Appendix F: Recommended Reading

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries (Crown Business, 2011) and Running Lean by Ash Maurya (O’Reilly Media, 2012) These books teach you the “lean” system in business strategy as opposed to the outdated waterfall method of business planning in which each stage of the process has to be completed before moving on to the next stage. Being lean and agile in business can help you quickly accomplish many goals and speed up the process of the steps involved.

Work the System by Sam Carpenter (Greenleaf Book Group Press, Revised 3rd edition, 2019) This is a book that walks you through, step-by-step, how to document your business and prepare an operations manual for your company. This is a great resource if you have never automated, documented, and delegated processes in your business.

The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber (Ballinger Publishing, 1988) This is a classic book that all entrepreneurs should read and many franchisors recommend. The essence of the book is that entrepreneurs spend too much time working in their business and too little time working on their business.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury (Penguin Books, 4th Edition, 2012) This book offers step-by-step guidance for negotiating agreements in any situation. Based on work by the Harvard Negotiation Project, this book discusses the many pitfalls that can be avoided by implementing sound communication skills, such as listening and clearly communicating your points. 

Scaling Up by Verne Harnish (Gazelles, Inc., 2014) This popular book, a sequel to Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, teaches you the four essential processes any small business needs to install before they begin scaling their business. This book is a collection of skills, tools, and processes but installing these tools is easiest if you have a management team to help you. Implementing all the suggestions contained in this book may take you from 6 to 12 months.

Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch (Nelson Business, 2007) This book will help most small business owners create scalable marketing processes. Yes, you need scalable, repeatable marketing processes in your business. These are practical, easy-to-implement suggestions. Like all the suggestions contained here, though, implementing these processes entails a lot of time and help from your core management team.

Focal Point by Brian Tracy (Amazon, 2001) This book assists you in establishing a laser-like focus on critical goals in your life. Focus is paramount to entrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs suffer from an overabundance of ideas rather than a dearth of ideas. In other words, they have a “lack of focus.”

Getting Things Done by David Allen (Penguin Books, 2015) The GTD system is widely known as the most effective time management system in business. David Allen’s book, in my opinion, is the best book available on time management. David teaches specific techniques you can implement in your life to improve your time management.

Your Brain at Work by David Rock (Harper Collins, 2020) I always say that energy management is more important than time management. This is the case once you possess rudimentary time management skills, such as daily planning, prioritizing, and delegating. I always run out of energy before I run out of time – you’re likely the same. Your Brain at Work recognizes that energy is a limited resource, and it teaches you how to strategically use this scarce resource. You should treat energy like any other limited resource, such as time or money. Did you know that multitasking can turn a Harvard MBA into the mental equivalent of an eight-year-old? Yet, we all do this all the time. This book offers practical insights on how to earn the highest ROI on your energy investment.

How to Hire A-Players by Eric Herrenkohl (Wiley, 2010) Management starts with hiring the right people. Sourcing and interviewing are skills that can be learned. This book teaches you a step-by-step process for hiring superstars. It takes a lot of practice, and hiring is simpler if you have a management team to assist you in establishing the right systems for attracting the talent you need.

Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work by Paul L. Marciano (McGraw Hill, 2010) Most small-business owners with fewer than 50 to 100 employees manage their employees using the carrot-and-stick method, which uses rewards and punishment as tools to motivate. Unfortunately, this method produces poor results in any industry in which engagement is important. This book teaches you 5 to 10 management techniques you can use to develop an engaged long-term workforce.