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Want some book recommendations that will improve your photography business and your life in general?
I love books and I love to read - especially books that help me improve my business.
It’s no coincidence that the time my photography business started to turn around was the exact same time I started to read business books, marketing books and self-improvement books.
I’ve read many, many CRAP books over the years.
But I’ve also read a good few gems that have made the most enormous difference to my work and to my life.
I’m asked all the time for book recommendations so I thought I’d share with you just 6 of the books I personally recommend you should read if you want to really take yourself and your business to the next level.
Ready?
Number 6 is this baby, ‘Essentialism’ by Greg McKeown (I took this on holiday and read it by the pool so it’s not in a good way).
You know when you feel like every day you’re just chasing your tail with a ‘to-do’ list the length of the world but even when you are busy doing stuff - you don’t actually feel like you’re achieving anything?
Yeah that sounds familiar!
Well, then this is a MUST READ.
It’s about actively pursuing less - not more.
And when you get that right, amazing things start to happen.
Busy fools beware - this will be a massive wake-up call…
Number 5 is a pretty legendary business book and it deserves to be.
I’ve read it a couple of times now. It’s The E Myth by Michael Gerber and it’s literally the bible for small business owners.
If you want to avoid all the mistakes made by pretty much everyone who tries to grow a small business then you need to get your hands on this.
It’s gold!
You’ll learn the surprising truth about what it really takes to grow a successful small business that you don’t end up hating.
The author of my number 4 book is pretty polarising but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Like him or hate him, he REALLY knows what he’s talking about when it comes to modern day marketing.
This is my favourite of Gary Vaynerchuk’s books and it’s called ‘Jab, jab, jab, right hook’. Basically this book is going to grab you by the scruff of the neck and show you exactly what you’re doing wrong when it comes to your social media marketing.
Luckily Gary also outlines exactly how you SHOULD be approaching your social media marketing for the win.
Serious nuggets in here!
The marketing legend that is Seth Godin wrote this next book which is number 3 on my list.
It’s Purple Cow and although its now nearly 14 years old - it is still and probably always will be relevant and important for today’s business owners to read.
In Purple Cow Seth Godin talks us through what it really takes for a business to flourish today.
The days of generic blasting of marketing messages are long gone.
Today you need to find new and innovative ways to show people how fantastic you are.
It’s all about being different from all the other black and white cows in the field that everyone is used to seeing.
It’s about being the purple cow that everyone notices and talks about.
You’ll love this one!
At number 2 I’ve chosen ‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek.
Everyone who reads this loves it.
The message is simple and clear - it doesn’t matter what you do, what matters is why you do it.
You might think that sounds like a pretty simple message for a whole book to be based on but Simon Sinek has filled this full of such interesting and amazing real life examples of how ‘starting with why’ is the key to creating a business that inspires people.
This is genuinely a game-changer.
I dip in and out of it all the time.
I didn’t even hesitate to choose my number one book.
You’ll be able to read this book from cover to cover in a few hours or less.
But you’ll definitely read it more than once.
It’s The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann and don’t let it’s size mislead you.
It may be short but its one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read.
The Go-Giver is a parable - It’s a made-up story that's used to deliver a message about how to really succeed in business by giving and if that sounds a bit corny and sick-making just buy the book and you’ll see that its anything but.
This book has influenced so many of my decisions since reading it.
And I’ve gifted it to lots of other people who’ve loved it.
It’s my stand out recommendation.
And there you have it - my top six books to read to improve your photography business and yourself.
And by the way, I have another very helpful resource for you - if you don't already have a solid business plan in place, then this article is for you. It has a detailed walk-through of the nine steps you need to complete in order to create an actionable photography business plan.
Do check it out!
Thanks Julie. I've just ordered your top 2 recommendations. I'm very keen to improve my business and I always appreciate all of your fantastic advice that you are so great at sharing.
You'll love them Wendy!!! Let me know how you get on! J. Xx