Best Small Business Books

Ivana Taylor excellently made a review of copywriting book essential for search engine optimization.

You can put together all the web sites and blogs you want. But none of the time, effort and money is worth it if your audience can't find you on the web. This is where Jon Wuebben's new book, "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web" comes in.

What struck me about this book is its tantalizing title and benefit-rich, SEO friendly copy on the cover of the book: "The Complete SEO Copywriting Guide for Search Engine Rankings and Sales Conversions."

If you write more than three words for the web, you're going to want to get your hands on this book and read it all at once. The title left me salivating and envisioning thousands of visits per day - and that's what a good SEO title should do. So, I figured this HAS to be good.

Ivana Taylor is CEO of Third Force, a strategic firm that helps small businesses get and keep their ideal customer. She's the co-author of the book "Excel for Marketing Managers" and proprietor of DIYMarketers, a subscription site for in-house marketers. She also does a lot of book reviews which I often check it back in Small Business Trends.

The past year 2008 is a little tough for her "she said" in choosing the list of best small business books. Well, quiet odd because most of the time, a "best list" is always up to 5 or 10 but this time, Ivana mentioned 11 best small business books.

Check out the Best Small Business Books for 2008.

In The Big Book of Small Business, Tom shares his hard-earned lessons on how to become an enlightened, effective leader, and on how to do the small things right so the big decisions work. This all-in-one toolbox for small businesses is jammed with warm-hearted, tough-minded practices and street-smart tips, covering every aspect of a growing business:

* Starting, funding, and getting your new business off the ground
* Crafting a mission and growing a corporate culture that works
* Hiring the best people and maximizing their potential
* Communicating and negotiating with your employees, customers, and suppliers
* Creating processes for continuous innovation and growth
* Protecting your business from unforeseen dangers
* Planning for growth
* And much more . . .

As thorough as a textbook and as lively as a news magazine, The Big Book of Small Business is the most comprehensive and practical book on how to take a small business to the next level, and an indispensable slingshot for the millions of scrappy Davids taking on corporate Goliaths.

Courtesy of Editorial Review from Amazon.Com

Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends polled its readers from Twitters which books are best and 10 most valuable for businesses. Luckily some of the books which I have previously chosen to publish here in my lens are also included. One is The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan by Tim Berry and Marketing Strategies for the Home Based Business by Shirley George Frazier.

Please check out the 10 Best Business Books 2008 Nominees in her post at Best Business Books - Readers' Choice and you can always comment and ping Anita Campbell if you want a book to be nominated or if you have any reaction on the list.

Shirley Frazier started out with a home-based business creating gift baskets. Through hard work and determination, she has transformed herself into the paragon of entrepreneurial success."Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business" presents Frazier's tried and tested methods of applying non-traditional strategies on a local basis to produce the groundswell and word-of-mouth reputation that all new business ventures need. It covers everything you'll ever need to know, from Internet marketing ideas to traditional advertising methods.This highly motivational, easy-to-follow guide also provides workbook pages to chart your businesses progress, tips to take advantage of new technologies, and sample marketing plans.

Here I got again one wonderful book review of Ms. Ivana Taylor - Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, A Book Review!

What You Can Learn From "Toilet Paper"

* Yes, you can do it with three sheets - Who needs a business plan when you can get the job done with these 3 sheets: Prosperity Plan, Quarterly Plan and Daily Metrics.
* Pick up Cool Tools using the TPE Tips - Just like that pesky toilet paper that sticks to your shoe, Mike throws down these wonderful tips for how do get the job done on as little cash as possible (many of them are free) like these: Use eBay as your e-commerce site. For web meetings, try Dimdim. Use the library. Find retired people or students who can help.
* The right way to get rid of 90% of your customers and make (that is KEEP) even MORE money - One of the consistent lessons in the book is to FOCUS. Instead of giving everyone some of what they want - focus on the few, loyal, profitable customers that are taking you to where you want to be - and say YES.

You can check out more what Ivana has to say about the book at SmallBusinessTrends site.

Buying or Buyers? To which we should drive our focus on? To the buying trends or the buyers' attitude?

Well, I'm leaving that to you as a question guys but for this day, I am glad to introduce you a good book to read which Ivana Taylor excellently made a review on: Review of Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy!

Check out Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals.

Business plans are decision-making tools. There is no fixed content for a business plan. Rather the content and format of the business plan is determined by the goals and audience. A business plan should contain whatever information is needed to decide whether or not to pursue a goal.

