Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Best Internet Business Books

If you want to have a successful home based business, getting the right education is a must!

If you want to become a successful entrepreneur or have a successful home based business, you don’t want to get your business education from academics. You need to learn from people with real world business experience to become a successful entrepreneur. Best Internet Business Books

I have put together a short list of my favorite business books. Reading these great business books will truly help you develop into a well rounded and profitable entrepreneur and enable you to operate a successful home based business.

How to Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie
The author discusses methods for developing business relationships, a critical first step to any successful home based business. He opens the book with “If You Want to Gather Honey, Don’t Kick Over the Beehive”. I like to reread this book every five or ten years.

Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert Kiyosaki
This is an educational tale about a boy growing up with two dads; his biological father and his friend’s father who treated him as his own son. His Poor Dad encouraged him to succeed in school and to get a good job later in life. His Rich Dad encouraged him to learn the power and knowledge of investing.

Overall, this book is an excellent read. It will help you to build a strong foundational base for a long and successful entrepreneurial career. I would suggest this book as a primer to a business education and a must read for anybody that wants to build wealth and financial independence. Best Internet Business Books

Think and Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill
The author worked closely with Dale Carnegie to develop this and other business books. Napoleon Hill shares with us his 15 laws of success and 13 principles of person achievement.

The One Minute Millionaire – The Enlightened Way to Wealth. By Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen
This misnomer titled book has a blueprint for building wealth; it literally has a flow chart of “the one minute millionaire system”. The book lists a set of epiphanies that lead toward financial wealth.

The Millionaire Next Door By Thomas Stanley and William Danko
The authors compare and contrast “Under Accumulators of Wealth” to “Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth” to illustrate the difference in habits and actions of wealthy people and everybody else. This is one of the business books that will help you to take an introspective look at yourself.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Steven Covey
Steven Covey’s title really does say it all. He writes about the specific traits and behavior required to be effective; this applies directly to having a successful home based business.

How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not? By Robert Shemin
This book may just top my list of Business Books as my very favorite. Although the author is not particularly eloquent, he really did hit the nail on the head for me personally. The question is, if you are doing all the right things, why are you not more financially successful? He does a great job of summarizing all of the other books on the list.

So that’s my list of business books which I personally recommend to help you become a successful entrepreneur and to operate a successful home based business. Knowledge is power. Best Internet Business Books

Audio books are a great way to use ‘empty’ time. Load an audio book into your MP3 player or iPod – you can find audio books for just about any interest, from novels to business books and audio books about self-improvement to even the bible or the coran. You can find them 24 hours a day, just by clicking a few buttons on your computer and an internet shop delivers the contents for your iPod or MP3 player conveniently to you.

Even if they have only become very popular again recently, the concept of audio books goes back about eighty years! Initially books on tape or on LP’s were produced for the blind. Here’s a short look back in history:

Already in the 1920′s, the Royal National Institute for the Blind in England (RNIB) initiate research to find the best way to produce audio books for blind soldiers that were the result of the World War I battles. They finally decide to produce audio books on LP’s and the first ones were made in 1926. To play them they were put on the old fashioned LP players that had to be cranked by hand and delivered the sound through the big horn. This was a great development for the blind, but was hardly used by normal consumers. So these audio books from RNIB remained a niche product and never reached the masses.

The concept was successful and in 1936 the Royal National Institute for the Blind launched the ‘Talking Book Service’. The first two books they produced were:’The murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (Agatha Christie) and ‘Thyphoon’ (Joseph Conrad). Because the records could only hold 25 minutes of spoken text, an average audio book had to be recorded on an average of ten records.

During WWII, the studio used by the RNIB was bombed, and one month later a replacement studio was bombed as well, destroying much needed equipment to continue the production. The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), who had started to produce audio books in the USA sent replacement parts and equipment to London so that the production could be taken up again.

The old fashioned LP’s were replaced by modern LP’s and finally cassettes, making listening to audio books more convenient. Sony’s Walkman made it possible to take your audio book with you and listen on the go. This is when audio books started to be bought by the general consumers. The next step was to produce these listening books on CD, making them even more convenient.

Over the last few years the audio book technology has made a quantum leap: Digital MP3 files can be packed onto a player that weighs only a few grams and runs on a set of batteries for many hours. The most popular player is without doubt the Apple iPod, but there are many other MP3 players on the market that have helped to make listening to content on the go very popular.

Finding an audio book is as easy as typing an address into your internet browser, consulting the catalog of the audio book shop and then downloading your audio book within minutes. No more need to visit your local library or book shop. If you want to shop at 3 am – no problem, the shop is open 24 hours!

