Three books which transformed the way I think about and operate my business

Seeking knowledge to continually improve oneself is vital to being successful and staying relevant in your chosen field.

This is particularly important for entrepreneurs who seek to run sustainable and profitable businesses.

Over the past decade, the way we do business has changed massively. With the internet and social media, traditional business structures are being challenged, innovation is thriving and entrepreneurship is on the rise.

Many millennials today are leaving behind traditional careers to pursue their dreams and passions via entrepreneurship. And I see myself as one of those millennials challenging the status quo.

2016 was the year I left my cosy Management Consulting job in the City of London to pursue the entrepreneur hustle full time.

It was a challenging transition but there are 3 business books which have guided me, kept me on the straight & narrow and helped me through some of the more challenging parts of starting a business and working to make it profitable.

Those three books are:

1. Start With Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action by Simon Sinek Check on Amazon ()

2. Key Person of Influence – The Five-Step Method to become one of the most highly valued and highly paid people in your industry  by Daniel Priestly  (£9.99)

3. Starting – You might have a good idea for a business, but have you dot a good business for your idea? by Andrew Priestly  (£3.96)

In this podcast I share gems and insights from these books and give you a snippet into how you and your business can benefit from incorporating the lesson from these books into the day to day operations of your business.

Enjoy

Resources

Start With Why Quote 1:

There are leaders and there are those who lead.

Leaders hold a position of power or influence.

Those who lead inspire us.

Whether individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to.

We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves.

This book is a book for those who want to inspire others and for those who want to find someone to inspire them.

Start With Why Quote 2:

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

Watch the sensational TED Talk by Simon Sinek which has over 30 milliion views!

• Start With Why Book by Simon Sinek Check on Amazon ()

 Key Person of Influence Quote:

‘You are already standing on a mountain of value. Your story is valuable, your experience is unique, and you are highly valuable… just as you are!’

You don’t need to learn new skills; you are ready to create value now. You are no longer on this planet to be a consumer; you are here to produce.

You’re ready to establish yourself as a Key Person of Influence through creative output, not through further consumption. All of your future learnings will come from the process of producing value, not through pursuing other people’s stories or chasing distant trends.

The KPI Five-Step method to becoming one of the most highly valued and highly paid people in your industry:

1. Pitch – your ability to communicate your value and uniqueness through your spoken word

2. Publish – Your ability to gain credibility through authoring content

3. Product – Your ability to scale your value through an elegant product and services ecosystem

4. Profile – Your ability to become known, liked and trusted in your industry

5. Partnership – The ability to structure and maintain strategic relationships that benefit everyone involved

The Key Person Of Influence Scorecard

When we look at the titans of any industry, they tend to wield a level of success directly proportional to their influence.

It begs the question … What does it mean to be influential?

Key People of Influence can clearly articulate their message so that it spreads like wildfire.

They’ve built products that don’t require their personal time to deliver and they are recognised as highly visible and well-connected leaders in their industry – people know and respect them.

What gets measured gets improved and the Key Person of Influence Scorecard is a powerful tool for benchmarking your true level of influence.

Take The Test

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• Key Person of Influence Book by Daniel Priestly  (£9.99)

Starting Quote 1:

Why exactly did you start your business?

What exactly is your business idea or concept? Is it clear?

Who exactly is your target customer? Why them?

Who is on your management and operating team? Why them?

Is there proof that a minimum viable target market exists; and what is the exact route to that target market?

What exactly are you going to sell? For how much?

Do the numbers stack up? Is it worth doing?

What is your business model? Why that one?

Is it a boutique or scalable business?

And; Are your systems and processes documented?

Starting Quote 2:

“‘I would never have started that business’, which is why I think most people avoid planning. The can’t entertain the idea that their idea won’t work.”

• Starting Book by Andrew Priestly  (£3.96)

Get your copies Today

 

 Check out more recommended books from my bookshelf