I love blogs, podcasts, and videos. Each of these has the chance to inspire me and lift me up. I have created time in my morning routine to put some good into my brain each day…and these are often my tool of choice. But if I really want to take a deep dive into a topic, I still am inspired by books. Whether I read a physical book or simply take a walk with the author (in audio form), books help me grow (and level up).
Over the course of the last 10 years, I have had the chance to read hundreds of books. Some have been forgettable. Others have been what I needed to hear at the moment. But here is a list of 29 Game-Changing Books for Business that have impacted me. I wanted to share them with you.
The E-Myth Revisited
This is one of the best business books ever. I have bought countless copies and have recommended it more times than I can remember. I have probably read it 10 different times and have found myself in a different place on the journey each time. If you are in business or want to start a business, this is awesome.
Profit First
When I first listened to Profit-First, I thought author Mike Michaelowicx was following me around. It spoke to the challenges I was having in my business’s cash flow right then. We tentatively adopted the philosophy and have not looked back. It’s been a game-changer for us. Mike’s goal is to “eliminate entrepreneurial poverty,” and for many in business, that is a real thing. Love this book.
I think each one of Sinek’s books has gotten stronger. And while I really enjoyed “Start with Why,” I thought “Leaders Eat Last” was even better. Sinek goes into what makes a great leader and even the biological reasons for it. Powerful information…and super interesting too!
Infinite Game
As you might expect, this is my favorite of Simon Sinek’s books. He explains the difference between a finite game and an infinite game and why it matters so much to know what kind of game you are playing. For me, it crystallized the idea of playing a “long game” in business. It’s what I have long believed and discussed, but Sinek does it in a much more articulate way than me!
The Thank You Economy
I love Gary Vaynerchuk. I am a fan. But while I love his content, his energy, his speaking, and his philosophy, I don’t always LOVE his books. But The Thank You Economy was different. Gary talks about using social media to create appreciation, value, and connection at scale. Loved this one.
Pumpkin Plan
This is the second Mike Michaelowicz book on the list. I am a fan of Mike’s work and this is a powerful one about differentiation. He says “The Riches are in the Niches” and explains how to find your niche and grow into it. He even spends a bit of time explaining how to “fire a client” which just seems so hard for some entrepreneurs. The Pumpkin Plan is worth harvesting.
Purple Cow
I am an unapologetic fan of Seth Godin. He is a thought leader in business and marketing. And he has the ability to say things in a way that is simple, yet powerful. “If you want to be remarkable, you have to do something worth remarketing about.” Read this one if you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
The Dip
While this is probably not Godin’s most famous book, it is the one I find myself quoting the most often. It’s short and powerful. When you start something new, you will be learning fast and your improvements will be fast. Then, that will excitement and progress will slow down. It will not be as exciting. This is the Dip…and it’s when most people quit. Get through the Dip…and you become the expert.
The Practice
His most recent book (as I type this), The Practice is a powerful reminder about how we get better at anything. If you want to build a career, a business, your fitness, content, or a life…creating a Practice will help you do it.
Ultimate Selling Machine
If you are an entrepreneur or are in sales (and we are all in sales), this book is powerful. There are strategies for everything from creating a sales process to building real relationships. Love this one.
High Trust Selling
I read this one a long time ago, and it was one of the first books that changed my business. Duncan’s observation is that 80% of our results in sales come from 20% of activities. But as salespeople, we tend to focus on the wrong part of the business. We need to hire out the 80% that does not make us money.
The 5 Second Rule
File this under “simple but powerful.” Mel Robbins gives you a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 solution for procrastination. Along the way, she gives powerful insights into performance and life. Oh…and this is a great audiobook if you enjoy those.
Finish
Jon Acuff is a great writer and speaker. His sense of humor helps me get lessons I might otherwise miss. While I love his book Start (Punch Fear in the Face), the book Finish was more powerful for me. I have never had problems starting things…but finishing? Squirrel! He gives some great tips on getting your project to the finish line.
I got this book recently at the recommendation from a friend. It’s a great look at how to improve a bottleneck and flies in the face of traditional manufacturing policy.
Known
Want to build your personal brand? I really enjoyed this book from Mark Schaeffer on how to make it happen. In this book, he outlines the 5 steps you need to take to build your brand and become Known.
Building Your Storybrand
Donald Miller wrote this gem that outlines why most companies get their marketing wrong. It was a real “a-ha” moment for me and shined a light on why sometimes messages work and sometimes they don’t. Who is your marketing making “the hero of the story?” Most of us make ourselves the hero. The customer needs to be the hero. Miller explains why in this wonderful book.
