly Texan anecdotes as well as history and hard data, Texas Got It Right explores nearly every aspect of Texas’ economy and spirit, from agriculture and energy to technology and taxes. There are tons of infographics explaining how and why Texas’ policies are working, fleshed out by success stories of companies like Whataburger, Dell, Whole Foods, and Neiman Marcus that started and still thrive in Texas, as well as profiles of important public figures from the days of the Republic to now. Light on text but heavy on impact, these 160-odd pages explain the “Texas miracle” with remarkable clarity.
And while this book might sound like campaign fodder for the Texas powers-that-be, it’s fundamentally nonpolitical. The father-and-son Wyly duo show how good choices on the individual level and responsible public policy have made Texas an outstanding place to live. And boy, is it ever.
Grab yourself a copy of Texas Got It Right. It’s definitely one you’ll want to keep on your shelf.”
-Katie Thompson, TexasGrizzlette.com
POSITIVELY CANDID BOOK
“I would like to say thank you for our copy of Texas Got It Right! What a great book…from the brief history to the economics to the pop culture icon status, you got it all right! Even the English teacher in me isn’t cringing too much with the word “got” here. It’s fitting for this positively candid book that works as a culture almanac and stands up to our Texas lore.
-Dani Nations, Dayton High School Librarian
HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
“Even if you are not from the Lone Star state, this book is a treasure trove of fun information presented in a highly entertaining style.”
-Jim, 5 star Amazon Review
LIVELY, INSIGHTFUL, AND SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED
“Why People and Businesses are Flocking to Texas
Sam Wyly has spent half a century in Texas building a dozen corporations and watching the state grow into the most desireable business and residential destination in the nation. In his new book, Texas Got It Right!, he and his son Andrew have beautifully chronicled exactly why Texas is succeeding so dramatically and what other states might do to enjoy the same success.
Sam Wyly, one of the most celebrated entrepreneurs in American history, gives Texas much of the credit for his success. In Texas Got It Right! he explains how the state evolved from a bastion of oil barons and cattlemen to become host to entrepreneurs of every stripe and the center of clean energy and high tech companies in America. Texas’s laws and taxation policies are unashamedly pro-business, and its highly diverse population has found employment rates high despite a population growth that was 8.5 million when Wyly moved there in 1956 and is 26 million today — and no one pays a state income tax.
Like Wyly’s other books, this one is lively, insightful and superbly illustrated. If you like books by people who’ve actually done the things they write about, you will enjoy this book about the secrets of Texas’s wild success.”
-DLHamilton, 5 star Barnes & Noble Review
CAPTIVATES THE READER
Father-son authors, Sam and Andrew Wyly, explain the secrets of Texas’ success in Texas Got It Right! The book describes how Texas leads the nation in many economic areas, such as job growth, affordability, imports and exports, business creation, deregulation of the energy market and political clout.
Interestingly enough, neither of the book’s authors was born in Texas. They just “got here as fast as they could,” as most Texans like to say. The book came about from the authors’ observation that America was being pulled in two very different directions. On one side there was California, where high taxes and regulations were really setting back entrepreneurs. And then there was Texas, where an unprecedented number of entrepreneurs were moving to set up shop.
Questions emerge throughout the book like “Why is Texas the only state gaining four new seats in Congress?” and “Why does Texas lead the country in wind turbines?” After lengthy descriptions of why Texas is best, the authors provide a 10-step policy guide in how the other 49 states can be more like Texas.
Texas Got It Right! covers a wide range of topics from Sam Houston to the creation of South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival.
Insightful and sometimes silly commentary captivates the reader, as do the plentiful photo essays.
Texas Got It Right! is a must-read for anyone just moving to the Lone Star State or those of us who have forgotten what we learned years ago in Texas history classes.
-Fort Worth, Texas: The City’s Magazine
COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN
“I saw this in my dentist’s waiting room and couldn’t put it down. So I ordered it and am reading it now. It is a great tool for recruiting to Texas and affirming one’s decision to get here as soon as possible.”
-Cindy W. Ceen, 5 star Amazon Review
“THIS BOOK IS A MUST-READ!”
See why Bill Wallace thinks Texas Got It Right! should be at the top of your reading list.
