Category Archives: Business Books Review

Rosalind Gardner’s Book: The Super Affiliate HandBook Review

Few years ago, i felt the need to expand my business and strengthen my incoming cash flow. I did a little research and decided that my next move should be doing business on the web since it was the trend in vogue. Remember i said in my past articles that an entrepreneur must always maximize opportunities and trend is one of such opportunities.

Back then, i had an insight of how the internet works but i don’t really know how business is being done on the net. Since an entrepreneur is always in the learning field, i started searching for an expert that could guide me in the process of starting a web based business. Like a stroke of magic, i came across book ‘The super affiliate handbook’ by Rosalind Gardner.

Call this the super affiliate handbook review, but i think i just want to share my first web based business experience here. When i came across this book, it thrilled me that so much can be done on the internet with respect to business. The most exciting thing this expert called ‘Rosalind Gardner’ revealed to me was that i could generate some income even while still learning about the process of doing business on the internet.

Without wasting much of your time, let me share with you why i chose to take mentorship advice from Rosalind Gardner’s super affiliate handbook. I will also share with you some things i picked up from her book:

1. I hate taking advice from preachers; i prefer to learn from doers. I strongly believe in the principle of practicing what you preach. Rosalind Gardner’s story is a true story of entrepreneurialism. She revealed in the super affiliate handbook how she started her business part time and quit her job as an air traffic controller when her business began to take off rapidly. She has been in the game ever since and has proof to show for it.

2. She taught me everything i needed to know about running a web based business. One thing i appreciate the most is the fact that i learned and started the business with minimal risk.

Instead of risking some capital without any web experience of my own, her book showed me how to kick start my web business with less risk by promoting other people’s product. Imagine making money without any money or product of your own. No inventory, no much paper work and no handling of cash. I mean, the risk was much more reduced for me because I learned from not just an expert but a doer.

3. Her principles and teachings in the super affiliate handbook are straight forward and down to earth. Even a teenager can read it and implement its strategies with confidence. She took some complex topics and broke them down to a lay man’s language.

4. Rosalind Gardner is an industry leader. If you want to go far in business and life in general, follow the leaders until you become a leader yourself. Rosalind Gardner has raised so many individuals from nothing to running their own profitable web based businesses.

Fortunately, i am one of those individuals. Aside my offline businesses, i have been able to start and run several profitable web based businesses with the knowledge i acquired from her super affiliate handbook.

In conclusion, I don’t want to sound as if i am doing an endorsement. But honestly, i know from my own humble experience that this book called ‘The super affiliate handbook’ can be a jump start or leverage for those who want to take a leap into the world of entrepreneurship. Her book will really prove valuable especially if you have no capital, experience or product of your own.

I don’t want to talk much about Rosalind Gardner’s super affiliate handbook because the book speaks for itself. You can read more of Rosalind Gardner’s success story and find out what others are saying about the super affiliate handbook. Good Luck.

CashFlow Quadrant Book: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom

“In 1985, my wife Kim, and I were homeless. We were unemployed and had little money left from our savings; our credit cards were exhausted; and we lived in an old brown Toyota with reclining seats that served as beds. The harsh reality of who we were, what we were doing and where we were headed began to sink in.”

That year 1985, was the worst year of our lives, as well as one of the longest. But by 1989, we were millionaires………………………Click Here Now to Read the CashFlow Quadrant.

                CashFlow Quadrant Book: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom

This is the second book I am bringing to you from the stable of Robert Kiyosaki, the best selling author of the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” If you are don’t know who Robert Kiyosaki is, then I will say you are probably new to the world of Personal Finance, Business and Investing. Robert Kiyosaki is one of the world’s most respected experts in Business, Personal Finance and Investing. He is also my most respected mentor.

The book “CashFlow Quadrant” is a Powerful Hand Guide to Anyone Seeking Financial Freedom. This book also contains the inside story of how my mentor “Robert Kiyosaki” went from being homeless in 1985 to becoming a Millionaire in 1989. The exact steps he took and how you can also achieve the same in less time. Let us take a look into the book “CashFlow Quadrant” Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom

Table of Contents

Introduction: Which Quadrant Are You In?

                   Is It The Right One For You?

Part I:  The CashFlow Quadrant

Chapter one:  Why don’t you get a Job?

Chapter Two:  Different Quadrants, Different People

Chapter Three:  Why People Choose Security over Freedom

Chapter Four:   3 Kinds of Business Systems

Chapter Five:  The 7 Levels of Investors

Chapter Six:   You Cannot See Money with Your Eyes

Part II:    Bringing Out the Best in You

Chapter Seven:   Becoming Who You Are

Chapter Eight:  How Do I Get Rich?