Marketing Made Simple
Now that you understand that the customer needs to be the hero of your marketing story, Marketing Made Simple digs into the tactics of how to make that happen. This book outlines a step-by-step process to create a marketing machine that works for your business.
Dare To Lead
Most of us are afraid to put ourselves out there. We don’t want to be completely authentic because it doesn’t feel like “what a strong leader would do.” Brene Brown breaks down those myths and challenges us to lean into them. I feel like this book made me a better leader by making me a better person.
Extreme Ownership
And speaking of leadership, it’s hard to learn from better teachers than Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. These two team up to give amazing lessons in leadership combined with stories from leading teams in combat. Oh…and if something is going wrong in your company, or division, or family…you should take extreme ownership. Good one here.
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
Everywhere I looked, I saw people telling me I needed to meditate. But I didn’t know how to do it. I felt like I was doing it wrong. It felt strange and weird. This book breaks down some of those myths and gives you permission to get started with “just one minute” if that’s what you need to do. This is a good introduction for someone that feels they might need meditation in your life…but does not know where to start.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
If you are offended by strong language, this book is not for you. However, if you can get past that, there is a zen-like quality to much of this book that really connected with me. One of my favorite lessons, which I talk about here, is the idea that successful people are willing to “suffer through” things to get to what they want. Not everything will be easy. If you want to reach your goal, you need to decide what you are willing to suffer through.
Scrum
This book is sort of the bible for Agile productivity. We read it as a team. If you want to get more done as a team, this book is a must-read. Can you break down tasks into small enough pieces so that every member of the team can help? You probably can…and SCRUM lines up how.
4 Disciplines of Execution
Let me see if you have been there. We come back from a conference (or read a book) and want to implement a great idea. We start strong, but then the “whirlwind” of business and life gets in the way. The 4 Disciplines break down how to identify the Wildly Important Goal, and create a process to make improvements with your team.
Epic Content Marketing
If you want to do content marketing “right,” this is your manual. Joe Pulizzi talks about the start of his company and how creating compelling content (for the customer) works. He shows you how to create an audience and story-tell in a way that will build your brand. Loved this one.
Hug Your Haters
So you have created a social media following that is worth having. What do you do when “the haters” show up? Jay Baer says you need to “Hug Your Haters” in this book about dealing with tough comments on social. Jay gives the playbook on what to do when complaints happen (and they will). Most of us want to ignore the comments so they go away. Jay explains why that is the wrong play…and how doing it right can change haters into fans!
Never Split the Difference
Life is a negotiation. If you are in business, you already know this. In this powerful book, Chris Voss takes us inside some amazing stories from a hostage negotiator…and how many of them can apply to you.
Living With a Seal
And I wanted to end with a fun one. Jesse Itzler tells the story of how he invited the “toughest man on the planet” David Goggins to live with him for a month and train him. When I listened to this, no one knew who David Goggins was…but it all makes sense now. While there are some sincere lessons here about how far we (as humans) can go, this one was fun.
So there you go. Here are 29 game-changing books for business and personal development. These are books that have helped me level up in business and life.
At Hasseman Marketing, we are all about creating content that provides you value, inspiration, entertainment, and (hopefully) some joy! It’s about “Giving First” and we are big believers! But we have heard that sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. We get that. And while it’s totally okay if you are not able to see every piece of content we create, we don’t want it to be because of a lack of effort on our part. So I wanted to take just a moment to highlight a few pieces of content we are consistently cranking out.
Each Monday we create a motivational video for PromoCorner. The idea is to give you a quick boost of motivation to start your week off on the right foot. And because it’s quick-hitting…we hope you can find the time! If you have never taken the time to listen, you can find them all right here. Feel free to binge-watch them all and get fired up!
In Stock and Ready to Rock
As we write this, inventory is a challenge in nearly every industry. We have been talking about it a lot because we want to spare you some stress and headaches. But we didn’t want to just complain…that’s not our deal. So we created the “In Stock and Ready to Rock” shop. Each week we will feature one item that has deep stock and is ready to be branded with your organization’s logo! Click here to check out the latest!
The Kirby Hasseman Blog
Each week I work to create a personal development article that might help you move your business in the right direction. I often file these under “messages I need to hear,” as they resonate with salespeople, entrepreneurs, and leaders that want to level up. Here is my most recent (as I write this) about 3 Things To Do Every Day if you want to be more productive and happier. If you enjoy that one…there’s plenty more where that came from!
