Inspired by Graham Cochrane's 52-book challenge, this year I've been reading 1 business or design book a month.
Not exactly a book a week, but still, even 12 books a year is a decent amount of progress on my extensive TBR, don't you think?
I find reading business books to be energizing, giving me a feeling of forward momentum as well as teaching me a broad range of interesting ideas that I can apply at work and in life. When people ask why I always have an answer to all sorts of random questions - this is how! By always reading and learning on all sorts of topics.
And it's a pretty cheap hobby - you can typically find most of these books used on Amazon for just a few dollars.
Pro tip: I only order my next book once I'm finished the current one, that way I'm ready to jump into it when it arrives and still has that exciting newness to it. Otherwise, they end up languishing, gathering dust, in the distant corner of my night table and by the time I'm ready to read it I don't feel nearly as interested anymore.
As I read, I highlight important phrases that I want to remember (unless it's Shabbos). When I'm done, I go back and review to reinforce the information and help me remember it. Then I summarize my top lessons in our monthly FiS email (you can sign up in the footer to get in the loop!) so you can get the gist of these books and see for yourself if you're interested in reading more.
So, without further delay, here are the main takeaways I've learned from the books I've read, January through June of 2024 (stay tuned till next January for a recap of my books from the second half of the year - I've finished 2 already!):
(January) Bigger Than This
By Fabian Geyrhalter
I read this book on brand strategy over the summer and just did a quick re-read while working on a client’s brand strategy. It has an organized index going through a specific list of positioning differentiators for commodity brands with a case study for each one. I was able to identify my client’s brand differentiator easily based on this book and used it to clarify their mission and positioning. Super handy and helpful book to keep around.
PS. I also read his other book, Brand Therapy, during this month. It has a short quotable quote about branding on each page. If you don't love reading and prefer quick snapshots of insight, then this might be a good fit for you.
(February) The Psychology of Money
By Morgan Housel
A really wholesome view on money, wealth, and the value of being satisfied with “enough.” It was an easy, pleasant read that I was excited to pick up each night - finishing it in just 2 weeks!
This was probably my favorite book of the year so far - to the point where I didn't even move it down to the bookshelf in my office. I kept it upstairs in the living room so that it would be available for other family members and guests to pick up and read. It's that interesting for everyone, not just designers.
(March) Make a Living Designing Logos
By Ian Paget (of LogoGeek)
I actually backed the author's Kickstarter campaign so I got a cool signed edition with some fun swag and a free audiobook version. I listened to the audiobook while literally designing logos.
It was chock full of useful, practical content going from the very basics of how to use Illustrator to advanced tips that improve your brainstorming and designs, his step-by-step process for exporting logo files (or you can try mine), how he markets himself to get clients, etc.
The most interesting part, to me, was how he went from working full-time at an agency and freelancing in the evenings to slowly transitioning to full-time freelancing. Very relatable for anyone working at an agency that is worried about leaping into the unknown.
(April) Company of One
By Paul Jarvis
If you’ve ever wondered if growing your business indefinitely is really the ideal (hint: he believes not) and how to run a company of just one person in a way that’s both profitable and fulfilling, then this book is for you.
After seeing multiple great agencies fall apart by attempting to scale too quickly, this book has been on my TBR (read: screenshot saved to my desktop) for years. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it!
Here are some great quotable quotes that I highlighted while reading it:
Your measuring stick for success doesn’t have to be growth…it can be something more personal - the quality of what you sell, employee happiness, customer happiness and retention, or even some greater purpose.
One of the biggest indicators of success [in business] is purpose.
We need to determine what “enough” is for our particular schedule and then ruthlessly stick to and defend that.
Where is your upper bound - the place where afterwards profit and pleasure have diminishing returns?
How can you make your existing business better rather than bigger?
(May) Free Money
By Austin L. Church (of Freelance Cake)
This has been a delightful read on pricing, covering how to figure out your ideal hourly rate (the midpoint between your Survival Rate and your Dream Rate), money mindsets and how to overcome unhelpful ones, and answers to commonly-asked pricing questions.
Some of my favorite takeaways:
Use a “Weirdly Precise” number rather than a rounded one (ie. $2,975 instead of $3,000). It subconsciously shows that you have a reason and strategy behind your price rather than just pulling a number out of a hat and praying, so clients are less likely to haggle or complain.
Whatever you were going to charge - add 20% for “Pessimism.” It’s better to over-estimate and have those extra phone calls, revisions, or client hand-holding covered. Then you’ll also have a buffer so that you can happily give clients that extra support without having to yell “scope” at little requests or feeling taken advantage of.
Clients aren’t just paying for your final result/product. Your price also includes other things that might be equally or even more valuable to them such as: not needing oversight, clear communication, meeting deadlines, personality and humor, a proven process, mitigation of risk, simplicity, quality, etc.
When someone asks you off the cuff what you charge, respond with “That depends, what would you like to see happen?”
(June) The Go-Giver
By Bob Burg and John David Mann
The Go-Giver is a cute little book about the power of giving in achieving both financial success and a fulfilling life. It’s written in novel-format, following the main character on his quest to make a sale before Friday by getting advice from a wealthy older man.
Each day he learns a new lesson on “stratospheric success” though they surprise him by being not about cut-throat business techniques but rather things like even-steven is a “losing proposition,” and “your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”
It comes to a sweet, fairytale-like conclusion where he surpasses his financial goals and becomes a better person as a direct effect of the choices he made while implementing his lessons he learned that week.
The Go-Giver has created a global movement of people whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the ideas inside and is definitely worth a read.
Curious to read about the upcoming books each month?
You can get the reviews earlier than the next recap blog post by either:
Signing up for the FiS enewsletter in the footer
Checking out the Buy Me A Coffee content that's updated multiple times a week
See you at the bookshelf!
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