Priority Pursuit
A podcast dedicated to helping small business owners define, maintain, and pursue both their business and personal priorities so they can build lives and businesses they love.
Priority Pursuit
5 Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read
Let's talk about something every small business owner can benefit from: never stop learning.
And guess what?
We've got a list of five must-read books that'll make a big impact on your business.
These five books are full of practical strategies that you can start using right away. From managing your business finances to fine-tuning your marketing efforts, each book offers unique insights and real-world examples.
We all know how essential it is to keep our clients happy and loyal, and these reads provide actionable tips on doing just that.
You won't want to miss this episode. Tune in to hear our top five book recommendations for growing your small business and get ready to start implementing new strategies today.
Specifically, this episode highlights the following themes:
- How staying small can lead to greater success.
- The importance of clear messaging and identifying your ideal audience.
- Practical approaches to managing finances and retaining clients.
Other Mentioned Links & Resources
Episode 155: Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Better
https://treefrogmarketing.com/bigger-doesnt-always-mean-better
Episode 154: How to Set Boundaries & Get Your Clients to Respect Them
https://treefrogmarketing.com/how-set-boundaries-clients-respect-them
Read Company of One by Paul Jarvis
https://amzn.to/4ags3mh
Read How to Grow Your Small Business by Donald Miller
https://amzn.to/3LZs1Fh
Read Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
https://amzn.to/3SKAm3k
Read Magnetic Marketing by Dan Kennedy
https://amzn.to/3SM20Nv
Read The Client Retention Handbook by Josh Nelson
https://amzn.to/4fyqP9H
Learn more about Blinkist
https://www.blinkist.com/en/app/for-you
Learn More About Treefrog’s Small Business Marketing Resources & Services:
https://www.treefrogmarketing.com
Receive 50% Off Your First Year of HoneyBook:
https://www.treefrogmarketing.com/honeybook-coupon-code
Book a Strategic Marketing Coaching:
https://treefrogmarketing.com/marketing-consulting-small-businesses
Join the Priority Pursuit Podcast Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/179106264013426
Follow or DM Treefrog Marketing on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/treefroggers
Follow or DM Kelly Rice on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/treefrogkelly
Follow or DM Victoria on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/victorialrayburn
Kelly Rice [00:00:00]:
And remember, there are plenty of resources out there to help you find time to explore and read, like blinkist.com and audible.com. so you don't really have an excuse not to get started. And I promise your willingness to learn and implement new strategies will make the world of difference in your business and life outside the office. Hey there. You're listening to the Priority Pursuit podcast, a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners and leaders define, maintain, and pursue both their personal and business priorities so they can build lives and businesses they love. And I'm your host, Kelly Rice. And today we're diving into something that can truly help you grow your business, which is simply never stop learning. And to be fair, when I heard this as a younger business owner, I honestly, it like it went in one ear and out the other.
Kelly Rice [00:00:48]:
But boy, do I wish that I would have listened to this golden nugget of advice a lot sooner than I did. And this is because I've had the honor of being surrounded by some really, really great people who fed into my life and business. And the one thing they all have in common is that they continually seek out opportunities to learn, and then they share that knowledge with others. So today I would love to share five books with you that have taught me some really big lessons or helped develop systems within my own business. So, but before you decide to stop listening simply because I said that we're going to talk about books, then you're not a reader. Just hold on a second. I wasn't either. So I had to figure out what worked for me and then make learning a priority.
Kelly Rice [00:01:32]:
And really, there are so many different resources out there that can make it so much more easier to explore. Books like Blinkist.com and Audible, which I'll link in the show notes for you later. But I will tell you that Blinkist is my favorite because the app, it gives you detailed summaries of hundreds, if not like thousands of books and what they call blinks. And if you have add like me, you can, like, quickly listen to or read what they call blinks, and they last anywhere from, like five to 20 minutes. But the reason that I, that I love them so much is that because I can listen to a blink about a book and get a really good understanding and a summary and kind of like an overarching message of all the techniques that are taught in the book and then determine if it's something that I really want to, like, dive in and read or listen to fully on somewhere like audible. Because I do listen to a lot of books as I drive because I'm driving all the time. And then if I choose not to purchase the book or listen to it because of the blink, at least, you know, I got the gist of what the book was and you could take a few takeaways. So if you're old like me, if you remember Cliff notes from 100 years ago, it's basically the same thing, but it works for me.
Kelly Rice [00:02:41]:
So just because you're not a reader doesn't mean that you can't get this in. So using this technique really has saved me countless hours of reading books that I thought would be beneficial, but really didn't provide the insider information that I thought they would. So plus, based on the like, on your search history or whatever you're reading, the app actually recommends books that you should consider reading the blinks to. And that's been really helpful for me to discover new authors and topics that I honestly probably wouldn't have sought after, you know, to read on my own. So you don't have to sit down and read to actually get value out of a book. So hear me out. All you really need to do is find a book reader, like audible and simply listen when you're working or sitting in your car waiting to pick up kids from school or practice. Because if you're like me, you're always going somewhere.
