Successful Blog

The Book List: Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional and The Corner Office

by

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional’ by Dr. David Fraser

relationships-made-easy-for-the-business-professional

David Fraser gets it! The struggle out there is the projection of the struggle in here. We can’t begin to heal the world until we heal in here.
Stuart Hepburn, NLP Trainer

In addition to being a good ‘read through’ this book is great to dip into when searching for some insight into what may be holding you back – there is a wealth of great content to help increase personal effectiveness.
Ian Laird, Managing Director NiTech Solutions Ltd.

About the Book*:
The ability to relate to other people is the most critical skill a person can ever have – at work, at home or anywhere else – and strong people skills simply make everything else easier. With the right approach, developing relationship expertise is an easy route to success and one of the few reliable and enduring ways we can improve our lives. But we need to take the task seriously.

Drawing on practical psychology, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and other wisdom from various philosophies, as well as first-hand experience of organizational life, David Fraser, Ph.D. offers a systematic, practical and intelligent approach to achieving success with other people. Packed with real-life examples and tried-and-tested steps to take, this book is for business professionals who want to develop their interpersonal relationship skills as a key strength.

In his “very positive, helpful and enlightening” and ultimately “uplifting” book, the author sets out the 12 essential areas of interpersonal insight and growth: (1) Attention to others; (2) Attitude; (3) Self-control; (4) Tuning in to people; (5) Personality; (6) Connection; (7) Values – working with what matters; (8) Language; (9) Self-awareness; (10) Attention to yourself – clarifying what you really want; (11) Balance; and (12) Love – the power of care.

The author includes with honesty a flavor of his own learning journey, and in the words of his readers, the result is “accessible and relevant,” “simply fascinating stuff,” and “very easy and interesting to read.”

Here are a few summary points I would like to share with you from each step in the book:

~ Persuasion, assertiveness, and logic aren’t in themselves the answer.
~ We can have a systematic approach to relationship skills using NLP as the basis.
~ The meaning of any communication is indicated by the response it gets.
~ Listen mindfully for maximum attentiveness.
~ Our habitual choice of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and auditory-digital thinking affects our lives and our relationships much more than we probably realize.
~ We unconsciously filter the information we receive and have different preferences about what we filter for.
~ Remember: about seven percent of the meaning of what we say is conveyed in the words themselves. The rest of the message is in our voice and other non-verbal communication.
~ We delete, distort, and generalize information going from our own internal thoughts to what we actually say.
~ We project onto other people things about ourselves, good and bad, as they do on us

About David*:
Dr David Fraser has a track record of pioneering new approaches to old problems. He has delivered major projects for government and private sector clients in complex and challenging situations and set up a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He is a company director and Chartered Engineer with a First Class Honours degree and a PhD from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde University.

He is a qualified commercial mediator and a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner and has trained with leading proponents of these disciplines. David has taken a particular interest in the skills we use to relate to other people, continuing this study over a number of years and through the highs and lows of professional and personal life.

David applies his unusual blend of expertise as a project manager and facilitator to support disparate groups working together in complex circumstances, including major collaborative projects and matters of national importance. He has also found the approach set out in Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional to be extremely helpful in his home and family environment. David runs workshop and coaching programs for both organizations and individuals.

With his breadth of knowledge, an engineer’s talent for organizing systematic and reliable solutions, and an ability to write in an interesting, direct, and readable way, David is well positioned to address the age-old problem of how to build effective relationships with other people.
David lives with his wife and three children in Glasgow, Scotland.

You can order a copy of ‘Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon: ‘The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed’ by Adam Bryant.

‘The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed’ by Adam Bryant

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“The Corner Office is a modern management masterpiece. Adam Bryant distills and weaves together hundreds of gems from some of the most successful and intriguing executives on the planet. The result is one of the most delightful, readable, and useful business books I have read in years.”–Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, and bestselling author of Good Boss, Bad Boss

