What is one book that entrepreneurs should read? What did you takeaway from the book?

I love “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini. He has many great chapters, but my favorite one is about “social proof,” which I often teach others about. You can have a good idea or business, but without “social proof,” it’s going to be very hard for people to trust you. Having social proof such as testimonials, press, and “hype”, for your business will make a buyer's decision easier. I recommend the audio version for busy entrepreneurs. I like to listen in the car or while getting ready for the day.

The entrepreneur's favorite song is "Nobody Does it Better!" Most entrepreneurs started small and grew through their particular genius. As the business scales, structure and organization must take over, while the entrepreneur is best suited as the "visionary." The best book to make this transition is Who Not How, by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan. It's a blow to the head for those of us who have trouble delegating and always seem to ave something on our plate. I listen to it or read it once a year. It keeps me from falling back into the trap of, "I'll just do it myself!"

Atomic Habits by James Clear. This books offers actionable tips and strategies for optimizing your life and business so that you can live a more purposeful life. Changing your habits can change your life and I re-read it every year.

The book I recommend for entrepreneurs is "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries. This work offers a transformative approach to launching a startup, emphasizing a lean, adaptable, and customer-focused methodology. Key Takeaways Validated Learning: The book introduces validated learning, which is about discovering what customers really want through hypothesis testing and experimentation. Ries' approach to product development highlights building a minimum viable product (MVP), testing it, gathering feedback, and iterating based on real-world data. Build-Measure-Learn Loop: At the heart of "The Lean Startup" is the Build-Measure-Learn loop. Entrepreneurs create a basic version of their product (Build), measure how it performs with customers (Measure), and learn from the results to make improvements (Learn). This iterative process helps startups quickly adapt their offerings and optimize resources. Minimum Viable Product (MVP): An MVP allows the team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. This concept is crucial because it helps test assumptions and understand customer needs without extensive upfront investment. Pivot or Persevere: One of the most critical decisions an entrepreneur must make is whether to pivot or persevere. Pivoting involves changing the direction of the business model or product based on feedback and learning. If the current strategy is not yielding the desired results, it's time to pivot. Perseverance means continuing with the current strategy if it shows promise. "The Lean Startup" provides a framework for making this decision based on data. Personal Impact: Reading "The Lean Startup" fundamentally changed how I approach new ventures. It shifted my mindset from trying to perfect a product before launch to embracing a more agile, feedback-driven approach. The principles of validated learning and the Build-Measure-Learn loop have become integral to my strategy, ensuring my ventures are customer-centric and resilient in the face of market changes. By adopting the lean startup methodology, entrepreneurs can significantly increase their chances of success. It encourages a culture of continuous improvement, agility, and deep customer empathy—traits essential in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni is often read by established leaders, but it is highly valuable for entrepreneurs as they begin to grow and scale. As a consultant who has worked with hundreds of teams, I can attest that the management model outlined in this book is spot-on. It is easy to hire people who are individually successful, but collaboration has a major impact on idea generation and implementation. In the book, Lencioni guides you through a "fable" about a new CEO who goes through each stage of the Five Dysfunctions model and she eventually is able to help the team be successful. If you want a cohesive team who can grow together (allowing you to scale the business), then you must be aware of these possible dysfunctions during the new hire onboarding process and on a regular basis. Watch your team's dynamics and how you, the leader set the culture.

"Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" by Simon Sinek. This one book is the best that I have read so far, and it has inspired me so much to become more than just an entrepreneur; it has inspired me to be a leader. I read somewhere that Simon said that leaders always work for the benefit of their people. That is the way of great leadership. To run a company and become the leader of the industry, you have to ask questions that start with “WHY”? Anyone can answer about what you do or how you do it. But the main question that defines your character is: WHY does your organization exist? WHY do your customers buy your products? WHY are people loyal to some leaders but not others? The WHY questions that I ask myself help me keep a clear vision of my goals and inspire me to work for my people and build a strong team. The “WHY” helps me reflect on my life and make better decisions that help me grow, stay connected with my passion, and lead with purpose.

