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A comment on a previous post asked me to recommend the business books that have had the most influence on Everon. I wouldn’t dare pretend to have all of the answers, but I think this list has served me and Everon well as we’ve tried to build our IT services business, and would be a good part of any entrepreneur’s library.
Here goes:
E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company
- If you’ve ever been to one of my presentations, you know I’m a big fan of this one. Building a business that allows you to step out of the day-to-day requires processes, and this book teaches you how. On a side note, Arnie Bellini of Connectwise was kind enough to let me join him and others for a private lunch with Michael Gerber a few years ago when he spoke at Arnie’s Connectwise Summit - thanks Arnie!
The Great Game of Business
- This is another one that should be taught in every business school but generally isn’t. It’s a great story and has fantastic lessons about how to engage your employees and run an “open” business.
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm
- Another book that should be taught at every business school but generally isn’t. Verne “The Growth Guy” Harnish boils down the successful habits Rockefeller used to run his companies and teaches you how to apply the practices to your business.
Killer Customers: Tell the Good from the Bad–and Dominate Your Competitors
- This was the first book I read that made it clear that not all customers are desirable customers, which can be a tough thing to swallow for a customer service-oriented entrepreneur. Most importantly, it explains how to tell the difference between good ones and bad ones.
Patrick Lencioni Library (Five Temptations of a CEO; Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive; Five Dysfunctions of a Team; Death by Meeting)
- Lencioni does a fantastic job of using simple short stories to teach important business lessons and then gives practical advice on how to implement what you just learned. These make for great quick reading assignments for your executive team!
Now, Discover Your Strengths
- This is a fantastic book on finding and managing to your natural talents/strengths and those of the people that work for you. It gives you access to a highly regarded survey that determines your strengths - I was amazed at how accurate it seemed to be for everyone on our executive team.
Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People, Revised and Updated Edition
- This is the HR system that was famously put to use by Jack Welch at GE. It provides a clear way of evaluating talent and making organizational decisions that raise the overall level of talent at a company.
How to Read a Financial Report: Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers (How to Read a Financial Report)
- This book may look elementary, but don’t be fooled. It’s the best explanation of the major financial statements and how to use them that I’ve ever seen. I’ve used it to teach financial literacy at Everon with great success.
New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century with Online Learning Center access card
- I think this is the best book on how to analyze a business opportunity and write a business plan; much better than any other business plan books I’ve read. This is a newer version than the one I have, but I think it’s pretty much the same.
Jack: Straight from the Gut
- Jack Welch has been called the “Tiger Woods of business” by Warren Buffett. This book was written by Jack himself, and is full of lessons on how to manage people and companies.
And finally, one resource that isn’t a book but I think is some of the most fascinating business reading around is the annual reports of Berkshire Hathaway, the company that Warren Buffett runs. I’ve never read anyone that can take the most complicated business lessons and turn them into easy-to-understand language like Buffett can. His annual reports are the only I’ve ever found that are actually worth reading. Be sure to read his “Owner’s Manual” as well - great stuff!
Full disclosure - I’ve included Amazon Associates links to each of them so if you end up buying them Josh and I will make our first Internet sale! If you do, we promise to hang a “our first sale” dollar in a frame like you see in restaurants and post a picture of it on the blog.
MRC
