Books Books Books!

I know that I’m always looking for good books to read and I really like to get a few recommendations before I pour 10 or 15 hours into something that may or may not turn out to be a huge waste of my time. That being said, I’d like to offer some recommendations in the form of my current reading list.

1. The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer

Gitomer, a former salesman who is now a consultant and journalist, shares his tips on how to be a successful salesperson. He provides motivational advice and practical techniques for initiating, maintaining, and closing a sales presentation. Written in a breezy manner with short, easy-to-remember suggestions, this book should prove popular with persons just getting started in this field or those needing an inspirational pep talk. I, for one, think this is one of the most practical books on sales that I have ever read.

2. How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath & Donald O. Clifton

I read this one in a single sitting during a recent business trip in which I had about 2 hours to kill. It happened to be -3 degrees, so I decided to hunker down in Borders. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a terribly long book, but it’s filled with the positive idea of give-and-take that will lead to a better marriage, better relationships both professionally and privately, and easier life, and more satisfaction for everyone involved. I say it is very worth your time to pick this one up.

3. Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer

Written by Jon Krakauer of “Into Thin Air” fame writes of the harrowing events of some 15 of the worlds best mountain climbers as they take on the worlds tallest peaks. Not once in this book will you be bored or hoping to get a chapter over with. Halfway through you will acquire a new appreciation for your fingers, toes, and the fact that you still have a nose, because many of the main characters lose theirs. This is the ultimate for the Armchair Adventurer, because you feel like you’re right there with them. Luckily, you’re not.

The Benefits of Reading

I have always heard that where you will be in 5 years is based upon the books you read and people you associate with, so grab these books enhance your life!

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

There’s something like a bazillion new blogs everyday so, of course, everyone wants to get their piece. Thoughts.com is doing just that with their Free Blog software. It seems to be to be a bit easier than your run of the mill wordpress, or even blogger, if you are just trying to do something like a friend of mine did when he created a blog to rant and rave about his travels all over the world. There is almost no customization ability and very little in the way of features like a Wordpress blog has such as the Google Adsense plugins and no follow stuff.

On the up side, you can very easily put your photos on your blog website as well as videos and podcasts, not that it is terribly difficult to do with WP or Blogger, but this would be good for the internet illiterate.

www.Thoughts.com is doing something very cool to attract new members. Starting in July 2007, each month they will be giving away one free 6 month Netflix membership to an existing member that has referred their friend to become an active member of the thoughts.com community. On top of this, they are giving away an annual trip, and this year it is to Las Vegas, Nevada. I just went to Las Vegas for the first time last week. Now, I was there for a trade show, but it was a blast, none the less. So, it’s worth a shot!

GateOperator.net is the website for Access Control Distributors of Texas. Any company can say anything, but what they DO and SELL are true indicators of their visions and goals. We are committed to selling the highest quality equipment at reasonable wholesale prices Our support and follow up after the sale, are testimony to our customer care! When you replace or install a new Digital Phone Entry, Gate Opener, or Access Control device, put in something you will be proud of because you only get one chance to make that first impression.

LiftMaster, an Authorized National Master Preferred Distribution Warehouse, says, “We work hard to provide the absolute best in TECH SUPPORT and SERVICE to our Chamberlain/Liftmaster customers and this special pricing is our way of helping YOU get the best equipment available!”

At their site, you can shop by manufacturer, and they have everything from AAS, Allstar, Apollo, Click2Enter, DC Solutions, to SecuraKey and RamSet. And, if you’re looking for faac or osco, look no further than www.gateoperator.net.

Make your first stop at Access Control Distributors of Texas if you’re looking for ACDT, gate operators, gate openers, electric gates, card readers, telephone entry, and intruder detectors.

Go Check it Out!

Get Cable Television!

 Man, I just got cable about two weeks ago because my wife was out of the country and I was’t thinking straight….I got her a dog too…

 So for the last two weeks, I spent my evenings flipping through reruns of “flip this house,” “property ladder,” and random MMA shows.  I love watching grown men beat each other.  This morning, I came to a realization.  TV, in large amounts is a terrible thing.  In small amounts, it can be very enjoyable.  In light of this new thought, I’ve given myself a few rules to follow. 

1. 30 minutes of reading - before any TV in the evenings.

2. 30 minutes of excercise - atleast 30, that is.  I’ll make it 30-90 minutes before I allow myself the pleasure watching people face off in a death match!!

3. 30 minutes of blogging - this is my daily quota and it can be done any time.  Generally, it gets done while I’m at work…with appologies to my boss.

 I had been thinking about this for a while, but, being mesmerized by the tube, I did nothing about it.  It was Danny over at Be Inspired Every Day, with his post entitled “Abandon Materialism and Find Peace of Mind,” who inspired me to take action.  Thank you, Danny!

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

I’ve been doing some research online to find what kind of resources there are online and what is missing so that I can fill that void. Here are some of the better resources I have found.

PayPerPost.com - Think you’ve got a good blog? Think you can review stuff? Go here to do it and get paid.

The American Success Institute - They have free online courses for Small Business Ownership, Real Estate, and General Success…how cool is that? General success, ha! Plus, there’s an online self defense course…whatever…

Maximum Impact - This is John Maxwell’s leadership, teamwork, and personal growth training company. For those of you who don’t know John Maxwell, shame on you. Just kidding, but seriously, you need to go find out what Maxwell is teaching.

Outsource Your Life! - Elance is offering an exclusive $25-off trail promotion to readers of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. You can outsource anything you want, from the usual emails and phone calls, to making dinner reservations and term papers (for you students…the ones I haven’t alienated yet).

