Recommended Reading for Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Professionals and Those Desiring To Rise Above the Level of Mediocrity In Their Financial Lives.

“Study Successful People & Businesses, Then Do What They Did To Become Successful While Making Slight Modifications To Fit Your Life Style, Your Values, Your Business Model & Your Goals.” – Clay Clark

The MYLE Success Institute is committed to providing you with the most comprehensive list of potentially life changing books on the planet. Each of the books found within our “recommended reading” page has played a vital and momentum-changing role in the Clay Clark family of businesses. Each of the recommended books featured below can be found within the vast library of the Make Your Life Epic Success Institute.

“Read, Apply, Repeat.” – Clay Clark

The Five Books Every Successful Business Person & Entrepreneur Has To Read:

**The question is often asked, “What are the business books I have to read right away if I want to become more successful?” While every book on the recommended reading list is important (or it would not have made the cut), the 5 books listed below absolutely must be read if you truly wishing to dramatically change the trajectory of your life and your path to success.

1. Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill – This book is the best-selling self help book of all time. The author of “Think & Grow Rich” was personally charged by Andrew Carnegie with the task of compiling the world’s most comprehensive research into science of success. With the help of personal introductions by Andrew Carnegie, diligence and an absolute BURNING DESIRE teach the world how to become truly successful Napoleon Hill devoted nearly his entire adult lifetime to the creation of this self-help book. If you read this book and apply the principles found within it, you will become wealthier guaranteed.

2. How To Win Friends & Influence People – Dale CarnegieIn order to secure financing, to close a deal, to get married, to build a team, to motivate your staff and to do anything in life you must be able to positively influence people in a sustainable way. The  debate goes on so often that it has become mindless, “Is it what you know or who you know?” This debate doesn’t even make sense. In order to achieve success, “It’s what you know and who you know.” If you have a great product but you are unable to convince a publisher to print it and buyer’s to buy it, you just have a stack of well written words. All of us must constantly work tirelessly to improve our ability to communicate effectively in a manner that wins friends and influences people. For any aspiring entrepreneur, business person or upwardly aspiring human, this book is an absolute must read.

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki – In a society where more and more people are becoming “educated idiot,” reading this book is absolutely essential. College teaches many general concepts, many specific skills and virtually nothing along the lines of “How To Manage Your Personal Finances To Build Peak Levels of Wealth.” From our perspective the only purpose of education is help students learn what they need to know to get them where the want to go. Because of the facts that all of us have dreams for our lives and all of our dreams cost money, reading “Rich Dad Poor Dad” is an absolute must for anybody looking to achieve financial independence and peace. During this book Robert Kiyosaki takes readers on a journey from poverty to riches, and from mediocrity to mansions. While following Robert along his path to success readers will encounter the principles that we all must learn to get ourselves “out of the financial rat race.”

4. The E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber – As the MYLE Institute consults more and more business clients we have found that nearly every “quasi-successful business owner” has the same problem. They essentially work all the time. Thus, they never have time to work on the strategy, planning and growth phases of their business because they are too busy handling the daily tasks involved in running their business. Basically they are to busy working in their business to work on their business. The more their business grows the less time they have. The less time they have to plan, the more their free time evaporates. Pretty soon, the “Entrepreneur” becomes frustrated and begins to ask themselves why they even started to begin with. This is where the “E-Myth” comes into play. Michael Gerber points out that just because most entrepreneurs have a unique skill or product it does not make them great business owners. During this book Gerber methodically teaches how over-worked and underpaid entrepreneurs modify their businesses to be scalable and duplicatable.

5. Soft Selling In A Hard World – Jerry Vass – In America today we are all surrounded by terrible sales people. Just like any profession, their are really good sales people and really bad sales people. Usually the top 5% make 90% of the money which leaves the remaining 95% to fight over the scraps left over by the top 5%. During the course of this comprehensive training guide the reader will be taught how not to sell. The reader will be taught why most sales presentations come across as tacky, high-pressure and cheap. The reader will then learn how to change their entire mentality about the sales process to one focused on helping the buyer to solve their problems through the purchasing of the seller’s goods or services.

