Your top three business books.

[tragu]

Hello,

What are your top three business books?

Here are mine:

1) "How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules" by Dan Kennedy

2) "Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition" by Jay Abraham

3) "Guerrilla Marketing for Free: Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits." by Jay Conrad Levinson

I'm looking forward to find out the top three business books of other members.

Best regards,
Thuva

[kennyt18]

The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Profitable Decision Making - 3rd Edition.

[hotfishy]

Managerial Accounting 6th Canadian edition --- very important thing to learn for business

[poedua]

Hello,

What are your top three business books?

Here are mine:

1) "How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules" by Dan Kennedy

2) "Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition" by Jay Abraham

3) "Guerrilla Marketing for Free: Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits." by Jay Conrad Levinson

I'm looking forward to find out the top three business books of other members.

Best regards,
Thuva

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
by Daniel Goleman

Competitive Advantage : Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance
by Michael E. Porter

How To Win Friends And Influence People
by Dale Carnegie

[Derek]

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
by Collins & Porras
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060516402/redflagdealsc-20/

Sam Walton: Made in America
by Sam Walton, John Huey
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553562835/redflagdealsc-20/

How to Win Friends and influence people (good pick!)
by Dale Carnegie
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671723650/redflagdealsc-20/

RFD affiliate links of course. They're all great books but if you had to pick one, you can't go wrong with How to Win Friends and influence people. It's just a good read for general knowledge and it's a classic.

[sumfunny]

The Goal - Goldratt

The Toyota Way - Liker

Managment Science a strategic perspective - Bell

[poedua]

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
by Collins & Porras
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060516402/redflagdealsc-20/

Sam Walton: Made in America
by Sam Walton, John Huey
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553562835/redflagdealsc-20/

How to Win Friends and influence people (good pick!)
by Dale Carnegie
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671723650/redflagdealsc-20/

RFD affiliate links of course. They're all great books but if you had to pick one, you can't go wrong with How to Win Friends and influence people. It's just a good read for general knowledge and it's a classic.

Some honourable mentions should also go to.........

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey

The One Minute Manager
by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Spencer Johnson

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book On Value Investing
by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

A Random Walk Down Wall Street
by Burton G. Malkiel

[airodus]

Some honourable mentions should also go to.........

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey

The One Minute Manager
by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Spencer Johnson

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book On Value Investing
by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

A Random Walk Down Wall Street
by Burton G. Malkiel

Many good picks, but I have to throw out a warning about the whole Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. It's good cause it's inspirational, but it's bad because the advice it offers is horrible.

Some examples are:

Go big or go home. (Take big risks for big payoffs) Very rarely is this a sensible strategy.

He also says that one of the great things about owning a business is writing off expenses. Sure that's fine, but then he goes on to say that you can write off your luxury vehicle, personal vacations, houses and other non business related expenses which is considered fraud. You will be prosecuted in both the US and Canada following some of his advice.

The entire story of rich dad and poor dad is a complete fabrication (the author got rich off his books, not from a prior business). I don't mind using fiction to illustrate good ideas, but at least let them be good ideas!

The author ran some seminars and plugged his book in Australia. So many people lost money following his advice that he has been banned from promoting his books in Australia.

I hate to pick on him, but his best selling book is making people broke.

[nogoro]

nobody talked about "The Wealthy Barber" by D. Chilton. Is it outdated? I liked it when I read it a few years back.

[poedua]

Many good picks, but I have to throw out a warning about the whole Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. It's good cause it's inspirational, but it's bad because the advice it offers is horrible.

Some examples are:

Go big or go home. (Take big risks for big payoffs) Very rarely is this a sensible strategy.

He also says that one of the great things about owning a business is writing off expenses. Sure that's fine, but then he goes on to say that you can write off your luxury vehicle, personal vacations, houses and other non business related expenses which is considered fraud. You will be prosecuted in both the US and Canada following some of his advice.

The entire story of rich dad and poor dad is a complete fabrication (the author got rich off his books, not from a prior business). I don't mind using fiction to illustrate good ideas, but at least let them be good ideas!

The author ran some seminars and plugged his book in Australia. So many people lost money following his advice that he has been banned from promoting his books in Australia.

I hate to pick on him, but his best selling book is making people broke.

Perhaps you are correct.

I for one, would focus on the central theme of the book. The author's " broken record " message of stressing that the rich don't work for money, and that - like the rich - you don't need money to make money, bears consideration.

I would hope that any reader with an ounce of brains isn't going to accept everything they read - from any book - at face value and embrace and employ the concepts discussed on that basis. . The prudent thing to do is to digest what's being read and corroborate what a readers' s being told with other sources / books to assess it's validity....diversify your knowledge base on the topics / ideas / schemes being floated by an author.

Books don't make people broke....people do ...people have choices to validate anything they read in a book by trying to obtain second / third opinions ( particularly if the risk profile is high ) to minimize risk. Read reviews, read criticisms etc. - weigh the pro's and cons.

I'm sure the readers who read the book and - in fact - found increased wealth are among that type of reader I just described. That said, going broke may say as much if not more about the person making financial decisions based on their " understanding ' of the book than the book itself.

I recommned the book. :)

[Ojam]

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't - Jim Collins

[poedua]

nobody talked about "The Wealthy Barber" by D. Chilton. Is it outdated? I liked it when I read it a few years back.

The basic principles he lays out in his book still apply - they're timeless.