Chapter Nine;   Be the Bank, Not The banker

Part III; How to Be a Successful “B” and “I”

Chapter Ten:  Take Baby Steps

                    7 Steps to Finding Your Financial Fast track

Chapter Eleven:  It Is Time to Mind Your Own Business

Chapter Twelve:   Take Control of Your Cash Flow

Chapter Thirteen:  Know the Difference between Risk and Risky

Chapter Fourteen:  Decide What Kind of Investor You Want To Be

Chapter Fifteen:  Seek Mentors

Chapter Sixteen:  Make Disappointments Your Strengths

Chapter Seventeen:  The Power of Faith.

Chapter Eighteen:  In Summary

Appendix:  The Quick Reference Guide to Wealth

An Excerpt from the book “CashFlow Quadrant”

It Doesn’t Take Money To Make Money.

I started this book about being homeless and having nothing because I often hear people say “it takes money to make money.” I disagree. To get from, homeless in 1985 to rich in 1989 and then to become financially free by 1994 did not take money. We had no money when we started and we were in debt.

It also does not take a good formal education. I have a college degree, and I can honestly say that achieving financial freedom had nothing to do with what I learned in college. I did not find much call for my years of studying calculus, spherical trigonometry, chemistry, physics, French and English literature.

Many successful people have left school without receiving a college degree. People such as Thomas Edison, founder of General Electric; Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor company; Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft; Ted Turner, founder of CNN; Michael Dell, founder of Dell Corporation; Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer; and Ralph Lauren, founder of Polo.

                How to Build a Successful Business from Scratch: My Entrepreneurial Journey So Far

A traditional college education is important for traditional professions, but not for these people with great wealth. They developed their own successful businesses and that was what I and Kim were striving for.

So What Does It Take?

I am often asked, “If it does not take money to make money, and schools do not teach you how to become financially free, then what does it take?

Building a Business: It Takes More than Just an Idea       

                Five Entrepreneurial Skills You Need To Build a Successful Business

If you can lay your hands on the book “CashFlow Quadrant” You will discover other Insider’s secret to becoming Financially Free. Some of the Insider’s Secret you will learn is:

The 3 kinds of Business System you can build.

The difference between being Rich and Being Wealthy

The difference between “S” type of business and a “B” type of business.

How to Manage Risk

The importance of facts versus opinion

Why people struggle financially

How to Get Rich

How to be the Bank, not the Banker

How to become a Successful Business Owner and Investor

3 Valuable Lessons I learned from the book “CashFlow Quadrant” by Robert Kiyosaki

Lesson One: Your Boss Cannot Make You Rich

This is one of the most important lessons contained in this book. I have met some family members and friends who are trying to get rich on their salary. The truth there is this; it’s difficult getting rich on your salary. In the process of trying to get rich on their salary, they break one of laws of money and that law states that “Don’t ever try to get rich on your salary.“

                How to Become a Millionaire in Less than a Year

                How to make a lot of Money and Get Rich Quick by Applying the Secrets of the rich

The earlier you realize that your boss job is not to make you rich but to make sure you get your steady paychecks, the better for you. A job will not make you rich; building a business will. This lesson is very important to most individuals because most people dream of finding a high paying job, saving some money and becoming rich. If you are interested in learning how to become rich without a paycheck, then get the CashFlow Quadrant.

Lesson Two: You Must Build A Business System Around Your Passion.

This lesson is very much applicable to the live of entrepreneurs. I have seen entrepreneurs start a new business with excitement but after some time, they lose enthusiasm and the business begins to crumble. I have also seen entrepreneurs who are always out looking for the new product of the month; they are always looking for the best product to market. They can’t understand why they are not making headway.

If you are in this category of entrepreneurs, all you need to do is to build a business around your passion. If you check the lives of successful entrepreneurs, you will observe that they all built a business around their passion.

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison and Michael Dell built a business around their passion; “Computers.” Larry Page, Jerry Yang and Mark Zuckerberg built a business system around their passion; the “Internet.” Aliko Dangote; the richest black man in the world also built a business around his passion. So if you want to build a successful business, then you must discover your passion and build a business around it.

                Successful Entrepreneurs and World’s Richest School Drop out Billionaires

Lesson Three: You Must Watch the Words You Use

After reading the book “CashFlow Quadrant” I came to learn that there are words used specifically by employees, self employed, business owners and investors. I also learnt that the words we use affect our lives unconsciously because words are powerful tools.

