The Bookworm Club : Brand Called You

It's May. I know. I've dropped the ball. Perhaps it was a lofty goal to think I could read a book a month. Especially when it comes to business books. Often when find myself taking days and days to digest the information I've just read. That being said, I don't see this being an every month series like I had originally hoped it would be. Right now I'm going to play it by ear, especially as I move into wedding season. I hope you understand as I readjust The Bookworm Club schedule just a bit. It will continue to be regular series on the blog as I find them helpful and believe that books are meant to be shared and enjoyed! Reading will help us grow together! This month, I'd like to share with you The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya with Tim Vandehey.

I've just started to poke around this interesting book, and so far I've already taken three pages of notes! I won't say that the information printed on these pages is anything ground breaking or info that I haven't heard before. Instead that same information is processed in a completely new way, with a set of next steps at the end of each chapter. It takes that familiar knowledge and propels me forward by encouraging me to get out there and do what I've just read. Now these are the types of books I want to be reading!

The Brand Called You title is pretty self explanatory. It's a book all about creating a brand based around YOU and the unique characteristics and attributes that you bring to that brand. Down to every last detail your life and your brand should be a direct reflection of WHO you are, the kind of work you want to do, and the people you want to work with.

I'm such a geek for this kind of stuff so of course I'm enjoying every word. But beyond the information, the book is written in such a down to earth, tangible, get out there and DO IT, kind of way. I feel like the words jump of the page. The simple text juxtaposed with the end of chapter action plans are a formula for success. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you find yourself building a brand OR wanting to readjust your business goals.

Here are some of my favorite take-aways in the first few chapters. I'm eagerly awaiting to dive into the next part of the book, but I'm trying to take it piece by piece, making sure to truly digest each piece of knowledge!

-- "..you can have a public persona that stands for something clear, powerful and compelling in the minds of the people you come into contact with." - In everything that I do as a businesswoman I am trying to connect with customers. I try making sure that they understand who I am, what I do, and what I stand for, so that they can either connect with me or move on. It's definitely a work in progress but the more time you are in your business the more clear this persona becomes.

-- Specialize, specialize, specialize. 'Nuff said.

-- " Use your brand to communicate that unique things you do that create value, from creativity to specialized experience to comfortable chairs." -- What do you do as a business that is unique, that creates value? Each of us does something different and we should be capitalizing on those things.

-- "Most great brands are built through sheer persistence and repetition. There's no magic bullet, just a lot of work and smart decision making." -- This is my favorite quote so far. I think they have hit the nail on the head here. Often we want things to just work immediately, we want to see a strong, successful brand right away. But the reality is, it takes time. We need to build trust in our audience and our customers. The only way to do that is to be consistent and persistent in your message over a long period of time.

I definitely think that this book is worth taking a look at. If you are just starting out, building a brand or re-branding your business, let this book be your guide along the way!

*As always I'm giving away one copy of The Brand Called You to one lucky reader. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. The winner will be announced on Friday. Happy Reading!*

The Bookworm Club: Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey

I've been reading Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey since October. Little bits and pieces here and there. (and I'll admit I still have two chapters to go!) With so much information to take in, it has been helpful to read this book in this way. Small chunks of knowledge that I can breakdown and analyze over a period of time. And that's exactly how I recommend you approach this book. Dave covers so much ground you're left scribbling notes and pondering the lessons he's shared for days. This has been without a doubt once of the best business books I have read to date. The tagline (20 years of practical business wisdom from the trenches) is true and Ramsey doesn't hold back using stories and anecdotes from his years in business to share all that he's learned these past decades of business with the reader. Ultimately Ramsey's goal is to equip business owners to be leaders, to effectively lead their teams and their companies towards success. And while I don't have a team per say working under me I found every ounce of knowledge shared valuable. So if you're a small business owner, should you read this book? Yes. And here's why. Ramsey covers nearly all aspects of business ownership in the 15 chapters of this book. From vision casting to time management to salesmanship to working with a staff. It's all covered and within detail. Ramsey gives concrete examples of scenarios and solutions to problems along with practical ways to take on the day to day aspects of business. By now it's no surprise for me to write that I finish this book feeling completely inspired and ready to tackle some changes that I need to implement into my business!

Several points of this book spoke to me right where I am at in this stage of my business. These quotes are pulled directly from the text of the book and written by Dave.

-- "You cannot lead without passion. Passion causes things to move, and passion creates a force multiplier....Passion is not yelling or being wild; it is simply caring deeply. When you and your team really care about what you are doing, the natural by-products are quality, excellence, impressed customers, employees who become team members, and ultimately a high likelihood of profit."-- Am I communicating what I am passionate about? Am I making it easy for people to relate to that passion so in turn they too become passionate about what I am doing?

-- "Vision is the next step of developing your dream into something. Visions are dreams with more clarity. Dreams become a reality only when you pull them gently from the clouds and convert them into visions." -- I must find concrete ways to take my dreams and turn them into vision. That vision must be broken down in to achievable goals that will ultimately help me achieve the vision I originally had.

-- "As an Entreleader you have to share your vision with your team early and often. It is impossible to talk about it too much." -- I must talk about my vision MORE. Why am I doing what I am doing? And do people know that?

-- "The written goal is the breakfast of champions. You just can't do big things without making your goals specific, measurable, yours, with a time limit, and in writing." -- GET specific! I have to create time limits, deadlines, and specifications for all my goals! How am I going to accomplish them? When am I going to accomplish them? And who can I bring along to help me?

