Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

1. Do You Respect Your Tongue? (The Mother Tongue, That Is.)

My favorite business book is Max DePree’s, Leadership Is an Art. A poetic account of the lessons learned by the CEO of Herman Miller, the book contains innumerable verbal gems. Among my favorites: “Everyone has a right to, and an obligation for, simplicity and clarity in communication.” Related to the respect for language is his encouragement of the discovery and continuation of “tribal stories.” These are the anecdotal accounts–from all levels of the organization–that constitute the essence of any given organization.

When one considers the uncalculate-able ability of human beings to misinterpret words and meaning, DePree’s insistence on clarity is a message too often unheeded.

Thanks to Dr. Marlene Caroselli of

2. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff – About Money

Here are three that turned my world around. They may be sort of old, but the principles are solid and just as important as when I read them.
1. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff about Money – it’s all small stuff
Don’t nickel and dime specific things when it comes to your branding in business. Cheap & do it yourself logo’s, imagery, paper…that is small stuff. Get a professional to help you strategize. Invest here or you will be viewed as less than what you deserve.

2. One Minute Manager
This is about the way you talk to people, your employees. A way of saying “you could do better” and turn that into “you did a great job, you are improving each day, I can’t wait to see your next work.”
3. Fame 101
I put that to work and wow, the attention is pouring in — booked 10 speaking gigs in less than 3 months and more to be added shortly

Thanks to Gayle Naftaly of Access.office

3. 101 Tips To Become Great In Business And Life

The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma is outstanding. Robin shares 101 tips to become a better business owner, to learn how to enjoy business more and live life to the fullest. The author works with companies and speaks around the world, and in this book shares his wisdom with you. Each tip is a page or three long. The style of writing is conversational, easy to understand and a pleasure to read. Reading this book is like getting a piece of wisdom with every turn of the page.

Thanks to Michael Zipursky of Business Consulting Buzz

4. Inspiring Business Book

A client introduced me to Law of Success by Napoleon Hill. The author spent almost two decades studying people from all walks of life and types of businesses, including highly successful icons of his time, like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Ford, etc. His research led to seventeen laws that every successful business person had to some degree. It was written around 1930, so although his examples may be a bit outdated, his lessons still ring true. And it’s inspiring to read because it’s written with such concern for the reader and a genuine desire to help each person find their true path in life. It’s a workout – the 21st-century edition weighs in hefty at over 1,000 pages, but you will finish with such a better understanding of yourself and your chief aim in life, it will be worth the time.

Thanks to Karen Hancock of Red Plume Marketing

5. Go-Giver

One of the best books I read that helped me is Go-Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann. It helps reiterate how giving returns so much in your life. Give and the universe will provide. It helps you to remember why you are doing your own business, instead of focusing on what should I be doing. Helps you remember WHY you are doing the things you are doing to keep your business running. All of us want to contribute and be helpful.

Thanks to Nancy Rose of Quintessence Creations

6. Market To Who You Know

Recently I was reading a book that I just happened to come across.
PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders by Marti Barletta. I’d been struggling to figure out who I was marketing to, how do I define that market. Then I read this book. I’m turning 50 this year and I was amazed how much this book described me when describing this demographic. It was an “Aha” Moment for me. Why try to define my target market as someone 20-30 years younger than me? Why not target me?

When writing, the advice most often heard is “write what you know”. Well, this book taught me the same about defining a target audience. So I created a blog, ageoffashionprivilege.blogspot.com , which is the central hub from which my other websites and blogs branch out.

Thanks to Ann Tucker of bowedpsalterymusic.com

7. One Page Business Plan

Your Business Vision, Mission Statement, Objectives, Marketing Strategies, and Plans… OH MY! Can you think of anything more overwhelming to a business owner than the thought of putting all that down on paper? The One Page Business Plan, a workbook by Jim Horan, is an easy to understand and enjoyable — yes, I said enjoyable —book that will assist you as you create that solid foundation for your business. This workbook helped me create priorities to use and monitor daily. Business plans don’t have to be overly complex to work. When I first took my plan from my head and created it with this format, I realized that doing more of what I was doing wasn’t helping my business. So I changed my niche and focus from life coaching to womens business coach, and more recently to working with financial, insurance and investment advisors.

Thanks to Maria Marsala of Business And Marketing Plan.com

8. How Do You Build A Top Notch Professional Network? You Listen.

In my opinion, How to win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie is one of the best books ever written. It may not be specifically made for business application, but it can take a business person a very long way. There are so many new books on the market spewing the newest trends and research, but what it really boils down to is being personable and creating lasting relationships with the people you want to network and do business with. If I had to choose the most important takeaway from the book, it would be to “act interested in others.” That means asking them questions and talking about them and their business before even talking about yourself. This has gotten me very far in regards to building my professional network. Remember, people enjoy talking about themselves…so let them.

