In My TBR Stack:

Start a Successful Business: Expert Advice to Take Your Startup From Idea to Empire
by Colleen DeBaise
Amacom
Trade Paperback

From the author's website:

Makers, doers, and dreamers--for decades they have turned to Inc. for help in getting their businesses off the ground. The publication's keen advice clarifies the process, while startup stories fuel aspirations and spark action.

Warby Parker shook up the eyewear sector with its innovative, socially-conscious business model. Skullcandy tapped into the surfing, skateboarding, and hip-hop scenes--and built a standout audio brand. All along, Inc. was there, capturing triumphs, setbacks, and lessons learned.

Now, Start a Successful Business gathers these important lessons into a single path-charting guide. From brainstorming to crowdfunding to building partnerships, the book walks new and aspiring founders through seven crucial stages:

- Come up with a brilliant business idea
- Select the best structure and strategy for your startup
- Figure out funding
- Get the word out--and get customers
- Dig deep to discover their wants and needs
- Become an exceptional leader
- Prepare to go global

Throughout, celebrated entrepreneurs share ideas that worked for them, including where Sarah Blakely got the inspiration for Spanx, how Elon Musk stays insanely productive, why Rent the Runway ditched the business plan, and how a hashtag accelerated Airbnb's success.

With a fleet of trusted experts by your side, starting a business will be faster, less confusing--and a whole lot more fun.

In My TBR Stack:

Fitter Faster: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day
by Robert J. Davis with Brad Kolowich, Jr.
AMACOM
Trade Paperback

From the publisher's website:

I don’t have time . . . I’m too tired . . . I hate gyms . . . These are among the most common excuses for not exercising. But the truth is that getting in shape requires less time and effort than you might think.

Examining everything from pre-workout stretches to post-workout protein shakes, this science-backed book slices through fitness fads and misconceptions to reveal how you can exercise quickly and effectively. For example, is it best to exercise in the morning? Does aerobic activity burn more fat than weight lifting? You’ll also learn how to get and stay motivated, what equipment to buy (and what not to waste money on), which dietary supplements really help, and how to combat muscle soreness. Fitter Faster explains how to:

Find the right balance between cardio, strength, and stretching • Slash workout times with high-intensity interval training • Prevent boredom • Enhance fat-burning

The accompanying Fitter Faster Plan, developed with celebrity trainer Brad Kolowich, Jr., pulls everything together. Requiring as little as 15 minutes a day, these quick workouts maximize efficiency—allowing you to reap the greatest benefit in the shortest possible time…all without ever having to set foot in a gym.

With photographs illustrating each exercise routine, this eye-opening book will forever change the way you work out— and help you get fitter faster.

In My TBR Stack:

Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot - and Relaunch Their Careers
by Wendy Sachs
AMACOM Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Unapologetic . . . and unstoppable!

We are in the midst of a wild job market. Technology has disrupted nearly every industry, blowing up many careers, but creating millions more. Many women feel forced to pivot to stay relevant, while others choose to pivot to keep engaged. Or we may be struggling to get back into the workforce after taking time off to raise kids.

We hear words like hustle and grit and are told we need to think strategically, cultivate our own brands, and sell ourselves. But how do we do that? How do we pivot or radically relaunch our careers? How do we become unapologetically bold and badass—the boss of our own future?

Getting ahead today requires the action-first, fake-it-'til-you-make-it ethos celebrated in the tech world. It’s the tech industry that’s redefined our culture, and perhaps not surprisingly, it’s those Silicon Valley lessons that can help all women in all stages of their careers succeed.

This mindset is not typically a female one. Women tend to be cautious. We overthink our next moves. We might be safer . . . but we're also stuck. What if women embraced the startup spirit? What if we had the confidence to take chances, even if we knew we may fail first? What if instead of agonizing over which step to take, we leapt forward quickly? Fearless and Free empowers women, showing us how to lean into our strengths, increase our confidence, and follow successful lessons from Silicon Valley that can help us pivot in any career—and unlock a world of possibilities.

Author Wendy Sachs talked to a wide range of women who faced down fears, roadblocks, and failures to reinvent themselves. The book weaves their insights and experiences together with current research and actionable advice. You'll learn how to:

Capitalize on your skills and expand them • Grow comfortable with being uncomfortable • Boost your confidence • Sell your story • Engineer serendipity • Nurture your network • Shake off setbacks • Brand yourself—without bragging • Build momentum • Compete with digital natives • Reposition yourself if you’re reentering the workforce • And more

Whether you want out of a shrinking industry or into a business of your own creation, Fearless and Free helps you dream big—and act now.

In My TBR Stack:

Sell With a Story: How to Capture Attention, Build Trust, and Close the Sale

by Paul Smith

AMACOM

Hardcover

From the authorr's website:

Stories sell. Great SALES STORIES sell even more.

Despite all the high-tech tools available to salespeople, the most personal method still works best.

