Books and Resources

As a small business owner, I'm constantly learning. Here are some of the books that have helped me along the way. This list is updated regularly so please visit often and stay tuned for more blog posts where I'll share my favorite just-for-fun books, podcasts, vacation places and more.

Am I missing a killer book or resource? Let me know in the comments.

The Big Enough Company by Lancaster & Abrams.  My favorite part about this book is the reminder that you choose what you spend your time on. Started your cake business because you liked baking but now spend your time up to your eyeballs in bookkeeping?  You control that. Don't like it? Only you can do something to fix it - like hire a bookkeeper.

4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.  Tim Ferriss is a douche, and possibly a snake oil salesman, but this book is for people that want to work to live (not live to work). Ignore the annoying parts and focus on his core ideas like the concept of making money while you sleep, which are irrefutably solid ideas.

How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg. This is like having a great boss - one that motivates, challenges and inspires you - all in one book.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.  I thought this book was only for women who wanted to climb the corporate ladder but it's not. Note to men: you should also read this. Aside from making you a better business person, you also will avoid being clueless when women reference it in a meeting (which happens a lot).

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel. Initially I hesitated to put this book on the list because the title is so harsh. Despite that, it's chock-full of immediately actionable items on very common pitfalls from which every businesswoman can benefit.

The Happiness Project by  Gretchen Rubin. I'm on a constant quest to increase my level of happiness, and I obviously like well-thought-out plans.  This book follows the author as she takes 12 different "how to be happy" strategies from a bunch of other books and tries them out, cumulatively, adding a new one each month. I'm surprised to find that some of these actually work for me.