Business By The Book
It’s not always easy to find time to pick up a book, whether physical or digital, but when you do, nothing beats curling up with a cup of something hot, or perhaps a glass of something cold, and taking time out to read, learn and think. Here are the Franchise team’s recommendations for top business books and reads we think you’ll enjoy.
Atomic Habits. Habits expert James Clear demonstrates that you don’t have to think big to make a change. He shows how you can transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour and a handful of simple life hacks. Covering the latest thinking in psychology and neuroscience, as well as inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy. This is a great read if you’re looking for small changes that will positively impact your career, your relationships, and your life.
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World: This gem by Tim Ferriss is a massive collection of generally applicable mentorship advice and pearls of wisdom from the world’s best.
Year of Yes Author: Shonda Rhimes, leading Hollywood producer best known for her hit series Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, shares her journey - from being a shy and nervous introvert who turned down endless opportunities, to becoming a confident speaker and authoritative figure who said yes to everything that came her way. This book is for anyone who wants to bust out of their shell and bring their voice into the world.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Being busy is a constant drag on our ability to get important things done. This book by Greg McKeown isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. A system for identifying what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so you can make the maximum contribution to the things that really matter.
Small Giants: Companies that choose to be great instead of big. It’s rare to find a business book that celebrates staying small. Author Bo Burlingham interviews some proud small business owners who believe in the soul of a business, in being unique and personal, in giving back, in being in sync with their market and putting purpose before profit.
Rework. In Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson convincingly show that most of what we regard as obstacles—hiring staff, dealing with paperwork, decision making, time management, renting an office—are simply excuses not to get started. We think you’ll like the direct language and simple-is-better techniques.
Who Stole My Mojo? How to get it back and live, work and play better. if you lose your mojo how can you get it back? Gary Bertwistle tells you how, referencing movie stars, sporting heroes and business greats to illustrate his points. Some of his strategies (for life and for business) like letting go of the “uncontrollables” really struck a chord.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. Many of us know persistence and effort are key to success. Those who “make it” aren’t always the ones with the best ideas or resources. They’re the ones who work and improve every day—no matter what. Angela Duckworth shows business owners how to cultivate more grit in themselves and the people around them.
Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman gives a fascinating insight into the two contrasting systems that shape all our judgments, driving the way we think and make choices. One system is fast, intuitive, and emotional; the other is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. A really interesting read, which helps to build awareness of our own thought processes and drive better decision making.
Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life If you’re looking for support in achieving your 2021 resolutions, Jim Kwik may be your man. He helps people to improve their memory, increase their decision-making skills, learn to speed-read and unleash their superbrains. In Limitless, he shares his revolutionary strategies and shortcuts to show how to supercharge your brain.
In the Company of Women: Grace Bonney shares and highlights inspiring advice and life stories from women entrepreneurs across various industries, careers, backgrounds, races, and places, showing how visibility is the key to success for women leaders today. A good read for gaining new perspectives and soaking up some inspiration.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. An oldie but goldie, written in 1936 this book is still key reading in understanding and leading others. It was a global bestseller, and is still a staple of business curriculums around the world. Packed with actionable advice, read it for learning new people skills and how to achieve maximum potential in a noisy and competitive age.
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living – 14th Dalai Lama, Howard C. Cutler Helps to put into perspective what really matters to you in life, so you don’t sweat the small stuff. A great read for today, helping to build resilience and support effective decision making.
The One Thing - Gary Keller’s book explains the importance of focusing on your key strength instead of wearing multiple hats. It contains lessons that are helpful in running a business more efficiently, particularly around building a team made up of people who all have different strengths, rather than one leader trying to do it all.
Why Quantum Physicists Don’t Fail This book, written by professional educator and futurist Greg Kuhn, delves into how important it is to mould your energy and thoughts to focus on what it is you desire. Plus, it’s a truly entertaining read!
IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. Ikigai is the Japanese word for 'a reason to live' or 'a reason to jump out of bed in the morning'.A point of balance between needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfaction. This book helps you work out what your own ikigai really is, and how to find it so that you can make every day joyful and meaningful. Science-based studies are interwoven with honest, straight-talking conversation to deliver simple secrets we can all use to live long, meaningful, happy lives.
Short on time? Why not check out these shortcuts:
Short form summarizes non fiction books and key articles, into a shorter read. The service cuts out the fluff but keeps all the key nuances, examples, and details so you get the full ideas. They also re-organize to help you learn faster. They provide a 1-page summary for key takeaways as well as a Full comprehensive summary and analysis, containing every useful idea
Blinkist is a platform dedicated solely to summaries of popular non-fiction books, which it condenses into easily digestible 15-minute reads. The purpose of Blinkist is to give you a factual analysis of the core message of a book, along with all its important points. So, you can use Blinkist both as a complement and supplement to books - get the best ideas from books not worth reading in full and screen great ones before you commit to them.
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