These books are what I consider impact books. They’ve helped form and shape my belief system and I continually reference from time-to-time.
The Personal MBA
by Josh Kaufman
When you attend the “School of Hard Knocks” (which I did), you naturally miss out in learning some of the fundamentals of business.
Josh provides not only a crash course on business terminology, but unloads concepts that will get you thinking about your business at a deeper level. I had many “ah, that’s what that means” moments (like when I came across Bystander Apathy).
I strongly recommend this to any SMB owner, manager or executive without an MBA wanting to understand the science and art of business. It’s also nicely organized and is a handy reference — I keep it within arm’s length.
Permission Marketing
by Seth Godin
Proof that Seth is always ahead of his time. This book was written over a decade ago and outlines the principles for what pull/inbound marketing is today. The chapters detailing the history and psychology behind interruption marketing (push/outbound) should be a mandatory read for ALL marketers.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
bu Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk’s no-nonsense writing style in “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World” is exactly what the world of social marketing needed.
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser
To be a better blogger, I needed to become a better writer. Mr. Zinsser helped me understand the principles and methods behind non-fiction writing.
Design is a Job
by Mike Monteiro
This book is packed with so much wisdom, I wouldn’t even know how to summarize it. It was the right book at the right time for me in 2013.