Storytelling packs the emotional punch to turn routine presentations into productive relationships. It explains products or services in ways that resonate; it connects people and creates momentum. Stories speak to the part of the brain where decisions are made.

Paul Smith, author of the acclaimed Lead with a Story, shifts his best-selling formula to the sales arena. In Sell with a Story, he identifies the ingredients of the most effective sales stories and reveals how to:

• Select the right story
• Craft a compelling and memorable narrative
• Incorporate challenge, conflict, and resolution
• Use stories to introduce yourself, build rapport, address objections, add value, bring data to life, create a sense of urgency, and more

Complete with model stories, skill-building exercises, and enlightening examples from Microsoft, Costco, Xerox, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hewlett Packard, and other top companies, this powerful and practical guide gives you the tools you need to turn your experiences into stories that sell.

On My Radar:

The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds That Make a Business Great
by Joel Peterson with David A. Kaplan
AMACOM
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

Because you can’t afford to lose it… 
  

Trust is the glue that holds an organization together. It turns deflection into transparency, suspicion into empowerment, and conflict into creativity. With it, a tiny company like John Deere grew into a worldwide leader. Without it, a giant corporation like Enron toppled.

   

In The 10 Laws of Trust, JetBlue chairman Joel Peterson explores how a culture of trust gives companies an edge. Consider this: What does it feel like to work for a firm where leaders and colleagues trust one another? Freed from micromanagement and rivalry, every employee contributes his or her best. Risk taking and innovation become the norm. And, as Peterson notes, “When a company has a reputation for fair dealing, its costs drop: Trust cuts the time spent second-guessing and lawyering.”

   

In clear, engaging prose, highlighted by compelling examples, Peterson details how to establish and maintain a culture of trust. Steps include:

   

Start with integrity • Invest in respect • Empower everyone • Require accountability • Create a winning vision • Keep everyone informed • Budget in line with expectations • Embrace conflict • Forget “you” to become an effective leader • And more

   

With this book in hand, you’ll be able to plant the seeds of trust—and reap the rewards of reputation, profits, and success.

In My TBR Stack:

Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed
by George S Everly Jr., Ph.D., Douglas A. Strouse, Ph.D., Dennis K. McCormack, Ph.D.
Amacom Books
Hardcover

From the publisher's website:

What separates the best from the rest?

Professional athletes, surgeons, first responders—all perform remarkable feats in the face of intense stress. Why do they thrive under pressure, while others succumb?

What separates the two is attitude. Resilient people meet adversity head-on and bounce back from setbacks. They seem to naturally exude an inner strength—but studies show that resilience is something that anyone can build. Analyzing the heroic exploits of U.S. Navy SEALs and others who succeed against all odds, Stronger identifies five factors that combine to unlock deep reserves of personal power:

Active optimism—believe that you can change things for the better • Decisive action—you can't succeed if you don't take the leap • Moral compass—face any challenge with clear guiding principles • Relentless tenacity—try, try again • Interpersonal support—gain strength from those around you.

Drawing on the unique perspective of a standout team of authors (a stress management expert, a skilled entrepreneur, and a Navy SEAL), Stronger explores the science behind resilience and explains how you can develop this vital trait for yourself. Whatever your profession, today's demanding world calls for a special kind of strength. This revealing book holds the key.

Tuesday Preview

high-tech, high-touch customer service
by Micah Solomon
Amacom
Hardcover

From the publisher website:

In an age of Twitter, smartphones, and self-service kiosks, high-tech but still high-touch customer service is the answer.

 

Today’s customers are a hard bunch to crack. Time-strapped, screen-addicted, value-savvy, and socially engaged, their expectations are tougher than ever for a business to keep up with. They are empowered like never before and expect businesses to respect that sense of empowerment—lashing out at those that don’t. 

Take heart: Old-fashioned customer service, fully retooled for today’s blistering pace and digitally connected reality, is what you need to build the kind loyal customer base that allows you to survive—and thrive. And High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service spells out surefire strategies for success in a clear, entertaining, and practical way. Discover: 

• Six major customer trends and what they mean for your business

• Eight unbreakable rules for social media customer service

• How to effectively address online complainers and saboteurs on Yelp, Twitter, TripAdvisor, and other forums for user generated content

• The rising power of self-service—and how to design it properly

• How to build a company culture that breeds stellar customer service 

High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service reveals inside secrets of wildly successful customer service initiatives, from Internet startups to venerable brands, and shows how companies of every stripe can turn casual customers into fervent supporters who will spread the word far and wide—online and off.

About the Author

MICAH SOLOMON (Seattle, WA) has been named by the Financial Post as “a new guru of customer service excellence.” He is a top keynote speaker and consultant on customer service issues, the customer experience, and company culture. A successful entrepreneur, he coauthored the bestselling Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit. His expertise has been featured in FastCompany, Inc. Magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes.com, NBC and ABC television programming, and elsewhere.