Summary
What are the next game changer business books that should be on your READ list?
Want a business that runs itself? Read 'Clockwork: Design Your Business To Run Itself' by Mike Michalowicz.
The benchmark book of all time is 'THe E-Myth Revisited' by Michael Gerber.
'Be Obsessive or Be Avaerage' by Grant Cardone is great (Helped me with my OCD issues around business 🙂 )
'Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges' by Amy Cuddy - If you want to OWN that stage, a must read
'Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message so Customers Will Listen' by Donal Miller - COMPULSORY reading for ALL business owners
Podcast
Want Some Business Advice?
CALL 08 9439 2820 NOW OR SIMPLY FILL IN THE FORM BELOW
Video
Transcript
View Transcript
00:00 | So, welcome to another session of Smarter Business Tips at Ten, and today's session is best game changer business books. Now, I'm hoping to make today a little bit more interactive, so that you can post comments and books that you've read, respond to comments I'm making and the books that I'm sharing. So, if these business tips add value, if you can give us a thumbs up, give us a like, that's awesome, love it, spread the word. So, it's Peter Butler from Smarter Websites. |
00:36 | So, you can see on the screen the classic book, The E-Myth Revisited. It's a game changer, I think. I think all new entrepreneurs and start ups should read this book if they haven't already. I read it a very long time ago. I think a lot of people have. I've actually got the audiobook, as you can see on the screen. I've not listened to the audio, but I read the book years ago. I've got a couple of copies of it. So, it really frames out a story. Michael Gerber goes through a story of what most peoples' perception of running a business is, and he uses a couple of examples of a lady who is working in a pastry store. As she's actually working there, she gets an opportunity to take over the store, and then it's the journey of Michael Gerber coaching her to recognize her strengths and her skillset, and to turn it from being a job into a business. So, it's an absolutely must read. |
01:39 | The ... I'll whiz through these. The next book is Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone. Now, I only listened to this a couple of months ago, and I've gotta warn especially Australian listeners to this, that Grant's pretty full on with being United States guy, American. He is really obsessive, and I got a lot of value from it. I know that some of the people that I've shared with this didn't get as much value, but I thought it was a game changer. It almost gave me permission to be obsessive. I tend to be a little bit obsessive by nature, and I don't need his blessing or permission to operate on that. But, it gave me a real new perspective on it. I was really quite impressed. One of the things that, you know, he talks about is whatever you apply your skillset to, be obsessive about it, you know? And it's not just about work. He talks about, you know, with your family life, creating this balancing life. Be obsessive about those, and I got a lot of value from it. I've actually listened to it one and a half times. So, I really enjoyed it. |
02:53 | So, for those watching at the moment, is there any books that you've listened to or read that have been game changers in your business? I'll tag the comments thread from this Facebook live, and possibly do a screenshot of that, so your comments will be displayed. So, that sort of gives you some notability and credibility as well. The whole point of doing these Facebook lives is to help business owners on their journey, and I've got no claim to fame, but I've been running my own businesses for going on 30 years. But, I've run three successful businesses, and so I've got some credits on the board. But, we're all on the journey together, and we're all sort of climbing that ladder of success, and that's the whole purpose of doing this is so that we share with each other, and help each other along that journey. |
03:49 | The next book I'm gonna share came about, my wife actually bought it. It was recommended to her by her daughter I believe, and I had a presentation coming up. And one of the things ... I can present reasonably. I certainly wouldn't class myself as a powerful presenter, and I wanted to know more about presenting. The thing is, you see some people, and they just have such a presence about them, and it's just really powerful the way they articulate, the way they move, everything they say, and it really sort of dawned on me, just being authentic to yourself. And it was a bit of a game changer. Anyway, here's the book. |
04:30 | This is actually a summary version of the book, and it's called Presence. So sometimes I'll actually buy an audio summary or a written summary of a book, so I can get a quick overview, and then if I'm impressed, I'll then buy the book. So, I actually bought the book already, but I actually had a presentation coming up only in a matter of a few days, so I didn't have time to listen to the whole book, so I just listened to the summary, and it gave me the insights that I needed to make that presentation count. Now, that particular presentation I normally have around 20 to 30 business owners turn up. The subject matter that I was talking about was SEO. It's a particularly topical conversation or subject, and it was around 60 people turned up for that. So, I was really glad that I actually had the time to review this Presence because I really wanted, and I still want to understand it at a deeper level about how to attain that presence, how to make sure that we come across really authentic, really powerful, and this is a great book for that. |
05:40 | Amy shares her journey of things that happened to her in life, and the challenges that she faced. And as a result of that, her journey into trying to identify why some presenters have just an incredible presence. So, it's certainly worth a read, certainly at the top of my list. |
