What book are you reading? Right now. Post up!

[Almantas]

It's been a month since I stopped reading and started taking solid action instead. Don't get me wrong, you can do both, I just decided to take a short reading break and dedicate my time to building business and learning as I go instead.

 

[Kak]

Anyone else reading Zero to One by Peter Thiel? What do you like and/or disagree with? I'm listening to the audiobook as we speak actually and love it so far.

I'm not sure if I'm just getting the wrong context, but I often feel these insanely rich investors write about entrepreneurship in a way that isn't useful for new entrepreneurs. Sure - easy for these guys to say it's better to make money long-term rather than short-term, take huge chances, and not "compete" when they've made their fortunes already.

Just an example - I have a few entrepreneur friends who are much more into these ideologies They've been spinning their wheels trying to create whole new markets and they haven't made a dollar, a couple still live with their parents and TBH seem sort of depressed. Yes - my first company wasn't anything ground-breaking but now that I have money to spend, I can invest in innovating and still have enough to enjoy life.

Maybe these books are more about "creating" than making money

The things about the book you've highlighted that you don't care for are precisely why I like the book.

Your thinking that it may not be the best for a new entrepreneur is ironic given the "Zero to One" title. I think it is fantastic for an truly sold out entrepreneur. Now maybe the "I'll just set myself up for 80k per year in passive income" crowd need not read it. But are people like that truly entrepreneurs? That thinking doesn't come from someone who eats, sleeps and breathes building exciting and amazing businesses. It comes from folks that want to retire.

Entrepreneurship isn't a corporate ladder and a lot of folks sometimes are a bit rooted in that thinking even after they make the switch to self employment. No one says you have to build something "small" or "manageable" first.

I think the entire point of the book was START big. Don't just think big or dream big. You don't get to where Thiel is without setting out to build something with some real horsepower.

 

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[ChrisV]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1787125939/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

I really liked O’Reilly’s Data Science products:

 

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[MTEE1985]

Reading Viktor Frankl - Man’s Search for Meaning

Whenever I’m driving, I’m listening to Unscripted (basically on repeat)

Just finished Rise and Grind by Daymond John...thought it was so-so.

 

[BrooklynHustle]

Recently read Essentialism - all about cutting out the clutter and focusing only on those things that fit your vision and move the needle.

I'll be coming back to this book regularly. Highly recommend.

 

[Xeon]

Just finished reading Kevin O Leary's "Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money: 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them".

Overall decent book. The book is all about saving and scrimping, and Kevin discourages you from buying certain things like cars. He also talks about whether one should waste the $ to go college, and how you should invest only in stocks that pay you a dividend monthly, how to avoid gold diggers, teaching kids the importance of saving money, and overall, do not spend on unnecessary crap, and a big section on not buying things on credit because the interest will kill you over time (ie. if you can't afford it, don't buy it. Just don't buy on credit)

It also has a section which runs along the same tune as one part in Unscripted , which is do not spend more just because you're making more (ie: making $4 million a year and blowing $3 million on trash just because "you can").
He also talks about why one should not mix $ with emotions.

From the book, I can see that Kevin is a scrooge, miser and penny-pincher, but here's the thing : I love his beliefs towards money and I aspire to scrimp like him. To be the Ultimate Miser.
The book complements Unscripted very well : scrimp and save, then funnel all the $ to your business to make even more money, then scrimp and save more, repeat, and occasionally pamper yourself to something you like once in a while.

Currently reading The Luxury Strategy after reading about it in the Luxury thread here.

 

[SRathwell]

I am currently reading (listening) to Quiet by Susan Cain.

This book is an eye opener for me. I always knew that I was an introvert but always thought of it as something was wrong with me. This book has changed my outlook on introversion, now I see that it is normal and can even an advantageous in many critical situations.

The book teaches how to be effective as introvert in a world that is dominated by extroverts. I recommend this book for everyone, but especially for someone who thinks they are an introvert and want to learn how to leverage it in business and in life.

