Vote on our First Book for April & May 🗳️📘

[Pesso]

Hey Square Readers, 

Welcome to the Square Readers Book Club!

Me with all of our book options.

***VOTING HAS ENDED***

Check out our Announcement Post for our first book for April & May 2023

We’re so excited to kick things off and dive into reading together! But first, we need your help to pick our first book.

These are all books geared towards business owners like you, with strategies that can help run your businesses better. And of course, we’ll all share our own experiences along the way.

We’re starting with 3 books to choose from for our first book for April & May, and we’d love for you to help us decide!

1. Start with Why by Simon Sinek

"Why do you do what you do? Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not money or profit—those are always results. WHY does your organization exist? WHY does it do the things it does? WHY do customers really buy from one company or another? Starting with WHY works in big business and small business, in the nonprofit world and in politics. Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire.”

2. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

“Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business. Gerber walks you through the steps in the life of a business—from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed—and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether or not it is a franchise. Most importantly, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.”

3. Competing Against Luck by Clayton M. Christensen

“How do companies know how to grow? How can they create products that they are sure customers want to buy? Can innovation be more than a game of hit and miss? Customers don’t buy products or services; they "hire" them to do a job. The "Jobs to Be Done" approach can be seen in some of the world’s most respected companies and fast-growing startups, including Amazon, Intuit, Uber, Airbnb, and Chobani yogurt, to name just a few. By understanding what causes customers to "hire" a product or service, any business can improve its innovation track record, creating products that customers not only want to hire, but that they’ll pay premium prices to bring into their lives.”

Which one do you want to read first?

Vote by putting the number 1, 2, or 3 (or the book name) in the comments below!

What else is on your list? Do you have any business books you’ve been wanting to read? Put your suggestions in the comments below and we’ll take a look and consider them for the next round for June & July.

Stay tuned, we’ll announce the first book and start things off on Monday, April 3rd!

Make sure you click Join Group at the top of our Book Club Group Hub.

Also head over and help us pick a day & time for our Live Video Chat Discussion!

We can’t wait to read with you!

Pesso

***VOTING HAS ENDED***

Check out our Announcement Post for our first book for April & May 2023

[Pesso]

Thanks @DLRosenberg -- I did too! It's been on my list for ages so we'll see if it wins!

[QuokkaCoffee]

2, 1, 3

Present me thanks past me because I've already read two out of these three choices!!! 👏🏽

I will also always suggest Danny Meyer's 'Setting the Table', Colin Harmon's 'What I know About Running Coffee Shops', and Vaughn Tan's 'The Uncertainty Mindset'. Hospitality-focused, but accessible enough for the small business owner.

[Pesso]

Thanks @QuokkaCoffee ! 

That's so cool that you've already read two of them -- what did you think of them? Do you still recommend them?

Oooh, those sound fantastic and I'm adding them to the list, thank you!

[Meadmkr]

Hi,  Is it possible to put a list of books to read somewhere on here that we can all look at when looking for books to read as I am sure I will go thru more than 1 book a month so if the list was there I would probably read a lot of them.

Thanks.

[Pesso]

Hey @Meadmkr - this is absolutely part of my plan! Once I announce the first pick, I’ll put a whole list of the books that I have compiled! Keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks! 

[SnacksBySarah]

Amazing suggestions, thanks so much for posting these! I'm in the hospitality business too, so this is perfect! 

[RMA_2_OZ]

Start with Why by Simon Sinek is my choice!

[JessPoynter]

1, 3, 2 ...mainly because it's in the title...😁but really I've read it and I think it is absolutely vital. 

Other books I've read and some I have on my list 

Read
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Profit First for Salons by Ronit Enos
Implementation Code by Stacy Tuschl

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Science of Trust by John Gottman

Own It by Tabatha Coffey

The Women of Walt Disney Imagineering

In Progress

The Gap and the Gain

Scattered Minds

On the List

The Mountain is You

[Pesso]

Thanks so much for the ranking and that list, @JessPoynter ! I'll definitely work through those and add some to the options. Thank you!

[JUYBoutique20]

I love Profit First and The Miracle Morning...Great reads

[Pesso]

Thanks for the extra insights here, @JUYBoutique20 !

[SnacksBySarah]

Thanks for posting these!! I've been looking for new business books to read! 🙌

[Keesh]

LOVE Profit First!

[QARRoanoke]

1 Start With Why...sounds like a good place to start. 

[Pesso]

Thanks so much @QARRoanoke -- that's what I thought too!

[RosemarySalem]

#1

[Pesso]

Thank you @RosemarySalem ! Looking forward to having you as part of the Book Club-

[Blueberrygirl]

Competing againist Luck #

[ryanwanner]

@Pesso!  Since The E-Myth is already on my gotta get to list, I'd say let's start with that one. However looking over the other two offerings tells me that there will be no wrong choice.

[Pesso]

Sounds like a good plan, @ryanwanner ! Thanks for being a part of this-

[Anthem]

2

1

3