Reading and Success are Directly Correlated

Sometimes, you need to simply slow down and curl up with a good book.

The SBAdenver principles are NOT big fans of the business-book-du-jour movement...which means we're not going to recommend The Five Highly-Effective Rings of the Excellent One-Minute Manager, or anything like that.

But, we have found the following books provide excellent insite into business:

The E-Myth Revisited Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber

Michael Gerber, the author of E-Myth (revisited) is one of the few people in the country who truly understands the mind-set of the small business owner. He explains in depth the difficulties they encounter, the reasons why and the solutions to their problems. This is a must read for any small business owner.

The Loyality EffectThe Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value, by Frederick Reichheld

Customer and Employee Loyality are often over looked in business today. Losing 1/2 of your Customers every 5 years and 1/2 of their Employees in less then 4 years greatly hinders the companies growth and profits. Though written for larger companies, the principles and results are equally applicable to small businesses. This book lays out the loyality principles that connect value creation, loyality, growth and profits, and shows, through example, the powerful, positive results possible. This book will show you how to Grow Your Business, Improve Productivity, Measure Value, Create Intellectual Capital and build Strategic Value.

Managing Customer ValueCreating Quality & Service That Customers Can See, by Bradley T. Gale

Some companies try to measure Customer Satisfaction. Few try to go further to measure Market Preceived Quality (how buyers select amoung competing suppliers and how orders are won and lost). This book provides 7 integrated tools for customer value analysis that make up the heart of the "war room wall" to help guide Teams in their efforts to outperform competitors, and thus increasing revenues and profits!

Good to Greatby Jim Collins

Although written as the result of studying established fortune 500 companies, Jim Collins outstanding work reveals many important lessons for the owner of a small company. This is one of the most detailed studies ever conducted regarding what it takes to make a business truly outstanding-and the typical reasons why they dont become so. Though this book is focused on larger companies, the principles hold equally well for the all important small business marketplace!

The Macintosh WayBy Guy Kawasaki

Doing the right things, and doing things right. One of the best accounts of how a high-tech company should be run. You don't have to be a Macintosh fan to get a lot out of this book.

How to Drive Your Competition CrazyBy Guy Kawasaki.

Guy's newest effort, speaking directly to entrepreneurs who don't have million-dollar ad budgets or armies of salespeople. Suggestion: read this book with a pad of paper by your side; do the exercises. They are worth the time.

Crossing the ChasmBy Geoffrey Moore.

A problem that you want to have... what happens when you expand beyond a highly-technical niche and begin selling to John Q. Public? Everything about your business changes. If you do some things right up front, you can lessen the pain later on. Geoff's other books, Inside the Tornado and The Gorilla Game are also well worth reading. Everyone uses the terms from these books. Have you read them?

Selling the InvisibleA Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by Harry Beckwith

An excellent, easy read on the value and practice of Marketing and Growing Your Business. A Must Read!

Finally, please let us know about books or audio books that you have found useful! Click to let us know!