Thanks to Katrina Razavi of Marriage.com

9. Thank You For The Thank You Economy

I have just finished Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, The Thank You Economy, and it is already all dog-eared. This book gives you the nuts-and-bolts of a good social media campaign from someone who has ” been there, done that”. He doesnt give fluff — just a definitive “how to” guide, chock full of nitty gritty details that can save any business owner hundreds of hours of hard work, while helping to improve their Twitter, Facebook, YouTube campaigns. He discusses his personal strategy and speaks from the heart. It is filled with excellent advice

Thanks to Robert Piller of ECO MARKETING SOLUTIONS

10. I Built My Business The Busker Way

In his book, Top Performer, Stephen Lundin, Ph.D. tells a parable of a burnt-out salesman who turns to a street performer to learn a new way of approaching sales. “Rat Catcher” teaches the salesman how to draw in his customers, engage them, learn to be flexible when things go bad, and leave a positive impression. That book stays in my mind whenever I need a spurt of energy to seek out a new idea that is different from my competitors, or when a bad situation requires me to “juice the jam” to come up with a positive and better plan to implement.

A busker is defined as one who “makes a living by entertaining” and I’ve learned that this applies to more than one part of running a business.

Thanks to Renee Harris of MadeOn Skin Care

11. Put Your Business In Higher Heels

The Chic Entrepreneur by Elizabeth W. Gordon taught me that money is the language of business! Women in general are givers. Because we hold so many titles and are able to juggle responsibilities, sometimes flawlessly, we mistake our worth. Certain talents come naturally, so when someone comes to us for a product or service we find it hard to sometimes ask for compensation. Isn’t it easy to discuss shoes, handbags, and cute clothes with women we don’t know? Well, that’s how straightforward we should be when it comes to placing a price on our product/services. As a consultant, I found myself asking clients what their budget was and I sometimes lowered my prices by 30%! I now understand the importance of asking for what I really want monetarily and not flinching when compensation is discussed

Thanks to Tawana Necole of Corporate Chics, LLC

12. Business Books Suck, Dane Sanders Writes for the Right-Brainy Types

I’m a self-taught photographer and I write a photography blog for amateur photographers. I’ve read several photography, blogging, SEO, and business books, but the one that stands out is Fast Track Photographer by Dane Sanders. The biggest lesson it taught me right off the bat was that “the real value in any photography business is located in the person behind the camera.” This book stopped me from comparing myself and my work with other photographers, and recognize that I’m the true value of my business. That shift in my perception changed everything and put me on the fast track to building a solid readership for my blog (Through the Lens of Kimberly Gauthier), selling workshops to people who are new to their DSLR cameras, and selling prints of my images.

Thanks to Kimberly Gauthier of Kimberly Gauthier Photography

13. Trust As A Profit Path

The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill, is one of the only massively successful books I know to make the business case for ethics — not just because it’s the right thing, but also as a path to greater profits. It’s a well-written and very compelling book (and I consider it a great honor that he wrote the foreword for my own most recent book).

Thanks to Shel Horowitz of Green And Profitable

14. Killing The Practice Before It Kills You: How Throwing Out My Business Model Saved My Life

Killing the Practice Before it Kills You, is a book by Dr. Ron Arndt, a coach with a medical degree and a MBA, about the small business owner who is going, going, going on the gerbil wheel. In a tell-it-like-it-is format, Dr. Ron illustrates his stress-induced heart attack at age 41, and what resulting wisdom that gave him. This book will teach any business owner how to create a successful business, in alignment with the work/life balance that we need. While the business lessons, such as how to create your company’s Core Values and how to hire and retain staff are priceless, the real lesson is to: love what you do, but also love who you are outside of your work. The essence of good business is about relationships, healthy choices and living the life that you want.

Thanks to Danielle Cuomo of Virtual Assist USA

15. The Next Best Thing To A Cure For Self-Doubt

As a leadership development consultant and corporate trainer starting his own business, I must fight a continual battle against self-doubt and insecurity – despite the fact that I have a doctorate and 10 years of experience in the field. The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David J. Schwartz has been a tremendous help in this regard. Dr. Schwartz’s book eschews New Age aphorisms and “feel good” proclamations for practical advice on how to think like a winner. He addresses those issues that most haunt solopreneurs – fear of failure, negative self-talk, etc. – with the voice of a warm and caring mentor. The biggest lesson this book taught me? All the education and experience in the world mean nothing if you lack belief in yourself.