                50 Uncommon Business Advice from 50 Great Business Leaders

If you want to be a successful business owner and investor, then you must learn and use the vocabulary of business owners and investors. I think at this stage, I have given enough.

The E-Myth Revisited Book by Michael Gerber: Why Most Small Business Don’t Work and What to Do about It

“There is a myth in this country – I call it the ‘E-myth’ – which says that small businesses are started by entrepreneurs risking capital to make a profit. This is simply not so. The real reasons people started businesses have little to do with entrepreneurship. In fact, this belief in the entrepreneurial myth is the most important factor in the devastating rate of small business failure today. Understanding the E-Myth and applying that understanding to the creation and development of a small business, can be the secret to any business success.” – The E-Myth Revisited

I came across the book “E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber some years back in a bookshop while shopping for books to add to my library. I was instantly attracted by the title and after scanning through the table of contents, I bought it.

It has been years now since I bought the book “E-myth Revisited” but the truth is that I read this book every once in a while because the business lessons contained in it is priceless, timeless and valuable. I am going to share some of the priceless lessons of this book with you. All you have to do is sit back and digest the lessons.

                The E-Myth Revisited Book by Michael Gerber: Why Most Small Business Don’t Work And What to Do About It

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgements
  • Foreword
  • Introduction

Part I: The E-Myth and American Small Business

  • Chapter 1.  The Entrepreneurial Myth
  • Chapter 2.  The Entrepreneur, the Manager and the Technician
  • Chapter 3.  Infancy: The Technician’s Phase
  • Chapter 4.  Adolescence: Getting Some Help
  • Chapter 5.  Beyond the Comfort Zone
  • Chapter 6.  Maturity and the Entrepreneurial Perspective

Part II:  The Turn Key Revolution: A New View Of Business

  • Chapter 7.  The Turn Key Revolution
  • Chapter 8.  The Franchise Prototype
  • Chapter 9.  Working On Your Business, Not In It

Part III:  Building a Small Business That Works

  • Chapter 10.  The Business Development Process
  • Chapter 11.  Your Business Development Program
  • Chapter 12.  Your Primary Aim
  • Chapter 13.  Your Strategic Objective
  • Chapter 14.  Your Organizational Strategy
  • Chapter 15.  Your Management Strategy
  • Chapter 16.  Your People Strategy
  • Chapter 17.  Your Marketing Strategy
  • Chapter 18.  Your Systems Strategy
  • Chapter 19.  A Letter to Sarah
  • Epilogue:  Bringing the Dream Back to American Small Business
  • Afterword:  Taking the First Step

                The E-Myth Revisited Book by Michael Gerber: Why Most Small Business Don’t Work And What to Do About It

An Excerpt From the book “E-Myth Revisited“

The Entrepreneurial Seizure

To understand the E-Myth and the misunderstanding at its core, let’s take a closer look at the person who goes into business. Not after he goes into business, but before.

For that matter, where were you before you started your business? And, if you are thinking about going into business, where are you now? Well, if you are like most of the people I have known, you were working for somebody else.

What were you doing? Probably technical work; like almost everybody who goes into business. You were a carpenter, a mechanic or a machinist. You were a book keeper or a poodle clipper. A draftsman or a hair dresser. A barber or a computer programmer; a doctor or a technical writer; a graphic artist or an accountant; an interior or a plumber or a sales person. But whatever you were, you were doing technical work. And you were probably damn good at it. But you were doing it for somebody else.

Then, one day, for no apparent reason, something happened. It might have been the weather, a birthday or your child’s graduation from high school. It might have been the paycheck you received on Friday afternoon, or a sideways glance from the boss that just didn’t sit right. It might have been the feeling that your boss didn’t really appreciate your contribution to the success of his business.

It could have been anything; it doesn’t matter what. But one day, for no apparent reason, you were suddenly stricken with an Entrepreneurial Seizure, and from that day on, your life was never to be the same again.

Inside your mind, it sounded something like this: “What am I doing this for? Why am I working for this guy? Hell, I know as much about this business as he does. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have a business. Any dummy can run a business and I am here working for one.“

And the moment you paid attention to what you were saying and really took it to heart, your fate was sealed. The excitement of cutting the cord became your constant companion. The thought of independence followed you everywhere. The idea of being your own boss, doing your own thing and singing your own song became obsessively irresistible.

Once you are stricken with an entrepreneurial seizure, there was no relief. You couldn’t get rid of it. You had to start your own business.

