So this is something that I've been meaning to do for a while. I've been reading business titles every since I found this forum (March 2014) and read TMF . And it usually comes to pass that when I'm looking for new titles to read/listen to (because I do a lot of driving for work), I still struggle to find books that will be good for me.
Anyway, here are (most of) the books that I have read over the last year.
I am only covering books that I have read & can intelligently comment on.
EDIT: Now ranked in some approximation of what I believe is their biggest value.
I cover what I thought about each, format (audio/paper/digital), target audience, how useful it was to me, and whether I have (or would) re-read it
Starred (**) titles are those that I would recommend to those wishing to get started on their own Escape From the Rat Race.
Each will be filled in as time allows.
Caveat Emptor!
1. (**) The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco.
2. (**) Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson
6. Ca$hvertising, by Drew Eric Whitman
7. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki
8. Scientific Advertising, by Claude Hopkins
9. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, by Weinberg and Mares
10. Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life, by Chin-Ning Chu.
11. The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands, by Kapferer & Bastien.
12. Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products, by Eyal & Hoover.
13. The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries
14. SPIN Selling, by Neil Rackham
15. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, by Ries & Trout
16. The 4 Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris.
17. Driven, How to Succeed in Business and in Life, by Robert Herjavec
18. Little Red Book of Selling, by Jeffrey Gitomer
19. Becoming Agile in an Imperfect World, by Smith & Sidky
20. The Founder's Dilemma, by Noam Wasserman
21. The Bigger Pockets Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing, by the BP Team.
Anyway, here are (most of) the books that I have read over the last year.
I am only covering books that I have read & can intelligently comment on.
EDIT: Now ranked in some approximation of what I believe is their biggest value.
I cover what I thought about each, format (audio/paper/digital), target audience, how useful it was to me, and whether I have (or would) re-read it
Starred (**) titles are those that I would recommend to those wishing to get started on their own Escape From the Rat Race.
Each will be filled in as time allows.
Caveat Emptor!
1. (**) The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco.
- Brief Summary: You don't know what you don't know. You've been lied to for your entire life by gurus preaching the Work/Invest/Retirement mantra.
- My capsule review: Obviously, for me, this was the book that started it all. I had been flailing about in the Dave Ramsey world of self-abnegation and "maybe start a little business someday" world of lowered expectations. Then I read this book, learned CENTS (or CENTS) and it totally changed the way that I look at the world. Business went from "useful but probably a necessary evil" to "the only practical way to look at getting ahead in life, and a positive one to boot." It changed my life, my wife's and my family's lives and all of our perspectives. It's given us hope!
- Target Audience: Budding entrepreneurs, business owners who are struggling to succeed, and probably just about any company under $100MM.
- Format: Paperback
- Utility: Extremely useful. Dog-eared, highlighted, and bookmarked.
- Re-read?: Yes, multiple times
2. (**) Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson
- Brief Summary: Get ready. Launch your business. Readjust later.
- My capsule review: Fantastic read and one initially recommended by @Kak (whose progress thread alone is reason enough to get an INSIDERS's subscription). In brief, the book does away with the idea that you have to achieve pre-launch perfection before getting your first sale. Nothing matters until you get your first sale, which is the market telling what it believes about your offer. In that vein, you want to get your product ready enough to sell, get those sales, and then work on refining it. The book is broken down into FOUR sections: $0-1MM, $1MM-10MM, $10MM-50MM, and $50MM+ with strategies applicable to each stage.
- Target Audience: Entrepreneurs at every stage of the game
- Format: Hardback/Audiobook (both excellent)
- Utility: Extremely useful. Multiple listens. Hardback is also dog-eared, highlighted, and bookmarked.
- Re-read?: Yes, multiple times
- Brief Summary: Failing is a way of life. You are a moist, programmable robot and can change yourself by visualization & will. Smart people have systemsto help them succeed.
- My capsule review: Okay, I'll be honest and say that I did not expect this to be all that useful. I mean, as Adams says himself, "Be very careful about any advice that you get from a cartoonist." Yet the book is quite approachable and filled with nuggets of actionable information. The stuff about reprogramming yourself is a variation of Psychocybernetics (which I'm currently listening to) but very relevant. Adams hits hard on the importance of SYSTEMS (of thought, habit, and work) to enabling success.
- Target Audience: Mindset and motivation. Primarily early entrepreneurs
- Format: Audiobook (excellent narration)
- Utility: Pretty useful. Multiple listens. Probably not as useful to someone at the later stages of their journey. But useful to me and has led to some habit changing moves for me.
- Re-read?: Yes, multiple times
- Brief Summary: Nowadays, the best companies engender success by creating customer communities, fanatic customer service, and in so doing their customers become their best marketing resource. They do so by being truly customer focused from within and from the beginning.
- My capsule review: I LOVE this book. Love it! It speaks to the real reason that I'm going into business: to provide real value. The authors go into detailed profiles of the Dallas Mavericks (Cuban), Southwest Airlines, Krispy Kreme Donuts, etc.
- Target Audience: All Entrepreneurs.
- Format: Paperback
- Utility: Pretty useful as a mindset changer. Lots of actionable steps and ideas. I came away from reading this with multiple ideas and have begun implementing them in my own business.
- Re-read?: Yes, Twice
6. Ca$hvertising, by Drew Eric Whitman
7. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki
8. Scientific Advertising, by Claude Hopkins
9. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, by Weinberg and Mares
10. Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life, by Chin-Ning Chu.
11. The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands, by Kapferer & Bastien.
12. Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products, by Eyal & Hoover.
13. The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries
14. SPIN Selling, by Neil Rackham
15. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, by Ries & Trout
16. The 4 Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris.
17. Driven, How to Succeed in Business and in Life, by Robert Herjavec
18. Little Red Book of Selling, by Jeffrey Gitomer
19. Becoming Agile in an Imperfect World, by Smith & Sidky
20. The Founder's Dilemma, by Noam Wasserman
21. The Bigger Pockets Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing, by the BP Team.
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