“Compelling advice for the aspiring executive.… The conversational format makes these valuable lessons easy to comprehend and digest, and readers are left with a new understanding of leadership–why it’s important, how these experts have worked to attain it, and how they can do the same.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Book
Bryant, deputy national editor of the New York Times and writer of the “Corner Office” feature in the paper’s Sunday Business section, offers compelling advice for the aspiring executive. With interviews with more than 75 CEOs and other top executives at companies of all sizes, he compiles insights on such questions as what does it take to lead an organization? what are the keys to achieving the highest levels of success? Business luminaries like the CEO of Disney, the COO of Qwest Communications, the CEO of Continental Airlines, a vice chairman at Wal-Mart, and the founder of Zappos speak thoughtfully about team creation, keeping the mission on target, management, employee relationships, the importance of feedback, and the creation of an efficient corporate culture. The conversational format makes these valuable lessons easy to comprehend and digest, and readers are left with a new understanding of leadership—why it’s important, how these experts have worked to attain it, and how they can do the same. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

About Adam*:
Adam Bryant, the deputy national editor of The New York Times, has been a journalist for more than two decades. He was a business reporter for The New York Times during the 1990s, covering a variety of industries and topics, including airlines, aviation safety, executive compensation and corporate governance. He joined Newsweek in 1999 as a senior writer, and was promoted to business editor. After six years at Newsweek, he returned to the Times as an editor in the business section, where he oversaw coverage of the collapse of the Detroit auto industry, among other stories.

Adam was the lead editor for two prize-winning series: “Driven to Distraction,” about the dangers of cellphone use behind the wheel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2010, and “Toxic Waters,” about water pollution, which won a number of awards.

In March 2009, Adam started the weekly “Corner Office” feature in the Times’ Sunday Business section, and it quickly attracted a large and loyal audience for its insights about leadership and management from prominent leaders. For his book, The Corner Office, Adam studied the transcripts from more than 70 interviews, and looked for patterns, broader themes and lessons. He wove together their candid and wise insights into a book that offers timeless advice on how to succeed, manage and lead.

Adam lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife and two daughters.

*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Corner Office’ at Amazon.

The Book List: Built to Sell and The Millionaire Messenger

by

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Built to Sell’ by John Warrillow

bts-3d

“John does a masterful job in Built to Sell of illuminating the qualities that business buyers look for in a company, and he does it in a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging manner.”
—Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants from the foreword

Covering every important aspect of the process, from attracting multiple bidders to getting the most for your business, this book easily explains what you must know and do if you want to create a business you can sell. “
—Steve Strauss, USA Today

Here are a few of the tips I enjoyed while reading this book and my take on the tip:

One of my favorite tips in the book is #5 – Avoid the Cash Suck. Once you’ve standardized your service, charge up front or use progress billing to create a positive cash flow cycle.
—>(Teresa’s Take) I think this is really good advice because as Warrillow illustrates in the parable with Alex’s business, many businesses have services offered and then choose to wait 30-60 days to get paid. Smart idea to create a way to build in a up front payable product or at least evaluate the payment options for clients and possible develop a billable option where there is money coming in up front and then billed on a monthly basis to produce the positive cash flow.

#6 also caught my eye- Don’t be afraid to say no to projects. Prove that you’re serious about specialization by turning down work that falls outside your area of expertise.
—>(Teresa’s Take) This reminds me of the message—Turn on your strengths and turn over your weaknesses. It will probably take you twice as long to do a project and the quality of the project may suffer, however, if you choose to focus on projects where you highlight your strengths, you shine and so does the project (and this will most likely lead to more referral business!).

About the Book*:

If you’re like most business owners, you started a company because you thought it would give you freedom—to do what you want, work on your own schedule, make the kind of money you deserve and eventually retire on the fruits of your labor.

Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, most owners find that stepping out of the picture is extremely difficult because they’ve built a business that relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, their company—no matter how big or profitable—is essentially worthless.

Luckily, there are steps you can take—no matter what stage your business is in—to create a valuable, sellable company that can grow and thrive without you.

To illustrate this, Warrillow introduces us to a fictional business owner named Alex, who is struggling to sell his company. No one bites because the business can’t run without him. For guidance, Alex turns to Ted, an entrepreneur and old family friend, who lays out an easy-to-follow plan that enables Alex to transform his business. The key is making sure that every product or service meets three criteria:

* Teachable: A built-to-sell business offers products and services that you can teach employees to do, or program technology to deliver, while you sleep
* Valuable: A built-to-sell business avoids price wars by specializing in doing one thing better than anyone else
* Repeatable: A built-to-sell business creates a stream of recurring revenue where customers have to re-purchase often

Like Alex, readers can apply these powerful strategies to realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

About John*:

Professionally, I’m a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and angel investor.

