29 Game-Changing Books For Business

I love blogs, podcasts, and videos.  Each of these has the chance to inspire me and lift me up.  I have created time in my morning routine to put some good into my brain each day…and these are often my tool of choice.  But if I really want to take a deep dive into a topic, I still am inspired by books.  Whether I read a physical book or simply take a walk with the author (in audio form), books help me grow (and level up).

Over the course of the last 10 years, I have had the chance to read hundreds of books.  Some have been forgettable.  Others have been what I needed to hear at the moment.  But here is a list of 29 Game-Changing Books for Business that have impacted me.  I wanted to share them with you.

The E-Myth Revisited

This is one of the best business books ever.  I have bought countless copies and have recommended it more times than I can remember.  I have probably read it 10 different times and have found myself in a different place on the journey each time.  If you are in business or want to start a business, this is awesome.

Profit First

When I first listened to Profit-First, I thought author Mike Michaelowicx was following me around.  It spoke to the challenges I was having in my business’s cash flow right then.  We tentatively adopted the philosophy and have not looked back.  It’s been a game-changer for us.  Mike’s goal is to “eliminate entrepreneurial poverty,” and for many in business, that is a real thing.  Love this book.

Start with Why

You know a book is powerful when it becomes something that everyone else repeats.  It seems every business leader discusses the need to find your WHY now.  Sinek created the conversation and it is an important one in today’s business world.

Leaders Eat Last

I think each one of Sinek’s books has gotten stronger. And while I really enjoyed “Start with Why,” I thought “Leaders Eat Last” was even better.  Sinek goes into what makes a great leader and even the biological reasons for it.  Powerful information…and super interesting too!

Infinite Game

As you might expect, this is my favorite of Simon Sinek’s books.  He explains the difference between a finite game and an infinite game and why it matters so much to know what kind of game you are playing.  For me, it crystallized the idea of playing a “long game” in business.  It’s what I have long believed and discussed, but Sinek does it in a much more articulate way than me!

The Thank You Economy

I love Gary Vaynerchuk.  I am a fan.  But while I love his content, his energy, his speaking, and his philosophy, I don’t always LOVE his books.  But The Thank You Economy was different.  Gary talks about using social media to create appreciation, value, and connection at scale.  Loved this one.

Pumpkin Plan

This is the second Mike Michaelowicz book on the list.  I am a fan of Mike’s work and this is a powerful one about differentiation.  He says “The Riches are in the Niches” and explains how to find your niche and grow into it.  He even spends a bit of time explaining how to “fire a client” which just seems so hard for some entrepreneurs.  The Pumpkin Plan is worth harvesting.

Purple Cow

I am an unapologetic fan of Seth Godin.  He is a thought leader in business and marketing.  And he has the ability to say things in a way that is simple, yet powerful.  “If you want to be remarkable, you have to do something worth remarketing about.”  Read this one if you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The Dip

While this is probably not Godin’s most famous book, it is the one I find myself quoting the most often.  It’s short and powerful.  When you start something new, you will be learning fast and your improvements will be fast.  Then, that will excitement and progress will slow down.  It will not be as exciting.  This is the Dip…and it’s when most people quit.  Get through the Dip…and you become the expert.

The Practice

His most recent book (as I type this), The Practice is a powerful reminder about how we get better at anything.  If you want to build a career, a business, your fitness, content, or a life…creating a Practice will help you do it.

Ultimate Selling Machine

If you are an entrepreneur or are in sales (and we are all in sales), this book is powerful.  There are strategies for everything from creating a sales process to building real relationships.  Love this one.

High Trust Selling

I read this one a long time ago, and it was one of the first books that changed my business.  Duncan’s observation is that 80% of our results in sales come from 20% of activities.  But as salespeople, we tend to focus on the wrong part of the business.  We need to hire out the 80% that does not make us money.

The 5 Second Rule

File this under “simple but powerful.”  Mel Robbins gives you a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 solution for procrastination.  Along the way, she gives powerful insights into performance and life.  Oh…and this is a great audiobook if you enjoy those.

Finish

Jon Acuff is a great writer and speaker.  His sense of humor helps me get lessons I might otherwise miss.  While I love his book Start (Punch Fear in the Face), the book Finish was more powerful for me.  I have never had problems starting things…but finishing?  Squirrel!  He gives some great tips on getting your project to the finish line.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I talk about this book as a foundational book for anything.  I find myself referencing it years later.  If you have read it.  Read it again.

The Goal

got this book recently at the recommendation from a friend.  It’s a great look at how to improve a bottleneck and flies in the face of traditional manufacturing policy.

Known

Want to build your personal brand?  I really enjoyed this book from Mark Schaeffer on how to make it happen.  In this book, he outlines the 5 steps you need to take to build your brand and become Known.