The Fatal Assumption

In the throes of your Entrepreneurial Seizure, you fell victim to the most disastrous assumption anyone can make about going into business.

It is an assumption made by all technicians who go into business for themselves, one that charts the course of a business – from Grand Opening to Liquidation – the moment it is made.

                The E-Myth Revisited Book by Michael Gerber: Why Most Small Business Don’t Work And What to Do About It

3 Priceless Lessons I Grabbed From The Book “E-Myth Revisited.”

For the sake of time, I am going to share with you three, out of over 20 Business lessons I learned form the book “E-Myth Revisited.“

Lesson One: Work On Your Business, Not In It.

This is one of the fundamental reasons why most businesses fail in their first five years. Most entrepreneurs see their business as a place to go to every morning. They see their business as a system of routine chores. They rush out everyday to work in their business, not realizing they need to work on their business. The end point of this lesson is this; most entrepreneurs end up creating a Job for themselves, not a Business. Are you Building a Business or Creating a Job for yourself?

Lesson Two: In Business, Little Things Make Big Difference.

If you are a business owner, you must have fallen guilty of running after the big things of business, not realizing that little things actually make those big differences. I learned from this book that little things such as color codes, dress codes, logos, symbols and sales approach can make very big difference on your business. You find out how these little things can make a big impact on your business by buying the book.

Lesson Three: Never Start A Business Without First Determining Your “Primary Aim.”

This is another ignored principle of business success. Just two simple words; “primary aim.” Have you ever pondered how these two words can affect your life and business? Starting a business without a Primary Aim is like jumping into a car without diesel or fuel. Without the Primary Aim, your business will not stand the test of time. Do you have a Primary Aim?

As a final note, I recommend this book “E-Myth Revisited” mostly to aspiring Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners. This book contains Insider’s Business Secret you will never find anywhere else. In fact, the book will teach you:

1.            How to come up with your own Successful Marketing Strategy.

2.            How to Build a Successful Business using the Mc Donald’s model.

3.            How to organize and Structure your Business for increased profit.

4.            How to find and keep Customers.

5.            How to design your own Management System.

6.            How to create your own Power Point Selling Process.

7.            How to successfully go through the three stages of business growth.

Think Two Products Ahead Book Review by Ben Mack: Branding Tools the Big Advertising Agencies Don’t Want You to Know and How to Use Them to Increase Your Profit

Sometime ago, I was experiencing difficulty in sales. Mind you I was making a lot of sales but they were unique sales; I needed to know how to convert these unique sales to repeated sales. I needed to know how to convert my first time customers to loyal customers. In desperation, I went all out looking for an answer that could help revive my dying business.

I came across a lot of answers but they all required a lot of money to implement and back then, my business was still in the startup phase; I was a young entrepreneur with limited budget. This experience left me with the ideology that a business will need millions to be able to get the required publicity. I also thought the marketing answers I seek can only be found in the hands of big advertising agencies and their wonderful ads.

Just when I was about to give up, I came across the book “Think Two Products Ahead” by Ben Mack and like a stroke of luck, I found my answers. Ben Mack is a brand strategist with results to prove it. My contact with “Think Two Products Ahead” changed my marketing approach and orientation. Just like the title states, the book contains branding tools the big advertising agencies don’t want you to know and how to use them to increase your profit. Below is the book’s table of content.

Table of Content

ASAP Please buy a small notebook

1              Pool Hall Wisdom

2              Brand Misinformation Versus Back End Thinking

3              The Common Thread & Think Two Products Ahead

4              Branding? Be Good To Your Gander

5              Branding Processes Are Strikingly Similar

6              What’s a Brand Essence?

7              Legendary Branding

8              Extracting a Brand Essence

9              The Kama Sutra of Marketing: Five Basic Positions

10           Framing To The Right Target Audience

11           Structured Creativity…Framing Tools

12           Creativity on Demand…Why Ad Agencies Can’t Brainstorm

13           Feed Their Passions

14           Plan to have Many Conversations

15           Everything Communicates

16           Storytelling: Letting The Genii Out Of The Bottle

17           Branding & Thinking Two Products Ahead

Since you have gone through the table of content, I think I should give you a feel of the book. Below is an extract from the book “Think Two Products Ahead.” Think Two Products Ahead: Secrets the Big Advertising Agencies Don’t Want You to Know and How to Use Them for Bigger Profits

                An excerpt from the book “Think two products ahead.”

Storytelling: Letting The Genii Out Of The Bottle.