My goal with my writing is to help business owners build valuable—sellable—companies. Part of the reason I write is ego gratification—I like getting your emails and tweets; the other part is needing to feel that I’m making a contribution in some small way.

I’ve started four companies, the most recent of which was a research business I tried to sell in 2004 only to be told by an expert that it was too dependent on me personally. Learning that my business was unsellable was frustrating. First I denied it. Then I got angry. Finally, I set about remodeling the business into one that could thrive without me. After lots of trial and error, it started to take off, and we were acquired in 2008 by a publicly traded company. I learned a lot in those four years, and those lessons became the inspiration to start this blog.

I think the world needs more entrepreneurs. If I had to rely on anyone to get me off the side of a mountain, I’d want a creative, tenacious and tough-minded entrepreneur beside me. When I vote, I prefer candidates who have started a business. I believe entrepreneurs will be the ones to solve our biggest problems and bring the developing world the quality of life that Westerners enjoy, which is why I’ve created a team of Built to Sell readers who lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world through an organization called Kiva.

Most of the year, I live with my wife and kids in a town called Aix-en-Provence in southern France, where the climate enables year-round cycling and running, which is important to me because one day I’d like to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Until then, I will have to settle with being a middle-of-the-pack age-grouper in the few races I do each year.

You can pre order a copy of ‘Built to Sell’ online at Built to Sell Website. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘The Millionaire Messenger’.

‘The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“The expert industry has been shrouded in myth and mystery for far too long. Now Brendon Burchard, one of our most innovative and powerful leaders, reveals exactly how we—authors, speakers, coaches, consultants, seminar leaders and online information marketers–make a difference and earn an income with our advice and expertise. This is an industry defined by how much value we add to others’ lives, and this book delivers and shows exactly why Brendon is one of the best.” –Jack Canfield, New York Times best-selling author of The Success Principles and originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(R) series

“If you’ve ever dreamed of building a career and business around your advice, expertise and knowledge, then you’ll love this book.” –David Bach, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire

About the Book
In The Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard pulls back the curtains on the once-secretive “expert industry” and shows how to become an influential and highly paid advice expert through websites, books, speeches, seminars, coaching, consulting, and online programs. Blessed to receive life’s golden ticket – a second chance – after surviving a dramatic car accident, Burchard has dedicated his life to helping others find their voice, live more fully, and follow their dreams. By following his 10-step program, average, ordinary people can learn to package their struggles, successes, research, or life’s story into advice for others and become experts on any given topic. In the industry of people who share their advice and knowledge with the world and get paid for it, Burchard is the “guru’s guru.”
If you’ve ever wondered how the gurus spread their message, serve others, and build a real business, then this is a must-read.

About Brendon*:
Brendon Burchard is the founder of Experts Academy and the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author of The Millionaire Messenger. He is also author of Life’s Golden Ticket and one of the top business and motivational trainers in the world. His famous training events and videos, listed at the bottom of this page, inspire millions of people to start anew, find their voice, live more fully, and make a greater difference in the world.

Brendon was blessed to receive life’s golden ticket –a second chance– after surviving a car accident in a developing country. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals, teams, and organizations create and master change. His clients have included Accenture, Alcoa, JC Penney, eBay, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Levi’s, Gateway, and Walgreens, as well as thousands of executives and entrepreneurs from around the globe who attend his speeches and seminars.

Brendon’s new public television special “Experts Academy with Brendon Burchard” is currently airing and inspiring millions of people to share their voice and wisdom with the world. You’ve also seen Brendon in SUCCESS magazine and via media appearances on ABC World News, NPR stations, Oprah and Friends, and other popular programs.

Brendon’s life-changing speeches and fundraising events have been sponsored or promoted by Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Morgan Stanley, Sony Pictures, Washington Trust Bank and other major companies.

Brendon’s books, newsletters, products, and appearances now inspire nearly 2 million people a month.

Brendon donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his works to Junior Achievement, Kiwanis International, and other youth and service-based nonprofits. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his incredible wife, Denise.

*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Millionaire Messenger!’ at Amazon.

