George Clason/Dave Ramsey The Richest Man in Babylon
Who Should Read this?
Anyone who is looking to enhance their personal and/or business financial strategy would benefit from reading this book
Recommend?
Absolutely, this was one of my favorite reads of all time. It's written as numerous short stories that keep you interested and give actionable lessons. Although Babylon is an ancient city, the financial principles they practiced still apply and can be very helpful today. Heard about this one from Thach Nguyen (great IG follow-great at real estate rentals/flipping)
Takeaways:
70/20/10: 70% of pay goes to living expenses/enjoyment, 20% to debts, 10% to savings
It's important to own assets and pay yourself
It's important to live within your means, but if you don't, it's never too late to get back on track
Taking shortcuts and just thinking you deserve everything doesn't work. Enduring hard work and taking calculated risks are a sure bet
Seek advice from elders, and those experienced in areas you are looking to invest
Rick Ross-The Perfect Day to Boss Up
Who Should Read this?
If you like Hip Hop or Rick Ross, and pride yourself on working hard, you'll enjoy this book. Rick Ross is an unbelievable businessman
Recommend?
Yes. Rick Ross is a workaholic. For anyone who enjoys the grind and the rewards it brings, you'll appreciate Rozay's story and mentality
Takeaways:
There are opportunities everywhere, you can take them or you can be lazy
It's important to take a step back every now and then
It's important to set goals and not procrastinate
Success isn't going to come right away, you need to make sacrifices
Get financially smart
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." -Thomas Edison
Don't let emotions get the best of you
You must continually learn
Actions>
Learn from your mistakes
Mike Michalowicz-The Pumpkin Plan
Who Should Read this?
CEO's, Business Executives, Anyone who manages clients
Recommend?
Yes for sure. And shout out to my friend Sam Sontag for recommending this one to me
Takeaways:
Get rid of clients who waste your time and energy, especially if it's for little in return
If you put all of the energy into good clients, they can grow bigger and bigger
Lots of revenue but barely scraping by with minimal or no profits is not sustainable
Leverage what you're best at
Dominate 1 of the following 3: Quality, Price, or Convenience
How to fire clients: Eliminate services, prioritize the best clients, raise prices, and tell them an agreement with a larger provider is requiring to terminate for conflict of interest
Underpromise and over-deliver
"We're just one project away" if you're saying that, you need to make changes
Donald Miller/Dr. J.J. Peterson-Marketing Made Simple
Who Should Read this?
Anyone involved in marketing. CMO's, SEO's, Marketing Directors, Analysts, etc
Recommend?
Yes, and thank you for the recommendation, Michelle! Also you can become StoryBrand certified. These guys have developed a great process that works. This one didn't really flow for me and I disagreed with some minor items, but I still learned a lot.
Takeaways:
You need to have a clear message, one-liner about what you do, a quality website/landing pages, lead generator PDF, email subscriber building, and marketing campaigns---The 5 step marketing plan
Your customers should think of you as a friend that helps them solve problems and survive
Don't tell, invite
Marketing is an exercise in memorization
Using the right words/verbiage is critical. Be clear
People judge quickly, a website needs to grab attention immediately
Obsess over customer success
Email marketing and executing the 5 step plan full circle is powerful
Mike Weinberg-New Sales Simplified
Who Should Read this?
Salespeople or executives looking to improve the sales process
Recommend?
Yes. Well written, funny, but straightforward with a lot of great tips. The guy knows what he's talking about
Takeaways:
You must be proactive
Sales=solutions to problems/needs
"Sales is a verb"
More activity=more success
Targeted and narrow focus wins
Adapt to the buyer
Prepare so you can be confident
Always continue to learn
Select targets, deploy weapons, execute and attack
Prioritize based on value
You must be excited/exciting
Must make it easy for prospects to understand your offering
so much more
Greg Crabtree-Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits
Who Should Read this?
Business executives trying to make a strong push for growth and profit
Recommend?
Yes. This book helped me get me back into reading and inspired me with work. Thanks again to Michelle for the recommendation!
Takeaways:
There will always be employee and customer headaches-if you're prepared for them transitions will be easier
$1M-$5M (in revenue) "Black Hole"-Get through it and you'll win
Revenue is for show, profit is for dough
Hiring the wrong people is expensive, take the time to hire with confidence
Employees must be profitable, sometimes you have to make hard cuts
Have a good accounting/tax system
No debt
Invest some of your profits