Recommended Reading List:

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell This timeless classic is perhaps one of the most profound books ever written that is purely focused on the science of leadership. Pastors, bosses, managers, coaches and those who find themselves involved in leadership or those who desire to be in positions of leadership should read this book. Each of the 21 Leadership Laws is discussed in the context of a true story that demonstrates the value of the principle. The stories of John Wooden, Winston Churchill and other great leaders are all found within this wonderful book.

As I See It – J. Paul Getty The story of oil tycoon, an oddity, an art collector, a successful businessman, an unsuccessful husband, a man who loved his countless connections to celebrities are all found within this self-deprecating autobiography. Anyone who desires to be successful in business and marriage should read this book. From looking a J. Paul Getty’s life under a microscope it’s very easy to see what one should do in the world of business and what one should not do if they wish to stay married for long.

Born Standing Up – Steve Martin – Steve Martin’s rise to fame and stardom was a slow and clumsy one. This American icon found that his unique blend of calculated comedy, musical talents, magic shows and sheer randomness was his key to success. As you read this book you will find yourself with Steve as he receives rejection after rejection from audiences, critics and those whose acceptance he so desperately seeks. However, over time his diligence, his relentlessness and his systematic approach to find the magic combination of variables that will entertain his audiences wins out. Anyone who works in a career that requires auditioning frequently or endless attempts at humor should read this book. Anyone operating a call center where comedic relief is desperately needed should also read this book.

Built To Last – Jason Collins – Built To Last is a book that represents the wisdom Jason Collins and his team gained from having spent countless hours researching some of America’s top companies. This book explores why most businesses eventually fail and why the top businesses last. This book gives the reader specific action steps that are truly invaluable to the established business owner. I do not recommend that you read this book unless you are turning a substantial profit within 3 or more employees.

Crush It – Gary Vaynerchuk – This book possesses and unbelievably quick-witted, fast-paced, action-packed and example rich deep dive into the world of social media. With the proliferation of the vats array of social media networks many entrepreneurs feel as though they are “missing the boat” or “falling behind the times.” Other entrepreneurs and business leaders are feeling overwhelmed and confused as to what they should do with their accessibility to this social media platforms. From his first hand experience making millions through the use of social media, Gary explains to the reader how to connect with your clients through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and the various other social media options out there. Gary teaches it well, because he and his company actually use it everyday.

Do You – Russell Simmons – When most people are asked, “if money were not a concern, what would you do with the rest of your life?” most people are unable to answer. Because they cannot answer this question, it then becomes obvious that they have forgotten about the child-like passions that once gave them daily direction and excitement. Properly raised children have an excitement and an overall enthusiasm for life that stems from their ability to focus on doing what brings them joy. If they want to play, they play. If they want to eat, they eat. If they want to pretend, they pretend. Over the course of this book, the entertainment and media mogul Russell Simmons uses his life as an example and as an overall model we can all use to reconnect with our passions.  Russell argues that if the reader will simply “Do You” (live life on your own terms) they will find true happiness quickly. Anyone struggling to live an enthused life must read this book.

Eight Habits of the Heart – Clifton Taulbert – Raised in the segregated south without the benefit of having been raised by his actual father or mother in Glen Allen, Mississippi Clifton Taulbert’s rise to fame, fortune and success seems unlikely to outsiders. However, when one takes the time to analyze Clifton’s rise to the top one begins to see that he was raised by a community of people that deeply cared about his development, and his life. During this book, the man who introduced the StairMaster to countless major markets and who has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize teaches us all 8 habits that we would be wise to begin developing in our own lives to make a great impact on the world and those around us. Clifton’s firsthand experience of being raised by a caring community of people who could have just as easily looked the other way is emotionally moving, yet its principles are applicable and practical to our daily lives as Americans.

