5 Books you need to read right now for your business, and yourself
If you have been reading any of my posts lately, you will hopefully remember how much I love to learn new stuff; and today I wanted to share with you five books that I consider to be some of my secret weapons that have helped me to grow my business.
I cannot recommend these highly enough, if there's one thing you do for yourself this month - go and buy these five books and read them, and read them again. Highlight and underline the shit out of them and soak it all in!
You will find links to all these books on the Book Depository (not affiliated, I just love these books and the Book Depository), just click on the title of the book!
1. Start with Why (SIMON SINEK)
If you have ever struggled to understand or explain to others why you do what you do - you need this book. If you are struggling to sell things in your business, you need this book.
Let me put it like this - people buy things based on how they feel about things - the more you can make people feel good about your business, the more likely they are to buy from you. If you don't clearly show your why, people are left to make a decision about your brand based on the rational part of their brain (which can lead to overthinking, and uncertainty).
Knowing 'why' you do things, will help to inform you about 'how' you bring that why to life and 'what' you ultimately do. One of the examples Simon looks at in his book is Apple - he suggests that the reason they are so successful is because their 'why' (challenging the status quo and thinking differently) aligns so perfectly with their 'what' (the product that they sell).
Reading this book helped me to figure out my why, how I do things and reassured me that 'what' I do (taking photographs of people) is the right way for me to bring my why to life.
My Why? I have a deep need to know that love exists in this world. Love, sharing it, expressing it, capturing it, is the cornerstone of my whole world.
How do I bring my why to life? Love is one of the most humbling, private things in the world; it's not easy to share it with a virtual stranger. So HOW do I get them to share it with me? By connecting with people, in a real, authentic and genuine way. By creating a space that is relaxing, inviting, warm and open; so that you feel comfortable and safe to be yourself, to let down your walls and share your love and your intimacy with me.
Which leads to WHAT I do - I bottle your love and joy and every feeling you share with me in photographs, that tell a story of your life and the people in it who you love, and love you in return.
All of that bleeds into everything I do here. I photograph weddings, because that is a day dedicated to the celebration of love. I photograph babies and families because you created life with love. I photograph creative, passionate and inspiring women who run small business because they do it with love and want to share it with the world.
It makes no sense for me to photograph product, because it doesn't align with my why.
So please, please, please, go and buy this book - learn your WHY, and come back and tell me because I would LOVE to hear it!!!!!!!
2. The Story Teller's Secret (CARMINE GALLO)
So you've read book #1 and you've got a pretty good idea of your Why, How and What - but what do you do with it now? How do you communicate it to the world?
Enter - The Story-Teller's Secret. I consider this to be a companion book that should be read immediately after "Start with Why".
Carmine Gallo does a beautiful job sharing the stories of the most successful businesses of the last 100 years and delving into what made them just so successful - the ability to share their why, through the power of story-telling.
It's full of tips on effective story-telling that will help to create a relationship of trust between you and your clients (which creates brand loyalty and therefore increases the likelihood of people buying from you).
I'm adding this one to my re-read list because I know I didn't absorb enough from it on my first time through it (and I know my own story-telling skills have got room for improvement).
3. The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)
This book probably sat on my 'to-read' shelf for about 6 months before I finally picked it up, and holy moly. I read that at exactly the right time in my life where I needed the knowledge it gave me.
In my last post, I talked a bit about how frantic my life has become over the last few years, and after reading this book it became super clear that I had a bunch of really bad habits that I was falling back on when I became too busy to focus on building my new habits.
It also gave me so much insight into how habits are formed, and gave me a whole toolbox on how to change them effectively moving forward.
Total game changer.
4. 7 Habits of Highly Successful People (Stephen Covey)
Okay, this one is a bit of a hard read. It took me weeks to finish, I found it a bit dry. But, really useful. Before I started reading it I will admit to being a bit sceptical and thinking it was going to be habits like 'Getting up and making the bed early every morning' - but I'm happy to report it's not! It goes way deeper than that; and speaks more about forming fundamental habits about the way you think and live so that you can be more effective as a person.
5. Profit First (Mike Michalowicz)
Ever heard of The Barefoot Investor??
This is like that, but for business!
After I read the Barefoot Investor (which is a great read and changed the way we budget personally) it left me with so many questions, and I didn't really have any idea about how to effectively implement the Barefoot Investor strategies in my business. I stumbled upon it in a random tiny comment left by someone (who I don't remember) in a Facebook group called Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine, and I just want to smoosh the ever loving crap out of that person in thanks!
This book, Profit First, is everything I was looking for (and way, way, more) and has totally transformed the way I will be dealing with my business income this year. I read it in one afternoon, and started implementing it immediately after I had finished reading it and I am SO EXCITED to put it all into practice!!!
If there is only one book you read from this list make it this one!
Have you read any of these?? What are you most excited to read? After you've read one/all of them I would love to hear how you go!!!
have any other book recommendations for me?? If so PLEEEEASE hit me up!!
Lexi x