Kelly Rice [00:03:27]:
Do it while you're driving, just pop your airpods in and then listen while you're doing dang near anything, I think. So just, just, you don't need to make it hard, you just need to make it a priority. So, okay. With that lecture about reading and learning a priority, let's review the top five books that have made such an impact on my life in business. So the first one is company of one by Paul Jarvis. And we've actually talked about this in previous episodes. And is it actually, it's a more recent recommendation from my friend Travis, who runs Honest Podcast, and it is a game changer, especially for those of us who feel pressured to constantly grow and expand. And this is because the author challenges the notion that bigger is always better.
Kelly Rice [00:04:14]:
Instead, he advocates for staying small and lean, which can actually be more profitable and fulfilling. So while I was reading the book, I felt like the author was saying everything that I had learned over the past 20 plus years, especially about how staying small on purpose presented so many more opportunities to grow as a business, to develop and support my staff in them, really find a stronger work life balance, because a lot of us small business owners were terrible at the whole work life balance thing. So and I think that I felt what he was saying so deeply because every small business owner I feel like is taught. Or we just assume that scaling and expanding are the ultimate indicators of success. But in reality, it's not true for all of us. And for the record, I do want to say that there's nothing wrong with scaling or building a business if that's what you want. I just want you to know that you don't have to do that in order to be successful. And I know this firsthand because in 2016, I tried growing the exponential route by increasing staff and hiring a salesperson and really looking to get to the next level.
Kelly Rice [00:05:23]:
But I had no idea what I was doing. I was just going off the bigger is better mentality, and I just thought that's what I needed to do to help Treefrog grow. But it actually turned out to be the absolute worst decision that I've made for Treefrog. And I talk about this journey in episode 155. Bigger doesn't always mean better. So if you want to go back and listen to that lesson learned the hard way, I'll link it in the show notes if you want to listen to the whole story, but I know many of you listening might feel the same pressure as I did. Like you need to keep expanding to be seen as successful. But if you want to stay small, you can work to streamline your operations and focus on what truly matters to your customers, which will drive results.
Kelly Rice [00:06:09]:
It will build stronger profits for you, and it will help you enjoy a better work life balance. So I highly recommend this book. Okay, next one is is how to grow your small business by Donald Miller. And if you've listened to this podcast, you know that Victoria and I are both really big fans of Miller's story brand framework. And this book really is no different because it provides a clear roadmap for growth, focusing on practical strategies that you can implement right away. And one of the biggest parts of this book from a marketing perspective is the emphasis on identifying your ideal audience, clarifying your messaging, and then creating systems to effectively reach your best customers with content in offers that they actually want, not just stuff that you think that they want to know. And if you listen to even one of the episodes of this podcast, there's a chance that Victoria or I brought up how important it is to clarify your messaging through creating marketing guiding statements. And you need to do this literally before you determine anything else, like what social platforms you should be on or how much money you should spend or put towards Google Ads, building a new website, or anything else marketing related because if you don't clarify your message June 1, you're literally wasting your time and money.
Kelly Rice [00:07:22]:
And this book helps you understand the reasons why we're so passionate about this. Plus, it gives a solid breakdown of how to build and sustain a small business. And personally, I found the financial portion of this book to be very helpful because as a small business owner, no one really breaks this down in an understandable way. Before, you know, we start a business.
Natalie Franke [00:07:43]:
What would you do with an extra 45 minutes every workday that would save you 16 hours a month or roughly eight days a year? And over the course of your career, we're talking about over one year of your life. Saved all that time back? Well, many independent business owners spend far more than 45 minutes a day on administrative tasks, and with honeybook, you can get that time back. And then some. Honeybook lets you easily manage projects, contracts, invoices, scheduling and client communication, saving you time and allowing you to better serve your clients. For a discount on your first year of Honeybook, visit honeybook.com and subscribe with the code priority Pursuit. 45 minutes a day adds up quickly. Use it to focus on what matters most.
Kelly Rice [00:08:28]:
Many small businesses don't have an effective marketing strategy, and because of this, they try one tactic after another without seeing results. This not only prevents consistent business growth, it makes managing marketing efforts more difficult than it should be. As a marketing agency for small businesses, we understand how frustrating it can be when hard work doesn't deliver the results that you want. Because of this, Treefrog has developed a proven four step marketing system that will help any small business grow. On our website, you can also schedule a 30 minutes discovery call to discuss working with Treefrog to build a marketing strategy that will allow your small business to finally see the growth you've been working so hard to achieve. And then which kind of ties into my third book recommendation, which is profit first by Mike Michalowicz. Michalowicz, I don't know how you say his name, but the book's name is profit first. His system actually happens to be the financial framework that Donald Miller alludes to in his book how to grow your small business.
