Leaders are readers: 4 inspiring book recommendations from Victoria Hicks

Every single member of the Melo board is a former business owner. We’ve launched ventures, changed direction, overcome hurdles, and celebrated successes.

And now, we’re united as an awesome team of five on our Melo mission. It’s been quite a ride!

So, we thought we’d share with you some of the books that have inspired us on our journeys so far.

As a team, we read a lot of books. They’re an important part of how we form our fresh, game-changing vision. As Ben says, “I find that my brain naturally takes a concept from a book and then finds a way to apply it to a different situation.”

If you’re looking for some new ideas or want to see your business through a different lens, why not add these fascinating book recommendations from Victoria Hicks to your reading list?

1. 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less – Dan Sullivan

Achieving 10x growth sounds like much more effort than aiming for 2x growth, right? Not according to Dan Sullivan.

Sullivan is one of the leading coaches for world-class entrepreneurs and in this powerful book, he talks about how important it is for business owners to think big and set ambitious goals.

If you only set “realistic” goals that are easy to achieve, you’ll never push your business to reach its full potential.

Whereas, setting “ridiculous” goals that may feel “impossible” to achieve could lead to exponential growth across what Sullivan calls your “four most important freedoms”: time, money, relationship, and purpose.

Like Jim Collins’ concept of “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAG), Sullivan advocates bold goal-setting as a powerful mechanism for stimulating progress, not just for the individual and their business, but for everyone involved.

2. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber

In his best-selling book, Gerber, a small business consultant, dispels common myths about starting a business that can often doom them to failure.

He walks the reader through the process of building a business step-by-step, and crucially draws attention to the distinction between working on your business and working in your business.

For Gerber, the key to successful business ownership is ensuring that operations run smoothly even if unexpected changes occur.

This entails building the right team around you and setting your business up as a prototype that can be repeated.

By putting the right strategies in place, your business will continue to run smoothly, even if you’re not there to lead the way.

3. Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business – Gino Wickman and Mark C Winters

According to Wickman and Winters, “visionaries” and “integrators” are the most explosive combination for business success.

Visionaries are the creatives who come up with groundbreaking ideas. Integrators turn those ideas into reality.

The book includes assessments to help you identify which camp you fall into, as well as practical tips for finding your perfect business partner.

When you create the perfect team, it’s like rocket fuel and your business will fly!

4. Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen – Donald Miller

In a world filled with constant distractions, many business owners struggle to make their brands stand out.

According to Miller, this is often because marketers and entrepreneurs make the mistake of creating a brand that’s all about them. When, in fact, most consumers want to buy from businesses that speak to their concerns and needs.

Essentially, they want to be the hero in their own story.

The StoryBrand process provides a framework for creating a brand using the seven universal elements of powerful stories to engage customers and dramatically improve business growth.

By weaving a story through all aspects of your business, from who you are to what you do and why you’re doing it, you could offer unique value to your customers.

Get in touch

Feeling inspired? To find out how we can help transform your business and improve the lives of your team and your clients, please get in touch.

Hit us up in our inbox at hello@melo.co.uk or natter with us on 0113 4656 111.