Entrepreneurs looking to amplify their business growth should read "10X Is Easier Than 2X" by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. This book provides a transformative perspective on achieving exponential rather than incremental growth, making it essential reading for ambitious business leaders. Businesses often strive for gradual progress, focusing on doubling their results year over year. However, the authors argue convincingly that aiming for tenfold growth is not only feasible but also more practical and rewarding. The book offers practical strategies and mindset shifts to break through limitations and achieve exponential growth. The authors emphasize the power of thinking bigger, setting audacious goals, and taking massive action. For entrepreneurs, this approach is invaluable as it encourages innovation, pushes boundaries, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Moreover, this book provides inspirational stories and case studies of businesses and individuals who have successfully implemented these principles. It serves as a motivational guide, urging entrepreneurs to rethink their approach to growth and embrace a mindset of abundance and possibility. By reading this book, entrepreneurs can gain insights into scaling their businesses rapidly, leveraging technology and resources more effectively, and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving market. This is not just a book about strategy; it's a manifesto for ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to challenge norms, disrupt industries, and achieve extraordinary success.

Think Differently, Live Differently" by Bob Hamm If you're an entrepreneur yearning to break free from limitations and build a truly fulfilling business, Bob's "Think Differently, Live Differently" is a must-read. This book delves deep, helping you discover your authentic self – the core you were meant to be, unburdened by self-deception and limiting beliefs. The journey starts with introspection. Bob guides you to identify the stories you tell yourself, the ones that might be holding you back. These could be narratives about your capabilities, your passions, or even your definition of success. By dismantling these misunderstandings, you unlock a wellspring of potential you never knew existed. Imagine shedding the weight of self-doubt and stepping into a world where your true desires take center stage. This book empowers you to do just that. It's about unearthing your unique strengths and passions, the very foundation upon which you can build a business that resonates with your soul. The result? A level of freedom you might never have experienced. No longer shackled by limiting beliefs, you'll approach challenges with newfound confidence and creativity. "Think Differently, Live Differently" is the roadmap to becoming the person you were always meant to be. Yes! Coach Lisa

Every entrepreneur should read the book "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown. Most entrepreneurs see opportunity everywhere, which can be a true advantage, or an achilles heel. "Essentialism" teaches you how to find clarity in what you're really trying to accomplish so you can maintain laser-sharp focus on the work that matters and let the rest fade into the background. As an ADHD entrepreneur, it's a must read and I revisit it at least once or twice a year.

I highly recommend "The Big Leap" by Gay Hendricks. Even though the book is 15 years old, its advice is timeless. The key takeaway for me was determining which projects or activities fall within my "Zone of Genius" rather than just my "Zone of Excellence." According to the book, we can categorize our activities into four zones: • Zone of Incompetence: We are bad at these tasks and should outsource them. • Zone of Competence: We can perform these tasks, but it might be better to outsource them to an expert to save our precious time. • Zone of Excellence: We are highly skilled at these activities and typically make a living offering services in this zone. • Zone of Genius: We are operating at our peak performance. These tasks come easily to us, everything seems to flow, and we find a perfect combination of our talents and passions. I have been working to move more of my work into my Zone of Genius rather than my Zone of Excellence, while outsourcing anything in my Zones of Incompetence or Competence. This strategy frees up my time and mental energy, allowing me to excel and make a significant difference for myself and my clients. The book also explores what keeps us from finding and operating in our Zone of Genius: the Upper Limit Problem. Specifically, we tend to excel at keeping ourselves from being too happy or too successful. For instance, if things are going well in one area of your life, you might self-sabotage another aspect, keeping yourself in your comfort zone rather than pushing you to your fullest potential. The key is becoming aware of this tendency. Entrepreneurs who are eager to grow their business must consider first if they are sabotaging their potential success because it is scary to move outside of their comfort zone. Then they should think about the services they’re offering – do they lie in your Zone of Genius? This is where you will have the most success because the work comes easy to you and you truly stand out from others. Outsource anything that is in your Zone of Incompetence or Competence, and focus on those skills and activities where you truly shine. “The Big Leap” is an excellent guide for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their business.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It's not a "business book" per se, but it highlights so many invaluable lessons about friendship and partnership in creative work. While I don't currently have a business partner, the book has opened my eyes to the types of conflicts that may arise if I decide to take my business in the agency direction one day. When you're working closely with someone on something you both care deeply about (in the book's case, video games), it seems communication, boundaries, trust, and commitment are table stakes. It's a delicate balance trying to make work fun, professional, and rewarding all at the same time, and it's something you see Sadie and Sam struggle with and overcome, struggle with and overcome over and over, learning different lessons each time. Highly recommend this book to anyone starting a business with someone else.

