The E-Myth Revisited

by Michael E. Gerber

Michael Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited should be required reading for anyone thinking about starting a business or for those who have already taken that fateful step. The title refers to the author's belief that entrepreneurs--typically brimming with good but distracting ideas--make poor businesspeople. He establishes an incredibly organized and regimented plan, so that daily details are scripted, freeing the entrepreneur's mind to build the long-term success or failure of the business. You don't need an M.B.A. to understand or follow its directives; Gerber takes time to explain buzzwords and complex theories.

Good to Great

by Jim Collins

Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come.

SPIN Selling

by Neil Rackham

The Huthwaite corporation's 12-year, $1 million research into effective sales performance - published here for the first time in the United States- is the best-documented account of sales success ever collected. It has resulted in the unique sales strategy, SPIN Situation, Problem, Implication, Need- payoff. The SPIN strategy is already used by many of the world's top sales forces. Now, with the publication of this new book, these revolutionary, easy-to-apply methods can be yours.

The author explains with wit and authority why traditional sales models, which were developed for small consumer sales, just don't work for large sales. He shows how conventional selling methods are doomed to fail in major sales. But most important of all, he unfolds with supreme clarity the enormously successful SPIN strategy.

No other method is so completely backed by hard research data. You may find the techniques controversial. They will often go against the grain of conventional sales training. But in the end, the powerful evidence presented here will convince and convert you.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits

by Verne Harnish

Thousands of business owners have benefited directly from the simple and practical "tools" outlined in Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. And in the opening of Verne Harnish's book over one hundred business leaders have provided testimonials to the power of the author's tools. These tools come from founder and program chair of the world-renowned MIT/Inc./YEO "Birthing of Giants" executive program, Verne Harnish's almost two decades of working with the CEOs and executive teams of fast growth firms.

The fundamental ideas that produce real market value and owner wealth are based on the same "habits" John D. Rockefeller employed to master the oil industry. During that era Rockefeller's disciplined approach to business replaced the helter-skelter methods of the original pioneering speculators. These important disciplines explained in Mastering the Rockefeller Habits need to be embraced by all companies that want to prosper in the upcoming decade.

Verne has learned how to teach these tools to CEOs who have no patience for anything except that which they can put to work. Verne Harnish has a gift for turning complex problems into simple solutions. Mastering the Rockefeller Habits provides easy-to-use tools for making strategically smart decisions and for keeping everyone aligned and accountable to those decisions. Available in English and Spanish. Member discounts and volume pricing available.

The One Thing You Need to Know

by Marcus Buckingham

As a social science researcher and an esteemed business consultant, Marcus Buckingham (First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths) has spent considerable time studying the big picture. This wide-angle approach led him to an unexpectedly narrow conclusion: There is a core concept to even the most complex topic. What he has discovered in The One Thing You Need to Know is that single "controlling insights" exist for a whole range of situations, and when properly applied, can encourage exponential improvement and lead to precise action and results. In applying this concept to managing, leading, and individual performance he has pinpointed the single element necessary for achieving success in each of these three key positions.

Buckingham acknowledges the subtleties of the topic and his goal is "not to make these subjects simpler, merely clearer." And what could be clearer than one thing? The challenge lies in filtering out the nonessential matters and distinguishing "between what is merely important and what is imperative" in order to produce the greatest and most far-reaching effects. In offering advice on how to do this he also details the three things you need to learn about a person to manage them effectively, explains why a lack of balance is a good thing, shows how to identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and discusses which personality traits all great leaders must possess.

Clearly written, informative, and enjoyable, the book aims to motivate readers to act--not just think--differently by providing concrete examples and specific lessons. And it need not be confined to the office--the concepts outlined in these pages can help people feel more fulfilled and productive in all aspects of life.

The Goal

by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Over 2 million copies sold! Used by thousands of companies and hundreds of business schools! Required reading for anyone interested in the Theory of Constraints. This book, which introduces the Theory of Constraints, is changing how America does business. The Goal is a gripping, fast-paced business novel about overcoming the barriers to making money. You will learn the fundamentals of identifying and solving the problems created by constraints. From the moment you finish the book you will be able to start successfully addressing chronic productivity and quality problems.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing:
Violate Them at Your Own Risk

by Al Ries, Jack Trout

The world-renowned marketing consultants and bestselling authors of (Positioning, Marketing Warfare, and Bottom-Up Marketing) offer a compendium of 22 innovative laws for understanding and succeeding in the international marketplace. The premise behind this book is that in order for marketing strategies to work, they must be in tune with some quintessential force in the marketplace. Just as the laws of physics define the workings of the universe, so do successful marketing programs conform to the "22 Laws." Each law is presented with illustrations of how it works based on actual companies and their marketing strategies. The book is fun to read, contains solid information

The Great Game of Business

by Jack Stack

All games have rules. When the score is kept, there are winners and losers. Business is no different. The concept of open-book management has been around since some company owner in the distant past gathered employees and attempted to explain to them why it is so important to produce quality work, on time and without waste. No doubt at least one of those employees wondered "What's in it for me?" Good question.

Pretend that you have entered "Stack's Open-Book Management Store." He greets you at the door. For the next several hours, he guides you through an abundance of strategies, tactics, measurement instruments, communication devices, policies, procedures, etc. He answers all of your questions. He offers a number of caveats. He shares his own successes and failures. He directs you to the latest "newer and better" but also to "what still works really well." At the end of your visit, you are fully prepared to pick and choose from among all the options. Then he assists you with formulation of a plan to design and then implement your own open-book management program, one which is specifically appropriate to the needs of your own organization. In effect, this what happens as you read the book. I recommend it highly. Even if an open-book management program is not what your organization currently needs, the issues Stack addresses and the questions he raises are still worthy of your thoughtful consideration.

Business by the Book

by Larry Burkett

In a world where the current business ideology seems to be about maximizing short term profits, climbing over others, and getting the maximum return possible with the minimal effort or investment Larry Burkett draws a sharp contrast.

Using referenced Biblical principles throughout the book Mr. Burkett outlines what it means to run a business by God's standards. This does not mean becoming a non-profit or losing money - but it does mean completely changing the way we view the business, our employees and customers, and our role as business leaders. The principles laid out are challenging and often contrary to the advice you are used to hearing.

I found it to be an extremely useful and informative resource that helped me to see how I could not only run a business successfully, but also not sacrifice my conscience or ideals. One of the primary tenants of this book is that we are stewards of the resources God gave us, meaning that the money we have and the business we may own ultimately belong to God, not us, and he has entrusted us with them to use in a manner he would approve of. If you are comfortable with this premise I believe you will enjoy the book and find it challenging. If you are not comfortable with this premise you will probably have difficulty accepting the concepts he has outlined.