Books for business

Anyone have some suggestions as to good books to read for running a business.


I would like to see what I maybe doing wrong?

I have auto recon business but want to see what to improve, with this economy I may need some help..

Business for dummies

Ok, thanks...any others..?

I think any good book on motivation would help. Try some of Zig Ziegler's stuff like Over The Top and If you want to understand people and turn that knowledge into working with customers try Gladwell's work like Blink, Tipping point or his new one OutLiers.
hope you like some of these
Cheers

Stan
Sounds good thanks,
Tint51

rich dad poor dad is a good one. not a technical book but more philosophical.

Use Q-Books to run your business and remember to keep things simple.

And the others are right, books from Zig Ziglar are great. Dale Carnegie also is great and very popular, "How To Win Friends and Influence People" I believe is his best seller.

Hi all - IMHO the very best book about business is Jim Collins' "Good to Great". Some of the topics are:

1) 'good' is the enemy of great - if you have cash, a boat, and you're booked a week out ... that's good. But the contentment from being 'good' can prevent you from being GREAT
2) First WHO, then WHAT - you have heard it said that people are the key to success in business. WRONG! The RIGHT people is the key to successful business. The worst business model if you want to be great is the "Genius with a thousand helpers".

The basic idea in the book is that it's a 10-year study on what made companies virtually deadlocked competitors for years diverge into one GREAT company and one AVERAGE company. Picture you put these practices into place - you are not IBM but that's not the point - you aren't going to own a $50 billion window film company but you could indeed be the BEST company in your region or in the U.S.

If you read it and don't like it I will give you the money back that you paid for this advice

Sounds great! Will have to read it !

Ordering it now! I have been looking for something to read on the plane for my Europe trip the end of this month
Motivational books are about all I read.
Cheers
Stan

Am I understanding this right at 35 pages? EBay sale

OK I get it 320 pages, alllright Here is a link to HIS web site
thanks for the recomendation

The E myth- Michael Gerber

I'd love to have time to read again try, QBQ The question behind the question by John G Miller and Dave's Way by R. David Thomas (Wendy's founder) "A new approach to old fashioned success". My wife is a maneger for our local Wendy's, both of these books have been required reading for the intire company all the upper manegment.

As far as you doing somthing wrong a book can help but i've found a mentor can be just as practical. Comunication with other leaders even if not in your field might give you some other leads for getting out of your slump.

where are you going Stan?

I'm going to Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia on this trip. Not your normal tourist destinations but tinters everywhere need to learn easier, cleaner faster ways to do their work. I get to visit the Transylvania Alps and I think visit Dracula's hang out Having fun and working hard is hard to beat! I'm so lucky to have this contract.
Cheers dude, hope Canada is treating ya right.

Hey Stan

That is just awesome for ya, wish you all the best.

I have a trip to Latvia visiting Leo for 3 days and his famous warehouse. We need to bring this business to another level

Canada is doing good

talk to you soon

I aggree on this suggestion. Its all about the building systems in your business like Mcdonalds, then running your business with a view to selling it for a good return.

Just got home from Barns and Noble and picked up Jim Collins new book "how the mighty fall". Thanks for the tip on this guy his books all look like great reading. Blazux have fun with Leo and just kidnap him and we will keep him over here! Keep us updated about the ladies there You will have great time
cheers

Oh Boy, a topic near and dear to my heart!

Good to Great -- was great
Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith -- excellent easy to read book on marketing and the connection to customer service / integrity.
Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad -- I like things organized more as an outline and less as a long list, but you can't beat his advice
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Reis and Jack Trout -- or anything else these guys wrote. They are the masters of marketing. Although they write about big business, the theory works for us too.
Zig Ziglar -- The Secrets of Closing the Sale
Michael Port -- Book yourself Solid -- he also has an awesome web site with lots of good reviews and tips. Used a lot by interior designers.
Getting to Yes by Rodger Fisher and William Ury -- now classic but at the time a ground breaking approach to negotiating that focuses understanding the needs underneath people's positions.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

My all time favorite -- Maverick by Ricardo Semlar -- Its the story of a brazilian manufacturing company that transformed the way they organized and ran the business to rely on the smarts and skills of people vs rules and oppression to get things done.

I also try and read about things that have nothing to do with business -- history, anthopology, politics and science/environment. and things about business that don't have to do with window tinting or construction.

Finally, if you don't have a lot of time or patience to read, but spend time in the car -- BOOKS ON TAPE (or CD or MP3) -- are the bomb! I probably 'read' half the books I mentioned by listening to them. You can also download a tone of pod casts these days. I haven't looked for any on business but I know Michael Port offers them free and probably others.

Let me know what you think!







Some of my favorites --

Good list!

Hi all - there is one more I would add to the list - "Ambitious Men" by Srully Blotnik

http://www.amazon.com/Ambitious-Men-Srully...ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

Yeah, the name is a little odd but the subtitle "Their Dreams, Drives, and Delusions" hints at what makes this a great book. Unlike some other books that allow you to believe the lie that ambition is the key to success, Blotnik shows you how to define success BEFORE you put together ambition. For example, you might see someone else that has a shop with four bays and revenues of $400,000 per year and define that as "success" --- and maybe it is (for you). However, you might define success as making just enough money so that you have time to pursue other dreams like a faithful family or a semi-pro golfing career.

One example of this point is where Blotnik says some people would label as 'ambitious' a traveling salesman who had $1MM in the bank and died while handing his business card to someone at their door after ringing the doorbell.

This book will help you keep your main life goals in focus as you look to other books to coach your business success.