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Ask a dozen successful entrepreneurs how they built their businesses. No doubt you’ll end up with a dozen different responses, and some may conflict with each other. But guess what? Having too many answers is better than having one — or none.
Lioncrest Publishing & DEO Dental Media Publishing
Truly, when it comes to stretching your brand’s reach, you want as many options as you can get. That way, you’re able to pick and choose those that seem like good bets. Don’t be afraid to gather insider secrets from outside of your industry, either. Seeing growth from others’ perspectives can spur the innovation you need to scale.
Where should you start? Try adding the following books to your reading list. Each one offers novel business expansion insights that may help power up your growth plans.
1. Dr. Dennis O’Neil and Greg Hiebert — Changing Altitude
In Changing Altitude, bestselling authors Dr. Dennis O’Neil and Greg Hiebert break down what it means to be a real leader. Even if you’ve led other organizations, you’ll appreciate this refresher on how to find and claim your true north. As you explore this leadership playbook, you’ll be introduced to seven critical characteristics of exemplary leaders. Use them to guide your moves and improve your confidence as the head of a growing company.
Related: 7 Authors Sharing New Ways to Reach Age-Old Success
2. Darshan Mehta — Getting to Aha!
You can’t get bigger without customers. Yet it’s easy to get confused when you’re trying to decipher customer data. That’s where Darshan Mehta’s Getting to Aha! can help.
Designed as an instructional guide, Mehta’s work helps you focus on the insights that matter. You’ll learn the three ingredients of insight (hint: empathy is the first.) You’ll also discover how the world’s most well-known brands got that way by analyzing and leveraging key customer and consumer information.
Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Collecting Customer Data
3. Emmet Scott — DSO Secrets
No matter how hard your industry, you probably don’t have the customer resistance faced by dentists. So many people avoid taking care of their mouth and teeth. How, then, do some dental practitioners build world-class empires? Maybe they’ve worked with author and dental group expert Emmet Scott.
DSO Secrets shares the special sauce that has led many other dental practices to become more profitable than ever before, while still delivering stellar customer experience. You don’t have to have a dentistry degree to benefit from Scott’s bold, proven recommendations for scaling your business the strategic way.
4. Louis Llanes — Financial Freedom Blueprint
Are you growing your business in the hopes of selling it someday and perhaps retiring early? You’ll want to have a copy of the Financial Freedom Blueprint on your shelf. Written for people who are interested in stewarding and bolstering their personal wealth, this book will take the edge off your money worries.
Learn the practices and tips that Louis Llanes has used to help other entrepreneurs gain fiscal independence. Remember that the less you have to worry about your nest egg the more comfortable you’ll be investing mental energy into your business.
Related: 17 Habits of Self-Made Millionaires Who Retired Early
5. Natalie Dawson — TeamWork
Without a high-performance team, you can’t reach your company’s true potential. Good thing Natalie Dawson has written TeamWork. Each chapter will reveal how to guide a team that’s aligned with corporate goals and prepared for the climb to the top.
If you’re not 100% sure that every member of your team is a contributor, TeamWork is a must-read. Not only will you understand how to spot winners during job interviews but you’ll know the steps needed to keep your teams charged.
6. Mike Malatesta — Owner Shift
Does it sometimes seem like the world is conspiring against your business? Mike Malatesta offers tough love — delivered with sincerity and compassion — in Owner Shift. It’s the journey of all the mistakes he made on the road to the top. And he’s the first to admit he made a lot.
This book is especially practical for founders tired of learning lessons the hard way. Rather than reinventing every wheel, lean on Malatesta to be your business growth sherpa.
7. Jason Williford and Jay Abraham — The Ultimate Real Estate Machine
Ah, real estate. It’s complex. It’s competitive. Nevertheless, it’s a field that entices thousands of people to become agents every year. Those that rely upon Jay Abraham and Jason Williford’s The Ultimate Real Estate Machine may do better than those who don’t.
What can you glean from The Ultimate Real Estate Machine even though you’re not in the real estate market? Prepare to be surprised. The marketing missteps alone are relevant across all sectors. And why wouldn’t you want to find out about some innovative selling techniques to pass along to your salespeople?
Related: 5 Amazing Tips on Turning Real Estate Into a Real Fortune
8. Evan Ryan — AI as Your Teammate
Once thought of as only for enterprises, AI has become a powerful ally for smaller companies, too. The trick is understanding how to see AI as Your Teammate, not your foe.
Author Evan Ryan explains the many ways you can incorporate more AI into your everyday operations. If you assumed that you had to bring on more people to achieve your scaling objectives, get ready to rethink the assumption. Properly applied, AI tools could reduce your payroll costs without putting more work on everyone’s plate.
9. Yusuf Moolla and Conor McGarrity — The Data-Confident Internal Auditor
Internal auditors have tough jobs. Year-round, they assess business risks by sifting through mounds of information. The Data-Confident Internal Auditor lays out multiple ways they can get more comfortable understanding and utilizing data, to level up their audits.
What can authors Yusuf Moolla and Conor McGarrity teach you? Chances are strong that you may be auditing your company solo or with the help of another executive or co-founder. Being well-acquainted with internal auditing best practices will only improve the way you protect your brand as it, and your data sources, expand.
10. Randall Powers and Dr. Donte Vaughn, DM — From CULTURE to CULTURE
It’s downright impossible to sustain any long-term growth if your corporate culture isn’t a well-oiled machine. How do you move From CULTURE to CULTURE? Just make yourself a pupil of Randall Powers and Dr. Donte Vaughn, DM.
Powers and Vaughn will show you how to transform your culture into a measurable, positive force. Remember: Employee engagement can be the key to whether or not your brand catches fire. Be sure your team is poised for greatness.
Related: Trying to Start a Business and Feeling Lost? 10 Books to Guide You Forward.
Scaling looks different for every business, it’s true. Regardless, reading about others’ successful ventures can only be a boon to your corporate growth plans.
