by Kirby Hasseman
Over the course of the past 18 to 24 months, most people’s lives have been changed. Some people have been totally upended, while others have been blessed to have come through the pandemic with just a few scratches. But either way, most of us have had the chance to look at our lives…and decide if we want to re-imagine them. This was not the time to put our head in the sand and “just wait it out.” It was the time to invest in ourselves.
One of the best ways to invest in yourself is by reading (or listening) to books.
I have talked quite a bit about game-changing books on this blog. Here is a list of 29 that I think everyone should check out. So what books have had my attention in 2021? Here are 10 of my favorite books from 2021.
Get Different
When Mike Michaelowicz writes a book, I line up to read it. I am almost never disappointed. This time Mike talks about why using “best practices” is a terrible way to stand out in a crowded marketplace. You can get your copy here.
The High 5 Habit
Mel Robbins has a way of speaking directly to my soul. Her latest book High 5 Habit highlights a concept so simple that it feels silly. But listen to this book and you will realize it’s not. I say “listen to this book” because Mel has a great delivery. She is very real…and I loved it.
Peak Mind
I have been a slow adopter of meditation. I still struggle to practice every day. In her book Peak Mind, author Amishi P. Jha shows the science and studies to help you understand why it’s a must. If we want to succeed in today’s world (and certainly tomorrow’s), we are going to need a Peak Mind.
Premonition
In a word…wow. As I mentioned at the beginning, we have all lived through a crazy time for the last 18 to 24 months. Premonition by Michael Lewis tells the story of the pandemic from behind the scenes. It opened my eyes to some of the challenges we have with public health, but also why some of the solutions can work…and not work. Really liked this one.
Cumulative Advantage
Why do some people succeed and others struggle? For some, they have an early advantage that they lean into. It’s their Cumulative Advantage. In this book, Mark talks about what that is, and how to create it even if you don’t begin with the headstart of privilege.
Promised Land
Let’s not get political here. I just wanted to learn some “behind the scenes” from the man in the White House. This one was interesting (and yes, political) and too long (and this is Part 1). But it does give insight into Obama’s vision for the country, and where he felt he did well…and where he failed. I thought it was totally worth my time. Find Promised Land here.
12 Months To $1 Million
Have you ever wanted to start a business selling items on Amazon? In the book 12 Months to $1 Million, you can learn how from someone who has done it more than once. Ryan Daniel Moran talks about how to find the perfect niche, create the right product, and then how to scale it up with new products. I have recommended this one to several people looking to start a business.
Soundtracks
We all have a voice playing on repeat in our heads…it’s our own. In his latest book Soundtracks, Jon Acuff talks about why that voice can really be our worst enemy if we allow it. And he gives real tactics to take your own voice back over (in a good way). This was probably one of my favorite books of the year…totally recommend this one.
Greenlights
I was a fan of Matthew McConaughey before this book. But the book Greenlights takes it up a notch for sure. McConaughey gives you incredible detail into his life and insights that I found powerful. I found this book to be fun, insightful, and surprising. And for me, the audiobook was the way to go for this. McConaughey narrates it himself and his gift as a performer shines through in the audio.
Think Like A Monk
The final book on my list is Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. Shetty tells the story of how he became a monk, and why he left. His insights into training the mind were great. I really enjoyed him explaining why we all need to have more “T.I.M.E.” in our morning if we want to have a more productive day.
So that is my list of 10 of my favorite books from 2021…so far. I have a few more I hope to finish (including the new Will Smith memoir) soon. If you want to keep learning and growing, how about one more book to consider? You can get the ebook version of my book “The Give First Economy” here. I would love for you to it check out…and share it with your team! Oh…and feel free to sign up for our weekly VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
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
I 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.
Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here. Oh…and as always, we have all of our content here on our blog page…check it out!
by Kirby Hasseman
If you have been paying attention to our communication lately, you might have seen the conversation around a new program called Better Business University. We are extremely excited about the new platform. And while you might have heard about it, many people still have questions! We get that. So in this blog, we wanted to address the top 5 questions we are getting about Better Business University.
What is Better Business University?
Better Business University is an online platform of business education that is real-world-based and very affordable. We will have a yearly subscription and give people complete access to all classes. The classes are video-based, so you can watch at your pace and on your schedule. As we add more classes…no more cost. Our goal is to reach 10,000 entrepreneurs, leaders, and sales pros to help them elevate their game.
Why Is Hasseman Marketing Involved?
At Hasseman Marketing, we have always been about helping other organizations grow. That might mean assisting you with a marketing campaign, or helping guide our prospects and clients to grow personally. That is why we spend so much time and energy creating content! We feel that Better Business University is the perfect next step to help our prospects and customers level up!
What Courses are Available?
As of this writing, there are 5 robust video courses. The courses available now include:
- The Give First Economy
- How To Get More Done
- Create a Website That Works
- How to Market like a Rock Star (on social media and through content)
- Build Your Brand with Branded Merchandise
We will be adding more courses soon, and there will be no additional fee for subscribers on the platform.
Who Is Better Business University For?
We are calling Better Business University the “Entrepreneur’s MBA.” We have created the program for entrepreneurs, leaders, freelancers, sales pros, and anyone else interested in leveling up their skills and their career.
What is the Cost?
The goal of BBU is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs and leaders level up. In order to do that, we have made it very affordable. The yearly subscription will be only $249 for the entire year…and you will have access to all classes. As we add more courses, there will be no additional cost! We think that is an incredible value. But during our launch week (May 3-7) we will have a special offer that is even better.
If you are interested in learning more about Better Business University, please check out the Facebook page here…or head to the website here.
by Kirby Hasseman
When facing times of retraction, the businesses and organizations that are willing to change are the ones that often grow and thrive. Well we are certainly living in a time of change. We must all be willing to look at what “we have always done” and re-evaluate. We are doing that with Hasseman Marketing MasterClass.
But let’s start with the bad news.
We have made the difficult decision to not have the in-person Hasseman Marketing End User show that we have had for over 15 years in Coshocton. It’s an event we love (and we hope you did too) so it was a tough choice. But when you factor in the safety of our team and our customers, we just felt it was the right thing to do. We are bummed…but have decided to make a shift that we are excited about.
Now let’s get to the good news.
We are VERY excited to announce that on Thursday October 15th, we will be hosting our very own Online Marketing Conference that we are calling Hasseman Marketing MasterClass. The event will feature amazing speakers, targeted breakout sessions, an Expo area for meeting with our suppliers and more!
We are using a platform called Hopin that allows us have engaging content that keeps moving fast. This is not just another zoom meeting and we are creating content with you in mind.
But wait there’s more.
There is a very small fee to attend the event (just $10), but we hope the value will far outweigh the cost. In addition, the first 100 registered will received a box with some sweet branded merchandise to get them ready to learn.
For more information and to register, please head here. We will be adding more information on sessions and speakers soon, but wanted to have you “save the date” and get in line for your sweet box of swag!
Thanks for your consideration, we hope to see you on October 15th!
by Kirby Hasseman
Riddle me this. We are living through a strange season in the world today. We have pandemics, racial injustice and murder hornets. Nearly every event in the country is on hold or has been shut down and in-person meetings have all but stopped. So how do you create a successful company launch during this time? For that matter, how do you create buzz and excitement around any new product or initiative when we can’t see our customers face to face and everyone’s attention seems to be more distracted than ever? How do you successfully launch?
Let me introduce you to brandivate.
In the interest of transparency, the folks at brandivate are my friends. I got to watch, up close and personal, how they decided to start a company during a pandemic, and I was privileged to be one of their “brandvocates” (I will explain in a moment). But regardless of my personal relationship, brandivate created a Masterclass on how to launch a company (or product, or initiative) during these strange times using Branded Merchandise and Social Media. I was so impressed. So I wanted to share the story, and a few lessons that might help you in your next launch.
