We all know the freedom that comes from being an entrepreneur. This holiday week a couple of friends of mine got together to offer you the chance to soak up the holiday sun, sip some lemonade and enjoy the gift of free and very low costs books to improve your business.

Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It will be available this week as a Free Kindle download. You’re on a road trip with an old man and a younger one.

Business stories are told. Wisdom is revealed. A new perspective emerges. Companies like Costco and Kodak, General Motors and Walmart provide color and texture as they appear on the horizon and in the rearview mirror. Real companies. Real decisions. Real outcomes. Jeff Bezos and Amazon give this road trip its rhythm as the four pillars of their success are made plain. It’s a wonderful success, easily repeated, even by a lemonade stand. But only if you understand the importance of the marshmallow.

See why many of the reviews are calling this one of  the business book they ever read.

“Wow, that is one of the best “business” books I’ve read in years. Incredibly inspiring — both the story itself and the way in which you told it. I’m in awe.”

– Scott Brinker, ChiefMartec.com

road to recognitionOne of my favorite books of the year is The Road to Recognition: The A-to-Z Guide to Personal Branding for Accelerating Your Professional Success in The Age of Digital Media by Seth Price and Barry Feldman.

Ready to reap the rewards of recognition?

You own a brand.  Its name is your name.

You need to take ownership of it and earn recognition as an expert in your field. There’s no simple shortcut. But now there’s a remarkably useful roadmap featuring:

  • An A to Z guide packed with actionable advice for developing your personal brand and accelerating your professional success.
  • 26 practical lessons to help you whether you’re an entrepreneur, business leader, aspiring professional, creative, marketer or second careerist
  • Insights from professionals who are reaping the rewards of recognition

“There are plenty of smart people and resources in this industry, but few think about the delivery and reader experience like Seth and Barry. If you’re a believer in books that are both nutritious AND delicious, you’re in luck.”
—  JAY ACUNZO, founder of Unthinkable.fm

It is because it is such a thick and juicy experience that this book is too meaty for Amazon to deliver it for free. However it is a steal at $1.99.

Good CompanyMake sure to grab Tim Miles Good Company: Making It – Keeping It – Being It. Tim is a good friend and partners with our mentor and co-author Roy H Williams.

Fish don’t know they’re in water. We’ve been like that, too.

Tried-and-trusted methods of communication no longer ring true in today’s marketplace.

What’s more (or less, as the case may be), the systems you relied upon are failing … maybe.

If you want to not only survive but thrive in this century, you’re going to need to reorient yourself to a new way of thinking.

Inside this book, you’ll find three sections devoted to case studies, lessons learned, and stories of business growth, customer delight, and personal development.

In Part I – “Making Good Company” – you’ll learn about strategy and about what matters and what doesn’t to consumers today. You’ll learn to critically and objectively analyze what you’re trying to make happen, and what’s in your way.

In Part II – “Keeping Good Company” – you’ll learn some of the secrets that have helped my words win customers in seven countries. You’ll see and – through a complementary private website – hear actual examples of copywriting and customer service success stories to help you win new customers and delight the ones you already have.

In Part III – “Being Good Company” – you’ll learn some techniques for separating the truly important from the merely urgent. You’ll take a look inside the Miles family – where Dee and I have learned to look at the world a little differently since our son was diagnosed with autism.

A book filled with heart, humor and historical success, Good Company will help you live, work and play a little better, a little truer, and a little stronger.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, you’re going to come away disappointed.

This book is the diet and exercise of marketing and communication and persuasion. If you’re looking for a bag of magic beans, I wish you the best of luck. But don’t worry – I’m sure some social media expert will be by in a few minutes.

Of Goats and Ads…Why You Should Know Tim Miles

A few years ago I became fascinated by a radio commercial for a local coffee store that talked about the legend of Kaldi the goat herder and his dancing goats. I don’t even drink coffee, and I never considered changing the channel when this spot came on. It was flat out the most unique ad message I can remember hearing or seeing, and I sold print ads for nearly a decade. It wasn’t until about 18 months ago that I finally figured out that Tim Miles was responsible for this astonishingly fresh and compelling work.

Turns out Tim is from my city and he knew my wife. I had become a fan of his blog and his unique style on social media. In fact, I was jealous of his talent. He’s someone who has fought the wars, lived through the struggles, and still remains an incredibly humble man. Not afraid to admit it, I wish I were a bit more like him. And he’s not the geek he makes himself out to be.

Now for his book…read it! Buy several copies and share it with those you are close to who need help marketing something. It’s full of insights, powerful concepts, and bursting with real life examples. I wish I’d had this book before I started on my ad selling career. Makes me wish I had been selling ads for radio and had this guy creating them for my clients. I have no doubt I would have been far more successful. He’s that good.

If you’re a fan of intellectual humor, a la Dennis Miller, then you’ll love Tim’s work. The guy is so stinking talented and brilliant that I have a feeling I missed some of the points he made in the book. I plan on re-reading it several times. The thing I find most compelling is when I’m reading an example, I can almost always think of a situation where it would either help a current client or would have benefited a former client. Please don’t let that happen to you. Buy this book and use the information in it to take your clients to another level. In 10 years, you’ll look back and think, “I remember when I read his first book. It was a wise investment.”

Enjoy! Have a safe and relaxing Independence Day Weekend her in the US.
P.S. We invite other authors who serve this audience to set their books free this week and let us know so we can add it to the list here.