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Business Model YOU

By on April 17, 2012 in Books with 0 Comments

Business Model YouIf you loved Business Model Generation, you’ll really love Business Model You: A One-Page Method for Reinventing Your Career.

The canvas is similar with minor adjustments to fit “you” with some great real-life stories, examples, and exercises. This book is something every freelancer and solopreneur should own. I’m also recommending it to several ministry leaders because the ideas will translate well.

Here’s a brief explanation of the Business Model Canvas:

If you want a sneak peek at the book, author Tim Clark has made available 79 pages of BMY for free.

There’s also a community center to collaborate and bounce ideas to others.

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Google+ for the Rest of Us: A Simple How-To eBook

By on March 25, 2012 in Books with 0 Comments

What the Plus! by Guy Kawasaki

A How-To Handbook

“The key to social media is to use the right tool for the job. Not ‘everyone’ should use Twitter or Facebook or Google+, because everyone’s needs are different.”
- Guy Kawasaki in What the Plus!: Google+ for the Rest of Us

Guy Kawasaki loves Google Plus. He says so early in his newest book, What the Plus!: Google for the Rest of Us. Yet this read, in e-book form only (and only $2.99) is a “How-To” book, simple and thorough.

If you’re toying or testing the idea of using Google+ for your business, What the Plus! is the missing manual.

Filled with lots of screen shots to help you navigate the nuances and noise, Guy admits to seeing the “ghost town” at the start, until he started using some of the simple steps he outlines in this book. From that point, “… clouds parted, and Google+ enchanted me. I reduced my activity on Facebook and Twitter, and Google+ became my social operating system.”

 

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A Favorite Business Book

By on March 1, 2012 in Books, Brain Stew with 0 Comments

One of my favorite business books ever is “Oh! The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss (right beside “Ish” by Peter Reynolds)

Keep your chin up
and your dawber from getting down
have a look at this
and flip that frown
around

Quick Social Media: Kindle Quotes

By on January 6, 2012 in Blog Coach, Books with 2 Comments

I needed some instant social media, you know the kind where you just add water and have flavorful content, right?

This week witnessed our 2nd family/friend medical emergency in 3 weeks (and a holiday in between). Even the most resolute would be hampered by such hurdles to new habits and goals.

Yesterday, with 7+ hours of driving Midwest roads ahead of me, I had no time to read or share any feeds or write a blog post.

While choosing an audio book for the drive, I remembered my post about crowdsourced Kindle Quotes. In 20 minutes, I had queued up a dozen or so tweets from Kindle books I’ve read, trying to include the author’s Twitter name and a link to the book on Amazon.

 

Several of the tweets were shared or favorited. The two authors above each gave a word of thanks, with Todd Henry (The Accidental Creative) tweeting a resounding “Yes!” And I get a blog post on the other side of the exercise.

Quick review (in order of my importance and How I Twitter):

  1. Value for my intended audience (they shared),
  2. Tip o’ the hat to the original creator (they replied)
  3. Content inventory (created or curated), building value and page depth

Added bonus:

I got to use the new Twitter ‘Embed This Tweet’ feature.

There will be times your desired social media output will get interrupted. Tend to what’s most important, knowing that the social will be there when you get back – otherwise it probably wasn’t there in the first place. And if you can, try something new on the quick – maybe it works.

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My Life is About to Change in a Flinch

By on December 7, 2011 in Books, Brain Stew with 0 Comments

You ever get that feeling? As you travel through a . . . transparent thing . . .

Last night, just before bed, I watched a video conversation with Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. They talked candidly (and colorfully) about Julien’s new book, The Flinch:

These guys literally wrote the book on Trust Agents, so when Brogan starts warning Smith that this book is one that might get read, but people won’t do anything about it – and Smith agrees (“There’s only so far you can <flinch-causing expletive>hold people’s hands”).

As I was watching, I went to Amazon and pre-ordered the free book (thanks Godin). This morning, it was in my Kindle and I started reading it. Last thing last night, then first thing first thing?  Interesting intersection.

As I read this morning, I’m fighting a lot of internal urges and personal feelings that won’t see the light of this blog. And I flinch. And grow.

Thanks for the read, Julien (and thanks for the video, Chris). I’ve got some flinches to face.

 

Is Education Broken? Maybe it’s Time We Take a LEAP

By on December 1, 2011 in Books, Conversations, Education with 4 Comments

I’ve seen Steve Farber‘s works invigorate people and communities to positive action. I really like how his work is now being embraced by educators.

