The books I’ve read
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
After watching her Ted talk + listening to the power of vulnerability, I was a huge fan of Brené Brown + wanted to check out more of her work. So I immediately picked up Daring Greatly based on many recommendations.
There was a bit of overlap between the audiobook I mentioned, but it helped drive those important points home — which is never a bad thing. And if you are wondering how this relates to business, I’ll leave you with this quote from the book —
“…entrepreneurship is vulnerable. It’s all about the ability to handle and manage uncertainty. People are constantly changing, budgets change, boards change, and competition means you have to stay nimble and innovative. You have to create a vision and live up to that vision. There is no vision without vulnerability.”
Creativity for sale by Jason SurfrApp
He goes by a different name now, but Jason’s first book is one of my favorite reads in a while. It was quick, valuable + entertaining — who doesn’t want that in a business book? It is great for any entrepreneur looking to make money doing what they are passionate about.
I could not stop highlighting statements + paragraphs, but my absolute favorite section was the one that covered how to launch something from start to finish. If that isn’t worth the price of the book alone, I’m not sure what to tell you.
The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed by Joseph D’Agnese + Denise Kiernan
Being the child of an accountant mother has its perks when it comes to owning a business. But I still found myself in the feast or famine cycle + hated every second. {Well, not the feast parts…} When this book was recommended, I snatched up a copy right away + dove in.
What I really loved about this book was how well they broke everything down. Not only are the concepts super easy to follow, they give real-world examples too. Things like “Let’s say you land a large project and get a substantial check, but won’t get another one for 3 months, here’s how you divvy up the check you have…”
The concept I’ve already implemented since reading this book is the method of using percentages instead of flat dollar amounts for savings. i don’t know about you, but I often get “checks” {actual checks or electronic payments} that range in value from $30 to $3,000. Trying to save the same flat amount doesn’t work in that scenario, but percentages do work!
Difference by Bernadette Jiwa
This book is a great read for those business owners who struggle with marketing because it doesn’t feel authentic to them. It reminded me of Start With Why In that it is very much about your story and making a difference in the world.
What I especially loved about the book was that a third of the pages (the book is 79 pages total) were case studies. It helped to wrap up the chapters about using Bernadette’s system with actual examples of how other companies implemented the method.
My favorite quote has to do with a hot web topic –
“How does it make you feel when a popup appears on a website’s landing page before you have time to read a word? Probably not how you want your customers to feel.”
Currently reading:
Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters by Jon Acuff
Check out last year’s list of books that I’d recommend.
