Most business owners know that there are multiple books to help them with every facet of starting and running a company. However, the following are not the usual classics but rather hidden gems that every business owner should read, whether they are in charge of an international conglomerate or the neighborhood diner. Take a look at these three titles to learn a bit more about what it takes to be the big boss:
Guerilla Marketing – Author: Jay Conrad Levinson
Levinson filled this 1983 release with simple tips and tricks for marketing small businesses when they first started, and money is still tight. However, he believes that each time a small business interacts with the public, an opportunity presents itself for the marketing of its services or products. This marketing doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money as much as it requires time and brilliance.
For example, if you are starting a catering business, you can hire an entertainer, such as a singer or a dancer, and go to the busiest area of town so that you will draw your eyes. While there, give out T-shirts and coupons for discounted services. Creativity certainly goes a long way for cheap but effective marketing for small businesses.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Author: Michael E. Gerber
Most people are not aware that up to 80% of small businesses fail each year. This is because being proficient at creating a product or talented at providing a service is far from the same thing as running a company.
This time, published in 1988, takes this fact at face value and instructs would-be entrepreneurs about the manners in which many small businesses fail and ensures that the readers will not meet the same fate.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Author: Dr. Carol Dweck
Dr. Dweck, a professor at Stamford, is an expert in the power of mindset. As a pioneer in the field, she believes that mindset is responsible for the way people act in their everyday lives because it reflects how they think about themselves.
Dweck believes there are two distinct mindsets. These are the fixed mindset, which is the intelligence with which humans are born, and the growth mindset, which pushes each person to improve each day. She believes everyone has the power to do better, and establishing a growth mindset means that business owners can each reach their potential.
These are not the most popular books for business owners, but they are interesting and can be considered “must-reads” by some. Purchase them online, in-store, or see if some of the older titles are available at your local library.