From Lucky To Smart – Chester Cadieux – As one of the top company’s to work for year after year, QuikTrip has established itself as the clear leader in the American convenience store industry. This industry which was once dominated by low quality service providers and bathrooms that could double as sets for third-world based action movies has been turned upside down by QuikTrip and the Cadieux family’s vision for a better customer service experience. At QuikTrip every trip is quick. The customer can easily find what they need in a clean environment. Women can use the restrooms without feeling “spiritually dirty” after they leave. With their winning culture and capitalistic vision for a merit-based pay work environment they have forever changed the landscape of the gas station / convenience store model. During this incredible book, Chester Cadieux explains how overtime with diligence and focus he and his team were able to create a business model that has grown to become one of America’s top companies. Any aspiring entrepreneur who is serious about success should read this book.

God In My Corner: A Spiritual Memoir – George Foreman & Ken Abraham -This book is the story of George Foreman and his journey from financial poverty to spiritual riches. During this book, readers will be with George when he begins his boxing career while working in the Job Corps to put clothes on his back. The reader will experience the anger he has for everyone after his childhood spent being raised in the projects. Readers will be with the angry George as he encounters fame and fortune without spiritual purpose and they will be with him when he witnesses a first-hand miracle that will forever change his life and his image. As “Angry George” goes away, a happier smiling Christian George Foreman appears to become America’s top pitchman for top brands like Nike, Mineke and the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. Anyone who is experiencing empty financial success as a result of being spiritually dead should read this book.++

Good To Great – Jim Collins – Assuming that you have a company that is producing a profit then you would fall into the “Good” category. Despite how great of an accomplishment this is (less than 20% of all American businesses make it through their first year according to the United States Small Business Administration), Jason Collins wrote this book for the business owners who are striving to achieve greatness. As with other Collins books, this book is filled with countless case studies and much research to support his assumptions. However the most profound part of this book is that Jason Collins does not start any of his books with an assumption, he merely conducts the research, analyzes the numbers, the data and the interviews before he draws any conclusions. Any conclusions or assumptions that Jason Collins brings to the table are based strictly about factual case-driven data. This book is an absolute must read for anyone that is serious about growing their business to the next level and going from Good To Great!

Guerilla Marketing – Jay Conrad Levinson – This raw and straight to the point is a must read for entrepreneurs looking to market their businesses on a shoe-string budget. Over the course of this book readers will discover hundreds of ideas for effective marketing all compiled into an easy to read and easy to apply format. This book is ideal for entrepreneurs and business owners who have less than 10 employees or who are in the start-up phase. The ideas found within this book work.

In the Words of Great Business Leaders – Julie M. Fenster – This book truly has the power to change the life for the individuals who invest their time in reading it. This book allows the actual millionaires, billionaires and business moguls to actually describe their path to riches from their own perspective. How did they get to the top? What it take for them to get to the top? Why are they so successful when others are not? What skills are needed to become a top level business person? How they did go about building a top level business without a huge war chest of cash laying around during the start-up phase?  The answers the great business leaders provide are shocking in their simplicity and their direct applicability in our lives.

Keys To Success – Napoleon Hill – As an institute dedicated to the improvement of our students and business professionals, we strongly endorse anything that Napoleon Hill has ever written. His dedication to studying the lives of America’s business legends is unmatched. Since his initial encounter and subsequent mandate from the late great Mr. Andrew Carnegie Napoleon became a man obsessed with learning and teaching the “science of getting rich.” This timeless classic is an easy to read book quickly teaches the reader the keys to success and demonstrated in the lives of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie and countless other business moguls throughout American history.

Life & Def – Russell Simmons – Introducing a new idea into the market can be tough. Growing up in the projects can be tougher. Going through life with a speech impediment can be a confidence destroyer to many individuals. However, none of these obstacles started Russell Simmons. Through sheer will and diligence backed by a burning desire to share his music platform and culture with the rest of America, Russell Simmons pushed hip hop out of New York City and into the rest of the world. Anyone who has ever wanted to know where hip hop came from and how it seemingly came out of nowhere needs to read this book. During this powerful autobiography, Russell takes you from the initial start-up phase into the creation of Def Comedy Jam, Phat Farm and rest of this billion dollar portfolio. This media icon has a wonderful story to tell, and one that everyone can learn from.