So as how important business planning is in our business, no wonder this book - Plan as You Go Business Plan Book by Tim Berry - is a must read.

Here's a book I came across with entitled - Growing a Business. Below is the excerpt of M. Thomsen's feedback about the book.

If you are thinking about starting a company, or are in the early stages of a startup, I recommend this book. It might change how you do things, and you might get more satisfaction from the adventure as a result.

You can check out more about this over Small Business in a Big World in the article -- Growing a Business by Paul Hawken.

In today's competitive business market, many companies are turning to staffing services to help them find qualified temporary and permanent employees. As a result, staffing services have become a $61.8 billion a year industry. Our guide shows you how to carve off a piece of this lucrative market for yourself.

The new world economy is tough on job security. Hordes of skilled, experienced, motivated workers are flooding the market, looking for work. And lots of merged and downsized companies now outsource the work that used to be done by permanent employees. The bright side? It's prime time for the staffing professional.

Staffing services not only help businesses by finding great workers for them but also by taking care of payroll, government regulations, insurance and more. If you think you'd enjoy playing matchmaker between companies and prospective employees, you need this guide. It's packed with tips, advice and information to help ensure your success, including:

# Facilities staffing-placing employees in long-term or indefinite-length assignments
# Industrial staffing-specializing in manual laborers, food handlers, cleaners, assemblers, drivers, tradespeople, machine operators, etc.
# Office/clerical staffing-focusing on secretaries, receptionists, administrative assistants, word processing and data-entry operators, etc.
# Temporary staffing-supplying client companies with workers on a short-term basis
# Temp-to-perm staffing-offering clients a convenient way to try out temporary workers for permanent positions

The guide also includes a look at what a typical day is like at a staffing company, profiles of successful staffing service owners, and forms and checklists to help you ensure all your ducks are in a row.

No matter what the economy, staffing is always a necessary business service. If you're organized, good with people and want to start a business that will generate big profits in good times or bad, this guide is for you. Order yours today!

Source: SmallBizBooks

Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First by Shel Horowitz advocates that companies should market ethically and honestly, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it creates the most long-term success for a company by building customer loyalty.

Horowitz says companies should follow the principles of quality, honesty, and integrity. He writes, "Create value for others in everything you do. ... You help yourself best when you're helping others."

Other suggestions from Principled Profit:

* Don't view business as a competition for scarce resources. Rather, see things from a viewpoint of abundance and learn to work with your competition rather than against it. Consider exchanging referrals and subcontracting work when it benefits everybody.

* Consider using e-mail discussion lists to promote your services to people who might be interested. But, don't use spam. Spam destroys credibility.

* Profile your best customers and figure out how to find more just like them. Don't try to sell your products or services to those who don't need them.

* Network with organizations that serve your customer base and become a preferred or endorsed supplier.

* Ask prospects: "What is the biggest problem you face?" And, then, listen. If you can't offer a great solution, turn down the business.

Have you read this book - Global Jumpstart by Ruth Stanat and Chris West? This book claimed to give us a step-by-step approach to taking your small business global.

Despite a world of opportunities, many entrepreneurs are paralyzed when it comes to the prospect of expanding overseas. In Global Jumpstart, Ruth Stanat and Chris West take the mystery out of going global.

Drawing upon years of helping companies expand into new markets, they present a comprehensive and practical guide for establishing a global mindset, undertaking research, building competitive intelligence, assessing customer needs, and evaluating a wide variety of expansion options, from exporting to franchising to joint ventures. Packed with solid, up-to-date information, and featuring the "global marketing audit," Global Jumpstart is an essential resource for any entrepreneur with global ambitions.

For today, I've got this book entitled: The Way of the Bootstrapper written by Floyd Flake.

Here's a Wiki info about the author: Reverend Dr. Floyd Harold Flake (born January 30, 1945 in Los Angeles) is the senior pastor of the 23,000 member Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and president of Wilberforce University. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives.

I'm still looking forward to have a copy of this book. If ever you already have read about this, please share your views in the comments section. Thanks in advance guys!

The Power of Body Language
How to Succeed In Every Business and Social Encounter
By: Tonya Reiman

Review by: Lydia Morris Brown

Research in the fields of psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and sociology has found that as much as 93 percent of interpersonal communication is nonverbal, and these nonverbal signals are the most honest and reliable sources of communication. Nonetheless, many people have conditioned themselves not to listen and, as a result, they unintentionally send the wrong signals and end up turning people off or pushing them away.

