As all entrepreneurs are aware, finding the time to relax can sometimes become a challenge—especially when we are so focused on improving our skills and knowledge base in preparation for the growth to come. Fortunately, there’s a productive way to do both! Picking up a good book is a great way to clear our heads, lower our heart rates, and sink into some learning and inspiration while we’re curled up on the couch. I highly recommend it.
I’m always on the lookout for reading recommendations from people that I respect and admire, and I’m happy to hand a few out, as well. I truly believe that reading is important not only for our professional development as an entrepreneur, but for our mental well-being, too, so don’t neglect it.
If you’re looking for some satisfying, new reading material relevant to digital marketing and your entrepreneurial journey, do yourself a favor and pick up these books that I’m currently crushing on. You’ll be glad you did:
- Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk
When it comes to inspiring entrepreneurs, there are few better than Gary Vee! His book Crush It! became a touchstone to many of us over the past decade, and now Gary is back with a new follow-up that explains what has changed in his personal branding methodology since 2009 and which techniques have proven timeless. The main thrust of the book focuses on social media marketing, a topic I love. Gary dissects every current, major social media platform in his own enthusiastic style so that anyone can understand and harness their power to build a powerhouse personal brand.
- The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
This is one that’s been in my queue for a couple of years, and it was worth the wait. One of the entrepreneurial skills that’s most difficult to master is maximizing your employee’s potential. Getting people to work hard is simple—getting them to work better isn’t. This book’s mission is to teach you a new way of providing coaching your team much better and more consistently than you probably currently are now. Michael Stanier boils this method down to seven essential questions that provide a quick method to get at the root of issues and develop solutions to problems. It’s a quick and easy read that has already taught me a few new things about keeping my team operating at peak efficiency.
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why are we so often our own worst enemy when it comes to creative endeavors, and how can we change that? These are the questions this book by Steven Pressfield seeks to answer. Whether you’re starting up a dream business venture, writing a first novel, or building the perfect team, The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success. It really helps you approach your internal battles in a new way to achieve new outcomes.
- Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
That’s right, I’m doubling down on Pressfield! The follow-up to The War of Art that focused on the motivation and methodology we all need to break through the internal roadblocks and accomplish what we set out to do. Are you struggling with “resistance points” along your path to success? Then you need this book! The author has written a terrific, hand-holding guide on what to do when you’re dealing with that inevitable moment in any entrepreneurial venture when you hit the wall and just want to give up and cry.
That should fill out your reading list for the next month or so and help fill you up with practical knowledge while you relax. Now that you’ve got my recommendations, how about returning the favor? What should I be reading next?
