Read

It was World Book Day this week, and it was great to see so much fun being had, particularly from the kids, dressing up as their favourite literary characters. It prompted me to think about the collection of books in my library and the authors that have influenced me along the journey.

However, I don’t “read” much! I am an avid “listener” of books, preferring to consume my literature using my Audible app on my phone. This works for me as it means that the time spent every day in the car or on the train, is maximised by listening to a combination of my go-to business books, entrepreneur autobiographies and new business titles that take my fancy.



I don’t “read” much! I am an avid “listener”



I approach this time as my personal development time, and I really look forward to it. I commit to at least 4 hrs a week (usually quite a bit more) and at the moment I make sure that at least an hour of that is “Think and Grow Rich”, my number one, all time favourite personal development book.

I have over 80 titles in my Audible account that I add to each month and another large batch in my iTunes account. So if you fancy giving it a go, to help you save a bit of trial and error I have listed below my top ten favourite books that inspire me on my way to and from work.

1. Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill. This extraordinary book was written over a period of 25 years and then published in 1937, and it still stands out as the best template to leading a successful life. It defines the “mastermind group” model and effectively describes the law of attraction in a very grounded and accessible way.

2. Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh. This powerful book has influenced me in almost everything I do in business. Tony Hsieh's unique approach to customer service is awe inspiring, a must read for anyone with a business that has customers!

3. Start with Why, Simon Sinek. This relatively short book speaks directly to me in particular as it so closely describes the way I like to approach branding within business. It’s all about the “Why" not necessarily the “What" and full of lots of other really useful marketing theory.

4. Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff. Oren Klaff is now starting to get the recognition he deserves as one of the worlds leading authorities on how to present to an audience that isn’t that bothered about what you have to say. Using his techniques gives you the power to raise your authority in the room, helping you close the deal.

5. The Greatness is Within You, Les Brown. Another regular player on my phone, you cannot fail to feel uplifted after listening to presentations from this super-inspiring motivational speaker. 10 minutes a day is like medicine for the mind!

6. 28 Business Thinkers Who Changed the World, Rhymer Rigby. I love this book because it condenses 28 examples of amazing business stories, allowing me to draw from them in my day to day life without having had to read/listened a full book on each (although I have on a few of them!).

7. The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber. This is the “go-to" book for any aspiring entrepreneur, it eloquently explains why most new businesses fail and how to build a business that won’t send you to an early grave!

8. The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss. Trust me, with only a few exceptions, any work week that is hugely profitable after only four hours will have been developed after years of tirelessly working 12hrs+ a day. However,the lessons described in this book are famous for short cutting some common business processes, particularly in the on-line arena.

9. How to Get Rich, Felix Dennis. This story is told with a twinkle in the eye, from a man who had lived life to the absolute full and had the scars to prove it. He sadly died in 2014 which make this read all the more poignant.

10. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho. I listened to this after seeing it recommended by Will Smith. It is an endearing tale that is full of metaphors about life, I’ve made both of my children listen to this one too, highly recommended listening or reading but you need to read it more than once for full effect.

This list could have gone on a while, and it was tough choosing just 10!

It would be great to hear feedback from you if there are books that have helped you in life, I’m always looking for another good listen!

Have a great reading week!