06:05 | Now, the next book I'm gonna share with you is one that was referred to me by one of my team members who sub-contracts to me, also does some independent work herself, Sam Buckley. So this is a shout out, Sam. And we needed to do a video script, and she wrote up a video script, and it really nailed the essence of the message in that video. And it's by Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. Now, it is a game changer. It is right up there. Now, Donald Miller, he also has a program, and you actually get some access to some online assets as well. He has a portal that you can create, which is free, and it will help you to curate your story brand. And the way he structured ... Look, I'm a systems freak. I absolutely love systems, and I systemize everything right down from making coffee in the morning, and the way he has created a framework to create your story brand really is a game changer. It is ... this is like a compulsory read. |
07:23 | Now, I've gone on to buy Donald Miller's program, online program, so he's got a free version, which is fantastic, and then a pay version, which is certainly not cheap, but for what I do for my own business and for my clients, this is gonna be a game changer tool for them. You know, they say that when somebody comes to your website or reads your marketing material, you know, you've got five seconds, eight seconds, whatever they say. But the bottom line is, you don't have much time to tell people what your business is about, and how you can help them solve the problem. And his framework really is simple, and it makes so much sense. And the thing is that when you watch movies after you've read this book, or listen to this book, it throws a different slant on everything. You'll see the framework that's used in creating scripts and the like movies, and the like. So that is certainly worth a read. |
08:26 | Now, the next battle for me as a business owner is captured within this book, Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself. And I don't know if I can pronounce his surname. Sorry Mike. Mike Michalowicz. And this is absolutely brilliant as well. And he's got a program that he uses, lots of free resources, which is brilliant. Now, I'm only sort of halfway through reading this, so I can't give you the full scope of the book, but he's got a model. It's the four ... I can't remember what they're called ... elements that you need to follow to be able to free yourself from your business. Now, the same as any business, you know, like I shared earlier. We're all on that journey. We're all climbing that ladder of success, and I've automated and systemized a lot of my business. |
09:23 | I don't have much to do with this port ticket side of my business. I have a team that manage all of that for me, and they do a brilliant job. The account side of the business is all sorted. So, you know, we're climbing that ladder, but I'm certainly not free to focus on just what I want to focus on, which is sales and marketing. That's all I want to do. Oh, and productization. I love creating new products. I have [inaudible 00:09:51] doing that. So, that's my goal is to get to that level where that's all I have to do. And this book, and this platform, this program that Mike puts out really captures a fantastic framework for me to be able to, to be able to get to that level. |
10:10 | So, they're my books that are game changers for me in business, and one of the things that, you know, I think we lack as business owners is that investing in ourselves. You know, I've spent a lot of money over the years doing a lot of personal development, and a lot of educating myself in business, and you'll learn along the way. But, I've had sort of focused eras, if you like, and I haven't had that for quite some time. So, being able to just focus on one of these subjects at a time, and look, I listen to these audiobooks while I drive a car. I don't have any inclination at the end of a day to sit down and read ... I read all day long. I'm on a computer. I'm reading all day long. I don't wanna sit down at the end of the day and read a book. I'll zone out and fall asleep. Or, even listen to an audiobook. I just need to chill. |
11:05 | So, the only time I actually get is while I'm actually driving my car. And quite often then, I just want peace and quiet because I need quiet time. Quieting my brain is a challenge sometimes, but you know, listening to audiobooks while I'm driving is a good use of time. So look, I hope this has added value, and will make a difference for you. If you wanna join our group for more business tips, Smart Tank Mastermind, I'll put a link in the comments thread. If you're watching this live after the fact, if you wanna make some comments, and share this and make comments about what have been game changer books for you because I would certainly love to be able to share that. And look, it gives you some kudos as well, so there's value in that. And if you think a friend or colleague will benefit from this, give us a thumbs up, that's awesome. Love it, spread the word, and I'll also load this video along with the transcript to my website. So, just go to smarterwebsites.com.au, and you can check out dozens of previous Facebook lives, interviews, blog posts. |
12:16 | I hope that helps, and if you need any help at all, give me a shout out. That's Peter Butler from Smarter Websites here. Go and work smarter. |
I got to hear about the book Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller from Peter Butler’s blogpost. Having 2 small businesses this book has been a great eyeopener to me with how I should be approaching my marketing.
Good list of books Peter. I would add “Losing my Virginity” by Richard Branson to the list. Really inspired me to go out and start my first business.
Good work again Peter. A book that impacted on me recently came as a bit of a surprise. I hadn’t really liked Gary Vaynerchuk much from his videos – I found him a bit crass. I was curious and bought his book, ‘Crushing It’ at an airport book store and was so engaged that I almost finished the book on the flight. He’s firmly opinionated but has some really great content and he went right up in my estimation! It was a pleasant surprise.