Key Takeaways
- Just because it’s summertime doesn’t mean real estate entrepreneurs should put their business’ on pause; in fact, they should use the season to gain an edge over competitors .
- Reading is one of the best ways to improve your entrepreneurial education.
- David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell is the perfect read for entrepreneurs looking to gain some inspiration.
Do you want to get ahead of your competition this year? Do you want to stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies of your industry? Do you want to share qualities with some of the greatest entrepreneurs of the century? Then it is time to jump on our strategically selected summer reading list for 2018.
The summer season is the perfect time to gain an advantage over competitors. Holidays arise, schedules change, and routines fall out of place, allowing entrepreneurs the rare opportunity to focus on their educations. The most successful entrepreneurs have one underlying trait in common: they all put a huge emphasis on continual learning. One of the best ways to keep education at the center of one’s attention is through reading. Books allow individuals to escape reality and enter worlds where anything is possible. Fictional novels enable entrepreneurs to expand their imaginations and be creative, while non fiction literature uses empirical evidence to teach entrepreneurs valuable lessons.
A common misconception that tends to surround the idea of learning is that it is tedious, time consuming, and boring. The fact of the matter is, your education is what you make of it. If you prefer watching documentaries over reading articles, great! If you would rather attend a lecture, conference or networking event as opposed to learning from behind your computer screen, more power to you. As long as you commit to bettering yourself and your business through the power of an expanded education, you are much more likely to realize success.
Your 2018 Summer Reading List
- David And Goliath by Malcom Gladwell
- Presence: Brining Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
- Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud
- The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History by Michael Hart
- The 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Startup Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job by Patrick J McGinnis
If you want to be a well-rounded real estate entrepreneur, it is important to curate a well-rounded summer reading list. While best-sellers and trashy romance novels are fun to read (and are still beneficial for advancing your vocabulary and improving your reading skills) they are not necessarily going to be the books that will help you to advance your career. It is just as important to read up on the latest in business and productivity in your industry as it is to sit down with a time-tested classic. Biographies are another great way to get new ideas for your business. As long as you pledge to reading several books this summer, you will be well on your way to success.
Summer is in full swing, so take advantage of the extra sunlight and include these books on your summer reading list:
1. David And Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
In David And Goliath, Gladwell takes readers on the journey of an underdog who ultimately triumphs. Gladwell has a unique ability to make sense of the connections seen in everyday life and uses this talent to define what separates the feeble from the powerful. If you need an alternative method of viewing setbacks or disadvantages, Gladwell will teach you how to create success from perceived weakness. If you are struggling to come back from the damages caused by a major obstacle, David And Goliath will reveal several unconventional ways of leveraging only what you have. Gladwell combines science, philosophy, psychology, business, history, and politics to create a work of literature with the aim of helping small businesses succeed.
2. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges, Amy Cuddy
If you’ve ever left a challenging situation wishing you could do it over, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges will help give you the confidence you need. Harvard psychologist and Ted Talk speaker, Amy Cuddy, tells entrepreneurs how attitude and success go hand in hand. If you or your business are in need of an attitude adjustment, let Cuddy teach you how to harness your inner strength take control of your personal power. In Presence, Cuddy reveals how instilling confidence in a situation is half the battle when it comes to any interaction between you and your customers. It is not about setting out on a spiritual quest to find your secret power, it is about tweaking your body language, mindset, and behavior one step at a time. Let Cuddy empower you to change the way you do business by simply altering your day-to-day routine.
3. Necessary Endings, Henry Cloud
We’ve all heard the saying ‘when one door opens, another door closes’, which Cloud completely embodies in Necessary Endings. In both your personal and professional life, there comes a time when something must end. Whether that means a romantic relationship or a business partnership, sometimes termination is better than the alternative of failure. If you are hesitant to pull the trigger when something isn’t working out, Necessary Endings is sure to give you the push you need. Cloud will challenge you to achieve the growth you desire and deserve by viewing things differently. Endings tend to be accompanied by hesitation, sadness, and regret, but Cloud argues that endings can in fact be a strategic step towards something better. Include Necessary Endings on your summer reading list if you need help overcoming your resistance to change.
4. The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History, Michael Hart
If you are the type of person who learns best by studying other people’s successes and failures, Hart’s The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History will be the best book you read all year. Astrophysicist, Michael Hart, explains from the beginning of his somewhat controversial book that he does not rank individuals based on their greatness but instead on his or her ability to sway the destinies of millions of people throughout history. Although The 100 may not relate directly to the business industry (as it includes everyone from Mohammed to Jesus Christ) it does reveal the power of persuasion, determination, and confidence. If you are in need of a dose of inspiration, turn to Hart, who exposes the strengths and weaknesses of the most well-known individuals.
5. 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Start-Up Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job, Patrick J McGinnis
If you have a dream of starting your own business but aren’t ready to make the commitment of saying goodbye to your nine to five job, let McGinnis show you how to do both. McGinnis does not glamorize what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, in fact, he does quite the opposite. He reveals the challenges in a realistic manner, proving that it is sometimes better to take only baby steps into the entrepreneurial world. McGinnis provides readers a formula that allows individuals to use 10 percent of their time and resources in order to reach their goals while mitigating risk.
