by Farmer Meadows, Betty Meadows
This autobiography is a down-home diary and anecdotal chronology of the life
of a coal miner’s son from West Virginia and his rise to becoming a millionaire.

Though it is the epitome of a true rags-to-riches success story, Nearly
Perfect sometimes lacks the drama, excitement or uniqueness to hold the
readers attention. Like a long movie, it is a little slow moving, but worth the
time if you hang in there.

Before recounting the years of his life, the author tells us that he and his
wife, of 50 years, are celebrating their anniversary at the famous Greenbrier
Hotel with reserved rooms for over 100 friends and family. The celebration is
also a testament to the over 22 Meadows Farms Nurseries that helped him amass a
net worth of over $72 million.

The book then reads like a chatty memoir, retelling Farmer meeting his wife and
their everyday ups and downs and critical life decisions. There are no
earth-shattering life lessons here, but rather simple memories woven together of
a simple tale of love and life about a couple who built up a million-dollar
empire is superfluous.

There are some life lessons to be learned, hidden within the reminiscing. For
instance, it helps to have an inspiration and a mentor, as Farmer was notably
inspired by his football coach, learning many truths from him, helping him both
as a coach and as an entrepreneur. Farmer coached, as a profession, for 10 years
and only lost three games.

Another tip to attaining that million is to own a business, where profits can
soar, as opposed to a salary that remains limited. Farmer gave up teaching and
coaching in order to devote time to the "side business" he started
that took off in profits. The "millionaire wisdom" is there, you just
need to pull it off the pages.

There is an Appendix in the very back of the book, listing Farmer’s Key Business
Principles:

• 1. Keep up with the money;
• 2. Always treat employees right and with respect; and,
• 3. Always sell the best products at the lowest possible prices.

This is common sense at its basic level and, yet, I’m sure many businesses are
missing one of these keys. Nearly Perfect, is a tale of a nearly perfect life
and if that won’t make you feel a little less than perfect and a little
frustrated that you, too, aren’t a millionaire, then give it a try.