The Power of Body Language explains the miracles of the brain's natural communication system, providing principles and techniques for consciously reading nonverbal signals so as to know what others really think. It also illuminates how to control one's own nonverbal signals and communicate only the messages one wants to send.

Resource: The Power of Body Language Book Summary

Ivana Taylor have written a clear and comprehensive review about this business book entitled: 7 Triggers to Yes: The New Science Behind Influencing People's Decisions.

Quoted from Ivana's review: "This book practices what it preaches. The title is a grabber. When you turn the book over the first thing you read is "Master the Art and Science of Persuasion." When you open the front flap, they actually give you a quick little summary of the seven triggers. That's all it took. I was sold.

It's a quick, easy and educational read. Russell Granger has a friendly, enthusiastic yet authoritative writing style that's easy to read. In fact, I can tell you that I was able to get a good flavor and overview of the 240 pages in about 5 hours %u2026 give or take. While I was sprinting through the sections, I would mark the chapters or areas that I wanted to come back to later, but I was so interested in learning about these seven triggers, I just couldn't wait to read at regular speed."

So, what are the 7 Triggers?

Friendship Trigger - Activates trust and agreement through bonding.

Authority Trigger - Creates a perception of expertise that activates acceptance.

Consistency Trigger - Appeals to motives consistent with past actions.

Reciprocity Trigger - Taps into the rationale that when you give, you get something back.

Contrast Trigger - Makes your request more appealing when compared to other options.

Reason-Why Trigger - Gives reasons that activate an automatic "yes."

Hope Trigger - Instills positive expectations that deliver agreement.

To read more about this, read Ivana Taylor's article on Book Review: The 7 Triggers to Yes.

The Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business With a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money is a business book written by Seth Godin.

In The Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business with a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money, Godin shows precisely how his own venture, and a slew of others like Dell Computer, Burton, Snowboards, Bose Corporation, Starbucks, and many lesser-known companies, ultimately managed to turn that nothing into something quite substantial. "Bootstrappers built this country, and they continue to make it great," he writes.

If you want to know more about Seth Godin, the author of this book, you can visit his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Here's a book review written by Ivana Taylor from Small Business Trends.

Reading books cover to cover seems to be really a serious thing to do. Well, not with Mark Anderson, the talented author of his Andertoons website and the owner of this book- Rub My Tummy and It's A Deal.

The book showed up in Ivana's mail, opened it, and in a matter of seconds, had to sit down because she was laughing. She stated that the drawings completely resonated with so many of her and might others' experiences in the corporate and small business worlds.

Well, as Ivana's suggestion we'd better get a copy of this book because it will actually help in our marketing procedures.

Read more on Ivana's book review in this article - Rub My Tummy and It's A Deal-Book Review

Pricing is powerful stuff and it's a shame that it's often the most ignored component of the marketing mix. Granted, it's not quite as sexy as a pretty ad campaign. But advertising costs money - and a good pricing strategy can actually MAKE you money. So where would you rather put your time?

With this book, written by Rafi Mohammed you will learn so many things.

This book is an excellent read for business owners, marketers and anyone who has responsibility for and can implement pricing strategy for their business.
You can read on about this review in this article: The Art of Pricing

Quoted from the review written by Olga Karif, Ownership Spread Too Thin:

In The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives, Columbia Law School professor Michael Heller masterfully draws upon "Big Inch," and many other cases, to describe a concept that cuts across the grain of America's property-respecting culture. While private ownership usually creates wealth, he observes, gridlock can result when too many people own pieces of one thing. This "tragedy of the anticommons"-a phrase first coined by the author in 1998-"covers any setting in which too many people can block each other from creating or using a scarce resource." Although the idea may be unfamiliar, after reading this book you'll start seeing its spooky tentacles everywhere.

A wonderful, concise summary is written by Scott Shane about the book entitled "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

He pointed a lot of points which are deemed important for people who are starting a high potential venture or are investing in one.

The main thesis of the book is that prediction is very difficult and the statistical tools used to manage risk are flawed because they don't deal well with "Black Swans" - really rare events with outsized effects, like September 11.

Wow, so those are what coined to be as "Black Swans." Interesting isn't it? For a more detailed explanation on the points presented on this book, read on The Black Swan for Entrepreneurs article written by Scott Shane.