Building Your Storybrand

Donald Miller wrote this gem that outlines why most companies get their marketing wrong.  It was a real “a-ha” moment for me and shined a light on why sometimes messages work and sometimes they don’t.  Who is your marketing making “the hero of the story?”  Most of us make ourselves the hero.  The customer needs to be the hero.  Miller explains why in this wonderful book.

Marketing Made Simple

Now that you understand that the customer needs to be the hero of your marketing story, Marketing Made Simple digs into the tactics of how to make that happen.  This book outlines a step-by-step process to create a marketing machine that works for your business.

Dare To Lead

Most of us are afraid to put ourselves out there.  We don’t want to be completely authentic because it doesn’t feel like “what a strong leader would do.”  Brene Brown breaks down those myths and challenges us to lean into them.  I feel like this book made me a better leader by making me a better person.

Extreme Ownership

And speaking of leadership, it’s hard to learn from better teachers than Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.  These two team up to give amazing lessons in leadership combined with stories from leading teams in combat.  Oh…and if something is going wrong in your company, or division, or family…you should take extreme ownership.  Good one here.

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

Everywhere I looked, I saw people telling me I needed to meditate.  But I didn’t know how to do it.  I felt like I was doing it wrong.  It felt strange and weird.  This book breaks down some of those myths and gives you permission to get started with “just one minute” if that’s what you need to do.  This is a good introduction for someone that feels they might need meditation in your life…but does not know where to start.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

If you are offended by strong language, this book is not for you.  However, if you can get past that, there is a zen-like quality to much of this book that really connected with me.  One of my favorite lessons, which I talk about here, is the idea that successful people are willing to “suffer through” things to get to what they want.  Not everything will be easy.  If you want to reach your goal, you need to decide what you are willing to suffer through.

Scrum

This book is sort of the bible for Agile productivity.  We read it as a team.  If you want to get more done as a team, this book is a must-read.  Can you break down tasks into small enough pieces so that every member of the team can help?  You probably can…and SCRUM lines up how.

4 Disciplines of Execution

Let me see if you have been there.  We come back from a conference (or read a book) and want to implement a great idea.  We start strong, but then the “whirlwind” of business and life gets in the way.  The 4 Disciplines break down how to identify the Wildly Important Goal, and create a process to make improvements with your team.

Epic Content Marketing

If you want to do content marketing “right,” this is your manual.  Joe Pulizzi talks about the start of his company and how creating compelling content (for the customer) works.  He shows you how to create an audience and story-tell in a way that will build your brand.  Loved this one.

Hug Your Haters

So you have created a social media following that is worth having.  What do you do when “the haters” show up?  Jay Baer says you need to “Hug Your Haters” in this book about dealing with tough comments on social.  Jay gives the playbook on what to do when complaints happen (and they will).  Most of us want to ignore the comments so they go away.  Jay explains why that is the wrong play…and how doing it right can change haters into fans!

Never Split the Difference

Life is a negotiation.  If you are in business, you already know this.  In this powerful book, Chris Voss takes us inside some amazing stories from a hostage negotiator…and how many of them can apply to you.

Living With a Seal

And I wanted to end with a fun one.  Jesse Itzler tells the story of how he invited the “toughest man on the planet” David Goggins to live with him for a month and train him.  When I listened to this, no one knew who David Goggins was…but it all makes sense now.  While there are some sincere lessons here about how far we (as humans) can go, this one was fun.

So there you go.  Here are 29 game-changing books for business and personal development.  These are books that have helped me level up in business and life.

If you enjoy reading and looking for ways to grow and level up, you might want to learn more about our new Better Business University.  We are creating an affordable online learning platform that can help you take your career to the next level.

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Skylar Hasseman Joins as Marketing Coordinator at Hasseman Marketing

(Coshocton, OH)—Coshocton based marketing firm and promotional products distributor Hasseman Marketing & Communications is growing again.  Hasseman Marketing is excited to welcome Skylar Hasseman to their team.  Skylar joins Hasseman Marketing after working all over the United States as a Professional Dancer, she will take over a new position titled Marketing Coordinator.

“We are so excited to welcome Skylar to the team,” says owner Kirby Hasseman.  “She has a great personality and I am excited to have her start working with our sales team to help grow Hasseman Marketing’s brand.”

The Marketing Coordinator is a new position for Hasseman Marketing.  In her duties here, Skylar will work solely on branding and marketing Hasseman Marketing in order to utilize marketing services and social media management from Hasseman Marketing.  She will manage social media accounts, create video content and work to “story tell” online.

Skylar has worked hard to be able to travel and dance professionally for most of her life, and now she is excited to settle down and start a new future in marketing.

“I am so excited to begin this new journey on the marketing train at Hasseman Marketing. I can’t wait to help market and promote not only our clients, but also focus on branding Hasseman Marketing.  The team at Hasseman Marketing is one of a kind, and I look forward to spending each day.”