Made in America – Sam Walton w/ John Huey – A young lady from Claremore, Oklahoma meets a highly-motivated and intensely focused individual named Sam. They get married, and they start a business. They lose the business after pouring years into it. Undeterred they start another business. They begin introducing free ice cream for kids into their variety store environment. They begin introducing severely discounted products into their stores to entice shoppers to come in more often. They continue to pour their profits back into their business. He begins to form more and more audacious goals. They begin growing exponentially, and then BOOM, after 30 years of hard work an over-night success is born. This story of Sam Walton and the fabulous company he built is both very personal, and very motivating. Just reading the words written by Sam Walton himself is a true blessing to all readers of this book, but the timeless success principles and the unique approach to the retail business that he introduced can be life-changing for those business owners with enough focus and discipline to implement the best-practices he teaches over the course of this book.

More Than A Hobby: How A $600 Start-Up Became America’s Home & Craft Superstone – David Green with David Merrill – Many entrepreneurs today are starting their businesses on a tight shoe-string budget. Many of today’s successful start-ups don’t have the benefit of big time connections or massive venture capital investments. Their story is very similar to David Green’s. During his well-written autobiography, David Green teaches entrepreneurs how to go about building a billion dollar business with an initial startup investment of less than $1,000. This book is inspiration and extremely practical. Since its humble beginnings in Altus, Oklahoma, Hobby Lobby has grown to become one of America’s most successful retail stores. Read this book, and your business intelligence and faith will rise by a significant amount, we’ll call it 6%.

No Spin Zone – Bill O’Reilly – Many know Bill Riley as simply a highly-opinionated talking head. Most adults know him simply as an intense individual who is the king of candor for America’s nightly new programs. However, Bill O’Reilly’s story his much more deep than that. This rise to success and prominence is truly remarkable. During his book, O’Reilly takes you with him from college to the set of his first newscast. He gives you a rare behind the scenes look into the world of TV and national news. He shows you the massive amounts of research that goes into the production of this shows. He gives you access to many of the personalities you have scene on TV or heard about in the gossip magazines. While showing you how he built his own show, and his own brand O’Reilly also teaches us all the guiding principles he lives by. This book is a great read, and will help anyone trying to build an organization.

Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe For Business & Personal Success — Kevin Freiberg & Jackie Freiberg – Southwest Airlines entire approach to business is very different from that of their competitors. They focus on fun, while their competitors focus on formality. They focus on creating an environment that their employees enjoy so that the joy can then be spread from the employees to the passengers. Their competitors are constantly embattled in a never-ending labor vs. management dispute. They believe that profit-sharing is essential and that merit-based pay is a motivator that has proven itself to work. Their competition believes that unionizing every facet of their operation is best strategy for attracting top level employees. Southwest continually produces a profit. Their competitors do not. From its very inception, Southwest has had to fight for everything it has ever achieved. This research rich case-study into America’s top airline is nothing short of profound. This book teaches culture creation 101. Anyone who is serious about creating a winning, fun and sustainable culture at work, must read this book.

One Minute Manager – Kenneth H. Blanchard & Spencer Johnson – Management can be tedious. Management can be confusing. Management can be overwhelming, however Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson make management simple, fun and approachable with their legendary management book entitled, “One Minute Manager.” This book teaches readers the skills they must have to develop into a great manager capable to motivating and managing employees into today’s work environment. If you need to improve your management skills, this book is a must read.