The Book List: ‘I’m There for You, Baby’ and ‘Social BOOM!’

by

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘I’m There for You Baby: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy’ by Neil Senturia

I'm There for You Baby Book Cover

“Neil Senturia is San Diego’s own ‘Larry David;’ charmingly acerbic, witty and straight to the point! Neil is a high energy guest who makes business concepts entertaining, informative and accessible to our audience. Hope Neil never curbs his enthusiasm or his willingness to share his insight on business!”
–Maureen Barnes, Producer, The Big Biz Show with Sully and Russ T Nailz

When reading this book, you are hit right off the bat with Neil’s humor and wit and love for storytelling. And intertwined in the mix are delicious tidbits of insightful resourcefulness and experience from his been-there, done-that entrepreneurial life.

Here are a few of the “baby rules” I enjoyed while reading this book and my take on the rule:

Rule #220 – Treat your Superstars well, if not, they may leave and take your universe with them.
When I read this rule, it made me think about the 80/20 rule and how entrepreneurs should be mindful to take care of the top 20 percent of their clientele because that is where the loyalty is.

Rule #243 – Do you actually think your customer is stupid or do you just tread him that way?
This rule reminds me of the principle of “being your customer” and remember that you need to KNOW who you customer is in order to be able to be the go-to person for them.

Rule #300 – It never hurts to ask.
This rule speaks directly to me and this is something I share with others all the time. This is what I tell others….if you don’t ask the question, the answer is automatically “no”. You negate the possibility of yes if you don’t ask the question. So if you want to ask someone to talk with you or do a joint venture with you or even connect with you….ask!

About the Book*:
Success, failure, joy, pain, and rejection. Neil Senturia shares the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial life and how the lessons learned along his journey can be applied to all of our lives. The book reads like Neil talks (with the occasional four letter word!) so be prepared for a humorous and insightful read. Two hundred and twenty three of his Baby Rules are included here, and you ll have to wait for Volume 2 for the rest.

About Neil*:
Neil Senturia has re-invented himself several times in his relentless pursuit of entrepreneurial success. Currently he is the CEO of Blackbird Ventures, an investor in high growth potential companies. He also serves as the chairman of the board of directors of Valore, an online marketplace for the sale and rental of used textbooks.
Neil’s diverse endeavors range from writing sitcoms to technology with a stint as a real estate developer in the middle. He has been CEO of six technology companies, three in software, one in material science, one in media and most recently clean tech.
His companies have been sold to Cisco, Kofax and Lockheed Martin. And no bio is complete without noting that one of the six went broke.
Neil has taught new venture creation as an adjunct professor in the MBA program at San Diego State University and has served on the board of directors of SDSU’s Entrepreneurial Management Center. Currently he teaches entrepreneurship at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement (http://www.vonliebig.ucsd.edu). He is a member of the San Diego Venture Group (http:/www.sdvg.org) and the MIT Enterprise Forum.
His numerous honors include winning the Microsoft Retail Application Developer Award twice, the Arnie Karush award from the San Diego Software Industry Council, CONNECT’s Most Innovative New Product Award in software, and CONNECT’s Lifetime Contribution Award in Technology.
Neil graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. degree in English and received a masters’ degree in cinema from New York University. He was a Fellow at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles and served in the U.S. Army from which he received an honorable discharge.
He is married to Barbara Bry, and their blended family includes four children between the ages of 25 and 29, and Momo, a Himalayan cat.

You can purchase a copy of ‘I’m There for You, Baby: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘Social BOOM!’.

‘Social BOOM!’ by Jeffrey Gitomer

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

I can attest to Gitomer’s wonderful writing style and never ending insights about business sales (I have purchased several of his books) and now he has written about the mix of social media within the business world…all I can say is I am so looking forward to reading this book!

“…He helped clarify the message that every business person needs to incorporate into their philosophy: GIVE VALUE consistently and you have a great chance to succeed in the emerging behemoth of “Business Social Media Marketing.”
Here’s a hint: If you don’t know what Business Social Media Marketing even IS, then you need this book. If you think you Maybe do, then you need this book. If you own any size business, you need this book. If you coach, train, advise or counsel any professional or business person, then you need this book…” *Review on Amazon by Lowell Sheets

About the Book
Social BOOM! contains every aspect of social media, including the business periphery (blog, personal website, e-zine) that you need in order to create the real law of attraction. When you create a connection, it’s an indicator that that prospect, or that customer, or that person wants to continue the online relationship, which may lead to real business. Graduate from social media to business social media by creating value that others will perceive as important to fulfilling their needs.