One shop that offers a wide variety of audio books is the AudioBooksCorner Store. High quality audio books from publishers like BBC, Hachette and many others cover a wide variety of topics. Best selling authors offer their books as audio books and the well known foreign language courses by Pimsleur are available for download too.

Reading Business Books: A Must-Do for Entrepreneurs

As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do to boost your business and improve your professional skills and knowledge is to take the time to keep up with the latest business literature.

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel like the challenges you face every day are unique to your situation. However, it is very likely that other professionals have faced, and overcome, many of the same challenges. There are so many great publications geared toward helping entrepreneurs just like you learn to deal with the day-to-day personal and professional challenges they face. Time you spend keeping yourself current with business literature is definitely time well spent. It is an investment in your business and in yourself.

Whatever your challenges are, you are likely to find great business publications, authored by successful professionals and consultants, that can provide valuable insight into dealing with whatever business challenges you are facing at any given time.

Suggested Topics Include:

The following list represents just a few of the many types of business literature that can help you hone your professional skills.

Business Networking: Books such as Million Dollar Networking and Nonstop Networking by Andrea Nierenberg provide great ideas for improving your business by learning to expand your network of business contacts.

Conflict Management: When you own or manage a business, dealing with conflict is an inevitable part of your job. Books such as the national bestseller Crucial Confrontations, written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, provide sound guidance for learning how to deal effectively with conflict.

Entrepreneurship: Dive Right In, the Sharks Won’t Bite by Jane Wesman is a great resource for those who are in the process of starting a new business, as well as for those who want to continue to improve their existing businesses.

Hiring Employees: Every time business owners are faced with adding a new employee, they wish they knew more about how to make the best choices from among the pool of applicants. Hire With Your Head by Lou Adler provides invaluable information about how to build great teams by using performance based hiring strategies.

Public Speaking: Does the thought of speaking in front of a group of people make you nervous or even terrify you? As a business owner, cultivating powerful presentation skills can be an excellent way to promote your business in your community and via the media. Publications like The Confident Speaker by Harrison Monarth and Larina Kase can help you learn how to overcome your public speaking fears.

Tip for Fitting Business Reading Into Your Busy Schedule

Entrepreneurs are notorious for taking care of everything and everyone except themselves. Most entrepreneurs will benefit greatly from making the time to focus on their own physical and mental well being, and most are also adept at multi-tasking. Since you’re probably already very good at juggling multiple tasks, why not put some of that ability to work for yourself? It’s fairly simple to combine the exercise your body needs with acquiring knowledge that can help you lead your business in an even more successful direction.

Get a treadmill or elliptical trainer, and set aside thirty minutes each day for yourself. While you are exercising, listen to the latest business books on your MP3 player, or read if you are coordinated enough to handle a book and the exercise equipment at the same time. Your health and your stress levels are likely to improve dramatically, and you will be maximizing the use of your time!

The growing popularity of the iPod has led to a number of innovations in several fields. It has truly become the most portable symbol of the mass media and how information can be disseminated through it. When the concept of the audio book was introduced it was challenged on the grounds that it was not mobile enough. But with the popularity of iPod, and with the fact that every other person now owns one, it has become possible to use it as a medium through which audio books can be played and made mobile.

With the growth of the iPod sales from 8.53 million  in the first quarter of the year 2006 to a whooping 10 million in the year 2007, there is no doubt about the wide reach that this small and simple device has among the people. Interestingly, this can be related to the topic we are now discussing – the popularity of audio books. The year 2005 saw a whooping fifty percent rise in the number of audio books sold than the previous year. There is indeed no doubt that this has happened because of more and more people finding out how their audio books can easily be carried around on their iPod, dispelling their concerns about being able to access them only from the comforts of their homes where they have a computer.

Apart form the iPod, mp3 players and other portable players that play audio files, the digital music system in the cars is another medium which has made the use of audio books extremely popular. It is a known fact that a large number of people spend a lot of time on travel each day commuting to and from their workplace. This has increased the time that they spend ‘on the go’, which means that a large number of people spend a lot of time in their cars. Therefore, the music system of the car becomes an ideal way to popularize audio books. Stuck in the traffic jam, there is nothing as relaxing as listening to your favorite author being read out to you as an audio book on your iPod. This helps a great deal in dispelling the gloom that one faces because of the number of hours one spends caught up in the middle of traffic on all sides.