I highly suggest reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. It's a great insight into the common struggles that entrepreneurs face and some of the best ways to frame the difficulty of entrepreneurship in our minds. The key takeaway is: if it feels hard, it's supposed to, and if entrepreneurship wasn't hard, everyone would do it.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, by Gary Vaynerchuk. An eye-opening book on the importance of community building, how to engage with your audience, be authentic, create content and give value before asking for anything. It´s the way to go and an inspiration that helped me build my companies and communities over the past 10 years.

“Nothing happens until something moves,” Albert Einstein said. Hoping, visioning, wishing upon a star—each of these behaviors has a perfectly good purpose at a perfectly good time. Time to deliver results is not one of them. If you want to experience success, you MUST take action. Forgive me for bringing up psychology, but I have to. No exploration of taking action can occur without an exploration of the mind—of mindset. Limiting beliefs, lack of confidence, too much thinking versus doing, overwhelming stressors in our lives—all factor in to our decision TO DO OR NOT TO DO. And I’ve got a great book reco that covers each. But I have to choose just one, so I choose the one that’s helped me most when life’s hugest challenges were getting in the way of my getting stuff done: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday. Although everyone can benefit from applying the precepts of stoicism to weather the turbulent waters of life, this book will profoundly impact entrepreneurs, trailblazers, leaders of change and transformation, or anyone who has chosen to move outside of their comfort zone to take on a monumental task or challenge. When you take on a “Full Monty” life, you need a Full Monty tool. The thing about obstructions, major life stressors, or catastrophes is just that: they feel catastrophic, like we have NO control. But Ryan reminds us, effectively, that we do have control—over pretty much everything: • Our emotions • Our judgments • Our creativity • Our attitude • Our perspective • Our desires • Our decisions • Our determination Think what you want about Steve Jobs, but one thing’s for sure: he was entirely in control of all of these things. He was famous for what observers called his “reality distortion field.” Part motivational tactic, part sheer drive and ambition, this field made him notoriously dismissive of phrases like “It can’t be done” and “We need more time.” The Obstacle Is the Way shows us that by managing our PERCEPTIONS, taking ACTION, and harnessing the power of our WILL, we can create a sense of peace—peace that enables us to press on despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This is the most useful guide for anyone who wants to reach for the stars that I’ve read in months, years. Maybe ever.

I'm someone who typically doesn't read a lot of nonfiction books. So, this is for all my fellow fiction readers out there: one of my favorites is *The Gifts of Imperfection* by Brené Brown. This book delves into your thought processes and traumas. Sure, you can learn how to create a website, but if you bring trauma or a negative mindset to the project, the website will never feel "perfect" to you. This book gave me a moment to breathe and reflect on my thought process.

From my perspective as a successful entrepreneur and investor, I would recommend reading ”Delivering Happiness. A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose” by Toni Hsieh. Why do I recommend this book? It explains why making a good product and service is much more important than worrying about how much money is in your bank account. This book also describes Tony Hsieh's own experience as an entrepreneur and provides insight into how Zappos.com was created. The author shares his thoughts on running a business and creating a unique and friendly atmosphere within the company.