We learn more from stories than we do from other forms of teaching. I have seen data that proves this point for TV, and to a slightly lesser extent for radio, but not for other mediums. I know Direct Response practitioners have similar data. Simply bullet listing attributes and slapping a price on something doesn’t sell. So, if you are in sales, you’re in the business of storytelling. The more the stories leverage human truths, the more likely they are to resonate with your audience.

Real situations make suspension of disbelief easier because we can see ourselves in those situations. Find a way to be authentic and tell authentic stories. The stories don’t need to have happened to you…but if you’re writing the story, I bet it won’t feel real unless you can imagine the situation happening to you.

Drama is your friend. If I am completely happy…I don’t need your product…leave me alone. I don’t want to be interrupted when I’m in my bliss. Fortunately for advertisers, most people aren’t walking around in a state of bliss. People may be happy and want more…to feel satiated, but most people aren’t happy. What’s the most common type of story told? A love story. If you can sell Love, authentic love, I suggest you do. Reinforce their love.

A marketer of Elvis products asked me, “What is my brand essence?” —easy…Long Live Elvis. “Long Live Elvis” is like saying “For people who love Elvis.” I see great value in promoting love. Love helps people feel loved and unified and enfranchised and safe.

But, most legends aren’t love stories. Most famous legends are warnings of what can go wrong or tales of mavericks. Functionally, fairy tales often act as instructional tales for children that often scared kids away from doing things that might harm themselves, harm their family or endanger their village. Legends for adults are often about a hero who solved problems in cunning ways. For instance; Paul Bunyan, Gulliver, and James Bond.

Guess what…you solve a client’s problem in a maverick way and they’re telling their friends about you, too.

Maverick wisdom sells products. I get why John Carlton positions himself as a maverick marketer…if most of the people in the United States don’t think of themselves as happy…then we’ll be well served by maverick solutions. Not only does John Carlton provide maverick solutions to his clients, but the sales letters he writes frame the maverick solutions of the products being sold. But what are these problems of ours? Sure, there are tactical problems like needing to get from A to B, but we just do those things. Our tougher “problems” are getting our emotional needs met.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.” – Dale Carnegie

Emotional creatures…Our problems are often unfulfilled passions. Passion sells. What emotion can you tap into? Emotions are labels for human energy. You chime an emotion and you bring forth this energy in your target.

The 7 Deadly sins are a decent source of energy and inspiration…

• Pride

o Bayer Advanced lawn care products sells pride…the pride of having a great lawn—most lawn care sells pride.

• Envy

o Many products promise to make your neighbors envious of you…this makes you the object of envy.

• Gluttony

o Romance novels…Consume as much as you want without regrets or repercussions…a number of fake diets claim similar results with food.

• Lust

o Lust is so common that prostitutes have lost control of their market and now everybody is selling sex.

• Righteousness

o Watch Fox News and feel righteous…fair & balanced…we know.

• Greed

o Fortune Magazine sells the proper face of greed.

• Sloth

o Corona sells vacation…many products sell less work, which equals sloth.

Let’s recap…

Think Two Products Ahead: Secrets the Big Advertising Agencies Don’t Want You to Know and How to Use Them for Bigger Profits

Your narrative doesn’t need to be warm and fuzzy, but you need a story to engage and bond with your customers. Even Wal-Mart has evolved from advertisements that only pound low price to commercials that tell a little bit of story.

The narrative in an effective ad reinforces your basic selling points, whether reinforcing why a person purchased or why a prospect should purchase, these are common reasons to believe your brand essence. The narrative appeals to the non-rational part of your customers. If you didn’t need stories you could just send prospects your PowerPoint presentations or put the slides directly on TV.

Telling a story might not seem rational, but storytelling has been proven to be a consistently effective means of persuasion. Furthermore, you should be grateful your customers aren’t more rational. You are asking something very irrational of them. You want them to be completely loyal to you while you go out there and seduce other customers. Try this one on your spouse, “Honey, I want to sleep with other people but I want you to be completely faithful to me.”

Great copy is engaging

I’ll read any John Carlton DR letter on golf…I don’t even play golf. I just enjoy reading his prose. Call

me sick, but I like reading his words. He’s a world-class storyteller. Same goes with copywriter Michael Morgan! Michael has fun with his text and I have fun when I read his words. http://www.outsourcecopy.com. Since you’re reading these words, chances are you read Michael Morgan’s sales letter that introduced you to this book.

Being a good brander is about being a good storyteller. However, just like innovation is applied creativity and not purely self-expression, selling is applied storytelling and not simply the traditional three-act structure. In some ways, copywriting can be seen as a morality play, where the point of the play is to teach a lesson…Nobody ever got fired for choosing AT&T.

