Reading is Good

I've had this grand idea to read 1 book per month for a while now and I am finally getting around to actually doing it. It's been so easy to convince myself there are other things I'd rather do I guess. BUT NO MORE! I hereby officially commit to read one book per month and then blog about it and give a little review, aka a book report on it. I might even go crazy and read one business-type book AND 1 religious book per month, but I'm only committing to you 1 for now. We'll see though.

My 1st book I read was in June and is called Conquer The Chaos - How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy.

It was written by Clate Mask, the CEO of Infusionsoft (where I've worked for the past 4 1/2 years) and by Scott Martineau, the founder. These guys are class act leaders who I admire and respect very much.

So here's what I thought: Section I called The Quest for Freedom talked about why entrepreneurs revolt against "the man," how and why chaos enters the small business, and that if the small business is to survive, it must grow. I thought this section was a little too much fluff for me, but I'm sure small business owners will identify very closely with this discussion. To me this section was only the appetizer when I was hungry for some meat and potatoes.

Section II titled Mindset Strategies: Achieving Balance was a very pleasant surprise. It presented the idea of investing in emotional capital before and during the process of becoming a small business owner. It says your emotional bank account is even more important than your financial bank account and is ultimately the strength of your business. Wow, what a profound thought that I think many entrepreneurs overlook when they decide to go into business. The inherent chaos that quickly consumes the business can easily dissuade an entrepreneur that has not invested sufficiently into their emotional bank account. You've gotta be in the right state of mind to jump up out of bed every day to face the challenges owning a small business presents. I think this topic was my biggest take-away from the book.

Another Mindset Strategy discussed is called Disciplined Optimism which is 1) an undying belief you will succeed 2) while confronting the brutal facts of your current reality 3) and attacking those facts because you want to, not because you have to. This idea could also be known as the Stockdale Paradox which the book mentions here. It's all about finding the right balance between knowing you'll end up on top, but also understanding there's a steep hill in front of you and it will require hard work to ascend to the summit.

Section III is all about Systems Strategies: Controlling Speed. This is what I thought the entire book was going to be about; the nuts and bolts of putting in processes and workflow strategies to begin to own your business instead of your business owning you. It talks about the importance of centralizing your data, following-up with your customers and prospects, and automating manual and repetitive processes. I was surprised that Clate and Scott didn't tout Infusionsoft more during this section, because frankly, this is exactly what our software is designed to do for a small business. During my years at Infusionsoft, I am 100% confident that using the software to accomplish the 3 systems strategies mentioned above will indeed Conquer The Chaos in a small business.

The last section is a quick reminder to the now Liberated Entrepreneur to not return to the old ways of doing busines and what to do now that you have found your freedom.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to all entrepreneurs who are tired of being overwhelmed by their business. Of course there is much work to be done, but the principles and strategies learned here will definitely give the business owner clear direction and a pathway leading to success.

I read this book with my wife's business Whippy Cake in mind and I am excited for her to read this book (no babe, this little summary does not count) so that we can really start to implement these ideas into her business.

Ok, first review complete! I've already read another book that I will blog about probably next week. This month I'm currently reading Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Anyone care to join me? :)