Every year I set a goal for the number of books I want to read during the course of the year (last year it was 24 and I read 27) and try to ensure at least ¾’s of these books will help us make a positive impact on the pharmacies we own, our consulting practice or our clients. The below list outlines some of my favorites and the lessons learned from each. Hopefully these will help you too.
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber – this book outlines why individuals with a technical skill who start businesses tend to fail or not grow. This applies directly to the pharmacy industry where pharmacists start pharmacies because that is what they know. In many cases, however they are not as successful as they should be. He outlines what technical professionals “pharmacist†need to know to be business owners within their field. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in buying or starting a pharmacy and any current owner of a pharmacy.
Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Materson – what I really like about Michael is he simply outlines what you as the owner or CEO need to do to grow your business and the barriers you will face along the way. For this reason it is the best business book I have read in many years. For me it made it very clear what we need to do to take our businesses to the next stage of growth and what we can do to help our clients grow into extraordinary pharmacies.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries – Both Eric and Michael Materson take similar approaches to innovation. The concept is to introduce new products and processes quickly and with very little cost. For any business owner, including us, it is difficult to create change in the organization. There are a million reasons, you may not have enough cash, not enough time, your employees are stretched too thin or maybe you are just a new startup. This book will provide you insight and guide you through constant innovation which will lead to profits and growth.
Traction by Gino Wickman – As an entrepreneur and leader every day it is difficult to find time. For me it was always difficult to know what 2 or 3 items I should focus on and how to get our team to focus on them as well. Gino provides the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and it will allow you to not be overwhelmed, have fun and improve your business.
Bold by Peter Diamandis – this book is about big ideas, some of which seem crazy. But I think it applies to pharmacy today because the industry is changing, being disrupted and we as entrepreneurs within the industry must think differently in order to thrive in the future. Go into this book with an open mind and be prepared to think how could we as a company do something completely different.
Solution Selling by Ed Wal – if you have ever spoken with me or seen any of my other postings about books, this book is always on the list. First Ed, personally taught me much of what I know about how a business works and how to sell to any organization. I consider him a mentor to me and many others. But also it is my opinion (and Michael Materson’s) that as an owner of a business you must also be its number one salesperson. This book will teach you how to sell, follow it, try everything in it and you will sell!