As you go through each aspect of this foundation-building, platform-building book, you will read the ideas that Gitomer and others are using right now. None of the ideas are random. All of them are fully tested and can be implemented by you, too. None of the ideas contain solicitation (buy my product, make a lot of money). All of them get you and your brand out there in a systematic way that will bring in dollars.

Gitomer has invited a number of social media experts to “guest speak” in the book, to help you get a wider range of views and options. The best part about this book is that the minute you begin to read it, if your laptop or mobile device is handy, you can begin to implement it in the same minute.

About Jeffrey*:

I remember my mother chasing my car as I backed out of the driveway to register on my first day of college: “Take pre-med!” she screamed, “You can always switch!” But I wanted to be a businessman, like my dad.

He was the consummate entrepreneur. Growing up, I used to sneak downstairs and listen in on his Thursday night pinochle game. Arguments and laughs about business and life. It proved to be my inspiration for my life’s pursuits. My pal, Duke Dalton said, “You know what I hate about your old man? He’s never wrong.” I miss my folks, and I’m grateful to them for their wisdom – the stuff they accused me of never listening to for 30+ years. If your parents are alive, call them right now and tell them you love them.

In college, I played Scrabble every day with my best friend, Michael Toll. He usually won. It taught me about words and how to use them. Michael also provided me with the challenge of winning at games, both sports and intellectual. He’ll tell you he was better than me at everything. I feel the same about him. That was the fun.

I spent a year in Europe and came to the realization that I knew very little compared to what there was to know, which is funny, because I left for Europe knowing everything.

I raised a family. My three beautiful daughters taught me patience. They also gave me the courage and inspiration to achieve in the face of failure. Girls, I love you.

And I became a salesman. My first goal was to be the best salesman in the world. I’m still on that journey, every day. In the pursuit of that goal I surprised myself by becoming a columnist, an author, a speaker, a consultant, and a sales trainer. I used to hate flying. Now I spend about a quarter of my life in an airplane. But I really don’t mind, because it gives me the precious opportunity to share my sales knowledge and my secrets with a worldwide audience. What could be better?

My name is Jeffrey Gitomer. I’m a salesman. I’m a dad. I’m a college dropout.

My objective in life is to help others, establish long-term relationships, and have fun – every day. When you love your work like I do, every day is the same. It’s a holiday.
*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Social BOOM!’ at Amazon.

The Book List: ‘I’m at a Networking Event, Now What?’ and ‘The Entrepreneur Equation’

by

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in the Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘I’m at a Networking Event, Now What?’ by Sandy Jones-Kaminski

networking_now_whatmid

“Networking should be like the holiday season–more about giving than receiving.”
Women Entrepreneur book review

About the Book*:

Through this book you will learn how to make quality connections, cultivate relationships, expand your circle of influence through networking events, and create good “social capital.” You’ll also find information on networking tools and technology that will promote new contacts and connections.

I’m at a Networking Event—Now What??? illustrates that today’s social networking environments practically demand that you have at least some knowledge of effective networking practices in order to achieve the results most of us are looking for.

About Sandy*:
Sandy Jones-Kaminski is a self-described networking enthusiast and accomplished marketer and business development professional. In 2002, Sandy launched her own online marketing and biz dev strategy consulting practice called Bella Domain, LLC. She is also a former VP of Networking for one of the largest chapters of the American Marketing Association. Sandy knows how to make meaningful connections, cultivate relationships, host some great networking events, and create what she refers to as good “social capital.” You can connect with her at www.belladomain.com.

You can purchase a copy of ‘I’m at a Networking Event, Now What?’ online at Amazon or on the publisher site. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘The Entrepreneur Equation’.

‘The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business’ by Carol Roth

This book came out this week on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“Carol delivers the reality check that today’s entrepreneur needs to succeed.”
—JJ Ramberg, Host of MSNBC’s “Your Business” and CEO of Goodsearch.com

“Aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners alike can generate the best return on their success simply by investing their time reading The Entrepreneur Equation. Written in Carol’s frank and fun style, this book gives you the key tools that you need to stack the odds of success in your favor.”
—Loral Langemeier, CEO/Founder of Live Out Loud, international speaker and bestselling author of the Millionaire Maker 3 book series and Put More Cash In Your Pocket

“Finally! Someone asks the million dollar question—and then answers it. It isn’t about CAN you be an entrepreneur? It is really about—SHOULD you be an entrepreneur? You can spend thousands of dollars and years of your valuable life figuring it out. Or, you can read this book.”
—Shama Kabani, Author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing and President of the Marketing Zen Group

About the Book
There’s never been a better time to start a business—or so the conventional wisdom would have you believe. But with up to 90 percent of businesses failing within the first five years, it’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and think twice before you invest your precious time, money and energy.

