More Eye Opening Entrepreneurial Books

I’m So…. Me!

I am so typically myself, I crack myself up – I say with a serious face… B-School started on Monday.  My goal had been to finish all the books on Marie Forleo’s recommended list before the start of classes, which I almost did.  I still had 2 left though and simply couldn’t bring myself to start something new before finishing what I had started. So although I watched her 6 videos as an overview of the first module and all the work ahead of me this week (while rebounding), I just had to finish all 12 books before really diving in – because that’s what I told myself I would do…

Eye-Opening:

I’ve never paid much attention to business news or even world news, for that matter.  Needless to say, therefore, I’ve learned so much!  This intense immersion into the world of big-hearted successful entrepreneurs who are making a positive difference in the world has definitely opened my eyes and my heart.  I’m thinking bigger than I did before, even if I can’t even begin to imagine their kind of impact coming from what I feel moved to create in my life. I’m not even sure I’ve got what it takes to be an entrepreneur… but that’s probably just fear talking. Eye-opening and confusing can co-exist in my world.

Another 6 Books:

I wrote about the first 6 books on Marie’s list in a previous post.  Here are the ones I read / listened to after that.

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Two Books by Richard Branson:

Sir Richard Branson‘s 2 books kept me entertained for more than 21 hours this past week.  He had a lot to say.  I don’t think I had ever heard the name of this English billionaire and founder of the Virgin group of companies (over 400 of them!) – if I had, it hadn’t stuck.  Truth be told, that’s not surprising.

Being one of those people who doesn’t listen to the news, I know that I’m not very globally aware. Frankly, however, I’m quite amazed that I wasn’t more familiar with the Virgin brand, except for a vague recollection of a red logo on a poster in the bus one day- I think it had to do with their mobile phone service as I was in the market for one. In this world of over-consumption and visual and information overload, I confess I’ve often chosen to stick my head in the sand. It was more peaceful that way.

But what this man has accomplished goes way beyond changing the way businesses are run.  He’s made a huge impact on the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants. Did you know he was the driving force behind the foundation of the independent group of global leaders called The Elders?  I didn’t even know it existed, but listening to stories about his conversations with Nelson Mandala and other global leaders moved me.

7.  In “Business Stripped Bare: The Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur“, he basically told the story of his entrepreneurial life (through the voice of a less-than-convincing British voice actor) – which started at the age of 15.  The book is filled with stories about the various Virgin companies and why they were created. I’m certainly going to pay more attention to Virgin companies from now on – I like what they stand for. I like what they do for people – inside and outside the company.  This book is all about success and making a difference – and he’s a master at both.

This book has reaffirmed that I am more of a manager/technician than an entrepreneur, but it was super helpful to hear about the spirit, mindset, ups and down, etc. of something so huge – way beyond what I want to do.

8.  In “Screw Business as Usual“, he spent more time on the social good that individuals and companies can make on the global scene. He explains that

“Never has there been a more exciting time for all of us to explore this great next frontier where the boundaries between work and purpose are merging into one, where doing good, really is good for business.”

I really enjoyed listening to this one – not only because the voice actor was much more convincing, even if he had a North American accent.  By the end of it, I simply felt happy there were people in the world like Richard Branson (more and more of them)- and dumbfounded at how much one person can accomplish in one lifetime… with the help of many, of course.  What leadership!

9. “Tribes” by Seth Godin

His name was familiar, and although I see he’s given 3 TED Talks, I don’t think that’s why the name rang a bell. Oh well, no matter.  This is a great book on leadership that was inspiring to listen to. I’m not the most social person – I’m an introvert who loves my alone time. I find social media and much to do with crowds overwhelming.  But I know the power of like-minded groups of people getting together to empower each other and make a difference in the world.  I really felt this when I lived in Saskatoon.  I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a difference..

By the time I finished listening to this book, I felt clearer about my desire to offer / market co-creating energy paintings with the Higher Councils of those attracted to this service. Some of you may remember that I offered this as the highest-level gift during my Vienna Visionary Art Fund crowdfunding campaign.  While working through the preparation exercises for B-School, I reconnected to that experience as perhaps the most powerful and fulfilling artistic experience of my career.  During an amazing weekend by the ocean, I worked with 2 donors’ teams of angels and guides to create empowering paintings for them on their paths to their Highest Good.  I’ve thought of that experience several times since, but had yet to offer it more publicly. I’ll admit, part of me was scared of claiming my ability to do so…

In “Tribes”, Seth Godin reminds us that the whole being burned at the stake for being heretics thing is over and done with and that we need to own up to what is calling us – to become leaders. That was exactly what I needed to hear. “The only thing holding you back is your own fear – not easy to admit, but essential to understand”.

He also addressed some of my other fears:

“The secret of being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong. The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secred is realizing that wrong isn’t fatal. The only thing that makes people and organizations great is their willingness to not be great along the way. The desire to fail on the way to reaching a bigger goal is the untold secret of success.”

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10.  “Business Model You – Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur (and Co-created by an amazing crowd of 470 practitioners from 45 countries).

You can download a 72-page preview of the book at the link above.  They describe it as “A handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers.”

Again, this book is much more than I’ll likely need for the micro-business I’m creating, but it did help me find a bit more clarity on what and how I’ll offer my art & inspiration to the world.

The greatest gift this book has given me is an understanding of the 9 building blocks to any business: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relations, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure (in a very visual way – perfect for me as an artist).  Alas, being a successful artist is going to take so much more than just painting in my studio. It’s true, I’ve done a lot more than that for the past 26 years of being a professional artist, but not nearly enough.

What was really cool is that the morning after I finished reading this book, I received experiential proof of how it has helped me in my understanding of how businesses work. After booting up the computer, I was immediately faced with 2 invitations, one about some technological advance and offering by Firefox and the other by Wiki for teachers. I found myself responding with curiosity, openness, and knowledge instead of reacting with my usual suspicion, annoyance, and dismissiveness (I’m a bit of a technophobe).  So wow! what great feedback that information is indeed power.

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11. “ReWork” by Jason Fried& David Heinemeier Hansson

This is a great little book. I bought the hard copy because I couldn’t find an audio version, but it exists. That’s OK. I had it done in a day and the funky visuals the the start of each chapter add personality.  The authors, founders of a very successful software company, talk straight and in a very down-to-earth manner about what they’ve learned along the way. I related much more to this book than to Richard Branson’s because theirs is a small company and that’s how they like it. They understand the financial realities of those starting a company and offer their own version of screw business as usual.  They didn’t do it like the books / school say to do things, and it worked.  I liked that.

If you want to do something, you’ve got to do it now. You can’t put it on a shelf and wait two months to get around to it. You can’t just say you’ll do it later. Later, you won’t be pumped up about it anymore.  … When you’re high on inspiration, you can get two weeks of work done in twenty-four hours.  Inspiration is a time machine that way.”

That reminds me of several times when people were surprised at how quickly I had accomplished a project – be it my Spirit Calling Cards or curriculum development.  Once inspiration descends upon you, and you mix that with discipline and focus, magic happens.

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