Thanks to Michael Brenner of IdeAgency

16. From Entrepreneur To Big Fish

This book led me to a group of entrepreneurs who met weekly by phone. Lorin Beller Blake, the author and founder of Big Fish Nation, held sort of a support group for entrepreneurs. She helped us solve problems and I am still receiving coaching from her today. Since most solopreneurs cannot afford a coach, this book is the next best thing.

From Entrepreneur to Big Fish: 7 Principles To Wild Success, assists entrepreneurs in thinking about the big picture for their business. So often, owners get caught up in the day to day TO-DO list, instead of how to take the company to the next level. At the end of each chapter are exercises that will help cement your vision and goals. The book offers a zen approach to business according to Investor’s Business Daily. Great for inspiration too.

Thanks to Carol Stevens of MSCO

17. MOM’S RULE!

This book just came out on the market, but it is in a series of books (Mogul Mom Work-at-Home Book Series). The third book in this series is entitled: Mogul Mom – How to Quit Your Job, Start Your Own Business and Join the Work at Home Mom Revolution, by Andrea Clayton. What I like about this series of books is they show women that they have options after having children. You don’t have to return to a 9-5 and miss the best times of raising your children. This book teaches you how to stay connected as you build an income. I would recommend this series of books to anyone thinking about starting a business from home.

Thanks to Eula M. Young, COO of Griot’s Roll Film Production & Services Inc.

18. Chic Not Meek

My pick, The Chic Entrepreneur, Put your Business in Higher Heels by Elizabeth W. Gordon. One of the biggest mistakes a female entrepreneur can make is to under-valuate her services when setting up her pricing. As a gender, we tend to want to please people, which means instead of asking for what we’re worth, we discount our services. This book taught me that I need to have more confidence in demanding a fair price for my product and services offering.

Thanks to Eileen Schlesier of SleeveShirt Consulting LLC

19. What You Really Need To Know To Go Into Business

The E-Myth Revisited “what you really need to know before you go into business,” helps someone who wants to be in business doing something they “love to do” realize there is more to being in business than just “baking pies”. Too many people start a business with no idea of what is really involved.

Thanks to Ilene Davis of Financial Independence

20. The Best Unexpected Business Book I Ever Read

As somebody who averages 3 books a month this is always an interesting question for me to answer. The best business book I ever read is The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. I’m sure many wouldn’t consider this a business book at all, but it is simply because of its focus on what holds us back in our lives and in our businesses as well. There were many lessons in the book and they are varied, but the biggest one is we have to take the time when you hit plateaus in your business to look at it and see why and what’s causing it. Most of the time it’s really a comfort level thing and if you can decide you want a new set point for your life, this book will help you do that and move forward quickly to the levels you want to achieve…and beyond.

Thanks to Diane Conklin of Complete Marketing Systems

21. The Holy Trinity

I refer to three books as the Holy Trinity and when I recommend one, I recommend them all. The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris, and Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hanson.

The E-Myth is about building replicatable systems, processes, and structure in your business so that you are the owner, not the eternal technician.

The 4 Hour Work Week taught me to outsource things that are a waste of my time or that I am not good at, and to be okay with trading money for time. I can make more money. I’ll never get the week in Hawaii with my wife of 12 years back.

Rework reminds us to challenge the status quo, forget conventional wisdom and challenge paradigm with sayings like “meetings are toxic”, “underdo the competition” and “fire the workaholics.”

Thanks to Mike Welch of TasteLocal

22. What If One Day You Don’t Want To Be A Solopreneur Anymore?

I just finished reading Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by John Warrillow and I believe every business owner needs to pick up this book immediately.

Even if you have no immediate or future plans to sell your business, this book will make you face the tough questions, such as:

* What is the value in your business, other than you?
* What if you want to start another business one day – can you extract any value out of the years you’ve put into your current one?
* Wouldn’t you like to fund your retirement by earning income off a multi-million dollar chunk of change, instead of spending the next 30 years clipping coupons and stashing money away in an IRA?

Go read this book today! You won’t be sorry you did.

Thanks to Carmen Sognonvi of Urban Martial Arts

23. Finally, A No-BS Approach To Small Business Marketing!

I’m starting a business and I recently stumbled upon a gem of a book called Marketing Unmasked by Erik Wolf and Stephanie Frost. I finally feel like someone has explained how things like branding and marketing planning apply to me as a startup with no resources other than my own time and money, and how to cut through all the nonsense that people have tried to sell me on. This is definitely the first marketing book that any solopreneur should read!

