I absolutely love reading and it’s by far my favorite way to consume content! I read about 3-4 business books a month and 1-2 fiction books. Since I’m always curious about what other people are reading, I thought I’m using this platform to share with you what business books I’ve read over the course of each month and what my biggest takeaways were.
WHAT I READ IN JULY
START WITH WHY by Simon Sinek
This book was recommended to me like 823784 times and I have no idea why I haven’t grabbed a copy earlier. But, I’ve finally ready it and I must admit that it’s one of the most powerful books I’ve read in a long time. In his book, Simon Sinek explains what most businesses and leaders get wrong: they know what they do and might even be able to explain how they differentiate themselves but very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do what they do. However, it’s your WHY, your purpose, your belief that will inspire you and the people around you to take action.
This book is super easy to get through and the numerous case studies and real-life examples with businesses and leaders like Apple, Microsoft or Martin Luther King make the core message stick. Start With Why really had me think about my own WHY and helped me solidify my core message.
Biggest take-away (not a surprise!): Don’t start with WHAT or HOW, but with WHY. Then, take it from there. Your WHY is what inspires and attracts the right customers and employees. It’s your backbone. Every decision you make in your business, should be connected to your WHY.
I’d love to hear your WHY, so feel free to share in the comments or send me an email to bettina@hersecretweapon.com.
JAB JAB JAB RIGHT HOOK by Gary Vaynerchuk
I’ve heard my business coach (who’s crushing it on social media) talk about this book several times, so I finally ordered it last month and couldn’t wait to dive in. I came across Gary Vaynerchuk years ago and I also have several of his books on my shelf (see below) but I never got to read one until now.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a practical book about how to optimize your social media network to get noticed online. What I love about Gary Vaynerchuk, is that he really knows how to perfectly adapt your content to specific social media platforms because “Content is Kind, but Context is God”. In Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary V. explains the characteristics of all major platforms in detail and gives real-life examples on good and bad posts.
The only downside is that the book was written and published in 2013 and we all know how fast the social media world develops. The concepts still apply but since Instagram has been on an unstoppable rise ever since, I would love to see an updated edition.
Biggest take-away: You can create stellar content but if it ignores the context of the platform it can still fall flat. Every platform has its own unique characteristics such as language, culture and style. Even if your audience overlaps among the platforms, people are in a completely different mindset when they’re visiting one platform than when they’re visiting another.
CRUSHING IT by Gary Vaynerchuk
Since I’ve had a couple of Gary Vaynerchuk’s books on my shelf and my theme for this month was all about branding and marketing, I decided that it was time to finally read Crushing It. Similar to Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, the sequential of his bestseller “Crush It”, is a practical guide to create outstanding content and optimize it for specific platforms. There were a lot of practical tips I took away seeing that I’m currently working on optimizing my content and creating a greater influence. However, as the social media world is reinventing itself over night, the book could be updated in some parts. I also had the feeling that Gary Vee mostly works with product based businesses and not necessarily with online service providers or coaches.
Biggest take-away: The more authentic you are, the easier it is for your audience to connect with you and eventually trust you. Don’t be afraid to showcase your true self and your love for what you do.
This is the first time I’ve shared what I’m currently reading in a blog post and I would love to hear if you’ve read any of the books mentioned and what your takeaways were.
