The Wealthy Entrepreneur
The Wealthy Entrepreneur by Bob Gauvreau is a great overview of some of the fundamental financial principles that startups need to consider in starting and growing businesses. The framework the Gauvreau has created offers a solid way to look at the big picture goals you have in your business and break them down into actionable steps to accomplish both in the mid-term and short-term.
The book does a really great job of walking you through step-by-step the Vision To Results framework with guidance on how to implement it into your system.
I feel like Bob has some very interesting stories to share and some better storytelling would have definitely helped this book.
If you’re looking to start your own business or already an entrepreneur, this book is a valuable resource to have and a quick read which makes it easy to implement. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited, so very easy to check out.
Rating 4/5
Anything You Want
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers is collection of short stories and lessons about how Derek built CD Baby, his online music store for independent musicians. CD Baby became renowned for its customer service as Derek built it to great success.
This short book / audiobook contains a lot of important lessons for any entrepreneur to pay attention to and is worth reading through a few times at least. At lot of books belabour their points with overdrawn arguments but not this one. So if you’re short on time but need to absorb a lot of knowledge from a successful entrepreneur, you’ll enjoy Anything You Want.
The audiobook is also read by Derek who’s a great storyteller and so I highly recommend checking out the audio version if you can.
Life Value 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
Choose Yourself
Choose Yourself - James Altucher
“Without rejection, there is no frontier, no passion, and there is no magic. When you give up searching for frontiers, inevitably you end up stuck in a swamp, sinking deeper into the mud the more to struggle to get out.”
Rating 4/5
James Altucher has tried, failed, and succeeded in many different avenues throughout his life. He is as apt to make an example out of his failures as he is his successes if it will make for a great story and help someone else. I don't know if anyone considers James a true expert in any one subject but he certainly likes to make his presences known across many different industries.
I like James. The way he is constantly trying to sell his ideas makes me question his integrity a lot, but I still like the way he writes and the stories he tells; Choose Yourself was no different in this sense.
The book revolves around the central idea that to be happy and create value in the world for others you must choose yourself, meaning that you have to think about yourself and your ideas as an entrepreneur would. James says that the world of the manual labour job is quickly disappearing and that the only way you'll be able to thrive in the future is to become a creator, in other words, someone capable of Deep Work.
The book doesn't follow much of a progression from beginning to end and instead is more like a collection of essays and many of James' ideas on why you must choose yourself. He is an unusual, yet captivating writer and I found myself devouring the pages to see where each story led James next.
Who's This Book For:
- Anyone looking for entrepreneurial inspiration.
- If you like 'mad genius' style thinking, you'll likely enjoy James' sometimes rambling style of writing/thinking.
Who's This Book Not For:
- People who dislike disjointed ideas.
- People content with their 9-5 jobs that don't want to take any risk.
The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
“Every man creates his meaning and form and goal. Why is it so important what others have done? Why does it become sacred by the mere fact of not having been your own? Why is anyone and everyone right - so long as it’s not yourself?”
In Tribe of Mentors, of the 'mentors' that were interviewed about entrepreneurship, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand stood out as the most recommended book. Some went so far to say that it should be compulsory for any aspiring entrepreneur to read. Having finished reading it, I wholeheartedly agree. The essence of The Fountainhead is that the prime movers of the world are those individuals who create something of their own out of love for their job or passion first and foremost.
To try to explain the book cannot do it justice. You will become deeply immersed in the characters in the story and it is well worth the journey to get to Howard Roark's testimony, which is the talk to end all talks on why the struggle to follow your dreams is worth it if you never give up on what you love.