Kelly Rice [00:09:27]:
So profit first completely transformed the way that I thought about business finances because the author introduces a simple but powerful cash management system that ensures you are always profitable. And I believe this was a recommendation from my friend Dante Wilburn, who owns premier auto detailing and is a successful serial entrepreneur. And if you know Dante, you know what I'm talking about. But anyway, if you're like me, accounting was my nemesis, but this book helped me gain a better understanding of how to simplify the complexities of small business accounting. But for the record, I absolutely rely on my accountant and recommend that you do the same. But the core principle of this book is to show you how to prioritize profit by allocating a percentage of your income to profit first before paying expenses. And I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but just read the book and I promise you'll understand why the strategies make so much sense and it will give you a clearer view of your finances to ensure you prioritize profit. Now the fourth book is magnetic marketing by Dan Kennedy, and this book is packed with timeless marketing strategies that work really regardless of the any industry changes or what industry that you're actually in.
Kelly Rice [00:10:44]:
And if you've been in the marketing industry at all, you've heard of Dan Kennedy. But this book was actually a specific recommendation from my friend Mark Delfini at strategic boardroom, and I think he's read about, I don't know, a million more books than I have. So if you maybe we should have mark on the show sometime and go through all the books that that he's read. But anyway, one of the things that I loved about this book is that the strategies and the author lays out, they are, they're really just in line with what we at Treefrog teach and we do for small businesses every day, like clarifying your messaging to ensure you're talking to the right audience and you're not wasting your time using sales funnels to delight customers to help them want to work with you and creating systems that make your life easier, like automated follow up series and customer gifts, and just so much more so. Kennedy's no nonsense approach to direct response marketing is both practical and effective, which is probably the number one thing that I love about his writing and his systems. This is because at Treefrog, our marketing coaching and done for you, flywheel services are also built to be practical and straightforward. So if you are a black and white kind of business owner, this book offers clear strategies that will help you create big wins for your company, including the importance of creating compelling offers and clear calls to action that will help you generate leads and then convert them into loyal, paying customers. So last but not least, we have the client retention handbook by Josh Nelson.
Kelly Rice [00:12:14]:
Now, before we dive into this book, I do want want to tell you that it's written specifically for agency owners. However, there are mindsets and systems in this book that every small business can benefit from. I just want you to keep in mind that fact that if you choose to read this one and I also have to admit that I was actually targeted with an ad on Facebook that convinced me to buy this book. So a plug for right social media marketing. It totally does work. And this is because he did a great job of grabbing my attention, clarifying his messaging, and telling me what I get out of the book and then telling me what to do. He happened to hit me at the exact right time with the exact right message that I needed because I was looking for ways to enhance our customer experience that is never stop learning, right? So to be fair, this book didn't really offer anything that I didn't already know, but it did outline a system that helps keep clients happy and loyal to, which allowed me to talk to my team about ways that we could improve our system. So I love that the author shared actionable tips in real world examples that help improve customer service and increase retention rates.
Kelly Rice [00:13:23]:
And one of the key takeaways of this book is outlining the importance of communication and setting clear expectations with your clients, which is also one of the biggest lessons that I had to learn the hard way as a business owner. And if you want to dive in and listen to that full story about that specific hard lesson, you can do so at episode 154, how to set boundaries and get your clients to respect them. And I'll link that in the show notes as well. But following through with strategies from this book has helped trefrog maintain a high client retention rate by proactively communicating in exceeding expectations, we built strong, lasting relationships with our clients, and I've even had clients tell me that those small check ins and extra efforts made them feel truly valued, which is incredibly rewarding. So the takeaway for you from this book should be to create value enhancing systems and set clear expectations with your clients, really from the beginning, because it will help prevent misunderstandings and assure that both you and your clients are happy and on the same page. So there you have it, my top five book recommendations for small business owners. Well, for the time being anyway, pretty sure that we could do about ten more episodes like this and not even like make a dent in the books that Victoria and I have explored, but we'll save that one for another day. Anyway, each of these book recommendations offer unique insights and practical advice that can really help you grow and sustain your small business.
Kelly Rice [00:14:54]:
And remember, there are plenty of resources out there to help you find time to explore and read, like Blinkist.com and audible.com, so you don't really have an excuse not to get started, and I promise your willingness to learn and implement new strategies will make the world of difference in your business and life outside the office. And on that note, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Priority Pursuit podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, we hope you'll take a moment to share it with your small business friends to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and that you'll join us next week for even more marketing boundary and priority driven tactics you can use to build a life and small business that you love.