It’s official. We are in the fourth and final quarter of 2023. If you haven’t hit those goals and targets you had intended to this year, this is the time to start planning for 2024. If you want to grow your company in 2024, add reading to your plan.
Reading is one of an entrepreneur’s most essential tools in their toolbox. Books can reveal marketing secrets and business strategy advice, spur new ideas, and motivate you when you need an extra push. Add these five books to your reading list to help you grow your company in 2024.
1. Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra — CEO Excellence
A product of consulting firm McKinsey & Company, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders From the Rest offers a look at how the best CEOs do their jobs. They interviewed chiefs at Netflix, JP Morgan Chase, General Motors, and Sony. With billions of dollars at stake and the fates of tens of thousands of employees, these are some of the most challenging roles in business.
A manual for achieving excellence becomes crucial when you find yourself bearing the responsibility of being the person that everyone relies on. CEO Excellence is a no-holds-barred conversation with some of the richest mindsets that is unprecedented in scope. Every aspiring entrepreneur should consider adding this compilation of insights from today’s top business leaders to their list of must-reads.
2. MJV Innovation — Design Thinking
Many companies mistakenly believe in waiting for transformations and new technologies to become commonplace before taking advantage of them. In Design Thinking, the authors take entrepreneurs through their four phases of Design Thinking. In the Immersion phase, the team approaches the context of the problem from different points of view.
During the Analysis and Synthesis phase, information is collected to discover patterns and challenges to help understand the problem. In the Ideation phase, the objective is to generate ideas that will create solutions, and in the fourth phase, Prototyping, ideas are validated and tested in a real-world context. Today’s entrepreneurs must be able to think innovatively, discover new solutions, and be prepared for change. This book shows them exactly how to do it.
3. Ben Horowitz — The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Horowitz co-founded Andreessen Horowitz and is a well-respected entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. In his book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Horowitz offers advice on building and running a startup. As one of the most experienced entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, he offers practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems even an MBA doesn’t cover.
Horowitz is a lifelong rap fan and amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs. He tells it straight up and like it is. It is an invaluable book for both new and veteran entrepreneurs.
4. Tony Fadell — Build
Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell has been called an advice encyclopedia and a mentor in a box. For anyone who wants to grow at work, this Wall Street Journal Bestseller is full of personal stories, practical advice, and fascinating insights into some of the most impactful products and people of the 20th century.
Each entry builds on the previous one, charting Fadell’s journey from product designer to a leader, from a startup founder to an executive to a mentor. Fadell made his way alongside the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell, Silicon Valley icons who succeeded time and time again. The difference? Fadell doesn’t follow the philosophy that you must reinvent everything from scratch to achieve greatness.
5. David Jenyns — SYSTEMology
SYSTEMology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems outlines a step-by-step system that fixes owner-dependent businesses. Do you often find yourself in a cycle of repeating tasks, correcting mistakes, and struggling to maintain order? Imagine the possibility of establishing a business that operates autonomously.
In SYSTEMology, Jenyns shows entrepreneurs how to create a business that does just that, one that is truly functional. Even the busiest entrepreneur can use Jenyns’ step-by-step business systemization framework. He draws on more than 20 years of business experience and real-life case studies to help entrepreneurs on a path to complete business reliability.
Reading Provides Exceptional Value
As we finish out the year, it is important that business owners reflect on their progress, and if necessary, adjust their strategies. Reading is an important aspect for those who are looking to grow their business in the upcoming year. The habits of successful entrepreneurs reflect the value of this practice. From marketing insights to innovative ideas and motivational fuel, each title provides unique guidance and expertise. By incorporating the lessons learned, you can chart a course not only for growth, but for lasting success in the rapidly changing business landscape.
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