Austin Kleon’s “Keep Going” Offers Practical Advice on Perseverance
Austin Kleon’s third book, “Keep Going,” contains a wealth of practical advice for how to persevere and how to summon the energy and to start over with new creativity.
Books
Austin Kleon on Making Lists: To-Do, Ideas, and Do’s & Don’ts
Austin Kleon has a short section, “Make Lists,” in his new book, “Keep Going.” He offers several suggestions for different types of lists; I have selected four to explore in some detail because I think they are most appropriate for entrepreneurs.
Key Lessons From Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering “
Here are six practical lessons from Priya Parker‘s “The Art of Gathering.” It’s a great book that provides both practical and conceptual guidance for anyone who is planning or hosting a meeting.
Napoleon Hill on Principles for Success in Business and Life
Napoleon Hill wrote “The Magic Ladder to Success” in 1930. Despite being a con man and failure for most of his life, Hill was able to accurately summarize a number of common sense rules for success. I have tried to pull out some key insights in this blog post, leaving out a number of other …
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This is Your Brain on Music
Daniel Levitin’s “This is Your Brain on Music” offers an interesting mix of insights based on research, interviews with musicians, and his own experience.
Revisting Neuromancer After Three Decades
Neuromancer, William Gibson’s first novel, was published in 1984. It helped to establish the cyberpunk genre of science fiction: a dark future where computing, communication, and artificial intelligence technologies were dominant, complemented by significant medical advances, large inhabited satellites in Earth orbit, and considerable drug use. I recently re-read it and was struck by how things …
Newsletter July 2017: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Our July 2017 Newsletter focused on key insights for entrepreneurs offered by Robert Pirsig in “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. If you have not had a chance to read it I would encourage you to put it on your summer reading list.
8 Tactics For Entrepreneurs From “The Pragmatic Programmer”
Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas wrote “The Pragmatic Programmer” in 1999; it offers a number of insights that are still applicable not only to software development but software entrepreneurship. I have distilled 8 tactics from a selection of 25 tips (out of more than 70 in the book).
A Summary of Max Gunther’s “The Zurich Axioms” for Entrepreneurs
Max Gunther’s “The Zurich Axioms” is aimed at investors but also offers valuable insights and rules of thumb for entrepreneurs.
Newsletter June 2017: Summer Reading 2017
Our June 2017 Newsletter features four books entrepreneurs should consider for their Summer Reading 2017 list. I have included an additional four free books in our special offers section.
Five Insights from Devora Zack’s “Networking For People Who Hate Networking”
Devora Zack wrote “Networking For People Who Hate Networking” to help introverts improve their network skills. She offers a number of insights along with several worksheets, checklists, and exercises to help you prepare, practice, and reflect.
Combine Clear Goals with Delegation Based on Expertise for High Impact
I re-read “Up the Organization” by Robert Townsend and was struck by how many of his insights were still applicable. The first chapter offers a recipe for breakthrough impact: combine clear goals with delegation based on expertise.
Dorothea Brande’s “Becoming a Writer:” 6 Tips for Entrepreneurs
Dorothea Brande wrote “Becoming a Writer” in 1934. The book remains in print today, offering valuable tips for both writers and entrepreneurs.
Innovation Principles from Ken Iverson’s “Plain Talk”
Ken Iverson wrote “Plain Talk” 1997 to document the management and innovation principles that led Nucor from bankruptcy to the number three position in the steel industry in the United States. Since the publication of the book Nucor has become the number one player.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
“So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport offers a very good model for creating a good career or prospering as an entrepreneur.
“Weinberg on Writing” Fieldstone Method Useful For Entrepreneurs
Gerald Weinberg wrote “Weinberg on Writing: the Fieldstone Method” to share many techniques he had perfected in writing more than 40 books and 400 technical articles. The method is very applicable to the exploration of a new market to find problem-solution fit and ultimately product-market fit.
P. T. Barnum’s Golden Rules For Making Money
P.T. Barnum wrote “The Art of Money Getting: The Golden Rules for Making Money” in 1880 at the age of 70 when he was already an accomplished businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author–after his hugely successful 1855 autobiography “The Life of P.T. Barnum: Written By Himself.” Barnum’s 21 golden rules for making money was a codification of …
Anything You Want By Derek Sivers
Derek Sivers promises that his slim book “Anything You Want” is a one hour read that summarizes 10 years of his entrepreneurial experience into 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur. It’s a practical book that’s well organized and easy to read. It took me much longer than an hour to actually absorb the …
George Murray’s Glimpse Offers a Wealth of Aphorisms
George Murray offers a wealth of aphorisms in “Glimpse.” 409 to be exact. It’s a fantastic collection, and definitely worth reading
E-Book Summary For Lean Startup
Summer is almost over. If you have been putting off reading “The Lean Startup” I have a time saving suggestion. If you have an hour and want to capture the gist I can recommend a good e-book summary for Lean Startup. If you have another hour I suggest a good summary for Four Steps.