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built A Company One Cup At A Time – Howard Schultz w/ Dori Jones Yan – In the 1980s coffee was served to us all in cheap-looking styrofoam cups. It was acceptable to serve coffee that was slightly burnt and we masked the over nastiness of our coffee experience by adding endless amounts of sugar and water to this brown warm water. We never really complained much about our coffee however, because it was cheap. Then Howard Schultz came on the scene. With a passion to create a “third place” where people could gather for business and relaxation he created the world’s best and most consistent coffee experience. However, the world does not know how he went from an unrewarding job as a junior executive lost in a world of cubicles to the top of America’s business leaders list. Most of the world does not know the he joined the Starbucks company by offering to initially work for free. Most people don’t know that his vision was met with considerable rejection and an overwhelming lack of passion from initial investors, friends and colleagues. This book will build your faith, inspire your soul and teach your brain the things that are possible when you truly do “pour your heart into it.”

Purple Cow – Seth Godin –  You are driving with your family down a country road. You see a purple cow mixed about the other “normal” cows out grazing in a pasture. You arrive at your destination, you tell everyone that this location about the purple cow you just saw. Days later you still can’t keep from talking about this purple cow. Pretty soon other folks are driving out to the pasture to see this X-Man mutant style purple cow. Lines begin to form. The media begins to cover the story of this purple cow. This kind of story is what every entrepreneur dreams of when initially starting their business. However most entrepreneurs don’t know where to find a purple cow. During his case-study rich book, Seth Godin teaches us all how other businesses have created things that customers can’t stop talking about. Seth pushes the reader to make their business experience memorable with his well researched book. This book is a great read, a quick read and it has the power to forever change your business.

Raving Fans – Kenneth H. Blanchard & Spencer Johnson – Turning your clients into “raving fans” should be the goal of every business owner. Over-delivering to our clients to the extent that they begin sharing with others the great experience that they had is what we all should strive for in our business creation. But how? How is an entrepreneur going to get his entire team to buy into the idea of wowing each and every client each and every time? In this book, the authors teach us how to create “raving fans” with each and every customer interaction.

Straight From the Gut – Jack Welch – For many business professionals working a white-collar corporate environment has been their goal since college. They have day-dreamed about rising to the top of a big company. However, upon arriving at their first day of work, they become confused as to how anyone could get ahead in a politically correct environment where they feel like a small fish in a big pond. During his ultra-candid and passionate autobiography Jack Welch teaches readers what it takes to make it to the top and how he did it. From first-hand experience Jack Welch teaches the reader how to become an effective manager and how to break out of the clutter of mass mediocrity that exists within the bowels of many large businesses today.

The $100,000 Club: How to Make A Six-Figure Income – D.A. Benton – Before one can become a millionaire they must first join the $100,000 Club. This club consists of the top 10% of America’s wage earners. Although getting to this level of income earning is a big goal of many people, it is rarely achieved for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason for those who do not come from a wealthy family where making $100,000 is “normal” is that they have never seen it modeled. Those who are trying to climb up the ladder to a high financial status often struggle to climb up the latter because they have “poor ways.” With “poor ways” it becomes impossible to get ahead. This book teaches readers how America’s “100,000 Club” members got to where they are.

The Cashflow Quadrant – Robert Kiyosaki – This book explains an entrepreneur’s journey through the “American Dream” better than any other book out there. This books points out how to transition from employee to self-employed, from self-employment to business ownership and from business ownership to the role of an investor. Read this book and prepare to be motivated.

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve – G. Edward Griffin – Ron Paul would like this book, and responsible tax-paying Americans should all read this book. Every year the government spends money that it does not have by borrowing and by PRINTING MONEY. This book explains how this system was developed, and how America’s currency is steadily being destroyed through government’s inflation causing policies. Still unsure of what this book is about? How much did it cost to buy a new house in 1970? How much does it cost to buy a new house today?

The Gospel of Wealth – Andrew Carnegie – Andrew Carnegie was more than just a business juggernaut. He was more than just a capitalist focused on making money. Andrew Carnegie was the son of very poor immigrant family that was forced to enter the workforce before he was 13 just to help support his family. Andrew Carnegie was a man who was determined to exceed the expectations of everyone that he ever came in contact with. Andrew Carnegie was truly a self-made millionaire. In today’s dollars he would have been self-made billionaire. But despite the prolific amounts of wealth he earned he was always focused on helping others. Through this autobiography, Andrew Carnegie explains how he went from poor to wealthy and you can do it too. Any aspiring entrepreneurs born without a silver spoon should read this book.