Thanks to Greg Bond of A LLC

24. Beyond The Art Of War

Beyond the Art of War; Guy Kawasaki’s book, The Art of the Start is the
first on my business list of books. Like the Art of War, The Art of the Start teaches a few really wonderful themes — from the story of building a brand to how to properly court investors. The key thing I learned from AOS is that to survive as a small business you need to have a passion for what you do, find those that can be passionate about what you offer and in the end make sure you are solving a problem and doing good in the process.

Thanks to Ben Fisher of ImSMB

25. Don’t Always Be Joking Around

The business book that has impacted me the most is The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Balthasar Gracian.

This book was initially banned when first released by this Priest in the 17th century. He was almost excommunicated for expressing the keys of earthly success. The main message is “perception is reality”. You don’t need to allow your customer to see all the workings behind the curtain. And the personal message to me: “Don’t always be joking around”. People cannot tell when you are serious.

Thanks to Ted Jordan of Funutation Tekademy LLC

26. Keeping The Faith

My pick: The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. While the subject of this book is really broader than just business, it has helped me enormously in keeping the energy going. I find that for solopreneurs (both myself and my clients) that’s sometimes the most difficult part; keeping the faith and one’s energy levels up. So just when I’m flagging, or starting to doubt, I crack open Jack Canfield’s straight forward and inspirational book. While sometimes it’s a bit rah-rah, overall the practical steps and clear common sense approach works its magic every time.

Thanks to Amy Foxwell of Win Win Restaurant Marketing

27. A Fantastic Guide For Growing Your Business In Easy To Apply Steps

Win Win Marketing – The Essential Guide to Increasing Profits, Getting New Customers and Growing Your Business in Today’s Markets.

I found Win Win Marketing a really useful guide for managing my business day to day. What I found great, is that the author talks about many different marketing methods that she has compiled. And when you’re not an expert marketer, it is very useful to have an overview of the whole thing and to plan many different marketing actions. I have used a lot of the advice and have seen my profits grow and I’ve got many more customers. Plus it isn’t boring. I loved the way it is laid out in practical and immediately applicable snippets of marketing wisdom. A definite read for business owners.

Thanks to Emma Welcher of Synergy Realty

28. Looking For Lincolns, Not For Caesars

I absolutely love the book, Good to Great by Jim Collins. I’ve come away from this book with so many lessons it taught me. One of the most important ones has been, to quote him, ‘People are not your most important asset. The right people are.’ In order to create a great business, you need to have disciplined people with disciplined thoughts and disciplined actions on your team. You have to be willing to fire the wrong people to make way for the right ones. It is incredibly difficult to do, but in order to keep pushing and keep going throughout financial uncertainty and despite all of the odds, you can’t do it unless you’re working with people who understand how to work hard for the company, the customer, and for themselves. As Jim says, ‘You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end.’

Thanks to Deborah Sweeney of MyCorporation

29. Growing Up To Be Google

Googled: The End of the World As We Know It by Ken Auletta

Larry Page and Sergey Brin were a couple of uber-geeks with a great idea for a search engine. What they didn’t know was that one day, when they and their company – Google – grew up, it would change the world. This is the story of how Google came to be, where it is now and the challenges it faces as it goes forward. Most important, though, is that Auletta’s highly readable book gives you great ideas about how to view, manage and grow your own company. Then you, too, can change the world.

Thanks to Leslie L Kossoff of The Kossoff Group – Confidential Advisors To Executives And Entrepreneurs

30. Work Less, Make More

The one business book at the top of my greatest list of all time is Work Less, Make More, by Jennifer White:

Tired of holding your breath, waiting for exactly the right moment to arrive before you can start living the life you really want? It’s time to stop waiting and start living. As renowned success coach, Jennifer White, proves in her amazing book Work Less, Make More, you can have it all: more time, more money, and more fun on your own terms starting today!

This book is chock full of great productivity tips that help you earn more money, and create more discretionary time in your life. One simple, yet extremely powerful tip: The Power of 3. Reduce everything to the three most important tasks, projects, or to-do’s you want to accomplish. Focus on only those three things.

Thanks to Brian Bartes of LifeExcellence LLC

31. Delivering Happiness: A Business Lesson I Learned From Zappos

Delivering Happiness taught me to define success on my own terms. In chapter 2, Tony talks about success & happiness, saying, “I made a list of the happiest periods in my life, & I realized that none of them involved money. I realized that building stuff & being creative & inventive made me happy”. How do you define success? Is it by having an elite title, like CEO? Is it by earning 6 figures a year? Or perhaps it’s driving a fancy car? I am guilty of this. For the past 6 months, I have been telling myself that my goal is to make 6 figures. There was no thought behind this goal, just the myth that if I made 6 figures I would be deemed successful. However, when I did the exercise above & listed my happiest moments, like Tony none of them revolved around getting a 6 figure pay check.