Disposable Phone Numbers - Have you ever wanted to sign up for something but you really don’t want to give out your number? Now, you can give them a number that route to your home, mobile, or work phone and you can disconnect it any time you want with no penalties. Plans start at $3.95/mo.

My Own Business Course - Free startup business courses. There are 14 lessons covering important business topics for anyone looking to start a business.

Hope these are helpful! Let me know if you liked John Maxwell! …or the self defense course.

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

If any of you read my post the other day about The Entrepreneur’s FIRST 5 books, you understand the need for a reading program. Now, it’s nothing like the cost of a college education (which is ridiculous, and I’ll get into that later), but it does start to add up when you are reading 2-3 books a week. But also, it’s not worth the savings to go searching on 15 different sites every time you want to buy a book. Amazon tends to be the cheapest, but that is not always the case. This new tool from BooksPrice.com allows you to search for books by title, autor, or ISBN, and view a list of yuor chosen book by price. For instance, Rich Dad Poor Dad is $6.24 and that includes Shipping!

With BooksPrice.com, you can get books, movies, music, and games online at the cheapest price. So, if you think about it, you can really save a lot if you’re reading 2 books a week, which is what I am doing currently, and hope to continue. If you guys have any other book suggestions, I’d love to hear ‘em!

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

That’s right, John Chow is giving away another signed cody of Timothy Ferriss’ fantastic book, The 4 Hour Work Week. I have not won my copy yet, I’ve still got a chance. For those of you who don’t know about 4hww, you must have been living under a rock. But it’s a book about how to outsource your life so you can take crazy awesome vacations and mini retirements. Oh boy it’s good!

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

I have had my blog for about 2 weeks now, and one of the first blogs I came across that I enjoy and find helpful is YoungEntrepreneur.com. This is my first review of another site, and I’m excited for it to be Evan Carmichael. His writing flows very well as he keeps you entertained and informed in his posts like How to Get More Done in Your day and A Powerful Way To Get Online Rankings: Sitemaps.

It’s clear that he knows what he is doing as he has just past the 100 RSS subscriber mark, and he did it in a pretty short period of time. If you’re looking for a resource that you can count on, I think Evan has created it. It’s pretty clear that Evan has a good entrepreneurial head on his shoulders. YoungEntrepreneur.com has been nominated in two categories of the Bloggers Choice Awards; Best Business Blog and Best Marketing Blog. I won’t be surprised if we see a “trophy” and the site one day soon.

I know that for me, personally, there have been a few times already that I found a key piece of information or a tip that was sorely needed. And I’m glad to be one of the 100 subscribers! “Enthusiasts for enterprise, the YE founders’ ideas are not only research-based but also realized by years of hands on experience which will be featured in their much anticipated book, ‘The Innovative Entrepreneur,” which will soon be available on Evan’s blog.

I stopped by my parents house last night to dole out the goodies my wife and I bought for the family while on vacation and I saw that my dad had left me his copy of The E-Myth Revisited. Just last week we had lunch to discuss some of my entrepreneurial ventures and he said that has to be the first book I read. I opened it up and couldn’t put it down! It perfectly described the way I feel about business and entrepreneurship and the trials that go with it. In the first chapter, Michael E. Gerber talks about the entrepreneur’s fatal assumption.

That fatal assumption is: if you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does that technical work.

Gerber is speaking to the tendency of technical workers starting businesses doing the same technical work. Naturally, a bakers starts a bakery, a mechanic starts a body shop, and a software engineer starts a software engineering firm. The problem is that the technical work of a business and the business itself are two completely different things. The technician fails to see this, and the business becomes a new place to go to work. I strongly suggest you get this book, as it has already had a major impact on me in just a few chapters.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you an entrepreneur because you don’t want to have a job? Well if you start a business as the technical worker, your business will become that job you don’t want. This then begs the questions What is the difference between an entrepreneur and a business owner? For the answer, I’ll send you to MindPetals and let David Askaripour answer that.

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!

I’m now 3 days into my blogging/online entrepreneurial journey and I thought I’d list a few blogs that I’ve found from like minded people online that have helped me with insight and ideas. These are all blogs that I have subscribed to and have spent time in their archives, so I’ve found the ones I believe will be a great resource on my adventures in entrepreneurship.

JohnChow.com - I’m sure that most of you have seen the “miscellaneous ramblings of a dot com mogul” on his site, but if you haven’t you should check it out. He has lots of information about how to monetize your blog as well as some free give-aways and lots of useful links, including a free e-book “Make Money Online With John Chow dot Com: How I Went From Zero to $10,000+ a Month By Blogging and How You Can Too”. I have not gotten through the whole book yet, but so far, it’s fantastic.

MindPetals.com - I’m sure that most of you would have seen the “Young Entrepreneurs Network” as well. “Mind Petals is more than a community for the Young Entrepreneur — it’s a philosophy that instills ambition, determination, and encouragement in the minds of entrepreneurs making things happen, not just talking.” Check it out!

Blogtrepreneur.com - I stumbled across Adnan’s blog, and was very impressed, So put your ego down and go learn from this highschool kid.

MattHuggins.com - This has been my favorite so far! His 55 Essential Articles Every Serious Blogger Should Read is a smorgasbord of advice, counsel, enlightenment, illumination, and instruction! Matt covers everything from the Blogging Basics to Building Content, and Increased Traffic to Monetization! It’s a great read, and don’t forget to check out the rest of his stuff too…it’s all just as good.

I hope these help you on your way to making millions with a blog…or $50 a month, whatever you’re goin for. I learned some of the Do’s and Don’ts of blogging early on, and suggest you do the same!

Did You Like This Post? Subcribe Here!