 

[Jaden Jones]

Just finished Blue Ocean, would recommend to everyone anywhere, applies to slowlane and fastlane.

 

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[jon.M]

Currently reading E-Myth after seeing this title posted in one of the posts here.

I'm at page 83 of the ebook and the author talks about some Business Format Franchise thing and how the true product of a business is not the product itself but the business (is he referring to the experience that the business can provide to the customers?). I hope he explains what all these means in later chapters cos it's sounding a bit abstract to me right now.

Like how those wise old man on Wudang Mountain in remote China telling you stuff like "In emptiness exists existence and in existence, there is emptiness".

I hope the book is not about asking readers to buy a franchise cos if it is, imma gonna demand a refund and throw rotten pies at the author's face.

Long time since I read the book, but I think you might be misinterpreting his message. He sure does talk a lot about franchises, but definitely not in the way that you should buy one.

Take McDonald's for example. They sell burgers. Anyone can sell a burger. It's a piece of bread, meat and some veggies. And in fact, many would argue that McDonald's sell shitty burgers.

But McDonald's is still the #1 food chain in the world. Why do you think that's the case?

One reason might be that Ray Croc or someone else defined a specific process for how everything in the restaurant should be done. Fries need to be fried for 3 minutes and 43 seconds. Toilets are cleaned every 30 minutes. This is exactly how you make a Big Mac, that is how you deal with customers.

It's so simple for a worker do this because they won't have to learn stuff for themselves, just follow the instructions. How else could a popular fast food chain be largely run by pimpled teens with no former experience?

It's a business system. Like a money-making machine where all you need is to turn the key. You've got processes and systems defined for everything, and everything needed for things to go well is someone to follow the instructions.

That's why McDonald's got franchisees. People want to start a business with high chances of surviving, so they start a McDonald's. All they've gotta do is to show up to do the work, and things could work out okay.

This is also an important notion to businesses that are NOT franchises. It will help you make things more efficient and painless, make it easier for potential employees to get in the groove, and might make the business more valuable if you choose to take on investors/sell it off.

Let's say you run an ecommerce store selling pet clothing. If you had to write a document outlining the process for everything that's needed to be done in your business, in simple, easy-to-follow instructions, what would you write?

What are the steps for finding new suppliers? What are the steps for importing and storing the product? How do you add a new product in the store? How do you package and ship it off? How do you deal with customer service? How do you communicate with followers on social media -- are you friendly and sincere, funny and viral etc?

 

[Tommo]

 

[Plank]

The rational male, if you're a man and haven't read it, do so now!! Jesus I wish I had that book back when I was 15 or younger..
It's the "millionaire fastlane " of its genre, "self realization/awakening/relationship advice/people skills, etc. Really hard to put that book in a box..

 

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[DStark]

I am reading/listening to Jordan Peterson's Maps of Meaning and 12 Rules for Life. I recommend both these as they are absolutely fascinating and 12 rules for life is a great book to help orient yourself in your life. Dr. Peterson has fantastic viewpoints on life and they have helped me and I think would give great perspective to anyone who reads it.

 

[MakeItHappen]

12 Rukes for Life by Jordan Peterson
I haven't paid any attention to the hype the last couple of years but after watching some of his lectures the last couple of weeks I am finally reading his book and really like it.

 

[Kak]

I have a few balls bouncing...

The Road To Serfdom. FA Hayek.

Bad Blood Secrets and Lies of a Silicon Valley Startup. Carreyrou

The Reason for God; belief in the age of skepticism. Timothy Keller

All three of these are fascinating and are making me smarter.

 

[Insidious]

In the middle of (in no particular order):
Plutarch's Lives Vol. 3 - I find a little historical perspective useful. Juices the gratitude for the time we live in if nothing else. Available @ Project Gutenberg

The Birth of Tragedy (Friedrich Nietzsche) - A couple of pages of Nietzsche in the morning gives my mind something to chew on all day.