-Bill Wallace, founder of Success North Dallas
PACKED WITH FACTS
“For Texans and anyone contemplating becoming a Texan or more Texan-like, the book, Texas Got It Right!, by Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly, is a must-read. While most states are floundering, this is an interesting look into Texas history, traits, and policies that have made Texas successful. I grew up proud to be a Texan, but this book, written by transplants from Louisiana, makes me realize how profoundly blessed I am to be a Texan.”
-C. Spencer, 5 star Amazon Review
BEST ILLUSTRATED AND MOST SPIRITED
“The best illustrated and most spirited pro-Texas book ever.”
-Glen Dromgoole, Texas Reads
BIG TEXAS THANK YOU TO THE WRITERS!
“Great little book. I highly recommend it. Easy to read, factually correct as far as I can tell. A very generous gift from someone wanting nothing in return but an honest appraisal. I’ll buy some for my family as gifts. A big Texas THANK YOU to the writers!”
-D.J. Wade, 5 star Amazon Review
METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED AND HANDSOMELY DESIGNED
“Meticulously researched and handsomely designed… a love letter to the state itself and a carefully considered collection of facts that illustrate just how the Texas population and economy continue to grow exponentially.”
-Richard Dennis, Where
GREAT READ!
“This book does a great job in explaining how and why Texas is one of the most influential states in the country with game changers from TI to Dell, from the first convenience store in 7-Eleven to Whole Foods, from the first frozen margarita to Shiner Bock beer among others. Don’t forget about Mary Kay or America’s team in the Dallas Cowboys. From a guy who wasn’t born here, I got here as fast I could!
This book helps explain and support why I made a great decision in moving here.”
-JC, 5 star Amazon Review
GREAT GIFT
“Great Christmas gift for my boss. He loved it and he’s from Chicago! Easy to read with graphs, pictures and relevant facts. I’m a transplanted Texan and I glowed with pride.”
-Cheryl Johnson, 5 star Amazon Review
ENJOYABLE AND ENLIGHTENING — AND CHARMING
“Texas Got it Right! is a richly-illustrative, delightfully penned book that is one of the best introductions to what it is that makes Texas so unique. Designed as a prescription for prosperity, this snapshot of the state’s economic and cultural legacy helps readers understand how Texas has managed to succeed, even in the wake of a slowing national economy. Both successful businessmen, their advice is certainly worth heeding.
The larger message of Texas Got It Right! isn’t necessarily that Texas is a wonderful place to live (although the authors’ preference is made clear), rather it is an examination of the social, political, and economic practices that allow communities to blossom–anywhere. It is a call to action–a guidebook on the road toward individual freedom and economic prosperity.
The writing style itself is enormously conversational — this is not dry reading. One gets the sense that she is sitting next to Sam and Andrew, listening to them tell stories. It is charming.
Visually, the book is fantastic. The charts in the book are well designed, powerful supplements to the Wyly’s argument.
I found this book very enjoyable, enlightening and motivating. It is a great introduction to Texas, economics, politics, and business — I am impressed.”
-Barbara Vance, 5 star Amazon Review
MAKES TOPICS RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE
“Your book makes topics which my students find obtuse (at best!) relevant and relevant and accessible. It speaks eloquently to two of my teaching soapboxes — the importance of civic responsibility and economic competition.”
-Amy Morgan, History Teacher, San Angelo, Texas
CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE IT!
“Wow! Received this book in the mail for the library and was ready to see a mediocre book. Boy was I wrong! This is a great little book about the Texas economy. I can see having a copy in the library for the kids to look through and a copy for my economics teachers to use in class. The authors discuss how Texas has survived one of the harshest recessions to ever hit our country, and came out of it sooner than most states. Everything from big business to mom and pop operations are discussed. There are graphs and charts aplenty to show various concepts. Biographies of the movers and shakers of Texas and its economy are embedded within the book. I was ready to spend a few minutes skimming it and then set it aside without further thought. Instead, I found myself drawn into it, spending most of my day reading it and sharing interesting tidbits out of it with my assistant. Can’t wait to share it with others!”
-Tammy Jo, Good Reads Rating
ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL
“This book was a very fun and easy read that taught me a lot about my adopted State. It should be enjoyed by any audience from grade school children to adults, from Texans to non-Texans, and most importantly business executives to politicians. The lessons aren’t confined to how Texas became the thriving State it is now. The real lessons are in how Texas has made decisions to set it up for success in the competitive inter-State marketplace.
