Business and Other Books

Jack. Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch with John A Byrne.
An autobiography of the famous and successful General Electric CEO Jack Welch. His brutally honest, straight from the gut, get to the point personality has rubbed some people the wrong way but you can't deny his success. I found a lot of interesting tidbits to be gathered from this book from his reverse mentoring idea to building a boundaryless organization. This is a fairly easy and enjoyable read but also offers great insights into running a business. Buy from Amazon.ca

Selling with Integrity by Sharon Drew Morgen.
'Selling' isn't the best word to describe what this book is about because the main message is do not try to sell your product or service to the customer, have the customer buy your product or service from you. It is all about facilitating the buying process starting with working with the potential customer to determine if they actually have a need for your product. If they don't have a need, or more importantly, don't realize they have a need, it doesn't matter how good a sales pitch you use or how much effort you put into it, you won't make a sale. I like the ideas presented in the book and recommend the book. Buy from Amazon.ca

The Complete Canadian Small Business Guide by Douglas Gray and Diana Gray.
A good introductory book to starting a small business in Canada. Covers business plans, tax issues, propietorships and corporations, finding office space, finding lawyers and accountants, as well as selling and marketing your business. Buy from Amazon.ca

Match Wits with Mensa
I am not a member of Mensa (maybe someday I will take the entrance test) but these Mensa puzzles are fun to work on and very challenging. For example: If TEN = 20 - 5 - 14 and MEN = 13 - 5 - 14; what do WOMEN equal by the same logic? Buy from Amazon.ca