I’m back with my final post in my quest for the perfect business self-help book. I’m ending the year with a look at two very powerful books by two very powerful women.
Book 1: We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers
About the Author
Rachel Rodgers is the founder of Hello Seven and a guru of money-making with a focus on helping women succeed. We Should All Be Millionaires is a flagship text for her business model. It is foundational to a podcast with the same name and an online “Club” for entrepreneurial women to meet up and get help with their business goals. Rodgers has worked as a business consultant and leads a team focused on high-earning, women-led businesses.
Book Synopsis
We Should All Be Millionaires is Rodgers’ guide to making lots of money. It’s primarily geared toward entrepreneurs, but she spends a section of each chapter discussing how the advice given could be tailored for an employee position.
The book is divided into very practical, focused chapters with a synopsis at the end of each one. You can tell that Rodgers practices what she preaches when it comes to making things actionable and direct, and the book is clearly designed with busy people who need to get moving in mind.
Part mental makeover and part practical how-to, Rodgers’ book is about the mindset and day-to-day steps that it takes to (in her opinion and experience) become a millionaire — or at least make a lot more money.
Why I Read It
I never would have picked up this book on my own. While, yes (of course), I hope to make a decent living doing the work I do, money is not the primary motivator, and I don’t really get any particular excitement from the idea of being a “millionaire.” However, a friend told me I should read it not for its focus on acquiring financial gains but for its frank discussion of breaking down a poverty mentality (which my own childhood background definitely gave me) and creating a different mindset about what it means to be a leader with business goals.
Key Takeaways
There’s a lot in this book, and I doubt all of it will be equally applicable to every person or at every point in their business journey.
The main takeaways that stuck with me were about time management and how to think about delegation. Rodgers is a huge proponent of delegating tasks and paying for assistance so you can spend more of your time working where you thrive, and she makes a compelling argument for it. She also focuses on how little moments of luxury and feeling successful can help you make decisions that are more likely to lead to success in actuality. I’ll admit that some of it sounds a little too good to be true — almost like watching an infomercial on how this product will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Still, beneath the sometimes overly-enthusiastic veneer, there are some solid tips about the difference between a poverty mentality and one of abundance. It definitely left me thinking and reflecting.
How it Helped Me
“Stop killing yourself for the cause and realize that the cause is better served when you utilize the talent around you.” That’s the line that sticks with me. I am reflecting on putting that principle into action because I know that Rodgers is right.
Who Should Read It
Solopreneurs or those running a side gig who aren’t quite sure how to make what they’re doing sustainable and scalable. Those looking for inspiration and a cheerleader — with a touch of kick-in-the-pants energy. People who respond best to someone talking to them like a friend in a relatable way.
Who Should Skip It
Rodgers is definitely tapping into a kind of Boss Babe ethos that can be a little too trendy in its language. The focus on money as the primary objective might be a turnoff for some.
Book 2: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
About the Author
You’ve almost certainly heard of Brene Brown. She’s a powerhouse in the self-improvement genre — and for good reason. Her TED Talk on “The Power of Vulnerability” became a viral sensation, and Brown has been writing books, giving talks, and hosting podcasts about how to be vulnerable with purpose and intention for years. This work has grown out of her academic research on the topic.
Book Synopsis
Dare to Lead is Brown’s application of her research and thinking about vulnerability to the world of leadership with a particular focus on how those leading teams of people in the workplace can become more effective, honest, and authentic.
It’s a mix of personal stories (both from Brown’s own experiences and from those she coaches) and very practical tips (often in neat list formatting, ready to print and hang near your computer).
Part 1 is titled “Rumbling with Vulnerability,” and it’s all about not avoiding the tough conversations, overwhelming emotionality, and moments of feeling inadequate that will inevitably pepper any leader’s work. It’s about how to show up for the job recognizing that it won’t always be easy but committing to seeing it through without getting defensive or leaning on “leadership” tactics like shame, blame, and guilt.
Part 2 is “Living Into Our Values” and gives meaningful advice about how to practice what you believe in the moments when it might feel easier to cave and make choices based on convenience or fear instead.
Part 3 is “Braving Trust” and taps into some of the work Brown has done elsewhere about what it means to be courageous.
Part 4 is “Learning to Rise” and the stories we tell ourselves (especially the ones that aren’t true). It gives tips for how leaders can avoid “Offloading” (putting our feelings onto others instead of being accountable for them).
Taken as a whole, the book is a beautiful mix of practical and philosophical. While it occasionally teeters on the edge of sappy, it never tips over, and it balances that out with raw honesty and pragmatic advice.
Why I Read It
I’ve been a fan of Brown’s work for reflection on my personal life, so I was more than willing to see how her ideas might apply to my business aspirations.
How it Helped Me
You all, this book is amazing. There are so many useful takeaways. The most immediately applicable one was about “rumble language,” which Brown accompanies with specific phrases to use in tough conversations to make sure you’re creating the space to learn and grow. Another particularly useful tip (which I have already put into work in my own business) is the concept of “painting done” — a phrase Brown uses to make sure that any task assigned to someone else comes with the context, tools, and authority to actually get accomplished and accomplished well. These things work. For real. Try them.
Who Should Read It
While I think there’s something to be gained for just about anyone, it is definitely geared primarily to those who are in roles of authority and leadership over a team of other people. Those in that kind of position will get the most out of it.
Who Should Skip It
Honestly, no one attempting to be an entrepreneur should skip it. Even if you’re a solopreneur with no “team,” you’ll still be working with other people (contractors, customers, clients), and having tools about how to handle your own emotional responses and have tough conversations is never a bad idea.
Final Thoughts
I thought these two books would be a great way to close this series. They’re both about shifting not only our actions to become successful in business but also (or especially) our fundamental assumptions and frameworks for looking at the world.