What Did They Do?
brandivate is a marketing, coaching and consulting company specializing in the Promotional Products industry. Led by two industry professionals, Bill Petrie and Kelsey Cunningham, brandivate wanted to announce their new business venture with as much fan fare as possible on a very limited budget. Sound familiar? So with that in mind, Bill and Kelsey created a curated box of nice branded merchandise and sent them to a select group of friends in the promotional industry.
In the box was a personalized and numbered membership card (or brandvocate card) for each person, a nice, soft tri-blend t-shirt (you know I love soft t-shirts), coasters, and more! It was a great group of products! Finally, included in the box, was a card that explained the concept, the items and gave suggestions on how to post on social media to help create a buzz on social media about the campaign. If you want to dig deeper into the exacts of the campaign, Bill posted about it on his blog here.
What happened with the group was really cool.
As you might expect, the friends and influencers in the industry were delighted with their “swag boxes,” and wanted to help. So on Day 1 there were a few people that initially posted the Membership card and pens (as requested). Then the group started to get more creative. And as the week went on, the brandvocates all started to compete (in a friendly and unorganized way) to see who could come up with the most creative post. It was a fun competition among friends in the industry, all on behalf of brandivate…and it created quite a buzz in the Promotional Products industry.
As a side note, if you want to know the winner of this friendly competition, it goes to David Shultz who created this video to post on the Brandivate Facebook page. How fun is that?
The gang at brandivate delighted a few fans, raised the awareness of their launch (during a pandemic no less) and created a buzz on Social Media. That’s great. But did it garner results? I asked for the details and here was was the answer to the question:
“Did you get business results from this campaign?”
Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Numbers are still coming in but we can conservatively say we’ve seen a 30% increase in likes on the FB page, 15% increase on Instagram, 20% on twitter. We saw a 25% increase in content subscriptions on the website as well.
From a sales perspective, we have four active quotes as a direct result of the campaign with one of them doing the same type of social media launch for another company. Last, and this is the most challenging part to quantify, the engagement on social was far greater than we could ever have expected – almost to the point where it was impossible to keep up. When you couple that with the level of creativity on the posts, videos, and comments, we created a cost-effective, fun, and, most importantly, engaging way to make the brandivate brand feel like everyone was a part of the launch.
And that, my friends, is why I say that you can still create an amazing product launch, initiative launch or even company launch right now…using branded merchandise as a catalyst. Now here are some quick takeaways on what I think they did right!
Target Your Market
You might be thinking, “If this is such a great launch, why didn’t I hear about it?” If so that’s cool. They don’t need you. It’s not that they are elitist. They just know their market. They focused specifically on their targeted audience. That is one of the strengths of great branded merchandise. It is incredibly targeted. Kelsey and Bill reached directly into the market they were trying to reach…with no waste.
Select Great Branded Merchandise
When you create a campaign to launch a brand, the merchandise you select is directly representing you. You don’t have to buy the most expensive piece on the market, but now is not the time to be cheap. Select quality. You want to create an impression of high value. And let’s face it, the value of a branded product is determined when they are used over and over again.
Tell Them WHAT To Do
One of my favorite parts of the campaign was so simple, but often overlooked. They told their “tribe” what to do to help them! So many times, the people who love and respect you want to help you succeed in your venture, but they don’t really know how. Sure, maybe they can buy from you. That’s great. But in creating this campaign the brandivate team told their ‘brandvocates” exactly what to do to help make the launch a success.
So there you have it. How do you successfully launch? Here is a simple case study on how to use branded merchandise and social media to create a real splash with any campaign.
If you want to talk to someone on our team on how to help you create an awesome launch, head to our Branded Merchandise page here for more information!