The Entrepreneur Equation helps you do the math before you set down the entrepreneurial path so that you can answer more than just “Could I be an entrepreneur?” but rather “Should I be an entrepreneur?” By understanding what it takes to build a valuable business as well as how to assess the risks and rewards of business ownership based on your personal circumstances, you can learn how to stack the odds of success in your favor and ultimately decide if business ownership is the best possible path for you, now or ever.

Through illustrative examples and personalized exercises, tell-it-like-it-is Carol Roth helps you create and evaluate your own personal Entrepreneur Equation as you:

• Learn what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in today’s competitive environment
• Save money, time and effort by avoiding business ownership when the time isn’t right for you
• Identify and evaluate the risks and rewards of a new business based on your goals and circumstances
• Evaluate whether your dreams are best served by a hobby, job or business
• Gain the tools that you need to maximize your business success

About Carol*:

Carol Roth helps businesses grow and make more money. An investment banker, business strategist and deal maker, she has helped her clients, ranging from solopreneurs to multinational corporations, raise more than $1 billion in capital, complete $750+ million in M&A transactions, secure high-profile licensing and partnership deals, create brand loyalty programs and more.

Carol is a frequent radio, television and print media contributor on the topics of business and entrepreneurship, having appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Fox Business, WGN TV Chicago and more. She is also signed to LA-based t.v. production company Snackaholic who is currently developing a television show around Carol’s life as a business expert and personality.

Carol Unsolicited Business Advice blog at CarolRoth.com was recently named as one of the Top 10 small business blogs online and Carol is a contributor to a number of other business blogs.

Carol graduated Magna Cum Laude from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Entrepreneur Equation’ at Amazon.

The Book List: ’42 Rules for Driving Success with Books’ and ‘The Money Class’

by

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in the Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

’42 Rules for Driving Success with Books’ by Mitchell Levy

driving_success_3d

“I always say that in order to achieve success you must first build visibility and then credibility; only then can you move forward into profitability. In ’42 Rules for Driving Success with Books,’ Mitchell Levy explains how becoming a published author is the ultimate way to build visibility and credibility by branding yourself as an expert which will inevitably build your business. Simply put, this book is an essential read for anyone wishing to attain a higher degree of success.”
Ivan Misner, NY Times Bestselling author and Founder of BNI

About the Book*:

This book will help you appreciate the ease of creation and the depth of value a book (or series of books) can create for your business. Whether the author writes the book themselves, had their clients/partners provide content, or had it ghostwritten, you will be informed and inspired by the stories and lessons of others’ successes with books.

The authors in this book wrote content that allowed them to demonstrate innovation, share their marketing strategy, improve client retention, and share tricks and techniques on using a tool or service. The fact that they put this content in a book gave their ideas weight and increased their credibility and reputation. Having the books show up on Amazon, BN.com and other bookstores as well as personally delivering their books to clients/prospects really helped to drive the impact of their message.

If you are a CEO, CMO, evangelist or someone in your company that needs to demonstrate thought leadership, drive lead generation, and increase revenue, this book is an invaluable read as it will help you catapult your success.

About Mitchell*:

Mitchell Levy, CEO, Happy About®, is a strategist, educator and prognosticator helping companies succeed by putting tools in the hands of corporations and individuals to allow them to create their own success. He is a frequent media guest and a popular speaker, lecturing on business and management issues throughout the U.S. and around the world. He has started 13 companies/joint ventures since 1997 and has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies.

Books are his latest and most powerful toolset. He has written 8 business books, and through Happy About has published over 50 titles. He has helped his authors generate leads, procure speaking engagements, be written up in major newspapers and magazines, be asked to host programs for major TV networks and double their annual income, and in one case quadruple it. There is no doubt that books work.

You can purchase a copy of ’42 Rules for Driving Success with Books’ online at Amazon or on the 42 Rules site. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘The Money Class’.

