Be careful what you read...

I've read a lot of business books, this picture isn't even the start of it when you get to the ones that are in storage, on Kindle, on Apple Books, discarded, passed on, left on trains.

These days I'm pretty picky about what I pick up. My rules are:

• No repetition. If the book is about time management you should find the definitive book on time management.
• No quick wins. There are no quick wins, no there really aren't, seriously, lets never talk of it again, so don't read about them.
• Experience. As Andy Jassy put it - 'There is no compression algorithm for experience'. We need authors with battle scars.
• Reference. You never take 100% of the lessons of a book away so it needs to be one that you can pick up when you have a specific challenge and know that it's help you in that moment.

With that in mind, these are the books that I recommend most frequently, categorised in my own style depending where you are on your business journey.

The 'Getting Started' list.

So you have an idea, what next? These books help you get started with your business using step by step processes and how-to guides.

• The Good Small Business Guide. This is the one that I’ve used over time just to put the baby steps of setting up business in place. There are some aspects that are outdated pretty quickly so you should look for the latest version or maybe a alternative specific to your location.?

• Online Business Startup. Chances are that you’re planning some or all of you business to be online so we need to add some reading in for that. This book has some overlap with the last but is a good complement to add some step by step process to you planning for selling online.?

• Escape from Cubical Nation. If the last two were a little dry then add this to your reading list. The author brings the process of moving from 9-5 to business owner to life in a very readable way. Combine with the others for the right combination of information and inspiration.

The 'Getting Good' List

So you’ve got started and the first thing you notice is that everything takes longer than you planned and has five times as many steps. You need to get organised as a business owner and a professional. Thats where this list steps in!

• The Seven Habits. It’s a classic! No questions asked - if you want to organise and manage your time and energy this is the place to start. Re-read every few years and you’ll get more out of it each time.

• The Effective Executive. If the seven habits shows you how to ‘be’ this one shows you how to operate. Another one from the 70’s but still the definitive text on getting the right things done.

The 'Keeping Going' List

You’ve learned how to work now, and you’re making progress. You’ve also figured out the one thing that no one tells you. It takes ages to make things happen. These books are about that ‘keeping going’ stage, when you’re proving the business and figuring out how your market and customers work. I talk a lot about persistence and repetition - these books are all about that grind.

• Grit. The title says it all. Just reading the stories and research in this book will make you more persistant and strengthen your resolve to succeed.?

• The Practice. No business book list would be complete without a few words from Seth Godin. Godin books generally lean towards creative industries and the marketing world but his principles of persistence, repetition and showing your work to the world are pursusive and powerful.?https://amzn.to/3xmJP63

The 'Scaling Up' List

Knowing when to scale is hard, there is part of you that wants to retain all of the control but at the same time you know that delegation and acceptance of mistakes is a necessary part of the growing process. These books help you grapple with these challenges.

• Good to Great. Read the sections on leadership and team building. The best of the best did it this way, there might be something in it.

• The Lean Startup. Eric Ries wrote the blueprint for the modern startup. This book is an operating system for how to run a startup towards success. Not the easiest of reads, but it will change the way you plan for and think about time and money.

I hope this list is a help for folks, let me know your books that we should add to the list and spread good business practice.

The 'Doing it Right' List

It's not all about the money. It's really not. If you want to build a business that lasts and that you can be proud of you need to think more broadly about how you go about things. I'm learning more about this as I go through my business journey so we're starting with one entry in this section

• Doughnut Economics. Kate Rayworths book is referenced by no less than Sir David Attenborough as the blueprint for how we improve our planet. High praise indeed and the great news for us is that it is written as a guide for organisations on how to develop a balanced approach to problems such as social inequality and environment impact.

Thanks

Jim