--"You will either tell your day what to do or you will wonder where it went. The weird thing is, that the more efficient, on task, on goal you are with your time, the more energy you have." -- Simply, I must create a better schedule for my business life that dictates when and where things are to be done.

-- "A powerful element of good decision making is to have lots and lots of options. Options are power and therefore options remove fear." -- There can be a lot of fear in the unknown in the life of a business owner. There needs to less fear and more options!

-- "The first reason they lose focus is fear. The same applies to you and me. Fear will cause you to lose focus every time because you are looking at all the potential for failure instead of concentrating on success." -- With a tendency towards pessimism and comparison it can be hard for me sometimes to maintain focus for the exact reason stated. I need to keep my head down and focus on accomplishments and ways that I can create continued success. No more worrying about a failed dream or goal or comparing myself to others. Hold me to it!

-- "Always be generous. Generous in business, generous at home, and generous in the marketplace." -- I try to live by this.

-- "Entire companies or their product lines cease to exist almost instantaneously in today's market. The only way you survive that as a business owner or leader is to be passionate and have a higher calling for what you do." -- There's that whole passion thing again!

-- "Your mighty oak was once a very scared little acorn. Your big train was once the little engine that could." -- It's important for me to look at just how far I've come instead of focusing just on how far I have to go.

-- "We all accept the influence of referrals and make referrals virtually every day...The trick in our business is to create such quality that we go viral with positive referrals in the community and on the Internet, creating instant rapport. And we must be very intentional about pushing referrals into the market as part of our sales plan." -- The power of a referral is HUGE. What am I doing to make it easy for clients to refer me? Who am I referring to other people?

-- "It sounds so primitive and unsophisticated when I state it again, but business is really not that hard. You are, however, required to do the basics or you will not win. Budget and do the accounting, stay out of debt, don't buy what is not needed to make a profit, save cash, and always be generous. When you do these basics with a steady hand and increasing sophistication you will find yourself running a stable and satisfying operation." -- Wise words from the money man himself. It all goes back to maintaining focus and allowing your dreams and goals to influence your money. Stay focused, stay on track and keep your bank account focused as well!

As you can see, I loved this book and appreciate all the nuggets of wisdom that Ramsey shared throughout the it's pages. A shoot from the hip kind of guy, Rasmey tells it like it is. But in a sea of fluffy feel good business books, Entreleadership stands out.  Practical advice and knowledge to help your business grow. As a business owner, I appreciate that kind of honesty and leadership. I'll definitely be applying much of what Ramsey shared to my own business this year!

Did anyone read along with me this month? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book if you did! If you're just hearing about this book for the first time and you'd like to win your very own copy,  just leave a comment below! I'll be announcing the winner on the blog tomorrow! Good luck!

**Next month I'll be reviewing Fine Art Wedding Photography by Jose Villa. So grab a copy and read along!**

The Bookworm List 2011

What a year of reading it has been!! To be quite honest, I'd forgotten just how much I've read this year. It's actually been surprising to me the amount of information that I've consumed! Having this series has been a great way to go back to the books I've read and loved. I hope that you've enjoyed this series as much as I have!

Starting in the New Year this series will look a little different. I wanted to have a way for you to be more involved in this reading series. After all, being able to participate and voice your opinion is what makes this exciting for me and hopefully for you! I have decided to focus on one book a month. Instead of it being random to you, after each review I will be announcing what book I will be reading next, in the hopes that you will read along with me and participate in the review the following month!:) While I've truly enjoyed sharing some of my more leisurely reads with you here, I felt like the series was a little disjointed. In effort to make it more cohesive and informative I am keep the series focused to Business and Photography. This doesn't mean that I won't be sharing my beach reads with you in the future, it just won't be in this format. I am still keeping the giveaway aspect as well. I am passionate about sharing knowledge and reading and love being able to pass that along to you! (provided it's a good read;)) I'm really excited for how this will all take shape and I hope you are too!

Because I am still in the middle of finishing Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey (I devoured the first half and have been trying to find time to dive into the second) I'm going to save that review to kick off the series starting in January. If you're interested grab yourself a copy and read along! I'm loving it so far and I'm really excited to review it here!

Below is the Bookworm list for 2010 and 2011. I thought I'd share what I read last year before I started this series because I read some good books too! Here's to another year of reading!!

2010 Reading List Red Hot Monogamy

The Secret Life of Bees

The Overnight Socialite

The Poisonwood Bible

The Help

Water For Elephants

Memoirs of a Geisha

Eat Pray Love

The E-Myth Revisited

2011 Reading List

The Paris Wife (I've read but haven't reviewed the book yet)

The Purple Cow (I've read but haven't reviewed the book yet)

Entreleadership (I've read but haven't reviewed the book yet)

The Hunger Games

What Client's Love

Pour Your Heart Into It

Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands

Love is The Killer App

Unbroken

Bossypants

How To Become A Rainmaker

It's Not How Good You Are It's How Good You Want To Be

Who Moved My Cheese

The Four Hour Work Week

Evidence Not Seen

Sacred Marriage

Freckleface Strawberry

All Marketers Are Liars

**And of course what would a Bookworm post be without a little giveaway! One lucky reader will win a $20 gift certificate to Amazon to pick out their own book! Just leave a comment below with your favorite book from this series and why. The winner will be announced tomorrow. Happy Reading everyone!**