The Money Class: Learn to Create your New American Dream by Suze Orman

This book has come out today, March 8th on the business top 100 list on Amazon. I enjoy Suze’s no nonsense, straight forward approach to helping people with their finances. Most of our conversations, whether in business or personal revolves around money. In this economical stage (which is ever changing) it is good to have someone who gives it to you straight.
Amazon.com Review*

Suze Orman, the woman millions of Americans have turned to for financial advice, says it’s time for a serious reconsideration of the American Dream—what promise it still holds, what aspects are in need of revision, and how it must be refashioned to fit our lives so that we can once again have faith that our hard work will pay off and that a secure and hopeful future is within our reach.

In nine electrifying chapters, Orman delivers a master class on personal finance for this pivotal moment in time. She addresses every aspect of the American Dream—home, family, career, retirement. She teaches us that in order to create lasting security we must learn to stand in our truth. We must recognize, embrace, and be honest about what is real for us today and allow that understanding to inform the choices we make. The New American Dream is not the things we accumulate, says Orman, but the confidence that comes from knowing that which we’ve worked so hard for cannot be taken away from us. In THE MONEY CLASS, Orman teaches us how to take control over our present—right here, right now—in order to build the future of our dreams.

Whether navigating the complicated mix of money and family, offering the most comprehensive retirement resource available today, or delivering a bracing dose of reality when it comes to recalibrating our expectations and our goals, Orman educates us with her signature no-nonsense approach and laser-like clarity. She empowers us to live a life of integrity and honesty that will create an enduring legacy for future generations—a New American Dream that lies in truth, security, financial freedom, and peace of mind.

About Suze*:

Suze Orman is a two-time Emmy Award–winning television host, #1 New York Times bestselling author, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and one of the top motivational speakers in the world today.

Orman has written eight consecutive New York Times bestsellers and has written, co-produced, and hosted seven PBS specials based on her books. She is the seven-time Gracie Award–winning host of the Suze Orman Show, which airs on CNBC, and of the forthcoming Money Class on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. She is also a contributing editor to O: The Oprah Magazine.

Twice named one of the “Time 100,” Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people, and named by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women, Orman was the recipient of the National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign. In 2009 she received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and in 2010 she received an honorary doctor of commercial science from Bentley University.

Orman, a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, directed the Suze Orman Financial Group from 1987 to 1997, served as Vice President—Investments for Prudential Bache Securities from 1983 to 1987, and was an account executive at Merrill Lynch from 1980 to 1983. Prior to that, she worked as a waitress at the Buttercup Bakery in Berkeley, California, from 1973 to 1980.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Money Class’ at Amazon.

The Book List: ‘Poke the Box’ and ‘The Thank You Economy’

by

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their book promotion and social media marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

This week I will be highlighting two books; both I found on Amazon and added to my “reading list”.

The books in the Book List Series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Poke the Box’

by Seth Godin

As you may know, I go on Amazon.com frequently and I did something a bit out of character the last time. As I was on the home page, instead of going to the search box at the top and typing in “business books” or “social media books”, I happen to click on the Kindle books.

And what popped out to me was this book titled, ‘Poke the Box’. Love the title because it definitely got my attention. What was even more surprising was it was by international best selling author, Seth Godin. Then again, Seth is famous for his unexpected titles….remember Meatball Sundae.

Once I found out it was from Seth, I knew I wanted to highlight it here this week.

Mix things up and get your butt moving on your dreams!

This is one book he has created to mix things up and get you moving. If you want to do something….don’t waste time thinking about doing it, do it.

I found the timing of my finding this book on Amazon interesting (you may call it an intervention of sorts) because I did posted a video just yesterday about how writers can “get in your own way” from writing a book. And this seems to go along the same thinking.

And I remember when I used to work in the corporate world, my department would have meetings to start projects but hardly anything ever did get done. I will be getting this book of Seth’s very soon as I believe it will be great reminder to keep moving forward toward the dream. Or as Seth puts it, ‘Poke the Box’.

The Domino Project
This book, Poke the Box, is one of Seth’s latest ventures. The Domino Project is an independent publishing imprint created by Seth and Amazon.
Read more of the interview at Amazon with Seth.

About the Book*:
If you’re stuck at the starting line, you don’t need more time or permission. You don’t need to wait for a boss’s okay or to be told to push the button; you just need to poke.