The Second Self (Sherry Turkle) - The impact of the age of computers on human psychology and sense of self.

Vision To Reality (Honoree Corder) - A skim read for key concepts before tossing the book.

Manage Your Day-to-Day (Jocelyn K. Glei) - A collection of writings from a lot of 'current thinkers' on work & life. Seems somewhat aimed at artists, but there's also lots of stuff about time management and productivity. As usual, aimed at sidewalkers, but useful for independents as well. Many of the short articles I've read before, but it's a nice reminder/reference.

Bruce Lee Striking Thoughts (Bruce Lee) - A somewhat uneven collection of aphorisms. Compiled after his death, so it contains both 'thoughts' original to him, and notes that he took. If you're widely read you'll notice where the editor (?) doesn't realize that Lee is simply taking note of something someone else said, without comment or reflection.

Puck of Pook's Hill (Rudyard Kipling) - Damn can Kipling write! Available @ Project Gutenberg. There's a Kipling poem you might want to look up, it's called 'The Gods of the Copybook Headings'.

Starting a Successful Business from Scratch (William D. Poynter) - Title says it. Not sure about this one yet.

Recently finished:
Unscripted (MJ DeMarco) - The examples from this forum's community lead me here.

Plutarch's Lives Vol. 2 - Notice a trend?

The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman) - Worthwhile if you're in a relationship or not. Also, you've gotta give this guy props for the money machine this 'idea' is. Take a look at the sales numbers and niche markets he's reaching. A good example of SOWING for a long time (as a therapist) and then using that domain expertise to REAP millions.

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism (Fumio Sasaki) - Halfway between how-to and philosophy. Worth a read for the reminder to be mindful about what you (really) want, and not to fall into 'things' as social ego displays. Also good to remember that you, and your desires change, so your pile of things should too.

Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance At Any Age (Jeff Bercovici) - Was looking for cutting edge info on body maintenance and improvement. While there were a few things that were new to me, generally this is a neophyte surveying experts and tying together their info with stories about himself (kinda boring IMO).

The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On The Art of Doing (Kyle Eschenroeder) - This has been published as a book, but it's also available on one of his websites for free if you want to take a look. Good stuff from someone else on the entrepreneurial journey. Kyle has a couple of 'deep thought' articles you should take a look at.

In the Queue (subject to change!):
Left Of Bang (Patrick Van Horne)
Can't Hurt Me (David Goggins)
Zorba The Greek (Nikos Kazantzakis)
The Warrior Ethos (Steven Pressfield)
Finite and Infinite Games (James Carse)
The Liberator (Alex Kershew)

Yes. I like to read. =)

 

[Jack Hammer]

Personality Isn't Permanent by Benjamin Hardy. I bought it on the title alone and am only a few chapters in, but it's perfectly consistent with fastlane principles. MJ himself could have written it.

In a nutshell, your personality isn't who you are but a temporary facade and is constantly changing. With deliberate effort, you can change it even faster and in a way you control. Personality tests are mostly nonsense and are very limiting if taken too seriously. Those who try to act in accordance with their "authentic" selves and only do what comes naturally are stuck in a fixed mindset rather than a growth mindset. Having a sense of purpose makes it possible to do the uncomfortable and painful things to grow into the type of person you wish to become. Think less of yourself and more of the value you can provide to others. And so on. Highly recommended.

 

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[vaibhav]

Last month, I started reading "12 Rule for Life" by Jordan Peterson. It's very insightful and my first read for this year of 2021.

 

[Fox]

Funny, i just saw this advertised on the BookBub email blast ... it caught my eye and after looking, I was like, "Hey, that's FOX!"

View attachment 37148

@Fox -- what kind of results you getting with BookBub advertising?

Thanks and that’s crazy!

@MTF will have to answer that - he is running all the campaigns.

Overall we have gotten some good rankings and I haven’t even sent to my email list or made a YT video yet.

Hopefully these images aren’t massive - I’m on a phone...

