While I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions, I do like to harness the motivation I have at the beginning of the year. With everyone talking about fresh starts, their juice diet, and how much they sweat today, I do feel a little interested in making changes. While I’m not planning to commit to some crazy regiment of a kale cleanse, I do want some new input.
I’m a firm believer in learning from others. Books allow us to expose ourselves to new ideas, conversations, and attitudes. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received came from authors I’ve never met in person.
As you dive in to 2013, let me share with you some books that have greatly influenced me and the way I think about business.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
A great read about the importance of finding your place in the world of small business. The first time I read this, I shuddered at the idea that I should think of my business as a franchise… afterall, I was an artist! But after years of starting from scratch every time I opened a new account, I realized he was right and I needed systems.
The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore
I started thinking about the experience I was selling, rather than the tangible product after reading this book. For someone in the service industry, it really helped me focus on creating consistency in my company.
Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, Founders of 37Signals
This is sort of an anti-business-book business book. They have some bold ideas that can challenge you as you develop plans for how to shape your business and culture.
I’ve recently started a subscription to Audiobooks.com; I love the unlimited listening model. Right now, I’m into Nudge: Improving Your Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (because I’ve recently become a little obsessed with behavioral economics). I’m finding audio books to be a great way to engage with new ideas. I can listen while I’m doing something else but pause and replay to let concepts really sink in.
I’m also currently reading Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown for the ThinkSplendid.com Book Club. There is still time for you to join that conversation. I’m only a chapter and a half in and I’m already hooked. Liene’s book club is also a fantastic way to engage with others in the event industry who are facing the same challenges you are as you forge ahead in your rental business.
Happy reading!