Delivering Marketing Joy
This is what I call the “OG” of our online content. With over 350 episodes, that means we have been doing Delivering Marketing Joy for nearly 7 years. Every Wednesday we interview leaders, marketers, entrepreneurs, and authors from (quite literally) all over the world. This is one of the pieces that updates to our blog page each week, but you can head here to binge hundreds of episodes on PromoCorner.
Thirsty Thursday
One of our newest pieces of content has quickly become one of our most popular! Each week we try a mystery drink in a different piece of branded merchandise. Sometimes the drinks are good…but not often! The reactions and the cool branded merchandise make it all worth while. This is posted on our Facebook page and is just one reason why you should follow us if you are not already. Watch the latest episode here!
Oh…and if you are interested in any of these pieces of drinkware for your organization, you can head to our shop here!
Fashion Friday
Each week we have some fun featuring a simple apparel piece for our Fashion Friday! This is another Facebook/Instagram exclusive, so head here and give us a follow.
Ohio’s Heart
Finally, I want to highlight Ohio’s Heart. Some of you may remember that we created OhiosHeart.com to highlight positive things going on in our region. While I have been a bit distracted from this site, I still believe it has a great opportunity to spread the good word! So we have been posting more to it recently (like this drone footage of a local expansion)…and I want to continue that trend. So if your organization has some good news, please feel free to share with us! Please add us to the list of press releases you are sending out to lift up the good news!
Whoo! That’s a lot of content…but we do it for you! If you want to have most of this content delivered directly to your inbox, join our VIP list here. Each week we send ONE email to the members of our list so you have it in one place!
Stop me if you have heard this before. “I went to buy something (anything), and it was ‘out of stock’, ‘back-ordered,’ or ‘more expensive.'” Yeah…us too. The fact is, we are living through a trying time in our economy where supply chain issues and labor challenges are affecting nearly every sector. And the marketing and branding sector is no different. We have been talking about this since early this year.
While you can still get some amazing branded items for your organization, it’s more important than ever that you plan ahead. That is why at Hasseman Marketing, we are making a fairly bold recommendation. It’s July as I write this…but it’s not too early.
You should start thinking about your 4th quarter gifts now.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not some crazy upsell. I am not suggesting you should buy more than normal. No one is trying to trick you. But in case you haven’t noticed, the past 18 months have been a bit different. If you are planning to do year-end gifts this year, you need to get the ball rolling.
Here are two quick tips on buying 4th quarter gifts in 2021.
Order Way Early
If we have said it once, we have said it 20 times…plan way early this year. If you normally plan to order items 4 weeks in advance, plan 12. Seriously. Can you get things faster than that? Yes…sometimes. But more often than not, we are seeing clients have to scramble to get items in time…or not get them at all. That adds a ton of stress to you and your organization. If you know an event is coming, do yourself a favor and order early. Update: We have created this shop based on items with deep inventory. Check it out.
Select More Than One Option
As you are going through your ideas for branded merchandise, we recommend you have a plan A, B, and C! Yes we will work to check stock in advance, but things are changing quickly. One day an item may have “plenty” of stock, but then a big order comes in and it disappears. While you are doing the research, just pick a few backup options that are in the same price range. This will keep you from having to start over if you run into challenges.
There are plenty of things we cannot control in today’s economy. So many things seem to be in flux. That’s why it’s so important to control what we can. And while it might seem crazy to think about ordering year-end gifts now, we can assure you it’s not. If you want to discuss your year-end options, please contact your Hasseman Marketing Account Executive. If you don’t have one, click here to set up a time to chat with one!
If you have been paying attention to our communication lately, you might have seen the conversation around a new program called Better Business University. We are extremely excited about the new platform. And while you might have heard about it, many people still have questions! We get that. So in this blog, we wanted to address the top 5 questions we are getting about Better Business University.
What is Better Business University?
Better Business University is an online platform of business education that is real-world-based and very affordable. We will have a yearly subscription and give people complete access to all classes. The classes are video-based, so you can watch at your pace and on your schedule. As we add more classes…no more cost. Our goal is to reach 10,000 entrepreneurs, leaders, and sales pros to help them elevate their game.
Why Is Hasseman Marketing Involved?
At Hasseman Marketing, we have always been about helping other organizations grow. That might mean assisting you with a marketing campaign, or helping guide our prospects and clients to grow personally. That is why we spend so much time and energy creating content! We feel that Better Business University is the perfect next step to help our prospects and customers level up!
What Courses are Available?
As of this writing, there are 5 robust video courses. The courses available now include:
The Give First Economy
How To Get More Done
Create a Website That Works
How to Market like a Rock Star (on social media and through content)
Build Your Brand with Branded Merchandise
We will be adding more courses soon, and there will be no additional fee for subscribers on the platform.
