My Top 5 Business Books for Creative Business Owners
Books are one of my favourite ways to expand my mind, learn valuable lessons and help make continuous personal and professional development possible.
Come learn my favourite books for business growth, and the principles that have become foundational to the results I've experienced, helping me transform my creative business into a thriving success.
ESSENTIALISM: THE DISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF LESS
By Greg McKeown
This is one of the first business-style books I read, and it truly transformed my life. It is about how to focus on what’s most important, and the ideas can be applied to your home, life, and business.
”The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default.”
”If you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will.”
”If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
”I can do anything but not everything.”
On the importance of play… “Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement.”
Amazon | Booktopia | Author Page
THIS IS MARKETING: YOU CAN’T BE SEEN UNTIL YOU LEARN TO SEE
By Seth Godin
I have read both the book and listened to the audio version several times, and am a big fan of Seth’s short, sharp, witty New York-style of writing.
Seth Godin is a marketing expert who communicates in a way that feels genuine. He never sounds like he’s trying to push a program or write out of self-interest. Instead, he encourages you to use marketing to make a positive change in the world.
I’ve read several of his books, and this one is a great overview of the importance of marketing, and how and why you should focus on people who love what you do.
”You haven’t made an impact until you’ve changed someone.”
”How to know if you have a marketing problem. You aren’t busy enough.”
”What you say isn’t nearly as important as what others say about you.”
”People don’t want what you make. They want what it will do for them. They want the way it will make them feel.”
”Every very good customer gets you another one.”
”Ship your work. It’s good enough. Then make it better.”
Amazon | Booktopia | Author Page
BUILDING A STORY BRAND: CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE SO CUSTOMERS WILL LISTEN
By Donald Miller
I first discovered Donald Miller on a podcast and was so engaged by his storytelling abilities that I bought his book immediately. It didn’t disappoint.
He uses the principles of storytelling to help you share your messaging in a way that feels authentic. One big takeaway is that your customer is the hero, and you are the guide.
This is another book that I’ve both read and listened to the audio version.
“Nobody will listen to you if your message isn’t clear.”
”Even if we have the best product in the marketplace, we’ll lose to an inferior product if our competitor’s offer is communicated more clearly.”
”People don’t buy the best products; they buy the products they can understand the fastest.”
”In every line of copy we write, we’re either serving the customer’s story or descending into confusion; we’re either making music or making noise.”
”Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. Tell them.”
Amazon | Booktopia | Author Page
TRACTION: GET A GRIP ON YOUR BUSINESS
By Gino Wickman
This book is very much for business owners who are serious about streamlining their operations and running their business efficiently and effectively.
We have applied some of the key principles of EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) into our businesses, and it has been a huge help.
”You are not your business. Your business is an entity in and of itself. Yes, you created it, but in order to find success, you have to turn it into a self-sustaining organism.”
”Focus everyone’s energy toward one thing and amazing results will follow.”
”By hanging on to all the tiny details, you’re actually constricting the company’s growth.”
”The sooner you accept that you have issues, the better off you’re going to be. You will always have them; your success is in direct proportion to your ability to solve them.”
”When more than one person is accountable, nobody is.”
”More is lost by indecision than by wrong decisions.”
Amazon | Booktopia | Author Page
10X IS EASIER THAN 2X: HOW WORLD-CLASS ENTREPRENEURS ACHIEVE MORE BY DOING LESS
By Dan Sullivan and Dr Benjamin Hardy
This book is a more recent read, and is based on an interesting concept — that when you take a 10x mindset approach, you can achieve much more by doing less.
It is a tool to help you focus on what’s most important, and going to get you the best result.
”2x is linear, meaning you’re striving to double output by doubling effort… 2x is exhausting and soul-defeating… By contrast, 10x is so big and seemingly impossible that it immediately forces you out of your current mindset and approach. You can’t work 10x harder or longer.”
”10x isn’t about more. It’s about less.”
”Just as 10x isn’t about more but less, 10x is also not about quantity. It’s about quality.”
”10x becomes your perpetual filter for everything you do.”
”If you’re willing to commit and let everything go that you don’t really want, then your life will be infinitely easier, simpler, and more successful than it’s ever been.”
Amazon | Booktopia | Author Page