Thursday’s Review

What seems like a cute little book quickly impressed me as a little book with a big punch. In the book The Power of Small, the authors Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval provide interesting and relevant small stories from their extensive careers in advertising. These stories impress the importance of paying attention to the small things in life.

This book looks at and reminds us of the importance and impact of the little details, extras, and accessories that make people and events memorable. Instead of not worrying about the small or little stuff, we should be focusing on them. Life is all about the small stuff and the details that make are days special, unique, challenging and rewarding.

Using little details to make your business stand out is what makes good companies great. Things like manners, being nice, exceptional customer service, working hard, or providing a little something extra gets businesses noticed. Those that get ahead and stand out as successes in their personal or professional lives, do so because of the little things they do. The book also looked at how getting big things accomplished begins with small tasks, small plans – one step at a time.

I would recommend this book to anyone building their business or trying to improve their personal life. A refreshing thought that rings true in life as well as in business; the little stops along the road that make the journey so interesting and worth taking.

Thursday’s Review

Finished a great book a few days ago and wanted to share it with you. It is an inspiring book written by an ex-corporate junkie that found and fell in love with being an entrepreneur. In her new book Escape from Cubicle Nation, Pam Slim has given readers an easy read that is packed with real, practical content.

Pam Slim provides an awareness for the reader of what to expect emotionally and steps to take as they plan their departure from corporate stress and trappings toward independence and the freedom to begin their own business. This book really highlights the stress and feelings felt at each step and how to practically deal with them as they arise with dozens of examples, including many personal ones to cement the understanding. There are also many resources to help get you through each stage.

For the entrepreneur, Escape from Cubicle Nation also focuses on the vital importance of life balance and keeping happiness and personal life at the forefront of each decision. If you don’t have a balance you won’t be truly happy with your decisions – know matter what they are. But, she doesn’t hold back on the effort that will be involved with the decision, it isn’t one that should be made hastily.

The book provides great ideas to help you determine your own unique direction and passion and then walks through the business side of building a business plan, website, marketing strategies and more. Having gone through many of the stages and steps in the book as a business owner myself, I love that she prepares the reader for things they wouldn’t even know about until they were hit broadside with it during their own transformation.

If you are in the process or even just dreaming of taking the leap to owning your own business, I strongly recommend reading Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pam Slim. This book gives a real look at the process, pitfalls and paradise found in owning your own business.