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A list of my top ten business and management books. All acquired through personal study and college courses.

1. The Truth About Managing People, The (2nd Edition)

It’s simple and to the point advice on managing people. The chapters are about two pages long, so it’s easy to work through daily, or use as a handy reference guide.

3. Purple Cow, Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Audio Book Available

Seth Godin is one of my favorite authors and marketing gurus. This book is based on his “purple cow concept”, that viewers won’t pay attention to images or messages they’ve seen countless times. Successful businesses stand out from competitors to find a unique space of their own.

4. Networking with Millionnaires

Ever wonder how to get connected with influential movers and shakers? This book gives some great ideas for expanding and optimizing your personal network. One of the best principles is focusing on specific industries, to become an authority in that specific niche.

5. Customer Mania! It’s Never Too Late to Build a Customer-Focused Company

Customer Mania is all about exceeding customer expectations. Ken Blanchard encourages the reader to involve employees at all levels in wowing the public. This is presented with the understanding that customer expectations cannot always be met, and more resources should be spent on keeping existing customers than attempting  to convert new ones.

6. The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make

In this insightful book, Hans Finzel, President and CEO of World Venture recounts the mistakes of well meaning leaders. This is perfect for the individual who finds themselves falling into leadership positions. Finzel gives us the preventive medicine that only comes with years of leadership experience.

7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits breaks down leadership philosophy into 7 easy to digest principles. It’s been a mainstay of corporate and non-profit management training for many years.

8. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Author Stephen Covey expands on the concepts of his previous book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” with “The 8th Habit”. He explains that the final habit is inspiring people to lead and improve their own skills. It is all about being a charismatic and influential leader.

9. Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Times

There is nothing like learning from the many mistakes of others. This book is an extensive case study on failed assumptions about consumer and stake holder perceptions. It’s chuck full of ironic and seemingly obvious problems with branding programs that were not so clear to decision makers at the time.

10. Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business
Guerrilla Marketing is a no holds barred, cheap and effective approach to marketing. My favorite example from the book is a small bookstore surrounded by two much larger competitors. Both large stores ran simultaneous  40%-50% off sales. The small dealer couldn’t move enough volume to afford a similar discount. Instead, the owner placed a large sign over the entrance that read “Main Entrance”. The book is full of funny and ingenious out of the box ideas.