Business Books: read and recommended
I've read many business books over the past year, some were what you expect from a business book, others were fantastic. I've gathered my favourites and taken some of the best quotes from them below.
James Smith 'Not a Life Coach
I found this book really refreshing. Most business books will tell you you need to get up at 5am, work all day, restrict your social life and "grind" to make it. James Smith talks about business in a way that really changed my perspective. He talks about building a life you're happy with, not building a business that you're forced to work stupidly long hours for. The book is very easy to read (I finished it in a day and a half); if you follow James Smith on social media you'll know that he's straight to the point and this book is no exception!
Daniel Priestley 'Entrepeneur Revolution'
If I'm honest, I got this book a couple of years ago as a gift and tried reading it but after a couple of chapters, put it away. I couldn't get into it, none of it made much sense to me and I got bored. This time however, as a business owner and entrepeneur, it really resonated with me. The book asks you questions and then, as if it knows your exact response, picks apart your answer and completely changes your mindset.
The book discusses a lot of common practices in business, but in a way that makes you really think about how to incorporate them. First explaining the transition from industrial revolution to the entrepeneur revolution and then expoloring the changes that need to be made in order to succeed in this new era.
I was completely hooked and finished the book in under 12 hours, highlighting as I went, before passing it onto someone else.
Top Quotes
"Having a network builds your net worth more than almost anything else"
"Your clients need you to look after them better than you said you would"
"If you focus on creating success for your clients, they will go out and tell the world."
"If you care about your clients, listen to them, talk to them, share experiences with them. Treat them like you would treat a friend and you will find your business is booming."
Brad Burton 'Life. Business. Just got easier'
This was the first Brad Burton book I read, but I soon went on to purchase more. If you aren't sure about business books because you're worried you wont understand them or will find them boring, read Brad Burton. He explains everything simply in a way that makes you instantly understand what he's talking about. Reading his work is like having a conversation with a friend in the local pub, straight to the point, no nonsense and very honest.
Top Quotes
"If you're doing something you don't enjoy, the liklihood is you are going to suck at it."
"Work 100% when you feel 100% in work mode and if you can't be arsed, go relax."
"Agree to things and see where they take you."
"Ignoring the small details of your business can send BIG messages."
Paul Arden 'It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be'
This book is a very fast read, perfect for a train journey. As a businessman, Paul Arden was a creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi and wrote many books on motivation and advertising. He said himself he couldn't write but used this book as a way of noting everything he had learnt about advertising. With over a million copies sold, I'd recommend this books to small businesses wanting to learn more about the world of advertising in a fast, concise manner.
Top Quotes
"You need to aim beyond what you are capable of"
"Find out what's right about your product or service and then dramatize it"
"Show him what he wants first, he is then relaxed and is prepared to look at what you want to sell him.”
Laszlo Block: 'Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead'
There were chapters of this book I really loved, chapters I found super interesting and then a couple of chapters I just couldn't relate to but I would still recommend it to business owners (especially those with employees). The book is written by head of Google's people operations and is essentially an account of what Google has done right and wrong over the years, what works for them and what really hasn't. There's chapters on building a culture, hiring, performance management, paying wages, getting the most out of your team and for when mistakes are made. I would say the chapters I couldn't relate to, so those about hiring and firing, were still interesting just didn't grab me as much, whereas those on building work ethic, tests that showed how to get the best performance etc. were all really inspiring and gave a great insight into working at Google.
Top Quotes
"The joy of money is fleeting, but memories last forever"
"People are happy when you give them what they ask for. People are delighted when you anticipate what they didn't think to ask for"
"One of the serendipitous benefits of transparency is that simply by sharing data, performance improves"
"Having workers meet the people they are helping is the greatest motivator"
"The most powerful movements in history have had moral motivations"
"You must first choose whether you want to be a founder or an employee. It's not a question of literal ownership. It's a question of attitude"