[Rehan]

They're not necessarily in my top 3, but I'm enjoying these two books from Jeffrey Gitomer right now:
The Little Red Book of Selling : 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1885167601/redflagdealsc-20/)

The Little Red Book of Sales Answers : 99.5 Real World Answers That Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131735365/redflagdealsc-20/)


I may pick up this one soon also...the reviews look very, very positive:
Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401301932/redflagdealsc-20/)

[B40]

Great thread... I've also read Good to Great.. going to pick up and read Built to Last when I get a chance.

Guerilla Marketing book is also another good one..

Another good easy read, not necessarily a business book is the Alchemist.. it's more so a short motivational fable.

[platinum_dragon]

Many good picks, but I have to throw out a warning about the whole Rich Dad, Poor Dad series. It's good cause it's inspirational, but it's bad because the advice it offers is horrible.

Some examples are:

Go big or go home. (Take big risks for big payoffs) Very rarely is this a sensible strategy.

He also says that one of the great things about owning a business is writing off expenses. Sure that's fine, but then he goes on to say that you can write off your luxury vehicle, personal vacations, houses and other non business related expenses which is considered fraud. You will be prosecuted in both the US and Canada following some of his advice.

The entire story of rich dad and poor dad is a complete fabrication (the author got rich off his books, not from a prior business). I don't mind using fiction to illustrate good ideas, but at least let them be good ideas!

The author ran some seminars and plugged his book in Australia. So many people lost money following his advice that he has been banned from promoting his books in Australia.

I hate to pick on him, but his best selling book is making people broke.

I'd agree here, don't exactly follow Kiyosaki's advice...but instead just open your mind to his outlook on things. He offers some good ideas, not a guide on how to get rich.

Actually I think his second book 'Cash Flow Quadrant' is better in terms of being a little more practical (although it's not a step-by-step guide either, it puts a better perspective on things rather than just talking about concepts like in the first book), so you might want to give that a read too.

[guest3721]

Here's a site which exposes Kiyosaki to be a fraud, http://www.johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html

I read a book of his and felt that I was wasting my time, he was constantly rambling about nothing in particular, his points aren't clear and concise in my opinion. The theme of his book seemed to be, "You don't need an education, get out of the stable Government type job and run your own business, its the only way to succeed." Sure, running a business has its perks everybody knows that its easier said than done, Kiyosaki wasn't as rich as he lead everybody to believe until he wrote these books.

I've read a few personal productivity books and I think you can save yourself a lot of time by catching the simple theme of each book. For example Wealthy Barber is about power of compounding interest and starting early. Millionaire Next Door is about living below your means etc.

[B40]

nobody talked about "The Wealthy Barber" by D. Chilton. Is it outdated? I liked it when I read it a few years back.

I don't think it's outdated, but it's not really a business book.. it's more of a personal financial planning book.. saving for retirement, life insurance, wills, etc.


I've read a few personal productivity books and I think you can save yourself a lot of time by catching the simple theme of each book. For example Wealthy Barber is about power of compounding interest and starting early. Millionaire Next Door is about living below your means etc.
There is actually one chapter in Wealthy Barber about frugal living..

[airodus]

Here's a site which exposes Kiyosaki to be a fraud, http://www.johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html

I read a book of his and felt that I was wasting my time, he was constantly rambling about nothing in particular, his points aren't clear and concise in my opinion. The theme of his book seemed to be, "You don't need an education, get out of the stable Government type job and run your own business, its the only way to succeed." Sure, running a business has its perks everybody knows that its easier said than done, Kiyosaki wasn't as rich as he lead everybody to believe until he wrote these books.

I've read a few personal productivity books and I think you can save yourself a lot of time by catching the simple theme of each book. For example Wealthy Barber is about power of compounding interest and starting early. Millionaire Next Door is about living below your means etc.

Interesting site.

I only threw up my initial warning cause i know a lot of people who got brain washed by that RDPD book (some of which made some dumb mistakes). When I read it, I was horrified. I guess everyone is responsible for their own actions, but that book can be pretty influential. It plays upon the dreams and fanatasies of the average person (anyone can be rich, you can do it quickly, you don't need to be smart, etc...) At the same time, it offers very risky, unethical and flat out wrong advice.

Anyways, some recommendations:

Celestian Prophecy - Not a business book per say, but pretty interesting read about how people interact with one another. It helped me a lot when it came to selling, negotiating, and generally trying to understand people.

Dancing with Bears - book about risk management. i read it a long time ago, and it had some good advice. it is more about project management, but you can definately apply it towards a business

[phd1969]

I'm not a big fan of 12 Rules or whatever number for success types of books. Most of them are all marketing eye-grabbing titles which contain either no substance or just rehashing of old ideas.

My favorite books are the business profile and history type, one I really recommend is The Perfect Store which is the story of eBay.

[B40]

I'm not a big fan of 12 Rules or whatever number for success types of books. Most of them are all marketing eye-grabbing titles which contain either no substance or just rehashing of old ideas.

My favorite books are the business profile and history type, one I really recommend is The Perfect Store which is the story of eBay.

I've read that book too. Great insight on how ebay got started. If you like the perfect store, check out Good to Great. Not really a "rules" type book you mentioned, but it does outline five criterias and backs it up with real case studies.

[phd1969]

Yeah I have that book aswell but haven't started reading it. I'm currently reading iCon which is the story of Steve Jobs ...

[tragu]

I've recently read "9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back" by Sam Beckford and Steve Chandler. This book gives you both inspiration and practical advice.

P.S. Sam Beckford is a Canadian.

Best regards,
Thuva