Books & Reviews
[Review] Our Iceberg Is Melting
"Our Iceberg Is Melting" is a fable by Harvard professor John Kotter about a penguin colony in Antarctica that weaves Kotter's eight steps of leading change to the lives of a group of emperor penguins.
[Review] The Art And Science Of Entrepreneurship
Is entrepreneurship an art or a science? Does founding and leading a company require finesse, gut feel, some degree of luck, or does it rely more on careful planning, surgical execution and detailed and constant reevaluation? The book "The Art and Science of Entrepreneurship" by Inderjit Singh attempts to answer the question even as he shares his lessons learned as an entrepreneur himself.
[Review] The Freaks Shall Inherit The Earth
Chris Brogan's book "The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators" touts itself to be a “real-world business playbook” for entrepreneurs (or wannabe entrepreneurs) who have a problem fitting into the strictures of society.
[Review] Sony Xperia E4
We take a look at Sony's Xperia E4 dual SIM smartphone, launched in the first quarter of this year.
[Review] Marketing To The Ageing Consumer
With greater longevity and lower fertility rates across the globe, we will see more older and fewer younger people over the next few decades. What then should companies do to prepare for such sweeping demographic changes? The answer, according to Dick Stroud and Kim Walker in "Marketing to the Ageing Consumer: The Secrets to Building an Age-Friendly Business", is to embrace age-friendly approaches.
[Review] Turning Silver Into Gold
While greying populations presents new challenges to global cities, aging authority Dr Mary Furlong views this as a golden opportunity in her book "Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace".
[Review] Who Scooped My Bagel?
Mary Beall Adler's book "Who Scooped My Bagel?: One Woman's Story of Love, Loss and Success" describes in painful detail how she stumbled onto her love for the humble bagel, the man who would introduce her to the business, and then later to the artisan bagel business itself.
[Review] The Innovator’s Dilemma
Backed by rigorous research, Clayton Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business" builds a premise that even well-managed companies that watch competitors, listen to customers, and invest heavily in new technologies can still lose market dominance.
[Review] Start With Why
Anchoring its core ideas in psychology and human behaviour, Simon Sinek’s book "Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" teaches us that outstanding leaders and organisations achieve a disproportionate degree of influence by following the principles of the “Golden Circle”.
[Infographic] 10 Books Every Aspiring Entrepreneur Must Read
TravelOutThere.com has put together in an infographic a great list of 10 books they feel every aspiring entrepreneur, small biz owner or wannabe traveller should read - and we agree with most of their choices.
[Review] Reinventing You
Dorie Clark's "Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future" is a step-by-step guide is designed to help you evaluate what you are good (and not so good) at, grow your personal brand, and reinvent yourself professionally.
[Review] Good To Great
Are charismatic superstar CEOs the answer to enduring success? What about dramatic mergers and acquisitions - aren't those the panacea to ailing companies? The answer, surprising, is no, according to "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't", a phenomenal business bestseller published in 2001 by renowned business author Jim Collins.
20 Biographies Every Serious Entrepreneur Should Read
Whether they’re rising from poverty, picking up the pieces and trucking on after multiple failures or ditching the familiar 9-5, these entrepreneurs have not only stories, but lessons to share.
[Review] The Economy Of You
"The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life" despite its title doesn't quite exhort everyone to ditch their current jobs and turn their latent passions into money-making endeavors. Author Kimberly Palmer, does, however, promote the idea of "side-gigging".
[Review] The Secrets Of My Success: The Story Of Boost Juice
Boost Juice founder Janine Allis pens her entrepreneurial journey in the book "The Secrets of My Success: The Story of Boost Juice, Juicy Bits and All", where she distills that experience into 30 business and leadership tips she calls her ‘recipes for success’.
[Review] Thrive
Capturing the essential qualities of what life truly is about, "Thrive" by Arianna Huffington, founder and editor of Huffington Post Media Group, challenges us to give of ourselves. This applies not just to our professional pursuits, but to our families, friends, communities and ourselves.
[Review] Content Rules
"Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business" by content and social media marketing savants Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman takes a look at burgeoning growth of content marketing.
The Complete Startup Reading List
Launching a startup is no small feat; if you’ve got one in the works, surely you know there’s plenty of hard work and a very real possibility of failure ahead of you. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most important books for startups of any kind.
[Review] Harry Potter: The Story Of A Global Business Phenomenon
Can Susan Gunelius' book "Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon" offer some insight into how we can replicate some of the success experienced by Harry Potter, the world's most bankable fantasy brand with an estimated brand value of US$15 billion?
[Review] The Mindful Marketer
Part self-help book, part management manual, "The Mindful Marketer" by Lisa Nirell is packed with practical and useful advice for senior marketers of all stripes. Drawing wisdom from diverse sources – Buddhism, organisational behaviour, psychology, digital marketing and much more – it covers the breadth and depth of scenarios in the working life of a marketer.
[Review] The Truth About IKEA: The Secret Success of the World’s Most Popular Furniture...
The book "The Truth about IKEA: The Secret Success of the World's Most Popular Furniture Brand", authored by 20-year Ikea veteran Johan Stenebo, provides a fascinating insight into what "really" happened behind its hallowed blue and yellow walls.
[Review] Great By Choice
"Great by Choice" is a highly thought provoking business book by bestselling "Good to Great" author Jim Collins and his partner Morten T. Hansen that attempts to find a "secret sauce" to enduring corporate performance.
[Review] Buyology – Truth And Lies About Why We Buy
Written by renowned marketer Martin Lindstrom, "Buyology" provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of neuromarketing, fusing the disparate disciplines of neurological science with marketing and consumer behavior.
[Review] Hatching Twitter
"Hatching Twitter" by New York Times journalist Nick Bilton is as much as an exposé on Twitter's founding as it is a cautionary tale for anyone in the startup scene. When money and hunger for power comes into the picture, friendships - and the fate of the company - will be at stake.
[Review] Scale
If you're hankering for a light read for the weekend, "Scale: Seven Proven Principles to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back" by Jeff Hoffman and David Finkel won't be it. Instead, it's a practical manual targeted at the serious entrepreneur who intend to free themselves from crushing everyday concerns and take their business to a totally new level.
Persistence – The Only Difference
An extract from "The ABCs of Success: The Essential Principles from America's Greatest Prosperity Teacher" by Bob Proctor to be published June 9 by Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2015, Bob Proctor.
[Review] Startup Guide For The Technopreneur
If you're a startup founder that needs to understand and work out the financial aspects for your company, "Start-Up Guide for the Technopreneur" by David Shelters is a must-read.
[Review] We Are All Born Entrepreneurs
Steve Welch chronicles the struggles and successes of men and women across the United States who overcame amazing odds to build successful businesses in his new book, "We Are All Born Entrepreneurs".
[Review] Startup: The Complete Handbook for Launching a Company for Less
If you're starting on your entrepreneurial journey, here's one book you must definitely consider: Elizabeth Edwards' Startup: The Complete Handbook for Launching a Company for Less is an excellent resource and step-by-step guide for the aspiring and budding entrepreneur.
[Review] The Benevolent Dictator
To successfully launch and lead a successful startup, there needs to be a benevolent dictator, asserts Michael Feuer, author of The Benevolent Dictator: Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit the Competition".