Brinkman’s Favorite Business Reads of 2019

Feb. 12. 2020

Every year I swear I am going to get better about blogging on a more regular basis.

I think of topics and ideas all the time, but creative flow and actually having the time to write don’t seem to coincide as much as I would like.

So I am kicking off January2020 (the last day of what seems to be the longest month ever) to write about a few of my top reads (took away a few good nuggets) of 2019. (Note: I still did not finish this blog in January, oh well).

Note: I read a lot of what some would call “self help” but I would like to call it “Entrepreneur reads to Improve my quality of life and/or Business”

So let’s start with Brinkman’s Top Books of 2019:

  1. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

What I really liked about this read: It reminded me of some “old school” money management principles I needed to get back into check but I am still able to learn a lot of new strategies as well. After reading this book I hired a new financial planner I love who is already guiding me in the right direction.

Big takeaway: Saving money does NOT mean never having any fun, or not being able to do/buy the things you love. Slowly but surely-consistency is key!

2. Traction By Gino Wickman

This book has literally changed the Brokerage I work for, so I started to implement the strategies into my own business–and we are slowly but surely doing many things to keep up the momentum. I started this book in late 2017 and I had to take a break because I was not ready for the overload of information. However, if you are already managing a few people or a small business and change is due-I HIGHLY recommend this read.

Big Takeaway: This book thankfully, caused me to sit down and finally think and write out my (and the team’s) core values, and there’s quite a few quizzes to help you analyze where your weak spots are and stresses really hiring the right people.

3. What the Heck is EOS? By Gino Wickman and Tom Bowuer

This is the follow up book to Traction. I got a tad more from this book than Traction, however I do believe Traction is a great start. Once you get going–Traction reminds you to envision your 1,3,10yr plan and how to organize your meetings.

Big Takeaway: Weekly meetings are necessary. They induce 52 bursts of productivity! And Level 10 Meetings are where it’s at! This was great advice on how to organize our weekly team meetings, without getting two side-tracked and focusing on numbers/tracking (a weakness of mine we are still working on!)

And last, but certainly not least…

4. Dare To Lead By Brene Brown

Who doesn’t love this relatable, inspiring best selling author? Constantly working on my own self–personally and professionally, this read reminds me of how “hard” or guarded we have become in the workplace and lack of empathy. I also attended a two day Dare to Lead Conference that I enjoyed applying some of the book to strategies I can use with my own team.

Big Takeaway: Do not tie your co-workers/teammates/employee’s self worth to productivity. I am 100% guilty of this in my own personal life. When I start feeling “down” I at times make a “to-do” list to feel good about being productive. Or I have noticed that I tend to feel down on myself when I did not get as much crossed off the “to do” list as I had wanted when my days get turned side ways.

Quote I really liked from the book (quoted from another): In the past jobs were about muscles, now they are about brains, but in the future they will be about the heart.

If you have any books you recommend please send my way!

Current biz read: Positive Intelligence.