I'm not gonna lie, I used to hate reading.
It's because I fell behind in 3rd grade and could not keep up with the speed of my peers.
Now that I am running my own businesses and brands, I absolutely LOVE reading books about the business of design and designing businesses. I eat them up now!
Here is a list of the ones that I recommend because they have helped me so much throughout my business-building journey.
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind
by 99u
START HERE and get this book! Super easy read and it taught me many of the things that I still use to this day.
Maximize Your Potential: Grow Your Expertise, Take Bold Risks & Build An Incredible Career
by 99u
After learning how to manage your day to day, go for this one!
Make Your Mark: The Creative's Guide To Building a Business With Impact
by 99u
This one is just as great as the other 2 99u books.
The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life
by Robin Sharma
If you're a morning bird, this will help you become a better morning bird. If you're a night owl...maybe this will convert you to a morning bird. I do wake up at 5am and get so much done all before 9:30am.
The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
by Blair Enns
This is the key to selling your creativity.
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
by Douglas Davis
This is quite the framework and is a gem for selling your creativity as well.
Rise of the Youpreneur: The Definitive Guide to Becoming the Go-To Leader in Your Industry and Building a Future-Proof Business
by Chris Ducker
I've been using this book as a manual for my creative business. The ecosystem that Chris Ducker teaches is powerful.
The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization
by Peter M. Senge
If you're a creative who is building a team, you need to understand how to manage people. This book put me in the right mindset for it all. The field book puts the theories in this book into action, which I also recommend for you.
Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine
by Mike Michalowicz
This taught me how to have at the bare minimum 5 bank accounts (Income, Profit, Owner's Compensation, Taxes, and Operative Expenses). It emphasizes that you should take your profit first, feed the other accounts, make sure the operating expenses is last, and cut costs.
Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself
by Mike Michalowicz
The Clockwork methodology is exactly what I've been looking for! The tagline says it all. The course and support system that goes with this book has been helping me to step my game up all around.
Did you read any of these? Let's chat about them in the comments below!
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