This is first book I read as an agency owner and it opened my eyes to the real structure of a functioning agency. Written by my friend and mentor Troy Korsgaden, he gives you timeless advice on how to build your team, and how to give an unparalleled customer experience. A great follow-up, is another book by Troy- Inflection Points
Being a supervisor is very challenging. This book opened will open your eyes to see your job as a supervisor is more than just getting the best out of your employees at work. It is your job to get the most out of them as people and help them along their life journey.
This book teaches a specific strategy to help people achieve a tax free retirement. The cornerstone of this strategy is using a product that you sell. Permanent life insurance. This book will take you a Sat. afternoon to read and may change the course of your business.
The Emyth is another book I read in my first year. It set the table for me on what it means to be a business owner. It taught me to double down on my strengths and surround myself with people who are better than me, at my weaknesses. It also describes the different types of entrepreneurs, helps you identify which one you are, and gives you a roadmap based on where you land.
This book is written by Jocko Willink, one of the toughest bravest men I have come across. He takes the lessons he learned as a Navy Seal, and from the theatre of way, and brings them into the board room. Jocko teaches top to bottom ownership of your organization. How to own your mistakes. How to be a better leader and manager by being humble. How to train by learning how your people want to be trained. It’s a very rich read and worth rereading when your self-talk gets ugly.
Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success
Written by one of my favorite business leaders, Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary teaches and preaches building a business by being a good person. He wants you to be happy, he wants you to own your mistakes, be humble, generous and not worry about what others think of you throughout your journey. Each chapter covers a virtue that he wants to be the building blocks of your life. Gratitude, Self-Awareness, Accountability, Optimism, Empathy, Kindness, Tenacity, Curiosity, Patience, Conviction, Humility, Ambition, and Kind Candor.
This book taught me how much I can get done in one hour. It teaches a simple habit, that will allow you to get more done than you thought possible. The Power of an Hour gives you the blueprint for making those changes, one at a time. Unlike most books that are too focused on one particular aspect of life, this holistic guide offers practical, everyday actions you can use to supercharge your personal and business development.
Building the right habits is one the most important things to learn or you will drown. Something like 70% of what we do everyday, is automatic. If you build the right habits, your job and your life will become easier and more enjoyable.
The enemy to productivty, is distraction. There are so many ways to be distracted in the 21st centruy it is overwhelming. You have to be disciplined and focused. This book puts some important things into perspective. Also check out Cal’s other book Deep Work.
A different time management book. Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and “life hacks” to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse.
I love technology for my business and try to be an early adopter when it comes to using tech in my agency. The book gives you everything you need to learn how to send video emails for prospecting, marketing and customer service. This strategey has transformed the way I comminicatin in my agency. Also check out Human Centered Communication. This book explains how to cut through all of the digital clutter we recieve on a day to day basis.
Stop giving Starbucks gift cards as thank yous. Up you game! This is a short read that you can finish in 90 minutes. How to give great thoughtfull gifts to prospects, referral sources and clients.
A book written by my favorite entrepreneur of all time. Just read it.
This book I would put on my motivational shelf. It’s one of my favorite feel-good reads. McConaughey’s book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did – and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand.
Written by Chip Gaines from Fixer Upper fame. I really enjoyed this book because Chip built his businesses in a similar fashion than I have built mine. By trying to do the right thing. By building meaningful relationships. By trusting others. By giving to others.
Being a business owner has allowed me to flex my creative muscles. I love creating content, but it takes a real commitment. The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat “resistance”; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone’s butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal.
Sales is hard and I wanted every advantage I could learn. This book gives you 22 psychologically proven phrases to move a “no” to a “maybe” and a “maybe” to a “yes” Often the decision between a customer choosing you over someone like you is your ability to know exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to make it count.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a wild movie. This book is written by the guy who lived it. It’s about persuasion and using it for good. Every technique, every strategy, and every tip has been tested and proven to work in real-life situations.
Written in his own inimitable voice, Way of the Wolf cracks the code on how to persuade anyone to do anything, and coaches readers—regardless of age, education, or skill level—to be a master sales person, negotiator, closer, entrepreneur, or speaker.
This book has been vital to not just my creative growth, but my overall growth as a human. It helps me become more confident in what I put out into the world. It helps me really find my voice and speak with confidence. This booked helps me, give me the authority, to be myself.
The Creative Act. A Way of Being
Creativity isn’t just about painting a picture or writing a song. Being an artist isn’t just for those who dance or sculpt or draw. You are an artist. You are creative in the way you are building your business, raising your family, and putting things out into the world. This book will help you understand all, of that as well as give you permission to do so on your terms.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
A classic on how to be a good human and in turn, a wonderful business owner. Not recommended reading. Essential reading.
Once I learned what this book was teaching, it changed my career. If you can learn to give, without expecting anything in return, a few things happen. 1. You feel great because you helped someone. 2. The human need for reciprocation is real and your relationships with those around you strenghten.
How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don’t.
An incredible success story written by Tony Hseih, founder of Zappos. He explains why Zappos’s number-one priority is company culture and his belief that once you get the culture right, everything else – great customer service, long-term branding – will happen on its own.