 

[MTF]

@Fox -- what kind of results you getting with BookBub advertising?

I'm running the campaigns for Rob.

Since it's hard to track exactly how many sales this brought, I have only estimates. Right now it's roughly $2 per download. This is high but BookBub in the beginning is always expensive before you optimize it (and sometimes you won't be able to optimize it; it doesn't work every time).

I'm testing it on a very small scale as it's a free book and usually I only use BookBub Ads for $0.99 launches to generate initial traction. Then there's at least some instant return on the ad spend.

But other sites are working much better as we're at #83 Free now in Kindle Store and it's possible we'll hit top50 today. We're already at 885 downloads today and should easily cross 1,000, perhaps 1,500.

In total, so far since we started a couple of days ago (actually the first "serious" day was yesterday), we have 1782 downloads.

 

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[MTF]

What a crazy, indestructible superhero type of a guy. Sometimes it's cool to read about someone so strong, brave and driven that you'll never become even one tenth of him lol.

He led the team that made the first winter summit of K2 in January this year. Oh, and just because it wasn't difficult enough, he reached the summit without supplemental oxygen.

 

[sparechange]

Unscripted part 2, MJ sent me an early copy, what an amazing book so far, just on the second chapter...

The part where the character buys a Ferrari is quite hilarious!

































Happy few days late April fools =) had to get that in..

 

[MTF]

It's rare that a fiction book hooks me from the first few pages, let alone a hard science fiction story. Currently at 19% it's even better than The Martian.

If you need a little break from all the business books but still want something "intelligent" (there's tons of scientific details and calculations on almost every page) that's a great pick.

 

[InspireHD]

I'm sort of reading a few at the same time. I jump around.

Buy Then Build by Walker Deibel. Won from a forum giveaway. Thanks again @MJ DeMarco. So far it's a great book. Working through it slowly.

Letting Go by David Hawkins, recommended a few times by @MJ DeMarco.

The Art of Living Consciously by Nathaniel Branden. Recommended in another thread by @PapaGang.

Personality Isn't Permanent by Benjamin Hardy. The newest one that I'm reading. Every page flows so well. Great book so far.

The Sovereign Individual by James Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. Recommended a few times on the forum. I realized over the last couple months that freedom, critical thinking, and common sense is really important to me. This book is tightly packed with information and feels like it's written at a higher level. I have to read it a little slower because the vocabulary they use is advanced.

These 5 books are my current collection with the goal of finishing each. I have others that I put aside while I work on these. I don't always have a lot of time to read so I set a goal of 10-20 pages per day at those times that I dedicate to reading.

 

[MitchC]

Can you share some of the most surprising or useful tips? How does it correlate to Wim Hoff breathing exercises? Thanks

Tape your mouth closed at night with 3m surgical tape to avoid breathing through your mouth

Soft food, processed food, cooked meat have made our jaws weak and small, our brains have gotten bigger, making the mouth too small for our tongue and us unable to breathe properly leading to mouth breathing which makes it worse. You can tell a mouth breather by the shape of thier face it literally makes you uglier. No chin, massive nose, terrible posture.

Breathing out is just as important as in, getting rid of carbon dioxide is just as important as letting oxygen in, try to breathe all the way out to use your full lung capacity.

Once again breathe through your nose even during exercise, you will proform better even with less oxygen.

Breathe less than you think you need to. Deep breathes with a full breathe out. I believe the ideal time for a breathe is 7 seconds but I’d have to go and read it again to check.

Taping your mouth closed at night will open up your nose, you may last 15 minutes the first night but after a week you’ll go a full night. Taping your mouth closed will cure sleep apnea which you probably have if you breathe through your mouth at night.

Wim Hoff is great but this isn’t the same.

I wouldn’t bother reading the book, it’s just studies about why you should tape your mouth closed at night etc. it’s like a meditation book that has a bunch of studies about the benefits when really you just need to meditate. Wim Hoffs book is actually exactly the same come to think of it. A 15 minute technique followed by 300 pages of studies about why you should do it.