Poke the Box is a manifesto by bestselling author Seth Godin that just might make you uncomfortable. It’s a call to action about the initiative you’re taking-– in your job or in your life. Godin knows that one of our scarcest resources is the spark of initiative in most organizations (and most careers)-– the person with the guts to say, “I want to start stuff.”

Poke the Box just may be the kick in the pants you need to shake up your life.

About Seth*:

Seth Godin is the author of ten international bestsellers that have been translated into over 30 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. His Unleashing the Ideavirus is the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

His penultimate book, Tribes, is a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It’s about the most powerful form of marketing–leadership–and how anyone can now become a leader, creating movements that matter.

His last book is called Linchpin, and it is the fastest selling book of his career. Linchpin challenges you to stand up, do work that matters and race to the top instead of the bottom. More than that, though, the book outlines a massive change in our economy, a fundamental shift in what it means to have a job.

In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth is founder and CEO of Squidoo.com, a fast growing recommendation website. His blog (find it by typing “seth” into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.

You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at squidoo.com/seth.

You can purchase a copy of ‘Poke the Box’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to another book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘Thank you Economy’.

The Thank You Economy

by Gary Vaynerchuk

Amazon.com Review*

The Thank You Economy is much more than saying “thank you.” The Thank You Economy represents a much bigger movement. This book could easily have been called The Humanization of Business or Manners Marketing.

I feel that we’re living through the biggest culture shift of our time. The internet, itself, is 17-years-old. It’s just hitting the social part of its life. It’s just like growing up. As you get to 13, 14 and 15, you want to go out and go to parties. That’s what’s happening right now! The internet is growing up.

What happens when we live in this word of mouth world where we’re tweeting out “I love Company X’s orange juice”? We’re sharing thoughts that we never would have picked up the phone and called somebody about in the past. What happens when brands can be humanized? In The Thank You Economy, I tackle the issue of the ROI of social media and provide case studies. I think we wrote a much, much stronger book than I did with Crush It. When I say we, I mean the people in the social graph–the people that are living it.

There is enormous ROI in social media. It’s like my famous saying though, “What’s the ROI of your mother?” The data isn’t as black and white like it has been in the past. I firmly believe that the brands that have a soul and a heart and understand how to scale this will win.

This is a comprehensive book from a guy that has lived in the social space for the last 6 years like I have. I live and breathe my community and I’ve been able to consult with big brands for the past two years on how to leverage this world of caring. This is the perfect book, not only for entrepreneurs who might have an employee or two, but also for brand managers and CMOs at bigger companies.

Say thank you and know the strength of social media

As I read the following Amazon review and I believe this is a good reminder about the simple things as a society we may have forgotten or just don’t take the time to pay attention to as we should. Just taking the time to say “thank you” and mean it—simple but very poignant. Especially when you are talking about social media. It is important to take the time to say thank you and be present when networking and building your community online.

And I like how he is talking about the internet and it is growing up. It is as if the internet is hitting its stride now and having fun exploring all the possibilities. And we (as business people, whether you are a entrepreneur, manager or employee) are realizing all the things the internet can help us with, we need to remember to say thank you to all those involved in our life.

About Gary*:

Meet Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY*NER*CHUK), a 33-year-old self-trained wine and social media expert who has revolutionized the wine industry. Gary’s cult-like following is the result of his unconventional, often irreverent commentary on wine, combined with his business acumen and foresight to use social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to reach an untapped audience. He hosts a daily webcast called “The Thunder Show”on tv.winelibrary.com that attracts over 90,000 viewers each day. Recently, Gary’s podcast became the most downloaded show on iTunes in the Food category, beating out venerable names in the industry including Martha Stewart and Jamie Oliver.

Known as the “King of Social Media,” Gary is one of the first–and one of a few–Facebook users who has maxed-out his friend limit, with over 17,000 pending friend requests. He is in the top 100 people followed on Twitter and was the keynote speaker at noted events like the 2009 South by Southwest Interactive conference and the New Media and Web 2.0 expos. A weekly contributor to TheStreet.com and Popeater.com, Gary is regularly asked to consult on social media for some of the world’s largest and most recognizable companies like Google, Johnson & Johnson, Disney, Proctor & Gamble, and Pepsi.
*courtesy of book website and Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Thank You Economy’ at Amazon.