I have a list of business books that keeps getting longer and I wanted to share a bit about some of my favourite business books with you. For each I’ve explained what the book is and who I think might benefit from it and why. As I find more books that I love I will add them to this list.
A couple of quick notes:
1) I don’t read business books; I listen to them as audio books. I learned a few years ago to stop forcing myself to read business books (because that’s what all other successful business owners seemed to be doing!) since I just couldn’t get myself to focus on them. Instead I listen to audio books when I’m driving, cleaning and exercising. It’s a great way for me to truly focus on the content. So, always pick the way to ingest content that works best for YOU.
2) Where possible I’ve included affiliate links. Feel free to grab the books elsewhere, but I figured if I’m sharing the links and it’s just as easy for you to grab the books from those, I’ll make them affiliate links. :)
3) I don’t always finish a business book right away, but there are still a lot of great lessons and I come back to them and slowly work my way through them. Don’t beat yourself up if you need to do the same thing. Make sure you have a sense for why you’re reading a book and investing time into it before you start reading it – it will really help you stay on track.
Everything is Figureoutable
Book description:
While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo works to retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of challenge.
”If you're having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn't you. It's that you haven't yet installed the one belief that changes everything.”
Why I like it
Things often seen insurmountable but most of the time they absolutely are figureoutable. I like how Marie Forleo gives you lots of ways to think about things so you can start seeing how things are figureoutable in your own life and business.
Who is this for?
Business owners who feel like many hurdles keep popping up and they’re not sure how to handle it all.
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2GdF7x0
Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck
Book description:
You already have everything you need for an amazing career. In fact, you’ve had it since day one.
Starting on the first day you got paid to scoop ice cream or restock shelves, you’ve had the chance to develop the four elements all great careers have in common: relationships, skills, character, and hustle. You already have each of those, to one degree or another.
Now it’s time to amplify them and apply them in a new way, creating a Career Savings Account™. This unique approach will give you the power to call a Do Over—whether you’re twenty-two, forty-two, or sixty-two. You’ll have the resources to reinvent your work and get unstuck. You’ll even rescue your Mondays as you discover how to work toward the job you’ve always wanted!
Why I like it
Sometimes we need a do over in life, sometimes we need a pivot, a change or an updated. Jon Acuff is amazing at coming up with simple stories and tasks to remind us of all we have available to us when we're ready for change - the support network, the skills, and all the things we think aren't there but actually are.
This book may seem like it's about changing your career but I think it's just as much about up-levelling your business.
Who is this for?
Anyone looking to up level their current business or change their career.
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2n8U35M
Thank and Grow Rich
Book description:
Thank & Grow Rich is for anyone interested in hooking up with the magnanimous energy field of the cosmos. Author Pam Grout, who likes to call herself the Warren Buffet of Happiness, says it all starts with getting on the frequency of joy and gratitude. Thanking (rather than thinking) puts us on an energetic frequency—a vibration—that calls in miracles. Science has proven that when we observe the world from a place of gratitude, when we use our attention to spot beauty and gaze at wonder, we develop the capacity to radically rev up our day-to-day experience. Brazen gratitude, it seems, provides a portal—an entry point—straight into the heart of the field of infinite possibilities described in Grout’s bestseller E-Squared. This book also offers an updated perspective on abundance, which goes way beyond financial capital. It shows readers how to grow and expand their creative capital, their social capital, their spiritual capital, and much, much more!
Why I like it
I'm all about gratitude in my life and business right now and this book is an amazing reminder to appreciate what we have, be thankful for all that is going well, and to put our brains and hearts and selves on the frequency of receiving.
This is a book about the law of attraction, miracles, and tuning in to the possibilities of the universe. Definitely higher on the "woo woo" scale than most of my recommendations, but I think you're going to be seeing a lot more of that from me moving forward.
Who is this for?