The Education of an Accidental CEO – David Novak with John Boswell – As a driven, hard-working & Christian employee who grew up in a trailer home, David Novak eventually worked his way to the top of one of America’s largest corporations. After years and years of hard work, good decisions and much self-education, David found himself in charge of “Yum Brands.” He found himself leading a fast-food army with the KFC, Taco Bell, and other major national fast food chains in his portfolio. He never thought he would become the CEO, but once he got to the top he never looked back. This book is David’s way of teaching people those who grew up in poverty that they too can still make it to the top. CEOs, and those who want to rise to levels of leadership should read this book. It’s phenomenal.

The E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber – Most entrepreneurs believe that being good at a skill is all they must do to rise to the top of their given professional and to run a business. Most entrepreneurs don’t believe that learning to manage people and to build duplicatable systems is hard to do. Thus they charge into their new businesses with a ton of energy and excitement about filling their business niche with their skills. After a few years of working 60 hours per week for themselves they find themselves out of energy and demotivated with a staff of on-lookers around them. Thus, they begin to fill over-whelmed at the realization that they actually created “a job” not “a business.” This book was written to help entrepreneurs learn what they need to know to build a big enterprise not just a big job.

The Four-Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferris – A graduate from Princeton University set out with the goal of working 4 hours per week while living in a state of semi-retirement for his entire life, and he achieved his goal. Then he wrote a book about it. This book is the ultimate time-management book and one that every adult with a job should read. Read this book and your focus on time-management will greatly improve.

The Laws of Success in 16 Lessons – Napoleon Hill – This timeless classic includes the success principles and teachings of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and many of America’s top business moguls. The principles in this book have helped to build more millionaires than any other book every written. The author of this book had his philosophy endorsed by America’s business leaders and his books were even endorsed by religious leaders such as Oral Roberts. This book will expand your vision and increase your focus and passion for success.

The Maui Millionaires – David Finkel & Diane Kennedy – Every once in awhile business people will get stuck in rut. They will get mentally stuck at where they are, and they begin to get bored with their success. They begin to lose their vision for something bigger. They begin to stop searching for bigger mountains to climb and more people to help. This book will help any business owner get out of this rut. If you own a business and your find yourself without a vision that you are passionate about pursuing then you should read this book.

The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J. Stanley, PHD & William D. Dank, Ph.D – Despite the various publications reporting stories to the contrary, the American Dream is still very much alive and well. This book takes us into the lives of America’s secret millionaires. These people are the neighbors we have who have a net worth above a million dollars. This book interviews the self-employed people we know who have accumulated a million dollar net worth. This book allows them to tell you how they did it and how you can do it to without the benefit of a rich uncle’s investment, a large estate inheritance etc…

The Most Successful Small Business in the World – Michael Gerber – Running a business smoothly is one thing, but running a business that allows you to achieve your goals and passions is truly another. This book will teach you how you can build a business enterprise that helps you to achieve your dreams in a systematic and duplicatable way. Your business exists to help you achieve your passions. Your business should be built around your lifestyle. Your lifestyle should not be built around your business. Read this book, and prepare to become energized.

The New Conceptual Selling – Stephen E. Herman – Are you trying to close the “big deal?” Are you interested in learning how to land the “big account?” If you are in sales you need to read this book. This book teaches you and I how to sell in a way that works. This book does away with the high pressure dirty used car salesman concepts and gets us to a new level of selling. This book will teach you about the conceptual selling skills that you need to learn. This book will teach you how to help your clients to define their problems so that you and your business can solve them.

The New Imperialists – Mark Leibovich – America’s business leaders all started from somewhere. This book teaches you where Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos came from. This book teaches you how these people think and how you and I are going to have to begin thinking if we are going to achieve success like they did. Read this book, and take some notes, because this book will energize you to become the next IMPERIALIST (no Star Wars or Napoleon references here).

