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Best Business Book Reviews By Paul Simister

Below you will see in reverse chronological order (the most recent first), the best of the business books I’ve read and reviewed.

The first thing you’ll notice when you click through is that they are all ranked with Four or Five Stars. This doesn’t mean I’m a nice, kind reviewer. Far from it in fact but I’m only bringing you the best of the business books.

You’ll see my name attached to three stars and two stars books on Amazon.co.uk and occasionally I’ll think a book is so bad that it’s worthy of one star humiliation.

The second thing you’ll notice if you scan through enough pages, is that there are far more Four Stars reviews than books worthy of Five Stars. The truth is that it’s much easier to be Good than to be Excellent.

You can just see the Five Stars Business Books.

The third thing you’ll notice is that my interests are wide ranging. I have split the books into smaller categories using tags and I’ll add links that let you jump straight to the particular type of business book you’re after.

I suggest to you that using these tags make it much easier to find the book(s) you want unless you fall on the right place through Google.

Business Books For WomenBusiness NovelsBusiness PlanningBusiness Start-UpBusiness StrategyBusiness TurnaroundCoachingCopywritingCustomer ServiceDifferentiation StrategyEconomicsEnergy & EnvironmentalFinanceGetting UnstuckInner GameInternet MarketingInvestmentKPI & Performance MeasurementLeading Your TeamMarketingMarketing PsychologyPersuasionPricingProfit ImprovementProject ManagementRecessionRetail BusinessSales TrainingSocial MediaSpecific Niche MarketSystemsTheory Of ConstraintsThinking – Understanding Buyers

I also have links by pages after this first one – page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 9, 10. 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Goal Setting For Business Owners And Entrepreneurs

I pay a lot of attention to Brian Tracy because he always provides concise, insightful advice. In this 16-minute video, he explains goal setting.

I’m a big believer that business owners must be intentional in their actions. They must decide what it is that they want, how they will achieve it and then organise their time and resources to do the necessary actions. Goal setting is a big part of this thinking.

in 2 – Your Inner Game, Best Business Books

The full title of this book by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor is

The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 5 Stars rating. This means it is Excellent.

Here is my book review.

An excellent book that makes powerful points about growth through innovation

This book is mainly written about giant companies who need to grow faster than the stock market expects in order to increase the share price.

As such, is this dilemma relevant to the small business market? The authors acknowledge they have written the book for big, established companies but state that the ideas will apply for start-up entrepreneurs. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Buy Then Build by Walker Deibel

The full title of this book by Walker Deibel is

Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

Very well written guide to being an acquisition entrepreneur

Can you succeed by buying a business? [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books, Business Start-Ups

Turnaround by Arnold Goldstein

The full title of this book by Arnold Goldstein is

Turnaround: How To Turn Your Business Into A Debt-Free Money Machine

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good To Very Good.

Here is my book review.

An excellent American turnaround book

First a warning about the book, it is written by an American lawyer so references to legal issues apply to the USA and not the UK.

Just be aware of anything in here that touches on legislation. Be ready to ask your lawyers whether there is any equivalent in UK law, and if there are other UK specific requirements. If the survival of your business is under threat, you need to understand the legal situation. There are ideas in here that will sound very helpful but you must make sure they are legal or you could get yourself into serious trouble.

After that legal health warning, this is a terrific book that is absolutely stacked from top to bottom with ideas and issues for you to consider in turning around your business.

Of course it focuses on what you can do in these difficult situations but first it asks you to consider what you should do.

It’s very easy to assume that any business owner will want to save the business but it might not be true.

Right from the start the book forces you to answer whether
1) You enjoy running the business. Is it something you’re passionate about?
2) Does the business suit your skills?

If either of those is a No, the chances of turnaround are low and prospects going forward aren’t good.

I’m wary of recommending too many books on turnaround because there is so much thinking and planning you need to do and you need to get into action in what can be a very limited time before the money runs out. I really like the Mark Blayney book, Turning Around Your Business which is British and is shorter than this one. You should probably read that first.

I see this very much as a book of ideas. You might not be able to do what it says, the way it says to do it because of differences in the legal system but there might be other ways to achieve the same objective. I’m not an insolvency expert and whenever a business owner contacts me who is in serious trouble, I always advise talking to someone who is.

Turnaround is an area of keen interest but my target clients haven’t dipped deeply into the red but they need some aspects of turnaround thinking. The bigger companies where I’ve been involved in debt workouts have always had professional advisors in place. The ideas in the book show the value of talking to experienced professionals because their ideas can make a huge difference to the future of your business.

If I was writing this review for an American audience, and assuming what it says is legally correct, I’d give it a five star rating. As I’m writing mainly for a British audience on Amazon and my blog, I’ve deducted one star because of the legal uncertainties. There is too much that either does not apply or may not apply.

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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in Best Business Books, Business Problems And Mistakes

Pig Wrestling by Pete Lindsay and Mark Bawden

The full title of this book by Pete Lindsay and Mark Bawden is

Pig Wrestling: The Brilliantly Simple Way to Solve Any Problem… and Create the Change You Need

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

Are you stuck with people problems?

This is a business fable about problem solving. In the book, an old barista at the coffee stall comes to the rescue of a young manager who has become extremely frustrated. [continue reading…]

in 7 – Employees And Suppliers, Best Business Books, Business Problems And Mistakes

The title of this book by Pam Ingmire is

Creating Winning Value Propositions 2.0

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

A well defined process

This is a very sensible, clear process for developing a value proposition. [continue reading…]

in 3 – Your Strategic Positioning, Best Business Books

The full title of this book by Robert Ashton is

Brilliant Checklists for Entrepreneurs: Your Shortcut to Success

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

Helpful and useful

This book brings two of my main business principles into potential conflict. These are: [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Small Business Financial Management by Ivan Houston

The full title of this book by Ivan Houston is

Small Business Financial Management: How to organise and manage the finances in your small business

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

Helpful but I’m not sure it has the right title

I’ve been looking for a good book on financial management to recommend to clients. My all-time favourite is called “The Genghis Khan Guide to Business” but it’s been out of print for a long time. Occasionally second hand copies pop up for sale on Amazon.

For my purposes, this starts at too low a level but I think anyone thinking about starting a business will find it very helpful.

Reading the book, it is very clear that the author works in the accounting profession rather than as a financial manager/ director in industry and commerce. There is a surprisingly big difference in perspective.

I split it into three roles
1) book-keeping – that is recording financial transactions
2) accounting – the reporting of financial transactions and hopefully forecasting future results.
3) financial management – which for me is being involved or even making the decisions that directly contribute to the financial health of the business.

There isn’t enough content in that third category.

I like the book but it isn’t what I was looking for or expecting based on the title. I recommend it for new business owners.

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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in 1 – Your KPI, Best Business Books

Crunch Point by Brian Tracy

The full title of this book by Brain Tracy is

Crunch Point: The Secret to Succeeding When It Matters Most

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 5 Stars rating. This means it is Excellent.

Here is my book review.

An excellent book to help business owners and managers through difficult times

I’m a fan of the author. He’s a great synthesiser of ideas and advice across a wide range of subjects. He and his team clearly research very carefully before they put together his books and audio recordings. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books, Business Problems And Mistakes

The full title of this book by Brad Sugars is

The Apprentice Billionaire’s Guide to Cashflow: Turn On the Cashflow and Keep Your Business Booming

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.

Here is my book review.

A very lazy update of Instant Cash Flow

The only book by Brad Sugars I’ve every recommended and refer back to regularly is called “Instant CashFlow“.

This is a lazily updated version because the original book has become very dated since it was published in 2000. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books