Who Is Better Business University For?
We are calling Better Business University the “Entrepreneur’s MBA.” We have created the program for entrepreneurs, leaders, freelancers, sales pros, and anyone else interested in leveling up their skills and their career.
What is the Cost?
The goal of BBU is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs and leaders level up. In order to do that, we have made it very affordable. The yearly subscription will be only $249 for the entire year…and you will have access to all classes. As we add more courses, there will be no additional cost! We think that is an incredible value. But during our launch week (May 3-7) we will have a special offer that is even better.
On Thursday October 15th, Hasseman Marketing is hosting our first ever online marketing conference (register here). We are super excited about the event. We even wrote about 5 reasons you (and your team) should attend. But I think people are struggling to picture what the event will look like. Let me assure you, the MasterClass is not just another Zoom meeting.
In order to explain, I created this short video to go over what to expect.
The event starts at 2pm, but we are recommending everyone start to log in around 1:45.
We are asking this for a few reasons. First, we have all had that experience of trying to log into a new software for the first time. It can be confusing, and waiting until the last minute causes stress. We will also use that time to make announcements, talk about the flow of the day, and give attendees the chance to introduce themselves via the chat!
The program will begin at 2pm and we will welcome Bill Petrie to the stage. Bill is a great speaker and we are blessed to have him join us. He will be talking about how to make real connections in a virtual world. Bill (and his partner Kelsey) just launched a new company called brandivate during this pandemic…and they did it right. (I even wrote about it here). Bill will talk about that experience…and more.
At 2:30 we head into Breakout sessions.
During the breakout sessions, you will have several different topics to choose from. You will click on the sessions button on the left and see the options…and then enter the room. These will be quick topics with people living in that space designed to bring you real value. Oh…and at 2:50 we built in a 10 minute break!
At 3pm we are back on the Main Stage
Bobby Lehew is one of the most thoughtful content creators in the marketing industry and an amazing storyteller. Bobby has graciously agreed to join us to talk about how to tell your story more effectively. This will be a session you do not want to miss.
What About The Trade Show Floor?
One thing we heard from our customers when we started to plan this event was “we want to see suppliers.” Our Customer Appreciation event features some of our favorite supplier partners each year. And our customers have learned to use that as a tool for planning for next year. Don’t worry. We listened. We have an “Expo Area” built into the platform so you can go into vendor booths just like an in person trade show.
As you can see, we have a lot planned for this day and we are fired up to share it with you. Please join us. If you have not yet registered, there is still time. Please head here to get signed up for a great day. Oh…and if you have to plan any virtual meetings then you should check out the platform we are using. It’s called Hopin and I think you will enjoy it.
So as I hope you can see, this is not just another Zoom meeting. We want this to be a fast paced, full day that will help springboard you into a strong finish to 2020 (and beyond).
Is it just me, or do people just seem so angry right now?
In nearly every interaction, about every topic, someone seems to have a Ford 150 size chip on their shoulder. No matter what we are discussing, we seem ready to argue. This is particularly true, it seems, online. Everyone seems to be looking for reasons to be cheesed off!
This is one thing the pandemic has created that we can all see…and most of us can easily diagnose. It has created anxiety and fear. And when you combine that with the fact that most of us can’t do what we normally might to blow off steam, have fun, travel, see loved ones, play sports, etc. it gives us time and unused energy. So we are more confined and cooped up, and more reliant on media and social media. While I am a fan of social media for many purposes, I find myself getting overwhelmed by the amount of hate and vitriol you can find there right now.
So what do we do about it?
In times of crisis, I find that the best tactics (for me) is to go back to basics. One of my favorite books of all time is 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And while I should probably just read the whole book again, I was recently reminded of a powerful lesson from the first habit…focus on your circle of influence. The concept is simple. The most highly effective people spend time focusing on the things they have control over. They do not worry about things that are clearly outside of their control. And, when you continually take care of the things inside your circle of influence, your circle often gets bigger.
To me, that is the clear reason for so much anger right now. We are simply focusing most of our time and attention on things we cannot control. It’s maddening and it’s not helpful. How will the stock market fair? I have no idea. Will there be a football season? Got me. Did Carol Baskin kill her husband? Yes, of course she did. But I can’t do anything about that either!
Lately, when I have been feeling overwhelmed, I try to center myself over the things I can impact. I spend time in my Circle of Influence. When I do that, I find that I not only feel better, but I get a lot more done too.
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