Must Read Business Books

Zenobia is fantastic! The book engages the reading with a tale of one woman's crusade to simply find a room within a dark corporate labyrinth of unaffected and unmotivated employees, layers of bureaucracy, divisions residing within uncommunicative silos, and a culture of avoiding change of any sort. In a fun story-based plot line, Emmens manages to provide real insights and actionable success drivers. From a personal standpoint, the book highlighted how enthusiasm and action can be powerful drivers to change even the most staid corporate environment. I am handing the book out to my department leaders, and I say with conviction reading Zenobia will have an impact on both your business - and your life.

Zenobia sounds great! I just finished another really good business book, The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann . It has a similar story-based theme, and is a definite must-read if you want to transform your business and your life.

Hey guys, I recently got tickets to the Montel Show in NY. He was talking about how to be successful and had a few guests on who made millions out of nothing. There was this one guy named Ephren Taylor. He made a million dollars when he was 12 or something like that. The guy gave away $25,000 on the show to some charity with kids and I was thinking Wow!, why couldn?t that be me. Anyway he wrote this book, Creating Success From The Inside Out and I got a copy by being in the audience. I have to tell you I feel like he gave me a million bucks. This book is wicked, they don?t teach you these things in school. The book is like a best seller or something. Here?s the Amazon link Amazon link to Buy Creating Success from Inside Out (http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Success-Inside-Out-Strategy/dp/0470177136/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195279960&sr=8-1 ), and his website is www.createthesuccess.com CREATING SUCCESS FROM THE INSIDE OUT isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, but honest insight into what it takes to get ahead. Ephren believes that every person has what it takes to succeed, if they can find the inspiration and creativity to think about success in the proper way (he needs to talk to my mom). He taught me that it's not what I wear, what I read, or where I go to school that determines my success, but how they think. I learned how to avoid the ?success-killers of life?, and my own fears and excuses, and how to succeed in business and life by: ? Taking responsibility for my own life ? Saving, investing, and raising capital ? Overcoming obstacles ? Getting past fear ? Moving past excuses ? Finding motivation and mentors ? Developing focus and creativity ? Working faster and smarter If you?ve ever thought about being successful at anything you?ve got to read this book. Also, the Montel Show?s on this week so don?t miss it.

Nettie, I learned about Augie's Quest when I donated my time as a fundraising auctioneer for a nation-wide Club Corp event, raising money for four causes, including Augie's Quest. The local MDA sent me his book when they sent me a thank you note, and I am in the midst of reading it. It is so far, a fantastic read. Many of us take our health for granted. I am honored to be a part of the push for a cure for ALS and will drop a note once I finish the book. Lori Richardson All Business Sales Coach ...

Having a vision and courage are indeed important. I am finding that as a small business owner, budget is also a concern. I have recently come across a new video business directory that is free. It is www.MeetMyBiz.tv The site has just recently launched. I am among the first to join this directory. It seems to be fairly comprehensive for the everyday business owner. I mention it here because it already has attracted some authors marketing their books. I am hoping it will be a good networking opportunity that will mesh connecting with other business people and growing my business.

Hi, Should you want to register a South African Close Corporation/company, please visit http://www.registernewcc.co.za and we will gladly assist. And we will even iclude a website. For website information you can visit: http://www.helewix.co.za Regards, Hendrik Wiese ...

I like the recommendation about Gary Nelson. Anyone who sees businesses as a type of family structure gets a plus in my book! I'll go check it out.

I agree. I read GTD one year ago and it's made a big difference in my productivity. But for those of you in sales or other people positions, remember that this book is about getting "things" done. Be careful that you don't become so task focused that you damage your relationships with others.

Nettie, I agree that this is one of the best books a business owner (or anyone) should read if they want to get more things done and better manage the hours in the day. David Allen shares some very simple, very usable ideas in HOW to do it, not just what you should do. I recommend his book to all of my clients, and also highly recommend attending a seminar if one comes your way - it was clearly one of the best days I've spent, and goes over all of the basics to feel better, and that you are working on what is important. Lori Richardson www.scoremoresales.com ...

I need to buy this book ,please advice.

This is a "must read" for anyone in sales who wants to be a consultative seller and earn more business. I've followed Michael's website for more than a year, and am thrilled that his book is out. Every smart sales leader should buy this for their team.

Hi Lori, Thank you for the great post! Nettie ...

It's a good book but most of it covers the nuts and bolts of TypePad, one particular piece of blogging software. I use TypePad and find the book usefyl, but quite honestly if I used one of the many other blogging solutions most of this book would be useless!

If you haven't read The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, don't wait any longer. The book may scare you, as it turns supply and demand economics on its head and makes us look at the way we do business in a brand new way. But it should also excite you, as Long Tail economics opens a new window for both producers and consumers. Anderson is the editor in chief of Wired Magazine, who shows us "what happens when everything in the world becomes available to everyone." He discusses the impact and shows us the economics of how the many millions of niches we businesses once ignored can now make up more opportunity for consumers and businesses. These niches reside at the tail-end of "hits," those products that sell to the masses. In today's wired world, Anderson shows us that those tiny niches that we traditionally believe are insignificant sales that cost too much to reach can, and do for businesses such as Amazon.com, make up a significant sales quotient within a business's inventory. In short, the new economics of The Long Tail cannot be ignored. This is a must read.

I think this is a great idea for a blog. It's always good to see what other people are reading. Something I think would be interesting would be to start a conversation about how people retain and use the things they find in books. Take notes? Highlight? What do you do with the information when you've finished reading? I think it'd be interesting to get others' takes on it!

When you say: "Some organizations resist because they don't want to "give away secrets to the competition." Guess what? You competitors already know about your company. " This is a good insight for companies to understand. Customers talk, whether its a consumer or another business. They will let other know what it's like doing business with you and what it entails. It's not knowing what you do that can hurt you, it's your execution that matters. That is something that can't be copied.

There is a great book called The Money Machine by Dwayne Esterline that shows how to drastically cut costs is a company. His book explains how to show employees the importance of saving money, and how to cut costs without cutting back on workers. It really made me understand exactly how much money gets wasted just because no one is directly accountable for the spending. They sell it on Amazon.com, it's great for managers or business owners to read, or anyone who wants to learn more about saving money in their business.

Hi Stephanie, Thanks for the suggestion! I'll hunt it up and try to feature it in a book roundup. It sounds like a good one! Thank you for reading and posting! Nettie ...