7 Books That Impacted Our Business

No matter what stage of life you’re in, you’re going to be learning or growing in some way, to enrich your relationships, your skills, and your personal development. Last year, we committed to reading several business books to help us grow in all the areas listed above, and our business and our lives have been changed by the ones we’ve read! If you haven’t had the chance to read any of the books below, we encourage you to check them out!

 

The Total Money Makeover | Dave Ramsey

We are starting with this one because The Total Money Makeover is a book that impacted our business and personal lives long before 2014. While we know there are a lot of valid opinions and theories about personal and business finance, we have found Dave’s principles to be strong, timeless and, most of all, simple. “Work hard. Live on less than you make. Avoid debt. Save for retirement. Give to others.” Those ideas impacted our decisions from Day 1 in our marriage.

So when our photography business became full-time for us, the principles found in The Total Money Makeover had given us a strong foundation on which to build. We knew we wanted to purchase all of our equipment debt-free, even if that meant it would take longer (and it did). We also knew that one of our key desires was to use our business to bless and give to others. Because of the principles we learned in The Total Money Makeover we were able to begin to build a business that accomplishes exactly what we have been called to do. We can’t recommend this book enough!

 

Purple Cow | Seth Godin

Seth Godin is the premier marketing mind of our day. His ideas are revolutionary and powerful. And that is what makes him one of the most sought-after speakers and writers in the world. Purple Cow is based on a simple concept: with so many distractions pulling the attention of today’s individual, the only way to stand out is to be remarkable.

You have to be a purple cow! In the world of photography, we have to find a way to stand out from the crowds of hobbyists and weekend warriors. And the only way to do that is to change the status quo. If you’re looking for a way to set your business apart, Purple Cow is a book you need to read!

 

 

 

Quitter | Jon Acuff

When we were still working nine to five jobs in late 2013, we often found ourselves wishing we were out shooting an engagement session or home editing our latest wedding. Let’s face it. We wanted to quit. But then we read Quitter. We were secretly hoping that this book would give us the encouragement to quit our job and chase our dreams!

But no. In fact, we learned that instead of quitting, we needed to use our day job to finance our dream until the time came to make our leap. We learned that if we weren’t hustling in our day job, we would never hustle in our dream job either. We still wanted our dream. We still chased it every night for long hours. And it finally did come time to leap!

Maybe you are looking to do the same. Before you do, pleeease read Quitter! It changed our perspective of our day jobs and it can change yours too!

 

 

Never Eat Alone | Keith Ferrazzi

We live a world where technology is always at our fingertips. But there remains one thing technology can never replace: relationships. Never Eat Alone dives headfirst into the concept of extreme networking. Ferrazzi discusses (in great detail) strong principles that we can all apply.

Always be looking to make new connections. Remember names and use them regularly in conversation. Use your time wisely.

But our biggest takeaway was something he said right towards the beginning of the book. “Real networking is about finding ways to make other people successful. It is about working hard to give more than you get.” The reminder of that concept was a breakthrough for us and just one of the many game-changing tidbits we found in this fantastic book!

 

 

EntreLeadership | Dave Ramsey

EntreLeadership had so many good quotes, we don’t even know where to start!  Take this one on dreaming big for instance.

“If you don’t own the goal and it doesn’t come from your dream, then you won’t have the toughness to persevere when the going gets tough. And I will promise you that the going will get tough. . .Big goals require big backbone—wimps need not apply.”

Woah!! Wimps need not apply! Talk about a pep talk. We needed this. When we quit our jobs in December of 2013, we quickly ran into some big obstacles. Sometimes we just had to pick ourselves up by God’s grace and keep going. We knew that we had to persevere because our goals did come from our dreams, and we weren’t ready to let those go.

You probably know we are fans of Dave’s ideas, and this book did not disappoint. It is full of great advice. Whether you are a leader at work, running a business, or are on your way to being a full-time photographer, this is one to add to your list.

 

Crazy Busy | Kevin DeYoung

Ahhh, a book about busyness. We were almost too busy to read this book! “One reason we never tame the busyness beast is because we are unwilling to kill anything.” But it’s so hard to say no isn’t it?! There are so many good things we can do with our time, but “since time is finite, we often have to discern good and better from best.” Only do those things that are best!

We want to serve others with our business. And one of our takeaways from this book is that setting priorities is an expression of love for others, and for God. It enables us to serve more wisely, and more effectively. There are so many great truths in Crazy Busy, but we’ll leave you with one last quote that sums it up.

“It’s not wrong to be tired. It’s not wrong to feel overwhelmed. It’s not wrong to go through seasons of complete chaos. What is wrong – and heartbreakingly foolish and wonderfully avoidable – is to live a life with more craziness than we want because we have less Jesus than we need.” When we realize that we can’t do it all, and that God doesn’t expect us to ‘do it all’, we can find freedom, and rest in this busyness called life.

 

What Did You Expect? | Paul David Tripp

This one might surprise you because this is not a business book. This is a marriage book. But how does a marriage book help our business? We are a husband and wife wedding photography team. We truly love what we do! And we are together. A lot! We wouldn’t have it any other way. We absolutely love our marriage and so being together all the time just means we get to enjoy marriage in a way that not many couples do. But here’s the bottom line on how this affects our business.

The better our marriage is, the better our work will be. If our relationship isn’t where it needs to be, it affects everything about our lives, including the amazing couples we get to work with. So it’s incredibly important that we be working hard on having an amazing marriage!

When we started reading through this book with our young couples group at church, we were so challenged. We have so much to work on! But Tripp points out the flawed expectations with which we enter marriage. It seeks to point the finger of blame for marriage issues back on us individually instead of blaming our spouse. We would challenge anyone who is entering marriage or already married to read this book together. It will change your marriage for the better!