The Service Profit Chain – James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Jr., & Leonard A. Schlesinger – Knowledge gained from case studies has the power to change your life for the better. This book is filled with several case studies that have the power improve your business dramatically. How does Southwest Airlines produce record profits? How does Southwest keep their employees motivated? How does Outback Steakhouse consistently produces profit and good people? How they do it and how you can do it is all found within this book. Learn the connect between the quality of your service and the amounts of profits that you make.

The Slight Edge – Secret To A Successful Life – Jeff Olsen – The difference in talent between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins is minimal. Some would argue that Dominique could jump higher and could naturally shoot better. However through relentless focus and years of being the first one at practice and the last one to leave, Michael Jordan transformed himself from a skinny kid with kangaroo legs and a decent shot into a super hero body with an incredible game-winning shot. The difference in his daily schedule and routine to some might have seemed slight. An extra hour or two here and there (everyday), and over time he distanced himself from the pack. He eventually separated himself so far from others that we almost forgot where he started from. Your path to wealth and rich relationships is no different. It’s not the big events that make us great, it is the “slight edge” and the “slight differences” found in our weekly day-timers that make the “big differences” over time. Are you benefiting from the “slight edge” principal or are you losing ground because of it?

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life – Alice Schroeder – Warren Buffet has had countless books written about him, but there is only one that this man has personally authorized. This book is that book. This book gives you rare insight into what makes this investment guru tick. You will learn from his faults, his skills and his investment principles. If you want to learn about investing then this is the book for you.

The Ultimate Sales Machine – Chet Holmes – Drumming up big clients seems overwhelming so most sales professionals just settle for the lowest hanging fruit. This book teaches you the specific action steps you must take to get where you want to go. Chet Holmes teaches you how to identify your top 100 clients and how to ultimately get them to buy from you. This book is one of the best sales strategy books out there.

Think Big & Kick Ass – Donald Trump – Donald is big. His wallet is big. His hair is big. His ideas are big. His opinions are big. This book will help you to achieve big success if you read and apply the “big ideas” found within it. Study successful people and do what they did to get there. Read this book. Do what Donald says and you will experience success.

Radical Marketing – Sam Hill & Glen Rifkin – Have you ever wondered how Harley Davidson has developed a cult like following? Have you ever wondered how to create that same type of following an excitement about your business and brand? Have you ever wondered how Virgin Airlines has created such a loyal following? Have you ever wondered how Starbucks has created such a viral fan following? It seems as though the customers have almost become unpaid Apostles of these companies, and lifetime advocates. The roam around the planet telling people about how great these companies are and they don’t get paid to. Why? Could it be that these companies are doing something radically different than other companies to achieve a radically different result? Read this book and find out how these companies are achieving top level success and how you can to.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki – Reading this book will awaken the entrepreneur buried within anyone. Most people never consider the idea of owning their own business or starting their own venture and this book asks why? This book explains the 2 different paths that are out there for Americans or people working within a free society where capitalism is allowed to work? You can either pursue formal education and employment from others, or you can pursue practical education and self-employment. You can either settle for 2 weeks of vacation per year and the pursuit of someone else’s dream or you can pursue the achievement of your own dream. Do you remember what you loved doing back before the mortgage, the student loan payments and the car payments? Do you remember what you used to dream about before “getting good benefits” began to become your number one goal?

Speaking To Win: How To Present With Power In Any Situation – Brian Tracy – If you ever aspire to become a leader, you are going to have to become good at presenting in front of a group of your peers. In reality, if you ever aspire to become a leader, you are going to have to become great at presenting in front of a group of your peers! And Brian Tracy teaches you how to stand up and deliver a speech the will leave your audience inspired. Read this book and begin improving your communication skills right now.

