I’m a former philosophy professor who fled academia when I realized that the Ivy Tower is where Big Ideas go to die. I started my business, The Pocket PhD because I wanted to help experts become thought leaders and translate their expertise for a lay audience. As a business book ghostwriter and developmental editor, I get to collaborate with my clients to help them find the ideas that will increase their credibility, authority, and visibility. I’m always scouting for great business books like the ones on this list (occupational hazard). I hope these books give your business a boost!
I wrote
Unwritten: The Thought Leader's Guide to Not Overthinking Your Business Book
There’s nothing I like better than an underdog story, especially one about business. This book deconstructs several underdog stories. In it, Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square, shares what he believes is the key to building a resilient, world-changing company: a strategy he calls the Innovation Stack.
From a glassblower who lost a sale because he couldn’t accept American Express to taking on the credit card industry (and Amazon), it’s a thrilling story told brilliantly, and I found it to be bursting with business lessons. I loved the irreverent first-person look inside Square, but the narrative is so much bigger than the story of Square. Thank you, Tim McKelvey, for reminding me to listen to the entrepreneur inside.
From the cofounder of Square, an inspiring and entertaining account of what it means to be a true entrepreneur and what it takes to build a resilient, world-changing company
In 2009, a St. Louis glassblowing artist and recovering computer scientist named Jim McKelvey lost a sale because he couldn't accept American Express cards. Frustrated by the high costs and difficulty of accepting credit card payments, McKelvey joined his friend Jack Dorsey (the cofounder of Twitter) to launch Square, a startup that would enable small merchants to accept credit card payments on their mobile phones. With no expertise or experience in…
As a high achiever, it’s easy to be critical of myself. So, any book that reminds me to look at the brighter side of things tends to make a good impression on me. The main idea here is that unsuccessful people focus on “the gap,” while successful people focus on “the gain.”
I appreciated this book for helping me think about all the ways I’m making progress and reminding me to celebrate even the small wins.
Dan Sullivan shares his simple yet profound teaching that, until now, has only been known to his Strategic Coach clients: unsuccessful people focus on 'The Gap', but successful people focus on 'The Gain'.
Most people, especially highly ambitious people, are unhappy because of how they measure their progress. We all have an 'ideal', a moving target that is always out of reach. When we measure ourselves against that ideal, we're in 'the GAP'. However, when we measure ourselves against our previous selves, we're in 'the GAIN'.
That is where The GAP and The GAIN concept comes in. It was developed…
Many people from all walks of life, even after many accomplishments and experiences, are often plagued by dissatisfaction, pervasive longing, and deep questioning. These feelings may make them wonder if they are living the life they were meant to lead.
Living on Purpose is the guidebook these people have been…
I appreciated this book for refocusing my attention on asking questions and getting curious rather than believing I have all the answers. Although the lessons in this book apply to life as much as business, the reason I added it to a list about growing your business is because I believe curiosity should be number one on every business owner’s list of skills.
In an increasingly partisan landscape, the most practical tool I can develop to build relationships—which are key to growing my business—is having curious (and difficult) conversations.
"I can see this book helping estranged parties who are equally invested in bridging a gap-it could be assigned reading for fractured families aspiring to a harmonious Thanksgiving dinner." -New York Times
"Like all skills, these techniques take practice. But anyone who sincerely wants to bridge the gaps in understanding will appreciate this book. Guzman is emphatic about making an effort to work on difficult conversations." -Manhattan Book Review
We think we have the answers, but we need to be asking a lot more questions.
Journalist Monica Guzman is the loving liberal daughter of…
If there’s one universal truth, it’s that change is constant. Business owners who refuse to accept this truth are going to struggle to grow their businesses. At first glance, Emergent Strategy doesn’t seem like a business book at all. But it has opened my mind to see change in my business in a whole new light.
As much as I would love to get to a place where revenue flows like time passes, I am better off recognizing that there will be ebbs and flows and reflecting on how I can shape those ups and downs. adrienne maree brown reminded me to study change and make it my friend rather than fight against it.
In the tradition of Octavia Butler, radical self-help, society-help, and planet-help to shape the futures we want.
Inspired by Octavia Butler's explorations of our human relationship to change, Emergent Strategy is radical self-help, society-help, and planet-help designed to shape the futures we want to live. Change is constant. The world is in a continual state of flux. It is a stream of ever-mutating, emergent patterns. Rather than steel ourselves against such change, this book invites us to feel, map, assess, and learn from the swirling patterns around us in order to better understand and influence them as they happen. This…
Gifts from a Challenging Childhood
by
Jan Bergstrom,
Learn to understand and work with your childhood wounds. Do you feel like old wounds or trauma from your childhood keep showing up today? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with what to do about it and where to start? If so, this book will help you travel down a path…
This was the antidote to “hustle culture” I didn’t realize I needed. Every page drips with passion from Tiffany Dufu. She has the courage not only to do what many women are afraid to do but also to turn her life’s lessons into a guide for the rest of us.
As a business owner, it’s easy for me to lose sight of what truly matters. Sometimes, that means chasing a social media algorithm when I should be building relationships in real life. Sometimes, that means putting my client's work ahead of my own joy. This is the book I pick up when I need permission to be a little less perfect.
An inspirational and insightful guide for those who want to get it all by doing less
For women, a glass ceiling at work is not the only barrier to success - it's also the increasing number of obligations they face once they leave the office. Women have become accustomed to delegating, advocating and negotiating for themselves in the workplace, but when it comes to managing home life, they are still juggling too many balls. A simple solution is staring them in the face: use these skills to negotiate in their personal lives.
This is a business book about how to write a business book. While most books about writing are written by writers for other writers, this book is written by a business owner (a best-selling ghostwriter) for other business owners. It shows you how to write a book without bringing your business to a screeching halt. And most importantly, it teaches you how to prioritize your time so you don’t end up overthinking where you need to let go (the writing) and underthinking where you need to lean in (positioning, publishing, and promoting).
It helps aspiring business book authors get their big ideas out of their heads and into the world.
