BOOK LIST OF 2017

In that post I set a goal of consuming 52 books in 2017.

I failed.

I only consumed 36 books in 2017, well short of my goal.

But I still feel accomplished because of the knowledge, wisdom, and insights I gained in business, leadership, and personal development.

Consuming books (both reading and listening to) is an investment that keeps returning dividends year after year.

Again, my goal for next year is to consume 52 books.

What books would you recommend?
(Go here and send me a message with your recommendations, or hit me up on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Medium.)

The links listed below are affiliate links through Amazon.  If you purchase a book by clicking on the link, then you will be supporting my book consumption habit (i.e. I may receive income…not much but…).

5 MUST READ BOOKS FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS:

1. Making Money Is Killing Your Business: How to Build a Business You’ll Love and Have a Life, Too – Chuck Blakeman

2. Profit First: A Simple System to Transform Any Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine – Mike Michalowicz

3. The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months – Brian P. Moran

4. The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry – Warrillow John

5. The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams – Sam Walker

The books below are listed in order of my consumption not necessarily their impact.

I really enjoyed all of them. 

BOOKS ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:

The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors’ Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber

The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field – Mike Michalowicz

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others – Daniel H. Pink

The SPIN Selling Fieldbook: Practical Tools, Methods, Exercises, and Resources – Neil Rackham

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers – Ben Horowitz

The Tax and Legal Playbook: Game-Changing Solutions to Your Small-Business Questions – Mark J. Kohler

Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You – John Warrillow

Rework – Jason Fried

BOOKS ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: And Other Tough-Love Truths to Make You a Better Writer – Steven Pressfield

The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success – Darren Hardy

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works – Dan Harris

Total Brain Makeover – Srinivasan Pillay

Steal the Show: From Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for All the Performances in Your Life – Michael Port

Known: The Handbook for Building and Unleashing Your Personal Brand in the Digital Age – Mark W. Schaefer

High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way – Brendon Burchard

Principles: Life and Work – Ray Dalio

MUST-READ BIOGRAPHIES:

Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon – Brad Stone

FASCINATING BOOKS:

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future – Kevin Kelly

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert B. Cialdini

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions – Brian Christian

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain – Steven D. Levitt and‎ Stephen J. Dubner

FUN AND INFORMATIVE BOOKS:

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful – Marshall Goldsmith

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard – Dan Heath and Chip Heath

Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business – Paul Downs

Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts – Ryan Holiday

All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World – Seth Godin

Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work – Dan Heath and Chip Heath

Made to Stick – Dan Heath and Chip Heath

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants – Malcolm Gladwell

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future – Peter Thiel