This is for you if you're looking to feel more connected to your business, to all that you do and to letting more good and abundance flow to you.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.ca/Thank-Grow-Rich-Experiment-Shameless/dp/1401949843
The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate
Book description:
In THE MYTH OF THE NICE GIRL, Fran Hauser deconstructs the negative perception of niceness" that many women struggle with in the business world. If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective, but if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch.
Why I like it
I was excited to read this book because this is something I have struggled with. I often feel that all the steps to success given to women are done so that they should be more like men. That women can't be respected if they're too nice; that they can't get ahead if they don't have a more of a cut throat attitude.
While this book didn't have tons of new information for me, it was really nice to have my feelings on this reinforced by a very successful woman (and other women she knows). You can be kind and nice and still get ahead. That doesn't mean you can't be aware of how to make sure you're being compensated fairly and it doesn't mean that you don't still have to be a good boss (a good boss isn't always happy with everything and asks a lot of their employees). You still need to do those things, but you CAN do it while feeling good about yourself and not feeling like you have to be harsher and gruffer and not show that you care about people (and this is the messaging I feel is more prevalent out there).
Who is this for?
Ambitious women who want to succeed without losing themselves in the process.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Nice-Girl-Achieving-Becoming/dp/1328832953
Audible link: https://www.audible.ca/pd/Business-Money/The-Myth-of-the-Nice-Girl-Audiobook
It Starts with Why
Book description:
START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way -- and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
Why I like it
As a coach, I’m regularly asking people WHY they do what they do. It’s a question my coach asks me many times, and to be honest, one I struggle with.
This book goes into figuring out the why in you that helps you stay interested and motivated; the why in you that ties your life together. The why that helps you understand what opportunities you should take and which ones you should skip in your business.
Simon Sinek has a great TedX talk that is a good primer for the book.
Who is this for?
If you haven’t gotten clarity on what your purpose is, who your ideal client is, or how you’re going to decide what comes next in your business, this book can help you start to figure that out.
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2hCGSu8
Audible: http://amzn.to/2znItYE
Finish
Book description
According to studies, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. You’ve practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals.
For years, I thought my problem was that I didn’t try hard enough. So I started getting up earlier. I drank enough energy drinks to kill a horse. I hired a life coach and ate more superfoods. Nothing worked, although I did develop a pretty nice eyelid tremor from all the caffeine. It was like my eye was waving at you, very, very quickly.
Then, while leading a thirty-day online course to help people work on their goals, I learned something surprising: The most effective exercises were not those that pushed people to work harder. The ones that got people to the finish line did just the opposite— they took the pressure off.
Why? Because the sneakiest obstacle to meeting your goals is not laziness, but perfectionism. We’re our own worst critics, and if it looks like we’re not going to do something right, we prefer not to do it at all. That’s why we’re most likely to quit on day two, “the day after perfect”—when our results almost always underperform our aspirations.
Why I like IT
If you've ever beaten yourself up about not finishing something you started....
If you've ever created all kinds of reasons to put off starting something until you've done a long list of other important things...
If you've ever given up on something because you can see how you're never going to get it right anyways...
Then you might also want to read a book I just finished :)
First, let me tell you that while I try to read a lot of business books, I have a hard time with them. I don't have a lot of extra time to listen to audio books and I don't have the capacity to sit down and read them on paper.
So when I finished this entire audio book in 3 days the irony that it was a book on Finishing didn't escape me :)
Finish by Jon Acuff hits you right in your perfectionist tendencies and makes you realize that you may need to let go of your desire to do it all, so that you can actually start accomplishing more.
Plus he does it while being funny, which is my favourite.
Who is this book for?
If you've been struggling with getting started on projects, or finishing them, I highly recommend this book.
And if you, like me, struggle with reading paper versions of self help books, check out Audible. It's made me the biggest difference for me, and Acuff touches on why that might even feel like cheating in this book, when it really isn't :)
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2xSPVKd
Audible link: http://amzn.to/2znItYE
Confidence Code
Book description:
Working women today are better educated and more well qualified than ever before. Yet men still predominate in the corporate world. In The Confidence Code, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay argue that the key reason is confidence.