Steve is on a  mission to change the world. Watch:

This mission is not about Steve, not about me, and my not even be about you – but I share this with you because it’s about who’s next and what’s next for them: The Students. And the Teachers who lead them.

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Creating a Business That Works for You: Step 1

By on September 23, 2011 in Books, Conversations with 0 Comments

Read this book:  The Big Enough Company

Whereas the last book I shared wasn’t about you, this book is all about you – as far as creating a business – your business – right for you. For who you are, what you’re about, and how you want to live.

It’s really more than a book, it’s really two books in one.

The first part is a workbook, asking you important questions, giving examples of how others found their answers, and helping you navigate through potential pitfalls.

The second part is a playbook – the “If-Then-Next” kind of guide that gives you scenarios of potential problems and solutions to consider.

This book is filled with Cheat Sheets, Success Stories and navigation that will help you design a business that fits you. It’s the type of grab-and-open-to-any-page book that is money every time.

The authors, who are entrepreneurs themselves – In Good Company – and community cultivators, talk about their your book in this video:

Tom Peters once said something to the effect of: “If a $20 book has one great idea, I’ve found a great bargain.” Well, this book is will be one of the greatest bargains of all time if you keep the pages handy and apply what you glean.

This is probably not the last piece I write about this one.

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Grab a Chair . . . It’s Not About You #INAY

By on September 21, 2011 in Books with 2 Comments

It’s hard not to hear “It’s Not About You” these days.

Especially in social media where the good gurus say it should about them (them being who you serve, not the gurus).

Sometimes, the saying “It’s Not About You” is like how my baseball coach used to say “Go With the Pitch” – nice saying, but how!

Thanks to Bob Burg and John David Mann, they share the story of Ben as he learns that very thing in It’s Not About You.

The characters come to life. I swear I know a couple of them personally. And the lessons Ben learns – and records in his journal for us to see – are great keys to leadership. Legendary Leadership!

This is a wonderful story with many take-aways. While it’s not said in the book, it drove home an important point for me:

Great Leaders Make Themselves Obsolete

I highly recommend you give this a read. Grab a Chair. Get Ready to Share. It’s Not About You (amazon link)

FYI: In true Go-Giver fashion, I was given a copy of the book to read.

Kill Malaria Today, Crush It in Business Tomorrow

By on September 7, 2011 in Books with 0 Comments


Today is End Malaria Day.

I know several folks living and working in Africa, and they see the child-killer that is Malaria first hand. I’ve heard stories from short-term missionaries about how if a family or village just had a net — a simple mosquito net — the fight against malaria would be a victorious one.

Last night I heard about a book from The Domino Project and Box of Crayons that was giving $20 for each sale to Malaria No More. $20 a book! 

So here’s my thinking. Seth Godin and all these authors give me free content daily (and sometimes, free books). And with my $20 purchase of End Malaria (I got the Kindle version), I get 62 chapters from 62 best-selling authors – and kids in Africa get mosquito nets?  Yes!

The book is written by some rockstar thinkers that will help you Crush It (yep, he’s in it too) in business. I’ve skimmed through the Table of Contents and I think you’ll want a copy (or 20) for your whole team. You can get it in paperback or Kindle

Today is End Malaria Day.

 

Angela’s Book is Another Answer to Prayer

By on August 19, 2011 in Books with 0 Comments


About seven months ago my life changed by God’s grace and design. I had been given a booklet of poetry by Angela Thye (now Angela Sansone).

Her poem booklet was an answer to prayer and brought me into a place where God could begin using me for His sake. Little did I know what else He had in store . . .

Today, we are celebrating the completion of Angela’s book manuscript and are making preparations for design, printing, marketing, and distribution.

These final stages of her book, Precious Stones of Intercession, need helping hands:

  • Hands in prayer
  • Hands who share
  • Hands helping to pay the fare

Prayer: Your prayer support is the most important type of support (especially for this work).

Share: If you can help spread the word via Facebook or Twitter, please consider sharing the news.

Fare: We’ve set up an escrow account with GoFundMe to get the book through it’s final stages. There is a video and a synopsis of the project there.

We’ll be using quite a bit of social tools on this project, but your ideas and talents would be quite a blessing.

This project had been from the very start, a God-given and Holy Spirit-driven mission with specific deadlines. Jehovah Jireh!

 

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