This book needs to be on everybody’s desk. It is more than a guide to enhance your career. If you can master the qualities in this book then you can master your life and help others. This book describes bedrock qualities like courage, character, commitment, focus, generosity and many more. Have you ever met somebody that exudes a quiet confidence and you just want to follow them? Their actions speak volumes without them having to tell you anything. I have a really simple example but I think it will make the point. When I went to Michigan State, I was looking for a new Martial Arts instructor. There were formal classes and other things that I could take. I noticed a man working out and doing some really cool things that I have read about in some of Bruce Lee’s books. I approached this man and asked him if he accepts students and what he charges. He said two simple things – Yes and Nothing. We worked out together for the next 6 years. Note: I was not on the 6 year college plan.

Why is this important to me? I always want to ask this question as if I am sitting in your shoes. Is this worth listening to? Should I study this stuff? For me, the answer is yes. This book is actually about becoming a better person and focusing on the higher things in life. Think about the qualities of some of the greatest leaders our world have seen: Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. These are great examples of people who exude the 21 Qualities outlined in this book. There are other great leaders that were horrible people. Think about it: Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan. These people were of great influence but their core human beliefs were jacked up and cost millions of lives and unbelievable suffering. Studying the difference is imperative so that we recognize the bad leaders and follow & become the good leaders. more…

Marketing communications is the combination of various advertising methods to increase the sales of a certain product. In this modern era, more and more companies are starting to utilize online media like social networking websites and blogs to promote their products. The business world is getting tougher these days and marketing communication practitioners are required to find smarter ways to convey a message and also choose the right media for marketing. Below is the review of some books that may enhance your insight about this field:

Marketing Communications: Interactivity, Communities and Content (5th Edition) by Chris Fill

This book is a vital resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in Marketing and Business. It is also an ideal choice for students who are studying for professional marketing qualifications. Unlike most marketing communication books, this book focuses on the ‘why’ rather than the ‘how’. Readers will find it interesting to read, thanks to the many case studies, diagrams, and figures that help students correlate theory and practice.

Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era (Advertising Age) by Antony Young more…

Stephen Key was a mentor to Tim Ferriss. If you are not familiar with Tim, he wrote two bestselling books, The 4 Hour Work Week and the 4 Hour Body. One Simple Idea is a “how to” book on licensing your ideas. Licensing is one of the most lucrative business models in the world. Think about these companies, Microsoft, Oracle and Apple. These companies all license their ideas and make more money per person than 99% of all other companies. I am a big fan of Real Estate but if you need to make money with less risk and less capital requirements, then licensing is the way to go.

Why is this important to me?

Most people are not familiar with the power of licensing and royalty checks. This book shows you how to do it and I will expand on the why.

Why licensing? I have had several businesses and I can tell you that licensing is by far the most lucrative of all. When you own the IP (intellectual property), your marginal revenue of the next license sold is infinite. That is a very good profit margin by anybody’s standards.

Inversion is one of the most powerful learning strategies in the world. Inversion means to look at the opposite or reverse of something. I told you above that Licensing is one of the best models out there. Let’s use inversion to show you why. When you sell somebody else’s stuff, you are only as good as your next sale. This means that no matter what, you have to buy what you sell every time. Thus your gross profit can be anywhere from 0% to 50% based on your cost structure and the competition level. This is what Wal-Mart does. Note that they are the best cost cutters in the world and competing with them head on would be a disaster. more…

This is a great book and if you are not familiar with Guy Kawasaki, then I suggest you get familiar with him. He is an author, venture capitalist and an ex-Apple employee. Needless to say, his experience is vast and his material is excellent. His book Reality Check is packed with excellent business advice for any entrepreneur. I will profile that book in a future summary. Guy has an excellent quote in the book by Oscar Wilde – “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” This book is about enchantment at every level. Influence, persuasion and sales ability are good but enchantment takes it to the next level. Guy dives into this in detail.

Why is this important to me? Have you ever noticed how things just come naturally to some people? They are highly successful and attract people to their cause. This is much more than influence or persuasion. The movie Boiler room has a very harsh but real quote – “Every interaction is a sale, you are either selling YES or accepting NO.” In a nutshell, this is why you need to understand enchantment. According to Guy, enchantment converts hostility into civility and reshapes civility into affinity. Affinity by definition is: “A spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something.”

What is excellent about Enchantment is that it is packed with awesome information that you can put to work for you right away. This is not just relevant to business, it works for every relationship. For the sake of time, I will talk about 3 Key concepts outlined in the book. Note: There are many more. more…

Gary Sutton is a business turnaround expert and this little book is packed with great stuff. If you are interested in business or have a business then this book needs to be on your desk. Use it as a business desk reference. I am a big believer in “Inversion” which is to study the opposite of things. If you want to be successful then study success & failure to really understand the full spectrum. Gary’s book outlines 5 major early warning signs which are similar to blood pressure, insulin levels, cholesterol and heart rate for physical health.

Why is this important to me?

There are several reasons you need to take into account that make this book important. Are you an employee? If so then you need to read this book. The early warning signs will make sure that your company is solid. Enron employees thought that their money and retirement was safe. As we all know this was not the case. One of the main principles on debt would have given them the knowledge to make a change before they lost all their retirement.

Do you own a business? If so then you need to understand all of the principles outlined in the book. You have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure your company is sound to all stakeholders. This is important because they depend on you and these early warning signs are imperative to understand so you can make the necessary changes. more…