“How can I become a better freelancer? What can I do to generate more business??”
These are two great questions.
Two questions that I found myself asking a few years back.
One business icon who I’ve grown to admire over the year isn’t a freelancer but is highly successful. He’s not as wildly popular or well known as his business partner, Warren Buffet but Charlie Munger is a legend. He’s a college dropout, the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and the right-hand man to Warren Buffet.
Here are a few great quotes from Charlie about reading:
“As long as I have a book in my hand, I don’t feel like I’m wasting time.”
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”
“Develop into a lifelong self-learner through voracious reading; cultivate curiosity and strive to become a little wiser every day.”
“I met the towering intellectuals in books, not in the classroom, which is natural. I can’t remember when I first read Ben Franklin. I had Thomas Jefferson over my bed at seven or eight. My family was into all that stuff, getting ahead through discipline, knowledge, and self-control.”
The following freelance books are in the order in which you should read them:
The Four Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss
Why I Crush On This Book: We live in an extraordinary time. I think many people undervalue one simple competitive advantage that after a few weeks of effort, you can acquire. It’s the ability to navigate the internet and get things of immense value for little cost. The Four Hour Work Week was one of the first books to unlock the world of virtual assistants for me.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: You don’t need to do everything. Outsource tasks that don’t result in an ROI.
Stage Of Your Business: Post service identification.
“Remote” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Why I Crush On This Book: I’ve built three companies over the last couple years. All three of them have been built with teams spread out around the globe. In the book, Remote, you learn from the founders of 37 Signals & Basecamp the pros and cons of remote working. You learn how they established a culture that embraces communication. You learn how to run an organization with a distributed team. You learn how to embrace and thrive with a distributed workforce.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: You don’t need to do everything. Outsource.
Stage Of Your Business: Post service identification.
The E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
Why I Crush On This Book: Of all the books on this list, it was E-myth revisited that gave me the swiftest jab to the gut in realizing why my business wasn’t growing as fast as I would have liked in the early days. It’s filled with insights for small business owners who want to see their business become bigger than them.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: You need to establish systems to work for you within your business. It’s not about building a company you have to grind it out in. It’s about building a system that operates while you sleep. My favorite quote from this book: “If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business – you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic!”
Stage Of Your Business: Launched.
Million Dollar Consulting – Alan Weiss
Why I Crush On This Book: One of the biggest struggles that people have as service providers is an understanding of what they’re truly selling. You don’t sell photography. You don’t sell marketing. You don’t sell website development. You sell an experience. Success in the world of freelance comes from your ability to market yourself. This book shows you how to do that the right way.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: If you don’t blow your own horn, there is no music.
Stage Of Your Business: Launched.
How To Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Why I Crush On This Book: It’s a business classic but one that I’ve listened to as an audio book more than 5 times this year alone. The lessons Dale Carnegie shares in this classic can be applied to many different aspects of life. Whether it’s to help you in business or with personal relationships – it’s a quality look at how you can build and nurture relationships.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: Be genuinely interested in other people. You can make more friends in a few months by becoming interested in other people than you can spending years trying to get people interested in you.
Stage Of Your Business: Getting started.
The Hustle Manifesto – Ross Simmonds
Why I Crush On This Book: I like this not only because I’m the author. But also because it’s the book I wish I read before I got started. In the Hustle Manifesto, I deliver insights around how you can kick start your career using a side hustle and what it takes to escape into the world of entrepreneurship.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: Creation & Chaos are two elements of the entrepreneurial journey that cannot be avoided. You will need to create value and there will be times that feel like complete chaos. The Hustle Manifesto shows you how to capitalize on this reality to drive success.
Stage Of Your Business: Getting started.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
Why I Crush On This Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things is one of the best business books written in the last 5 years. It covers some of the most challenging moments of an entrepreneurs career and some of the topics that many books avoid. It’s easy to make entrepreneurship sound sexy but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Ben Horowitz gives a real look at what goes on behind the scenes.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: Embrace the struggle.
Stage Of Your Business: Few months into launch.
100 Tips For Making Your First $100K – Ross Simmonds and Alex Vaughan
Why I Crush On This Book: Similar to the Hustle Manifesto – I wrote this guide but I wish I read it many years ago. One of the first big milestones as a freelancer is cracking your first $100,000. It’s not easy but it’s definitely possible as a freelancer and in this guide, I share some tactics that will help you make it a reality. No fluff. No strategy. Straight up tactics that you can implement in your business.
Biggest Lessons From This Book: There is always something you can be doing for your business.
Stage Of Your Business: Few months into launch.
Did I leave off your favorite?
If I did, let me know in the comments.
And don’t forget to include your favorite quote.
