Post: #1

http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/

I have picked 20 books from this list that I plan to knock out during the next 6 months.

I'm sure there are very prolific readers on this forum. Has anyone read books from this list and have comments to say about any of them?

As I go through them, I'll give a writeup, my thoughts, and whether or not it's worth reading beyond a summary.

Post: #2

How to win friends and influence people - At first i didnt want to read this book because the title was just too depressing. The guy that was selling the book convinced me to buy it and he was a very intelligent guy so i decided to buy it. One of the best books i have ever read, the author went hard, you wont regret it. Matterfact after i bought this book, my power of influence increased drastically, people around me were really impressed on how much i could influence other people (that stays with me till today, it works fine for influencing women too).

Work the system - I am currently reading this, i think you probably read it and im enjoying it so far (thanks for sharing it).

I have recently read millionaire fastlane, the guy goes hard, i know you have read it but i i want to tell other people to read this book if you are planning to become a millionaire, there were parts that i felt like i was writing this book because we had so many things in common. I learned a great concept for this book that in order to make millions, you need to think millions of people/targets. MJ demarco goes hard. ( i know the book is not on that list).

Post: #3

(03-06-2012 12:50 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/

I have picked 20 books from this list that I plan to knock out during the next 6 months.

I'm sure there are very prolific readers on this forum. Has anyone read books from this list and have comments to say about any of them?

As I go through them, I'll give a writeup, my thoughts, and whether or not it's worth reading beyond a summary.

I've read
- Lean Start Up - Minimum Viable Product is what I got from this

- Rework - pretty much everything you've heard about business is wrong.

- Influence - You read this, and you'll see it everywhere.

- How to Win Friends - re-read it recently, applicable to pick up, kinda...good for sales...kinda.

- 48 Laws - You have to be a bit Macchiavelian to apply it.

- Essential Drucker - read it, forgot it.

- Blue Ocean - read it, forgot it.

- Millionaire Next Door - If you want to be rich, you have to 1) save your money, 2) pick a niche, preferably geographic, 3) pick something unglamorous, 4) be the local monopoly.

Better to own the diesel truck repair shop than it is to be a doctor or lawyer.

Post: #4

I am reading:

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

And

48 Laws

I recommend both.

Post: #5

i just ordered a couple of those negotiating books, thanks for the heads up!

rep point +1

Post: #6

I´m assuming that you guys are talking about 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green? I downloaded that one to my Kindle last week and wondering if I got the condensed version because each law is only a short paragraph or in some cases, just a sentance. Is there a longer version that elaborates more on each law? YMG is right anyway, you have to be Macchiavelian to apply it.

I´m also reading Influence after Roosh suggested it in another thread, so far so good.

Looking forward to your write ups YMG

Post: #7

FYI:

Think and Grow Rich

and

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Are both public domain books, available on the web for free.

Post: #8

(03-06-2012 02:19 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  FYI:

Think and Grow Rich

and

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Are both public domain books, available on the web for free.

And both are worth reading.

'Think and Grow Rich' is a more a philosophical ramble than anything else. The book goes metaphysical on you at several times. I remember there was one part where the author was talking about the brain being a type of radio antenna that absorbs energy from the universe. His stuff on sex transmutation was weird. That said, it is the only philosophy book that I've read that focused on what you need to do to get what you want out of life. Like all good philosophy, its worth is more in the challenge it gives your thought processes than in the teaching itself. I find it odd that people emphasise the 'success in business' aspect of the book and ignore the metaphysical speculation that is the foundation of his thought, but I guess people like being selective, preferring to ignore the loony bits and the veiled references to God and higher powers being the source of success.

How to Win Friends and Influence People - This is a very good common-sense guide to relating with people. However, it feels like the product of a more civilised age, where once upon a time a little respect for oneself and for others was all you needed to get ahead. That said, I've used its principles to take charge in awkward situations and resolve them to mutual benefit, and I intend rereading the book soon. It's a good rule book for conflict, and part of controlling a interpersonal conflict is to set the rules, and you can't go wrong following Carnegie's rules - they are supremely fair and civilised.

