Books Pack Good Sense For Business
No matter how much fun you are planning to have during the holiday season, you’ll probably still be thinking about your business. So you might as well pack a good business book along with your boots, skis or bathing suit.
Here are some that are at the top of my winter reading list:
“Secrets of Self-Employment,” by Sarah and Paul Edwards (Tarcher/ Putnam, $13.95), teaches how to weather the ups and downs of working for yourself - and often by yourself.
A list of “Eight Things to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do” is especially good. When you’re stuck, for example, these experts on home-based businesses suggest that you take a break and let your subconscious mind work on the problem while you take a nap or go to a movie.
The book also offers 13 “wacky ways” to find a solution to a problem, including asking yourself, “How would your idols handle this situation?” “Secrets” has lots more practical advice, resources and mini-profiles of self-employed entrepreneurs around the country.
Most busy entrepreneurs spend more time waiting in airports than at home with their families. Before you book the next trip, check out “Trouble-Free Travel … and What to Do When Things Go Wrong,” by Stephen D. Colwell and Ann R. Shulman ($14.95, Nolo Press, Berkeley). The authors, attorneys with experience in the travel industry, provide tips and solutions to common travel hassles.
“The best way to handle any travel problem is to complain right away and try to resolve the problem on the spot,” they write. “Don’t waste your time negotiating with someone who can’t help you.”
Lists of airlines, customs offices and hotel chains are included in this readable, information-packed book. There’s also a section on what to demand in compensation when you are bumped off a flight and a discussion of whether to buy travel insurance.
You’ll need to pack an extra suitcase if you take along “How to Market a Product for Under $500!” by Jeffrey Dobkin ($38.50, plus shipping, Danielle Adams Publishing Co., 610-642-1000.)
This hefty, 2-1/2-pound how-to manual teaches you the ins and outs of writing pitch letters and how to establish a budget for a low-cost direct-mail campaign.
Dobkin teaches how to negotiate with printers. Here’s a good tip: “Always demand your artwork be returned with the finished job” and ask for the negatives back, although you may not get them. This no-fluff guide features chapters on creating catalogs and how to buy mailing lists.
With so many telecommunications decisions to make, you might want to read “The Telecommuter’s Advisor: Working in the Fast Lane,” by June Langhoff ($14.95, Aegis Publishing Group). Langhoff, editor of Teletrends newsletter, explains what type of equipment to buy for your office as well as how to manage your fax, modem, e-mail and voice mail.
Langhoff gives the scoop on the new “follow-me-anywhere” phone services and high-speed ISDN lines. She also describes how people in various industries are telecommuting. Bet you didn’t know that Nick Nolte did some of the sound-dubbing for the 1994 movie “I Love Trouble” from Paris while the movie director was working in a studio in Burbank.
If you missed the hard-bound edition, “The Female Advantage” is now available in paperback ($14.95, Currency/ Doubleday). Author Sally Helgesen, a veteran journalist, profiled top women leaders in diverse industries to gain insights into their management styles. The paperback edition includes a new user’s guide and an excerpt from her recent book, “The Web of Inclusion.”
“Negotiating for Dummies,” by Michael and Mimi Donaldson ($19.99, IDG Books Worldwide), joins the list of great “Dummies” books. The Donaldsons based their book on Michael’s experience in entertainment law and Mimi’s experience as a speaker, trainer and management consultant. The chapter on body language and the role it plays in negotiation is excellent.
Finally, if getting organized tops your list of New Year’s resolutions, read “The Overwhelmed Person’s Guide to Time Management,” by Ronni Eisenberg, with Kate Kelly. ($11.95, Plume). The book, due out in January, is filled with practical tips for the hopelessly disorganized.