Read a Good Book Lately?

Take one of these books on your vacation, and you may discover ways for business improvement you never dreamed of.
July 21, 2008

By Steven Batts

As we enter the summer months, many of you will head to the beach or other spots for relaxation. And while on vacation, you may enjoy picking up a good book to read. If you are going to be reading, you might as well read something that will improve your business. For this issue of the Impressions Newsletter, I thought I would share with you my summer reading plan since you may find some of these books useful for your business.

Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (New York: Harper Collins, 1995)
I've just finished re-reading this book, which is a must-read for small businesses owners. The “E” doesn’t stand for electronic but for entrepreneurial. The entrepreneurial myth is: “Just because you are good at something, you can be successful in a business doing that same thing.” As Gerber emphasizes, to be successful in business, you have to be good at business, not necessarily good at whatever it is you are good at doing.

This book goes on to explain the necessity of not working in your business, but rather working on your business. It also spells out the steps necessary to accomplish this transition. In this latest edition, The E-Myth Revisited, Gerber not only describes the principles in each chapter, he also provides real-world scenarios to help explain them. This book will change your outlook on your business and prepare you for growth.

Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerilla Marketing (New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 2007)
I'm currently reading this book, which is about marketing strategies for the small guy written by the person who helped bring us the Marlboro man, one of the most effective marketing campaigns of all time. Levinson knows a little bit about grabbing people's attention.

Although large companies also employ Levinson's strategies, this book is for those of us who don’t have millions or even thousands of dollars to invest in marketing. It has lots of great marketing ideas that don’t cost a lot of money.

Levinson walks you through the reasons why a marketing plan is important and the necessity of looking at marketing as a long-term investment. The core of the book focuses on developing and implementing a marketing plan. It's full of ideas that will help you figure out the most effective and creative marketing strategies for your business.

Zig Ziglar, Better than Good (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2006)
This book is next on my reading list. Zig Ziglar is one of the most well-known motivational speakers in the world. He has authored numerous books and other publications. Even after more than 25 years of this type of work, he still has some words of encouragement to impart. I was motivated to read this book after watching a video series of his on goal setting. It was excellent and very helpful.

In this book, Ziglar sums up the key points for personal success: Passion, Peak Performance and Purpose. His ability to boil down broad topics into bite-size bullet points and use those for motivation should make for a great read.

Of course, if you know me, you know I will spend time reading my favorite book. It is the all-time best seller, the Bible. I find its insights on business, particularly in Proverbs, most helpful.

Have a great summer and happy reading.

Steven Batts, a 14-year veteran of the embroidery industry, is a regular speaker at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. He owns Righteous Threads Embroidery, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery, machine maintenance and repair, and consulting. Call him at (336) 379-9380, e-mail righteousthreads@gmail.com or hear him speak at ISS Schaumburg in August on the following topics:

•    Conquering Caps: Tips and Techniques for Embroidering Conventional and Specialty Caps
•    Embroidery Essentials: Backings, Needles and Threads
•    Embroidery Fixes & Garment-saving Repairs
•    How to Create Special Embroidery Effects

Have you read a good business book lately? Why not share the title with other Impressions readers. Send an email with the author and title of the book and what you liked about it to rlebovitz@impressionsmag.com.

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