Hasseman Marketing headquarters is located at 432 Main Street in Coshocton, Ohio.  They can be found online at www.HassemanMarketing.com.  In addition, you can follow them on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/hassemanmarketing. You can also find more out about our staff at https://hassemanmarketing.com/about/.

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The Care More Strategy

hasseman marketing care more There is a simple business strategy that helps you; *Grow your business. *Keep more customers. *Be happier. *Have better employees. *Create better culture. This strategy works (at least over the long term) almost every time.  Your customers and prospects can see it…and they appreciate it.  As a matter of fact, they seek it out.  It’s a rarity, so it stands out.   But it’s really hard to measure and quantify.  It’s impossible to find it in a spreadsheet.   It’s a strategy that is simple…but not easy. What is this magic strategy?  Care.  More. A Care More strategy will help you create better work that matters more.  It will help you finish what you started.  It will help you listen with empathy to those you want to serve.  Caring more will help your team rally around the mission.   As you begin this New Year, try to Care More.   Make sure you never miss an update update.  Join our VIP list!  You can do that here.

5 Business Lessons from Adam Sandler

hasseman marketing adam sandler

If you had told me, when I was first watching Billy Madison, that I was watching one of the most bankable movie stars of the next 20 years, I would not have believed you.  Adam Sandler was silly, obnoxious, absurd and, well, funny.  But I did not see this as an act someone could ride for more than one movie or two.

I would have been wrong.  Way wrong.

For years, Adam Sandler has made movies and money at the box office.  He has had some really fun movies (Happy Gilmore, Waterboy and Grown ups) and he has made some bad ones (think Grown ups 2).  But whether you like Sandler or not, I think he has several things to teach us about business.

Do What You Do:  Sandlers first movies were obviously not Academy Award winners.  But he found a formula that worked, and he stuck to it.  He was the goofy underdog that overcomes in the end.  Then, obviously a sports lover, he started making silly movies about sports.  He found his niche, and did not try to be something he was not.

Lesson:  Find your niche.  Be authentic.

Have A Crew:  One thing that always catches my eye with Sandler movies, is he has a consistent group of friends that he works with.  Sure, he is obviously buddies with Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James.  But his other cast of characters comes with him on nearly every project too.  When you have a crew you enjoy working with (and trust), keep working with them!

Lesson:  Find a team you trust…and stick with them.

Be Willing To Fail:  Though I enjoy some of Sandler’s movies, he has certainly has had some stinkers (Jack and Jill and Little Nicky come to mind).  But each of these has involved him trying something and taking some creative risks.  The fact is, once people hit a certain level of success, many people don’t want to try something new.  They don’t want to fail.  I love that Sandler is willing to try some off the wall things.  They either work, or they don’t.  But he is already off to something new.

Lesson:  Take creative risks.  Failure is not the end of the world.

Let Others Shine:  As I mentioned, Sandler clearly likes working with friends.  He has even created a production company that produces movies that he is not even in!  He lets some of his other friends take the lead and showcase their talents whether he is involved on screen or not.

Lesson:  You don’t always have to be center stage.  Let others have the spotlight.

Be Willing to Branch Out:  Once he established himself in Hollywood, I like that Sandler did do some more family friendly movies.  Though he still has his core characters, he has done some movies that the whole family can enjoy.

Lesson:  Once you have a track of success, continue to grow. The most successful people, in any arenas, can teach us lessons we can emulate.  Adam Sandler has created an amazing career that nearly anyone could envy.  And best of all, it seems like he enjoys it too.   Bravo.

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It's Time to Make Hay

hasseman marketing make hay This time of year can be hectic.  We hear about it all of the time.  So much so, it’s a cliche’.  It’s the “hustle and bustle” of the holidays.  (I don’t even know what a “bustle” is).  But suffice it to say, we all have a lot going on during the holidays.   But most of the time this is discussed from a personal perspective.  We have holiday parties to attend, gifts to give, and food to make.   For many of us, though, this time of year is a busy time for business as well.  The 4th quarter is when a lot of businesses make or break their year.  We are running hard to keep up with orders, keep customers happy and keep cash flow rolling.  All of that can create a stress that we want to escape. But let me remind you, when it comes to business, being “busy” is often the point of the exercise!  As I always say, “when I am bored, I am poor.”  We want the phones to be ringing.  We want email requests coming in.  We want the work!  Right?  We work all year to drive business, then we want it all to slow down!   It’s human nature, I think.  I talk about this concept here.  We work hard to raise our game.  Then when we do, we get uncomfortable.  When we are uncomfortable, we want to be comfortable again.  So we work to change our thermostat.  Don’t fall for it. So as the holiday season gets into full swing, I want to encourage you to embrace it.  There is no growth inside the comfort zone.  Continue to work on the activities you know create results.  If you do it over and over again, you will create a new level where you are comfortable performing.   Remember, you have to make hay while the sun is shining.  When it’s busy or hectic, the sun is out!  Make sure you never miss an update!  Sign up for our VIP newsletter here!