In other instances, copywriting can be seen as a mystery, where the point of purchasing may be to improve your golf swing, but it is also to find out…How a one- legged golfer can drive a ball that far. For toys, copywriting can be seen as a fantasy, where the point of purchasing is to become par t of the fantasy and a license to be absurd…Feel the force. For candy or alcohol, it can be a comedy…That’s brilliant!

Yesterday, I was in a grocery store and one twelve-year-old boy said to another, “I feel like Skittles.” And the second kid made a sheep noise and said, “Stop that jibber jabbing.” And they walked around a corner each grabbed a pack of Skittles. Then they started making absurd connections between things, which weren’t funny to me, but they were cracking each other up. They weren’t saying they were craving the flavors…they were craving the energy they associated with the product from the marketing. Skittles gave them a prop that enabled them to act a certain way. Without these props most folks just won’t get that silly.

As a final note, I believe you have felt the book enough so let the book speak for itself. This is definitely not a book for big corporations, it’s a book for smart, result driven entrepreneurs.

In conclusion, let me share with you one of the many lessons I learnt from this book. The lesson I learnt is this: There is more to business than just selling to customers. Some businesses find it easy to attract new customers but they can’t just seem to retain these new customers. This book offers a solution to this problem and the solution is this:

“Sales is about identifying a thirsty prospect and selling them a glass of water. Branding is about selling your 2nd glass and the 3rd glass and the 4th until when they’re thirsty they want to buy your water. Branding is finding out what you stand for and then communicating and delivering what you stand for.” – Ben Mack

7 Self Improvement Books for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

What self improvement books can I recommend to entrepreneurs? What self improvement books do I read to become a better entrepreneur? Which books can entrepreneurs read to improve themselves? Can books help entrepreneurs in their self improvement programs? Why do entrepreneurs need to read self improvement books? Well, I will suggest you read on as I am going to provide all the answers you need in this article.

“Be as careful as to the books you read as of the company you keep, for your habits and characters will be as much influenced by the former as the latter.” – Poxton Hood

Life is a journey, not a destination and so also is business. As an entrepreneur, you have to motivate yourself first, before you try to motivate your employees and business team. The entrepreneurial process is a personal journey every entrepreneur must embark upon to build a successful business.

But unfortunately, not all who start this process makes it to the end; most drop along the way. To successfully complete the entrepreneurial process, you need more than just business skills. You need a strong personality and that’s where self improvement comes in.

                “I have never met a man that has given me as much trouble as myself.” – Wright. L. Moody

Self improvement encompasses a lot; from leadership skills development to moral behavior and habits development. It all boils down to one thing; “self improvement.” Entrepreneurial skill development or any other kind of development without self improvement is null and void, a complete waste of time and resources.

                “Income seldom exceeds personal development.” – Jim Rohn

Most entrepreneurs do not know how to motivate themselves; not to talk of motivating their employees and business team, so I will be using this article and subsequent editions to introduce some self improvement books that will not only motivate you but also help you develop the needed entrepreneurial skills. So if you are good to go, then below are four self Improvement books that have positively influenced me the most.

7 Recommended Self Improvement Books for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

 

1.            21 Indispensable Qualities of Leadership: Becoming the Leader Others Will Follow – By John C. Maxwell

This business book reveals how some people consistently inspire others to follow their lead. John C. Maxwell is a respected business leader with many books to his credit, and this book “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow” has really proved that John Maxwell knows his onions. I hope you know that in business, leadership skill is not optional; it’s a must.

In this self improvement book, the author “John C. Maxwell” identifies the top traits of successful business leaders such as character, charisma, commitment, communication, competence, courage, discernment, focus, generosity, initiative, listening, passion, positive attitude, problem-solving, relationships, responsibility, security, self-discipline, servant hood and vision.

John Maxwell also broke down the necessary leadership qualities every entrepreneur must possess into an easy to understand format. Character is what defines a leader, and the traits listed above are what people of character possess. This self development book will teach you how to develop these leadership traits. I declare this self improvement book a must read for entrepreneurs and leaders in any position. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow

 

2.            Discover Your Strengths –             by Marcus Buckingham

This self improvement book by Marcus Buckingham is highly recommended for entrepreneurs because it will help you discover your inner strengths and motivate you to work towards making those strengths stronger. Most of the successful entrepreneurs and richest school drop out billionaires ultimately became billionaires because they discovered their passion/strength and built a business around it.