Post: #9

Millionaire Next Door - read it several years ago. I remember really liking it.

Post: #10

I support self-education. But the personal M.B.A. is pretentious. The founder lacks an M.B.A. and is unfamiliar with a real business curriculum. Instead he has a marketing background. So he lists "Sales" and "Marketing" as separate categories. He lists "Management", "Leadership", and "Project Management" as separate categories. Then he has flaky categories such as "The Human Mind" and "Personal Growth".

He has no category for economics, and lumps finance and accounting together. Here is a straightforward problem those books won't help you solve. You are 25, plan to work for 40 years, and retire for 20 years. If the effective annual interest rate is 8%, how much must you save each year to spend $100K in retirement?

Post: #11

I can personally recommend Neil Skywalker's book - how to travel the world on 5 bucks a day.

If you don't like that one check out G Manifestos - All you ever wanted to know about pocket squares but were afraid to ask.

And of course the timeless classic from Mixx - 100 RooshV Rep points biactches

Post: #12

G has a book??

Post: #13

(03-08-2012 01:46 AM)bface Wrote:  G has a book??

I guess your sarcasm detector is malfunctioning currently.

Post: #14

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
The Education of Millionaires: It's Not What You Think and It's Not Too Late by Michael Ellsberg
How to Be Rich by J. Paul Getty
Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement by Anthony Robbins

And of course others have mentioned:

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
For the Love of the Game by Michael Jordan (easiest read and unusual insight)

And most important, watch this video and absorb the message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAJPPjGrU...lf=mh_lolz

Post: #15

(03-08-2012 07:24 PM)defguy Wrote:  Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Total fraud. Do a web search.

Post: #16

Yes he is a fraud who married into wealth but dont distract from the message of the book. If you read the book you would encourage others to do the same.

Post: #17

(03-09-2012 04:53 PM)defguy Wrote:  Yes he is a fraud who married into wealth but dont distract from the message of the book. If you read the book you would encourage others to do the same.

No, Kiyosaki's advice sucks.

John T. Reed says, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad contains much wrong advice, much bad advice, some dangerous advice, and virtually no good advice. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is one of the dumbest financial advice books I have ever read. It contains many factual errors and numerous extremely unlikely accounts of events that supposedly occurred." Slate reviewer Rob Walker called the book full of nonsense, and said that Kiyosaki's claims were often vague, the narrative "fablelike", and that much of the book was "self help boilerplate".

Wikipedia Criticisms

Post: #18

@ Kimleebj Im not going to argue on behalf of a book, that book was one of my contributions as I find it a helpful read to those wanting to get a personal MBA. Do you have anything useful to add to this thread?

Post: #19

(03-06-2012 12:50 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/
I have picked 20 books from this list that I plan to knock out during the next 6 months.

You must have a lot of free time or are a fast reader. I average 2.5 books a month and that is if i dedicate most of my weekends to reading.

Here's what I've read:
The Lean Startup:
Not worth it unless you're NEW to starting a business. If you read entrepreneur blogs you've read this book. Eric focuses on his virtual social game through out the book and teaches you vocabulary in the entrepreneur world.

REWORK :
I believe you can find this PDF online FREE, it is by the creater of 37 signals.

Pitch Anything:
Get this if you make sales or business presentations. Great focus on being the prize in a presentation. He makes a lot of deals with investors. Teaches the formula from elevator pitches to 45min investor pitches.

The Ultimate Sales Machine
Best sales book I've read so far. If you create a sales system (using people) not software, get this. Excellent advice from being an independent salesman up to hiring top producers and making a A-player sales team.

Made To Stick
Great book on developing a strong story for your product or service. Makes references to Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point.
Fun read with formulaic tips to create your own emotional, creditable, enthusiastic story which will sell your product.

Influence
A psychology book with many studies of collective human behavior. Worth reading, doesn't teach much, but it forms the basis of influential behavior by social proof.