 

[Andy Black]

I finished Clickfunnels by Russell Brunson and am now reading Expert Secrets.
While a great deal of his stuff deals with some really good topics, like building a character, creating a soap opera, and other types of email sequences, does every type of business need a funnel for their products.

I am trying to get a service business off the ground and I seriously don't see how that type of business can benefit from a funnel, but I will continue reading all the books and see what is in there.

Does anyone have any suggestions if you have read the book?

I’ve not read his books although I think I bought a couple of them.

No, not every business *needs* a funnel.

My friend the electrician who fixes appliance repairs doesn’t have a funnel. We run Google Ads that send people from Google to a simple page that has a headline, some bullet points, and a tap-to-call button (and a request-a-callback button).

I’ve provided a digital marketing service since 2009 without a website or email list.

The only thing you *need* to be in business is clients. Everything else is just a particular way “how”.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

It was mentioned in Die with Zero and I've liked it a lot. Started adding fresh fruit and veggies to everyday now. Didn't realized how much heavy meat diets contributed to your risk of cancers.

Try the China Study as your next read if you're on a dietary / nutrition / disease prevention reading kick. It is listed in recommended reads.

Too bloody late, I lost those 5 hours in December 2021,damn.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[MitchC]

James Dyson - invention, a life

So far I’m finding it incredibly difficult to read, he’s just rushing through all these different historical moment and inventions and all these people.

I just kind of have to force myself to blast through it rather than keep thinking who was that again, where did this guy suddenly appear from etc.

I hope it gets better and easier to read.

It’s almost the total opposite of Mr China which I sped through easily and could not put down.

I will say though, it is interesting, the history of these inventions and companies he’s talking about, and it is interesting to hear his experienced insight, what he learned from them and how he thinks about them.

His personality is coming through as well, he’s ripping into politicians and British people and all sorts of things which I’m enjoying.

I just really hope this is some kind of really long introduction and the rest of the book gets a lot easier to follow and read as it becomes more focused on him.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Reread The Inner Game of Tennis. Highly recommend it, since it’s really about performing at your peak and how you can learn as fast as possible. The mindset is Eastern and it’s about how you can use presence to get more joy and speed up your progress at the same time.

I don’t know if you play tennis @MJ DeMarco, but even if you don’t, I think you’d really love this book. The lessons are priceless. Here’s just one:

“It is perplexing to wonder why we ever leave the here and now. Here and now are the only place and time when one ever enjoys himself or accomplishes anything. Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or mull over the past. Nonetheless, few people are ever satisfied with what is before them at the moment. Our desire that things be different from what they are pulls our minds into an unreal world, and subsequently we are less able to appreciate what the present has to offer. Our minds leave the reality of the present only when we prefer the unreality of the past or future.”

Usually such philosophy is delivered in a very contemplative style (like Michael Singer), not particularly concerned with performance in a physical endeavor. It’s nice to see this applied to a context that requires smart effort, action, and peak performance.

I think @MTF you may also like the book. @Woosah - for you it goes without saying LOL! I find all the lessons highly applicable to entrepreneurship and building a business.

 

[andyhaus44]

Am only 65 pages in and so far it's been great. Really like his piñata analogy, keep hitting the piñatas of your life because whether you can see it or not, you're making more progress than you think.

Also started thinking differently about time. To increase productivity, he recommends bending your time into 3 different days, his 3 days in a 24 hour period are from 6am-12, 12-6 and 6-12.

Updated my Structured app and Habitify tracker to this new time system and will update in a month or so to see if it increases my productivity.

Update: I have been more conscious of time by splitting it up into 3 different days. I now review each day and look at what I accomplished on each day and focus on getting a little bit better on every day.

 

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[David Fitz]

Currently listening to Die with Zero and getting the realisation that I need to be enjoying my life more while I'm still young.

Some experiences can only be made while you're young and healthy.

 

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