Oprah Winfrey discovered her passion for speaking and became a billionaire. J. K. Rowling discovered her passion for writing and became a billionaire. Debbi Field’s became rich with her passion for baking cookies; Rachael Ray became rich with cooking and Bill Gates became the richest man in the world with his passion for programming. Now, Discover Your Strengths

50 Cent, Russell Simons, Dr Dre, Bryan Birdman, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson and Beyonce Knowles all became rich and famous because they discovered their passion for music and utilized it to the fullest. If discovering your strengths/passion and joining these cliché is your concern, then I will advice you get the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths.” This self improvement book will help you a lot because it also contains a personal survey that can help you get started immediately in the discovering of your strength.

 

3.            Who Moved My Cheese? -          By Spencer Johnson

This self improvement book is all about change. It is all about being the change that you want to see in the world. Most people are agitating for a change in government, change in their relationship; they even want to see change in the life of their family and friends. But they’ve never considered changing themselves.

It’s easier to change one’s self than to change another. Instead of craving for change in everything around you; change yourself. Effective change starts from the inside and that’s where the book “who moved my cheese” comes in; to guide you through the process of undergoing this change. Life is dynamic and so also is business; it changes at every twinkle of an eye and to survive or emerge successful in life, you must be willing to change. But unfortunately, most people resist change. In fact, they hate it.

So it is based on this that I advice you get this self improvement book “Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life” with immediate effect. It’s going to change your perception towards life.

 

4.            7 Habits of Highly Effective People –        by Steven Covey

Another must have in your collection of self improvement books for entrepreneurs is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” From the information contained in this book, I can imagine the amount of effort Steven Covey put into this book. Well, why should he? After all, he’s a highly effective person. Instead of rambling and ranting about the content of this book, I will suggest you go through the questionnaire below and if any of the questions sets your heart burning. If any does, then it’s a sign that this book is for you.

What makes the great, great? What habits are possessed by highly effective and successful entrepreneurs? What habits does the school drop out billionaires possess that the average college degree holders lack?

What’s the secret to the high effectiveness of famous entrepreneurs such as Warren Buffett, Ingvar Kamprad, Oprah Winfrey, Aliko Dangote and Mark Zuckerberg? What habits must I possess to be effective, successful and famous? Well, I don’t think I can provide the answers to all these questions here, so I will recommend you buy the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The book speaks for itself.

 

5.            How to Win Friends and Influence People –         Dale Carnegie

An all time best seller; this self improvement book will help improve your communication skills, smoothen your business relationships and ultimately help you gain an undue influence on your friends and business associates.

In the book “How To Win Friends and Influence People,” Dale Carnegie highlighted some tactical approach to increasing your strategic influence. Have you ever wondered why some entrepreneurs raise millions and billions of dollars in capital while others struggle without success to raise just $10,000?

Have you ever wondered how Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Condoleezza Rice, Warren Buffett and Barrack Obama emerged on the Times list of most influential people in the world? Have you ever desired to know how Mary Kay Ash and Steve Jobs became the most famous business persons of the 20th and 21th century respectively?

Do you want to learn the magic words that will help you pitch angel investors and Venture Capitalist successfully? Do you want to become the business leader that people listen to (Warren Buffett)? Do you want to be influential with millions of fans or followers like Michael Jackson and Celine Dion?

Do you want to learn how to make people volunteer to undertake tasks for you? Do you want to develop people skills, negotiation skills and public speaking skills? Then this self improvement book is for you. Enough said. How To Win Friends and Influence People

 

6.            Think and Grow Rich –    Napoleon Hill

This self improvement book is another all time classic best seller. Most individuals are in search of the Holy Grail to making millions of dollars and ultimate becoming rich. What this individuals don’t know is that the secret to wealth lies inside of them; waiting to be discovered and harnessed.

“Think and grow rich” is a self improvement book that challenges you to look inward and discover yourself. In this self improvement book; the lives of successful people such as John D. Rockefeller, Charles Schwab, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Edwin Barnes, Andrew Carnegie, Abraham Lincoln was analyzed and the secrets to their success revealed.

This book ultimately highlights practical steps to developing million dollar ideas. With a lot of illustrations, worksheets and case studies to guide you in the entrepreneurial process of developing a million dollar idea; I personally declare “Think and Grow Rich” a must read for entrepreneurs.