Thanks to Holly Hanna of The Work At Home Woman

32. Write It Down, Make It Happen!

The title of my favorite business book, Write It Down, Make It Happen, reinforces the concept of how to make your business succeed. Writing down my goals has been a way for me to make my business goals happen. The author, Henriette Anne Klauser, says it is about knowing what you want and the way to get it is to write it out. A simple concept, but effective for every one in every business.

Thanks to Ellen Delap of Professional-Organizer.com

33. This One Never Gets Old

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s based on the premise that decency and helping others is the basis of all human interaction. It’s a guidebook to life as well as business and works for both!

Thanks to Laura Connell of For Those About To Shop

34. For Legal Stuff: Anything By Nolo

Nolo is a legal publisher who specializes in making up-to-date, accurate, and well-written legal guides. Their books are intended for a general audience, but also go into more advanced topics for entrepreneurs. They are a great resource for guidance on selecting a corporate form (corp, LLC), basic tax structure, compensation & employee relations. With some time and effort you can do most of the legal stuff when starting your business.

Thanks to Todd Gallinger of Gallinger Law

35. Effortless Entrepreneur – 10 Dollars To Effortless Entrepreneurship!

Effortless Entrepreneur, by Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, is at the top of my must-read list for business owners! The biggest lesson it taught me was the importance of systemizing the functions of my company. Their explanation of systemization, helped to free me to work from outside of my company (not slaving away within it), prepare for future franchising and establish systems that help employees to succeed. Though the voice in which Effortless Entrepreneur is written appeals to younger business owners, the practical insights of the two self-made millionaires are easy to implement and inspiring. This book is the best ten dollar investment I’ve made in my company, and the returns have been instant!

Thanks to Tenin Baba Ndanani of Encore Kids!

36. How To Make Money And Have The Time To Spend It

I’ve read 100’s of books & attended dozens of seminars on business, selling & motivation. I’d been selling for approximately 10 years when I finally got introduced to Sandler Training. I attended a workshop & read the book, You Can’t Teach a Kid To Ride a Bike at a Seminar by David H. Sandler. One of the key concepts I took out of the book was that I was following traditional selling processes which actually put my prospect in control and me in the role of a hard working “free consultant”. I learned that I didn’t know how to sell, even though I had great numbers and bank account to prove it. My close ratio increased from 10% to 60% and my work week decreased to 40-50 hours. After careful consideration, I decided to buy a Sandler franchise. One book literally changed my life.

Thanks to Doug Hoselton of Doug Hoselton Sandler Training

37. The Only Business Book You Need To Succeed As An Internet Entrepreneur

The book Web Marketing for Dummies has been the most useful business book for my business, SlimyBookworm.com, an online children’s bookstore. I have read this book three times in the past 9 months. I learned how to approach marketing as a web based business, how to choose which web marketing strategy to implement and how to measure results.

Thanks to Bola Ajumobi of SlimyBookworm.com

38. You’ve Got To Understand The Virtual World

Many of us go through the motions in the virtual world, but most of us don’t really understand the deep layer of what it means to use it and to make it work more effectively for us. The book that I am recommending to everyone I know is: The Digital Handshake by Paul Chaney. This book is concise and straightforward in explaining the ins and outs on: Three types of online communities, Community-Creation Mistakes.
What makes this book vital is that in today’s job market you have to be constantly expanding your tool sets in order to make yourself marketable and to show value add to your potential employer. Any cover letter that you send out should mention your knowledge and integration with the virtual world. Even if it is not directly related to your current position, you must express an understanding. This is the way to distinguish yourself from the competition. You have to use everything in your informational arsenal to make it happen in today’s rapid fire world.

Thanks to Sheree Franklin of Holistic Health Practice

39. My Recommendation

The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott. It will teach reader how to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video to reach customers directly.

Thanks to Casey Yang of Halfpricesoft.com

40. Best Book

Jay Abraham’s Marketing books were the most immediately useful of 100’s of business books I’ve read. My favorite was Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got, which teaches how to leverage all you know and even unrealized assets.

Thanks to Frank Risalvato of Inter-Regional Executive Search, Inc.

41. Advice For The Ages

You cannot go wrong with How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is a classic and the insights and advice about human nature are timeless. I use his words of wisdom regularly and he never leads me wrong.

Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn of Mavens & Moguls