Rubiconn Blog

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. –Chinese proverb

Yes, a day just for us. And in honor of this special day, here are five business/motivational books to fuel the fire of desire and put legs on your dreams.

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

An extremely practical, hands-on book. As the tag line states: a step-by-step guide for anyone with something to say or sell. If that’s you, this book will get you going fast. Based on his own personal experience, Hyatt guides the reader through all the necessary steps to build a successful platform. The chapters are short and pithy and laced with practical tips and action points. So if you are, or have ever wanted to be, a blogger, business owner, author, or speaker, this book has something for you. Realistic and doable.

Take away: If you’ve got a wow product or service, Hyatt will show you how to build a winning platform to get the word out.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Guaranteed to kick your rear in gear! This is for anyone trying to start anything. Pressfield unveils the inner obstacles that keep you from starting and/or finishing the work that matters most to you. You will meet Resistance, the enemy that lives within. Resistance kicks in when you try to start a new business or a diet or a novel or anything important that requires an act of the will. Pressfield identifies the many manifestations of Resistance, and incites you to take action. Inspiring and funny.

Take away: Resistance is out to kill you; you must battle it anew every day.

The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry

Don’t think you’re creative? If you’re responsible for solving problems or developing strategies, you’re a creative. And that covers everyone from the CEO downtown to the mom next door. But you can’t control flashes of creative inspiration, can you? Not entirely, but Henry argues that you can enhance and increase your capacity to generate creative ideas. Henry provides guidelines for engaging in practices that lend structure, rhythm, and purpose to your daily life, creating space for the creative process to flow and grow. Useful and insightful.

Take away: It’s possible to create an environment that invites, fosters, and feeds great ideas.

The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson

Have you been itching to start your own home-based business? Whether you’ve got a product, service, or expertise to sell, Wilkerson will walk you through the whole startup process. This book is full of practical action steps, case studies, interactive exercises, and links to online video coaching segments. The chapters are short and actionable, and Wilkerson writes in an engaging, no-nonsense style. Motivating, the real deal.

Take away: “The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss & Achieving Financial Freedom.”

The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

Okay, admittedly not a business book. Unless you count monkey business. But this is for all my fellow Anglophiles. Besides, everyone should have a balanced literary diet. Wodehouse will inspire you to laugh at all the happy coincidences and silly vagaries of life. One should never take oneself too seriously. Delightful, witty.

Take away: “Look at that frightful ass Spode swanking about in footer bags! Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?”

So what are some of your favorite business or motivational books? What’s on your “To Read” list?