Combining cutting-edge research in genetics, gender, behavior, and cognition—with examples from their own lives and those of other successful women in politics, media, and business—Kay and Shipman go beyond admonishing women to "lean in."Instead, they offer the inspiration and practical advice women need to close the gap and achieve the careers they want and deserve.
Why I like it
Whether you realize it or not, as a woman you may approach decisions and your life differently then men when it comes to confidence. I really enjoyed this book because it made me understand how women deal with confidence and gave me tips and ideas on how I can make changes to increase my confidence.
Who is this BOOK for?
If you struggle with sales, with negotiations, with making yourself heard, with reaching out to new people or any of the main things I hear small business owners struggle with, I encourage you to read this book and see where you can start making small changes that can have a big impact in your business.
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2vxD2rY
Audible link: http://amzn.to/2znItYE
The E-myth Revisited
Book description:
An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the phenomenal bestseller dispels the myths about starting your own business. Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.
Why I like it
Most of us start our business because we’re good at a thing, as opposed to ‘good at business’. The thing is, we need to be good at business and not just the “thing” if we’re going to grow a successful business. This book helps you understand how to shift your mindset from one of doing the work, to one of running the business. One of the most important actions to take after that mindset shift is the creation of systems.
I fought against creating systems for a long time – mostly because my personality type isn’t one to refer back to systems, but for other clients I work with I see them resist because they feel like it’s silly to write down systems just for themselves when they know what and how to do things without one.
Systematizing your business is one of the best ways to make sure that your business stays on track and is set to grow.
Who is this BOOK for?
If you have visions of growing your business beyond just you, if you have visions of selling your business, if you know you’re going to be ready to start outsourcing soon or if you feel like you’re always overwhelmed and never have time to get all that you want to get done (or need to get done) done, then this book is great at explaining why you may need to shift your thinking and what steps to take to be poised for the next steps.
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2hDqjOO
The Big Leap
Book description:
Why I like it
The Big Leap was a game changer for me. It helped to identify where and how I was getting stuck in my business. There are times that I self-sabotage when things are going well and there are times that I self-sabotage before things are going well. Understanding that I’m doing this and looking for the solutions to stop myself from doing it was THE most important first step I took in seeing my business go from just okay to really taking off.
Who is this BOOK for?
Do you ever find yourself in a place where you feel stuck? You want more, but you never seem to be able to get it?
Or do you ever feel like things are going really well, but then they start to fall apart?
This book will help you identify where you’re getting stuck and why – and awareness is the first step to making changes.
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2wmKW56
Queen of Distraction
This is not a business book so I’m sneaking it in because it spoke to me personally.
Book description:
Do you rule the realm of disorganization, clutter, and chaos? Are you constantly battling to get things done? Are you ready to give up and toss your day planner into the dungeon (otherwise known as your closet)? If so, you might just be The Queen of Distraction . And whether or not you've been formally diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you probably already know that something's got to give. The Queen of Distraction presents practical skills to help women with ADHD achieve focus and balance in all areas of life, whether it's at home, at work, or in relationships.
Why I like it
I was diagnosed with ADHD close to the age of 40 and listening to this book really helped me to realize a couple of things.
1) A lot of the shame I feel around my inability to do certain things is self-created and really normal.
2) My brain works differently than other people’s brains – that doesn’t make it wrong, it just makes it different. Embracing other ways of doing things, the best way for YOUR brain, is key to decreasing frustration and finding success. Also, you just need to cut yourself some slack.
Who is this BOOK for?
If you find yourself feeling perpetually disorganized or suspect you might be a woman with ADHD, this book is great at helping you accept your differences and move forward to solutions. This book can help you move out of “this is how I SHOULD be doing things” to “this is the way I can do things.”
Amazon link: http://a.co/cN0m9Au