Stand & Deliver – How To Become A Masterful Communicator & Public Speaker – Dale Carnegie – Nobody has ever spent more time studying the art of communicating effectively in business than the late great Dale Carnegie. His book provides practical action steps and principles that you can begin using immediately to improve your public speaking skills. Whether it is fair or not, the President of the United States wins his position based nearly entirely on his communication skills. His record might be weak, and his credentials might be weaker, but if he can speak he will win some votes. Leaders in business are often chosen based on the same criteria. Is he a good communicator? Does he inspire confidence? If the answer is yes, he might just get that promotion and he might just win that election. Add effective public speaking to your skills list. Read this book and improve your skills dramatically today.

Titan – Ron Chernow – Much has been written about Rockefeller and the over-whelming majority of it is not true. As with all successful people, the media loves to see them fall while focusing on their mistakes and faults without ever taking equal time to examine their methods, their values and the strategies they used to get from the bottom to the top. John D. Rockefeller was a man who was raised without a father. At the age of 13 he began to support his mother financially and emotionally. By the time he was 16 he was supporting his family and filling the void created by his father who was too interested pursuing his affairs with women to pay attention to his own family. John D. walked around the streets of Cleveland for nearly 2 months aggressively applying at any business that would give him the time of day. Eventually he found work as an assistant book keeper only after he promised to work the first 30 days for free. In order to achieve success he committed himself to a regimen that involved saving nearly half of all of his earnings. He also lived as a committed tither. He supported his local church with 10% of his earnings all the way up until his death. Rockefeller also became the world’s biggest and most impactful philanthropist of all time. Did he make mistakes? Yes. Was his live perfect? No.  Did he achieve more in his lifetime than most people? Yes. Can we all learn from his life story? Yes. Ron Chernov writes about Rockefeller as he was not as he wished him to be, both the good and the bad, and that is why this true story is so special. Read this book and prepare to be inspired.

Value Profit Chain – Heskett, Sasser, Schlesinger – If you own and business and you’ve ever wondered how to raise your prices by offering maximum to your customers, this book will lay out the formula for you. Godiva, Mercedes and other great companies have discovered how to maximize the customer’s experience and their profits by using the formula’s found within this book. And like all Harvard Case studies this book is rich in research based conclusions and short on opinion-based theories. If you will take the time to read this book, your business will begin producing more profits now.

Who Owns the Ice House – Clifton Taulbert & Gary Schoeniger – In order to rise to the top of economic food chain, entrepreneurs have to do many things right. They have to solve the right problems. They have to have the right attitudes. They have to hire the right people. They have to build the right brands to attract the right types of customers. They have to surround themselves with the right mentors and they have to develop the right skills. But at the end of the day, none of these things would be possible if America’s top entrepreneurs were not let by the right principles and core values. One American success story that involves an entrepreneur who has focused on living by the right principles and core values is the story of Clifton Taulbert. Growing up poor and without parents in the racially divided Mississippi Delta during the time of segregation, Clifton still found a way to rise to the top. During his career he would write a New York Times Best-Selling book, he has helped to start a bank and he helped to introduce the StairMaster into America’s living rooms and into the mass market. However he can trace all of his success back to the principles and the mindset that was taught to him from his Uncle Cleve. This book takes us on Cliff’s journey from poverty to prosperity while showing us what core values he has lived by to achieve success.

Winning – Jack Welch with Suzy Welch – As America’s most successful CEO, Jack Welch was known for “Winning.” He as known for achieving success through his various famous (or infamous) best-practices. His management system called “differentiation” and his evaluation of A players, B players & C players has become the stuff of legend in the business world. His concept of removing the weak and rewarding the strong in his companies has been called “brutal, awful, mean” and worse, but his system is effective and it works. His management system also creates a cult-like atmosphere where performers and hard-workers thrive and where slackers feel uncomfortable. If you are struggling to manage your team, you must read this book and apply its principles.

Your Best Life Now – Joel Osteen – Whether you are a Christian, an Agnostic, or an Atheist reading this book and applying the principles found within it will improve your life tremendously. If you read this book and apply the concepts found within this book to your own life you cannot help but to improve the quality of your life.

 

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