While many entrepreneurs and business owners might gravitate towards the usual suspects in business literature, I'd urge them to consider picking up 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. Now, you might be thinking, 'Wait, isn't that a novel and not a business book?' Absolutely, and that's exactly why it's so powerful for entrepreneurs. As founders, we often get caught up in metrics, growth strategies, funding rounds, and the day-to-day of leadership and operations. But 'The Alchemist' reminds us of something crucial: the importance of following our personal legend, or in entrepreneur-speak, our vision and our purpose. The protagonist's journey taught me that setbacks and detours aren't just obstacles but integral parts of the entrepreneurial adventure. Each challenge we face is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and ultimately get closer to our goals. One quote that particularly resonated with me was, 'When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.' This perfectly encapsulates the concept of 'pronoia' - the antidote to paranoia. Instead of fearing that the world is out to get us, what if we embraced the idea that the universe is actually conspiring in our favor? As an entrepreneur, adopting this pronoia mindset has been transformative. When faced with challenges or setbacks, I now ask myself: 'How might this actually be working out for my benefit?' This shift in perspective has helped me spot hidden opportunities in what initially seemed like obstacles. In the startup world, this translates to the power of unwavering commitment combined with a positive outlook. When you're truly dedicated to your vision and open to the idea that the universe supports you, you'll find that opportunities, partnerships, and solutions often appear in unexpected and serendipitous ways. In the startup world, this translates to the power of unwavering commitment. When you're truly dedicated to your vision, opportunities, partnerships, and solutions often appear unexpectedly. Ultimately, 'The Alchemist' isn't about business strategies or leadership tips. It's about understanding yourself, trusting your instincts, and persevering through challenges. And isn't that the essence of entrepreneurship?

Given the speed of change, it’s often impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow, let alone in the future. And while entrepreneurs are great at identifying & solving today’s problems, given the amount of time it takes to create & launch, sometimes even great solutions become yesterday’s news. The marketplace shifts. Your audience will be on to the next. A great big Black Swan event swoops in & sends shockwaves through the system. A competitor beats you to the punch. Your idea is already taken. That’s why I absolutely loved Futurist Jane McGonigal’s book “Imaginable. How to see the future coming and feel ready for anything – even things that seem impossible today.” McGonigal teaches us how to train our minds to think far ahead. To think the unthinkable. Imagine the unimaginable. To gaze into the what the future could look like using Episodic Thinking - the mental ability to transport yourself forward in time & pre-experience a future event. During EFT, your brain goes on a scavenger hunt searching for details and plausible ideas. After you construct the scene. You begin to do what scientists call “opportunity detection.” You look for behaviors, habits & resources to fulfill your needs & reach your goals. You consider the barriers & obstacles you might encounter in a make-believe world. And voila – innovation. For instance, McGonigal was challenged in 2008 to envision an uncontrollable respiratory global pandemic in which everyone is forced to stay at home. What would be needed? How would it affect everything from Education to Food Supplies to Funerals, Travel, Shopping & Dining. Unthinkable? It just happened. Think of how Covid has forever changed our social, cultural, economic lives and habits. Imaginable is a must read for anyone contemplating innovation.

Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business ,a Book by Gino Wickman, is a must read for entrepreneurs who want to know how to think big picture about their business. Entreprenurs have so many things to think about; sales, marketing, vision, communication. How do we make this palette-able and use-able? This book helps to break that down.

“Never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally.” This was the main lesson given from the offset by Janice Bryant Howroyd in her book ‘Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom’. She also describes success as a specialty that is personal and transferable. This is so profound and can be turned it into an exercise to elucidate the parts of yourself that are either hidden or celebrated by how you choose your clients and the way you work with them. For me, it also reflects in the business decisions I make and how I integrate all my other parts that have developed while living abroad as a Kenyan woman. Confidently embracing the totality of my life determines what I am selling, my branding, business goals and how successful I feel after my work is completed and delivered to the client.