World Literature

Did you know that 2012 is `The Year of Reading’? I had no idea but was secretly pleased to know that this year I’ve been reading more books – both physical copies and digital, than I did for most of 2011. So perhaps, instinctively I knew that this was the year to stimulate my brain and fill it with insight and wisdom from some smart entrepreneurs.

I adore reading, particularly novels I can get wrapped up in and lose all track of time and reality. But more often than not, I love to soak up lessons around entrepreneurship, business leadership, attracting clients, marketing online, outsourcing and all those juicy topics business owners have to deal with in order to grow and profit.

One of the perks of being a blogger with a large and growing community is that people tend to send you books to review, and it’s becoming more and more frequent. Since I live in a suitcase and like to save paper and postage, I usually ask for a digital version for my iPad or Kindle. It’s got to the point where I had reviewed and read several so I figured it was about time to let you know about the ones I recommend most. Enjoy.

Work the System – Sam Carpenter

I’ve said before that the day I achieved a real sense of freedom in my business was when I realized I actually had to be disciplined enough to create systems to free up my time. In Sam’s book he tells you exactly how to go about doing this, such as creating a Strategic Objective and documenting your procedures. I’d already been applying much of his practical based advice to my business, but when I read his book I knew I was on the right track.

Sam was working 80 hour weeks in his telecommunication business and at breaking point when he had a profound shift in the way he should view his business – as a mechanical series of procedures and systems that are very simple and logical. Now he works less than 2 hours a week and has a thriving and very profitable business and more free time than ever.