January Monthly Roundup: 3 Books We Recommend

Hello! Several years ago, we decided to share books we've read with an accompanying short book review, along with interviews from a variety of business owners, designers and creative people via Books on the Go. 

As a precursor to that, we want to share with you a list of 3 books a month that we recommend.

January 2018

1. Good to Great
by Jim Collins

“Good to great companies first got the right people on the bus—and the wrong people off the bus—and then figured out where to drive it.”

— Jim Collins

2. From Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future 
by Peter Thiel

“The best entrepreneurs know this: every great business is built around a secret that’s hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world; when you share your secret, the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator.”

— Peter Thiel

3. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
by George McKeown

“How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?”

— George McKoewn

Excerpt from the book Essentialism by George McKeown

Three Questions to Ask to Create a Business of Value

As we work with our clients on any endeavor, large or small, we always aim to help our clients grow. Growth goals vary by company.  For some, the goal is to grow their existing customer base and audience. For others, it is to hone in on the most effective part of their current offering and amplify it, while removing distractions and other aspects that are less useful or relevant.

Sometimes it also involves drilling down to remember why that company exists in the first place so that the people involved can do satisfying work that they excel at and to keep their companies growing for the future. This applies to everyone within the company and thus offers a better fit between employees and work; greater job and employee satisfaction; higher productivity; and higher returns. It also helps in removing unnecessary expenditures and identifying areas that are not the best utilization of resources, whether it is time, capital, human labor or a combination of all of the above.

This approach builds upon the clear strategy and advice offered by Jim Collins in the book, Good To Great. In this book, Jim lays out 3 essentials to help build a business of true value. These 3 essentials are:

- what you can do
- what you love to do
- what customers pay you well to do.

Building a business of value lies at the intersection of these three areas.  We've taken this further and adapted it for our clients. Learn more about Our Approach.

In addition to this, we also have three questions or organizing principles that we think can help in creating and updating a business.

1. Where do you think the world is moving?

2. What are problems that you can solve?

3. What are some ideas you have that can be designed for a better future?

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