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8 Books For SMEs That’ll Change The Way You Do Business
Gift yourself with knowledge this Christmas with these eight best-sellers
Businesses come out with gimmicks and creative ideas during the holidays—and this might pressure you to come up with your own.
Even if it feels like crunch time, it’s also a good season to see what your business needs to improve on.
Don’t wait until the new year to make those resolutions for improvement. Give yourself an early present with this list of bestselling small medium enterprise (SME) business books. Get ideas and insights to help your company become more successful just in time for 2020.
Zero to One: Notes on startups or how to build the future
Written by the co-founder and former CEO of Paypal, Peter Thiel writes a must-read for startup owners and founders. Let Thiel challenge you to go against common business instincts as he details how you can break from that common mold, create a new mindset and build something new.
Getting Things Done: The art of stress-free productivity
Do you feel that you’re not progressing because your brain feels cluttered? It could be from plans that aren’t organized or ideas floating around without direction. If you’re not using tools to keep them in check, then it’s high time that you do. Author David Allen says, “Your mind is for having ideas, not (for) holding them." He uses his 30 years as an executive coach, consultant and lecturer with the latest information in cognitive science to teach you a brain hack.
It’s called the GTD (Getting Things Done) System. You can apply this to your work so that you’ll stay productive and (mostly) stress-free. All that's needed—like for every successful business—is consistency.
The $100 Startup
Do you want to be your own boss, write the rules and create a new future with something as small as $100? Author Chris Guillebeau has been successfully self-employed all his life. He’s known for his books and guides on travel and small businesses. One of those is the website Unconventional Guides. Other than that, he also produces and hosts the World Domination Summit (WDS).
In his book, Guillebeau shares how to change the way you make a living and do what you love at the same time.
Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap and others don't
How do you transform your business from good to great? Author and business adviser Jim Collins dedicated years of extensive research with CEOs, to come up with three key concepts that make great companies different. These concepts—the Hedgehog, the Bus, and The Level Five Leadership—have placed the bestseller alongside other top business books.
Never Split The Difference: Negotiate as if your life depended on it
FBI’s former lead international hostage negotiator Chris Voss shares his expertise to businesses in this book. He relates that business negotiations are no different from hostage situations. It doesn’t matter if you own a small venture or a big one. You’ll face times when you need to negotiate, like in closing a sale or convincing your team on certain issues. When you want to get the results you need, you have to know how to play the cards right. Voss teaches you to turn confrontations into problem-solving sessions. You’ll learn approaches that have worked for high-stakes negotiations so that you get to your goal, avoid compromise, and still have the other party feel they’re treated fairly.
Contagious: Why things catch on
Jonah Berger, a Marketing Professor at the renowned Wharton Business School, is an expert on viral marketing and social influence. In this book, he shares scientific research and powerful stories that explain how word-of-mouth works. He gives you easy-to-remember techniques that you can use for spreading information. Whether you're a manager of a big company or a small business owner, this book shows you how to make your product or idea catch on.
The Lean Startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses
Eric Reis is an accomplished entrepreneur and member of advisory boards for technology startups with a number of accolades under his belt (from Harvard, BusinessWeek and IDEO to name a few). The author guides hopeful entrepreneurs through the startup process, making it through in the most efficient way possible. He shares his new approach that allows you to test and grow your vision continuously without wasting time, effort and money before it's too late.
The Magic of Thinking Big
David J. Schwarts offers a carefully designed program with easy-to-follow methods in his self-help book. Schwarts was a professor of marketing in Georgia State University. He was also a renowned motivational coach. His book covers the process of managing the most important aspect of your business: you. The way you think about your goals affects your business more than you realize. His methods explain how your mind works and how to harness it for success.
With these business books, you'll be merrily productive through the season. You can also learn how to grow your business better through Globe myBusiness.