The Wylys have done a wonderful job putting to print why I am proud to now be a Texan!”
-MN to TX, 5 star Amazon Review
SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING
“I met the author when he was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami, and have followed his story of success since. He acquired the spirit of Texas, and this book should be read by all public school teachers and, I believe, by all Texas middle school pupils whether in public or private schools.”
-Clyde N Morgan, MD 5 star Amazon Review
FINALLY! WHAT MAKES TEXAS TICK!
“Can a lively, illustrated, 176-page book of profiles, essays and insights into Texas save America? In Texas Got It Right!, Sam and Andrew Wyly might have done it.
While most of America has been mired in recession, job loss and corporate defections in recent years, Texas has been operating like exactly what it is: a maverick state impervious to what ails everyone else. It has welcomed those giant corporations fleeing New York, California and elsewhere, and landed 40 percent of all the new hires in America since 2009. It has the fastest growing population in the country, maintains crazily attractive home prices, and in the last 20 years is the home of more new businesses than any other state in the union. Texas is an entrepreneur’s paradise.
In Texas Got It Right!, entrepreneurs Sam and Andrew Wyly explain that this is not a miracle. What has happened there is the product of Texas’s tireless independence in legislative choices, a welcoming work environment, and generations of people with fierce desires to live lives on their own terms.
There likely are no better authors for this highly readable book. Sam Wyly has built eleven corporations in Texas over the last 50 years, most of them valued at more a billion dollars. He long ago figured out what the state uniquely had to offer people with ideas. Now, working with son Andrew — an entrepreneur, investor and film producer — he has laid it out as a kind of joyous roadmap for others to emulate. A foreword by Walter Isaacson, chairman of the Aspen Institute, former chairman of CNN and managing editor of Time magazine, and author of the acclaimed biography Steve Jobs, sets the tone of the book perfectly: ‘Even if you think that not everything about Texas is perfect, and even if you love your own state more, this book is valuable. It is bursting with little facts and big ideas … the spicy mix of ingredients — and the exuberance — that has made Texas successful over the years.’
The Wylys disdained a tedious academic analysis and have instead written Texas Got It Right! in about 80 two-page essays covering everything from the steely immigrants who settled the territory to the effects of its deregulated, open-shop, low-tax workplace. There is no personal state income tax and business taxes are among the lowest in the nation. The state can do this because it limits the size of government; and much of the work it does focuses on benefitting businesses — in taxation, zoning, immigration, cross-border trade, and red tape. The Texas equation is simple: When businesses flourish, a welfare state doesn’t have to.
The authors illustrate their points not with abstractions, but with stories and interviews from the people who make the extraordinary Texas system work.
Sam Wyly is not a born-and-bred child of Texas, so this book isn’t a blind tribute by someone raised with a native bias toward the Lone Star. He was born in tiny Lake Providence, Louisiana — officially “the Poorest place in America,” said Time magazine back in 1997 — and grew up in several small towns around the state. He was 23 years old when he first arrived in Dallas in 1957, armed with an MBA and an impatient desire to lead a great corporation from the top.
Today, after 50 years in the business of building businesses with his late brother Charles — from computer software to restaurants, telecommunications, arts and crafts, insurance, silver mining, petroleum refining, hedge funds, and clean energy — Sam and Andrew Wyly are telling what they know. The book is a perfect follow-on to Wyly’s rags-to-riches memoir, 1000 Dollars & An Idea, which describes what he did in Texas. In Texas Got It Right! he reveals why he could only do it in Texas.”
-Dennis L. Hamilton, Indianapolis, IN – 5 star Amazon Review
NY TO TX — NOW A PROUD TEXAN
“I do believe that from now on I’ll not think of myself as a New Yorker who came to Texas, but simply — and proudly — as a Texan. I came from New York. If you have a good idea there, your 10 best friends would tell you how it would be impossible to do. Here, if you have a good idea, 10 releative strangers will not only tell you how, but help you out.”
-Dr. Kenneth Z. Altshuler, M.D., Stanton Sharp Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry, Southwestern Medical Center