Post: #20

I'm reading the Personal MBA right now. Its a good solid book with business foundations. Lot of heavy hitting concepts that are simply explained. After finishing that I'm gonna go through the books in that list and try to read at least 2 a month.

Post: #21

(03-10-2012 05:07 PM)defguy Wrote:  Do you have anything useful to add to this thread?

A typical business curriculum requires several courses in economics, accounting, finance, statistics, math/computers, organizational psychology, and perhaps only one in law, manufacturing, and marketing (finally!). But The Personal M.B.A. conveys the distorted impression that business is all about marketing and specifically about sales and advertising. In contrast marketing is often about demand elasticity, market segmentation, statistical market research, etc.

The Personal M.B.A. may appeal to members interested in entrepreneurship and sales-oriented businesses. But I have a visceral suspicion of a mistitled book by an author with no particular achievements. It also goes against the stoic masculine philosophy of "no pain, no gain," trying to learn something difficult and valuable.

Post: #22

(03-06-2012 12:50 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/

I have picked 20 books from this list that I plan to knock out during the next 6 months.

I'm sure there are very prolific readers on this forum. Has anyone read books from this list and have comments to say about any of them?

As I go through them, I'll give a writeup, my thoughts, and whether or not it's worth reading beyond a summary.

That book list is very good for general business topics and self-education; it's just OK if you are an entrepreneur looking to build a scalable business (not a lifestyle business). There's nothing wrong with lifestyle businesses, but scalable businesses need a different level of thinking, knowledge, and creativity. If you read his books under "Business Creation" you'll find they're lifestyle-business focused.

The list does deliver on its promise though - it is an MBA-oriented roster of books. The majority of MBA programs, and MBA graduates, go on to run businesses, not start them; e.g. Seth Godin, a Stanford Business School grad and successful entrepreneur, observed in his book "The Bootstrapper's Bible" that at least half of his classmates intended to start a business, but 20 years on, less than 10% actually did. And that's at one of the very best, most entrepreneurial program in the world.

Great books if you want to be an at-scale-entrepreneur:

1. How to Get Rich, by Felix Dennis
2. Business Model Generation
3. How to be a Billionaire
   

...those will get you thinking big. Felix Dennis, in particular, is one of the very few billionaire-level entrepreneurs who can write and tell you straight-up what it takes. The BMG book will get you thinking out of the box by showing you how to figure out the box; biz models are extremely important. HtbaB will relate stories of scale.

I've been meaning to read one of Richard Branson's books next, as another at-scale entrepreneur; haven't yet, so no comment for now.

Post: #23

Millionaire fastlane is a must for every wanna be millionaire.

Post: #24

(03-06-2012 02:01 PM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  I've read
- Lean Start Up - Minimum Viable Product is what I got from this

- Rework - pretty much everything you've heard about business is wrong.

- Influence - You read this, and you'll see it everywhere.

- How to Win Friends - re-read it recently, applicable to pick up, kinda...good for sales...kinda.

- 48 Laws - You have to be a bit Macchiavelian to apply it.

- Essential Drucker - read it, forgot it.

- Blue Ocean - read it, forgot it.

- Millionaire Next Door - If you want to be rich, you have to 1) save your money, 2) pick a niche, preferably geographic, 3) pick something unglamorous, 4) be the local monopoly.

Better to own the diesel truck repair shop than it is to be a doctor or lawyer.

48 Laws isn't just applying those techniques to impose you own will on others, but also learning how to defuse those techniques when others try to apply them to you.

Post: #25

Two books I thought were pretty great (although not truly "business" books, the concepts can be applied almost universally)

1. From Pieces to Weight - Basically 50 Cent's story, but has a lot of insight into how he made his decisions and why. Short book so this is an easy read, think I read it in 1 sitting.

2. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War - A much longer book, and includes some history of his life that may not be as generalized, but his OODA loop concept is definitely worth the read. he also touches on strategy, problem solving, mental state, and decision making.