One advantage that audio books have over their predecessors in hard copy, is that one can most easily multi task while listening to a favorite book being read out to them. They can be cooking or cleaning while the audio book is playing on your iPod. This is particularly useful for those who have very little time to spare to sit and read a book cover to cover. The beauty about this whole concept is that not only fiction and classic can be heard in the audio format, but also learning books, business books and even lectures can be heard as audio files.

Taxes are one of the major contributors to national treasury of any country. These in turn are utilized to carry out all the developmental activities for the benefit of the general masses. Individual taxes and corporate taxes are forms of direct taxes levied by the government. Every country has its financial head in the form of Finance Minister who frames laws concerning the nation’s budget. Each year, these laws are revised to meet the needs of current financial trends. It is mandatory for both individuals and business houses to file their annual tax returns. While it may be quite simple in case of individual returns, it can be quite complex when it comes to accounting for large scale business enterprises. Besides these innumerable financial entries, there is an exhaustive list of legal formalities which have to be complied with. With so many aspects to be taken into account for the calculation of tax, chances of errors are quite high. This is why most business units hire or employ the services of tax return specialists to ensure that errors are avoided. Individuals and small business units, household ventures who do not wish to spend large amount of money in hiring professional tax consultants can refer to tax planning books the fill up their tax returns on the basis of information provided in them. Since tax rates are subject to revision every subsequent year, tax planning may vary from one financial period to another.
Tax planning books are useful business books which specially cater to the needs of calculation of corporate taxes. Small business tax planning is all the more crucial for small businessman, as they cannot afford to take huge risks and push the firm into financial crisis. Thus, they too can refer to tax planning books besides small business books to have a better insight into tax exemptions and rebates to save some amount of their funds. Business books related to tax planning are in huge demand these days as every organization employs information contained in them to avoid getting into legal muck. Be it registration of trademark or patents or filing of taxes; innumerable firms have fallen prey to legal proceedings.
Tax planning are specifically published business books to comply with tax regulatory authorities governing that country. Any discrepancy in this regard may subject the defaulting company to unnecessary legal proceedings. Small business tax planning is essential if the small business owners intend to make their business a profitable venture. Tax planning books give entrepreneurs an opportunity to compute their firms’ annual tax returns using easy step wise guidelines. These business books prove to be beneficial for all kinds of business entities irrespective of the size and scale of operation. These books are not only informative but also serve as wise mentors guiding business owners on crucial tax related issues.

Amazon is perhaps one of the most successful businesses that the web has furnished since the Internet Boom. Known for selling books online, the website attracts millions of visitors every day. Some buy books while others just surf and look for new ones in the market. Although it is set-up like any other online store in the country, the Amazon provides great service that is hard to surpass.

Whether it is because of their strength in the market or the continuous upgrading of their site, Amazon has remained to be a market leader for years. What makes Amazon such a hit ? What makes their service different from other sites ? Selling Books on Amazon teaches you how to create your own cash generating business. Discover just how exciting your life can become

1. Visual representations

One important element that Amazon has in its website is the use of visuals and photographs of books. This is a good way to entice people into buying their books. It is also a good guide for people who are purchasing books that have different editions and versions. For instance, a business book will have different editions depending on where it is published and what publishing house made it. People who are looking for a specific version will find the pictures a big help.

2. Professional reviews

Another advantage of selling books on amazon is that other websites has in its site reviews of the book from professionals who are really adept in analyzing and critiquing novels and various kinds of literature. Through this, you can find a no holds barred opinion on what the book is about.

3. User reviews

Amazon.com also has user review corners, which anybody can make use of. People who want to have their opinions about the book heard can upload their reviews, comments or whatever else that they want to say about the book. This way, people will be able to know just what the public thinks about the novel.

4. Easy payment system

Amazon is convenience in your fingertips. With just clicking the book and then supplying your credit card information, you can already have the book delivered at your doorstep. You do not even have to move any muscles. Its easy payment system is one of the great conveniences that the site gives. Of course, the price can be pretty expensive if you add up the delivery charge but this is perfect for people who just do not have the time to shop but have lots of money to burn.

5. Cut-off prices

Amazon oftentimes cut off their prices especially for book, which are not so saleable but have lots of stocks left. Hard to find books can sometimes be found here.

6. Synopsis and other details

Amazon provides the complete details of the book, sometimes even posting an excerpt of the book. The experience is actually like shopping inside a bookstore except that you are inside your house and clicking the mouse instead of turning the pages. This is way better than the title and author that other websites provide.

7. Speed of connection

Despite its many graphics and materials, Amazon is a breeze to use. One click and you will already have in front of you the picture of the book as well as all the details that come with it. You do not have to wait ten years just to be able to complete one page unlike other websites that have really slow connections.