Top Ten Mania- My Top Ten Books

There’s always a year end meme that goes something like “Top Ten (insert noun here) of the Year”, so I thought I would do one of my own in a bunch of sequential posts (ten perhaps??).  Here’s number one:

Top Ten Books I Read This Year - There’s nothing special to the order, since all of the books here are great, and it’s hard to say one was way better than the other:

Number 1:The Knack- How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up by Norm Broadsky. The book contains some of the best basic business advice that everyone can use, even if the only business you manage is your personal finances.

Number 2: Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom. This is a great book about neuromarketing, and why our brains sometimes reveal things that our reports on our preferences don’t.  The best book out of the three or four I read this year on neuromarketing.

Number 3- Buying In by Rob Walker- This is a simply fantastic book that looks at why some products seem to have a buzz about them, what makes them special, and how it captures the imagination.  Why did Timberland boots become suddenly popular?  What about Ecko?  Rob Walker’s book is amazing.

Number 4- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely-  If you hadn’t already figured out that I am a brain and social science geek, this one will convince you to be sure.  Dan Ariely is a behavioral economist, and you will often see his work quoted in other books- but the source is just as compelling- don’t miss this one.

Number 5- The Pirate’s Dilemma- by Matt Mason- Not only do I love Matt because he agreed to come and talk about his amazing book at Podcamp NYC, The Pirate’s Dilemma is a great book, about how youth culture is reinventing capatalism, and he has great insights- like the music business having to come to terms with the fact it may be selling music, not just little plastic discs that transfer music from one place to another.  One of the best books of the year, hands down easy pick.

Number 6-  The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, and The Red Rubber Ball for Business by Kevin Carroll- A great book about how when your work becomes your play, your life changes all around for the better.

Number 7: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell- Gladwell has another interesting book, based on the premise of what it takes to be an expert and be successful depends on a confluence of factors, including when you were born, what kind of family you had, and what opportunities you had while growing up. While some of it seems a little ex post facto in its analysis rather than showing you what you can do to help yourself or your kids become successful, it was still a fascinating read.

Number 8 Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath- I read this one last year, but it is so powerful, I’m putting it on the list again this year. If you want to know how to make your communications, whether in writing, presentations, or even email better and more effective- do not miss this book.

Number 9: Your Child’s Strengths by Jenifer Fox- Jenifer’s book lays out ways to help children find their strengths and find ways to be successful playing on them- Every parent and teacher should read this one and keep it handy on their shelf.

Number 10: The Truth About You by Marcus Buckingham: One of the first book/kits that I have found worth while- in fact, the DVD/video that accompanies the book is one of the best produced, yet maintaining authenticity and on- to-one feel that I have ever seen. If you or anyone you know is trying to find their place in the world, this is a book and video well worth their time.

What are your favorite books of the year?  What should be on my reading list for the start of 2009?

Tags: books, buckingham, buying in, buyology, Jenifer fox, kevin carroll, made to stick, malcolm gladwell, matt mason, norm brodsky, outliers, Pirate's dilemma, predictably irrational, rob walker, the knack, top ten, top ten books

Books About Business-What You Need to Know

I am a big fan of the Business section of the book store. This might seem odd to some of you who will say “This woman does a podcast about parenting and education; She’s a lawyer- so what’s the deal with recommending business books?” Here’s the connection:

Managing People is pretty much the same whether

the people are 4 or 40 years old.

Sure, kids are still developing, and you need some specific tweeks to really understand how they think and how to explain things so they will understand, but basically, managing other humans is based on psychology, not business skills. This is why some of the best business management books are great for parents and managing a home- the science and tools are identical.

By the way, while checklist books- ie. The (insert number here) Keys to Success- often have catchy titles, but the devil, as we all know, is in the details. The title sells books, but making your business, or your life a success is much more complicated than checking items off a list.

*My Favorites:

Anything written by Marcus Buckingham. From “First, Break all the Rules” to “Now, Discover Your Strengths” to the latest “The Truth About You”, Marcus Buckingham’s work helps you discover what your personal strengths are, and for anyone, you have to start with knowing what you are best at, in order to make any project/business a go.

Seth Godin’s “The Dip” and “Meatball Sundae”- these books help you sort out the questions of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and whether or not you’re in a dead end or just a lull.

The Pirate’s Dilemma by Matt Mason. This book is about how businesses can deal with the fact that times are changing so fast, it’s the Pirates that are taking ideas, transforming the into businesses, and profiting from it.

Buying In by Rob Walker. This book talks about marketing and branding is changing and evolving quickly, and how to understand what is going on.

Then there’s all that finance and legal stuff. Good reads on this front are harder to come by. This can be pretty dry stuff, on the whole. But I would suggest doing some reading of blogs, newspaper articles and more to get at least a passing knowledge of the following:

• The basics of copyright law is not a bad thing. – Important for doing anything online, so you don’t get sued by using stuff you don’t hold the rights to.

• The basics of economics – you really need to know a bit about how you plan to handle money, cash flow, accounting, taxes, compliance with applicable business licensing laws and the like before starting any business, big or small.

• You have to understand cash flow and risks. Many businesses fail, not because it was a bad idea, but because they didn’t have enough cash in the bank to weather the tough times along with the good. Just look at big retailers who are struggling- part of it is a cash-flow issue, and part of it is falling behind its competitors who are doing the same thing, only better and cheaper, without the same cash issues.
• You have to read the news and understand your marketplace and sector. Your competitors will eat your lunch unless you offer something that makes you special. How to you differentiate yourself from everyone else out there with the same idea

Most importantly, besides reading great books, understanding yourself and your strengths, and knowing how a business makes and loses money, you need to:

Draw up a business plan. Not many new businesses go through this process unless they are getting a loan or looking for funding. However, if you can’t explain the ins and outs of your business to yourself, how will you ever be able to explain it to other people? The Small Business Administration has a great outline of How to Write a Business Plan. This process also requires you to look at things like competition, marketing plans, income projections, etc. and gather all your documents in one place. (There may be lots of excuses to avoid writing a business plan, but it’s never a bad idea to articulate how you think you are going to make money and when you hope things will become profitable.)

I’ve drawn up business plans for my family and for my podcast/blog projects from time to time, because the structure provides me with an opportunity to really think about what I am doing, why, and outline strategy to move the project forward, even when that strategy is not necessarily all about profit.

Jut remember, families are also small businesses, and you need to manage them like a business in order to get ahead, and that includes saving for the rainy day and inevitable problems and unexpected expenses that pop up. Whether it’s paying for Prom Night at home, or a worker’s comp claim at work, the unanticipated costs or events can be what tips the balance between the red and black ink.

See? Managing Business and family isn’t so hard, after all, if you realize the skill set is the same for both.

*For convenience, I’ve linked this to my Amazon affiliate store- if you look under the link for Business/New Media, you’ll find all these books and more.

Tags: business, business plan, economics, management, marcus buckingham, matt mason, rob walker, SBA, seth godin