 

7.            The Holy Bible

                “God’s word; the bible is supernatural in origin, external in duration, inexpressible in value, infinite in scope, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in application and inspired in totality. Read it through, pray it in, work it out and pass it on.” – Smith Wigglesworth

This list of must read self improvement books will never be complete without the Holy Bible. In fact, the holy bible is the greatest of all books written and all self improvement books ever written are simply derivatives of the holy bible.

The holy bible is infinite in wisdom and in-depth in knowledge; with insights and advice on subjects ranging from self improvement, personal development and business strategies to spiritual guidance and growth, relationships, love and parenting; the holy bible is undoubtedly the most important, must have self improvement book for entrepreneurs.

                “The bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.” – Patrick Henry

As a final note, these are just a few of the popular self improvement books I have read and can confidently recommend to you. Whenever you want answers to certain questions about life and how it relates to business, you can always pick any of these self improvement books and find the answer you seek. Good luck.

Rich Dad Poor Dad Book Review: What the Rich teach their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle Class do not

“I grew up differently from other kids because I had two fathers. One dad always complains of lack of money and the other complains of too much money. Having two dads gave me the opportunity to…………………………..” – Robert Kiyosaki in the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!.”

The title might be a little bit misleading because I am not writing a review about Rich Dad Poor Dad. I am actually writing about the lessons I learned from the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”. Before I proceed, I want to encourage you to get the book Rich Dad Poor Dad and read it; you will thank me for recommending the book to you. The truth is this; this book brought me into the world of business and challenged me to take control of my financial future. I found my entrepreneurial spirit after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad.

                “Control your destiny or someone else will.” – Jack Welch

There are quite a lot of things you will learn from the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” Some of the lessons I learned are:

1)            How the rich invent their own money.

2)            How to take control of your financial future.

3)            The difference between Assets and Liabilities (Why your home is not an asset).

4)            How to start your business part time while still keeping your day job.

5)            How to escape the rat race.

6)            Lessons from seven multi millionaires who died broke.

7)            How to make money work for you.

8)            Why you must mind your own business.

9)            How to use tax to your advantage.

10           Why you must work to learn, not work for money.

11           How to earn more and pay less in tax

12           The difference between earned income, passive income and portfolio income

13           Lessons from two fathers, The Rich Dad and the Poor Dad.

I can go on and on spilling out the lessons I learned from Rich Dad Poor Dad; I can go on and on spilling out how this book shaped my financial life. But I won’t; rather, I will just share only three lessons from Rich Dad Poor Dad here on this blog. If you want to find out the rest; I will advice you get the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!,” you will be doing yourself a lot of good.

                Rich Dad Poor Dad Book Review: What the Rich teach their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle Class do not

                Three Lessons I learned from the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad.”

1.            The Rich invent their own money

Yes, believe it or not; the rich invent and print their own money. This is a chapter I cherish so much and I don’t think I will say anything on it because I will prefer you get the lesson directly from the horse mouth. Period!! Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

2.            Mind your own business

This lesson is priceless. Rich Dad Poor Dad made me understand that no matter my profession or field of play, I should mind my own business. Illustrations and guides were given on how to keep your day job and start your own business part time. The author, Robert Kiyosaki also explained how he started his nylon and Velcro Company part time while still keeping his day job as a sales man for Xerox Corporation. The ultimate lesson here is that your boss will not make you rich; your job will not make you rich either, only your own business will. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

3.            Work to learn, don’t work for money

This caption might sound funny but there is a lot of sense beneath it. Don’t ever take a job because of the paycheck; take a job because you want to learn how things work. The reason a lot of businesses fail is because the entrepreneur’s primary aim of starting a business is to make money and be their own boss. Successful entrepreneurs and drop out billionaires such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Oprah Winfrey all said that money should not be your reason of being in business because you won’t last long.

“I think a lot more emphasis has been placed on the money than need be, because I would have done this work for free.” – Oprah Winfrey

Rich Dad Poor Dad gave more than enough insight on why you must work to learn. I recall that the first business I started wasn’t for the money. After reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, I decided to take the risk and start my own business. My primary aim of starting a business was to get experience and develop my entrepreneurial skills. When I took this move, I finally realized that there is big difference between dreaming about starting a business and actually starting a business. I also came to understand that after the excitement of starting a business dies down; you will now face the reality of business by witnessing the highs and lows, the mistakes and its consequences, the wins and loses. But in the end, your greatest asset is going to be your experience. It is priceless. I wrote about this singular entrepreneurial experience of mine in this article: “How to Build a Successful Business from Scratch: My Entrepreneurial Journey So Far.”

As a final note, I will conclude this article by asking you this question. Will you like to spend your life working for money? Or you would rather have money work for you?