Happiness Archives - Page 4 of 5

Building a Capital Community of Fans and Family Ties

March 9, 2015 by Yanik Silver

My 9-year old son, Zack and I had a bit of a ‘boys night out’ with just us two dudes last night.

We went to a Caps game against Buffalo and on the drive there he was asking about some of the classic games I’d seen.

I’ve been a fan for the last 25+ years, so I have lots of memories. I was at the Cap Centre for some of the best moments like the Hunter OT winner vs. Philly and also some of the most heart-breaking ones. Yes, I was there for the ’87 4- OT loss to the Isles in Game 7! I was 14 at the time with my father, Joe. His rule was you never leave a game until the very, very end. (I can still remember going into the 4^th overtime and my entrepreneurial spirit kicking in saying we should be selling Cokes or coffees.)

I shared with Zack some of the other big games I’d seen too like the Game 7 win against the Rangers in ’09 with Federov scoring in the third. That was such a great comeback series! My wife, Missy, sacrificed her birthday that year to go to the final game. We actually managed to get amazing seats for that game right behind the bench. Here’s a shot that appeared in the Washington Post the next day with my brother, dad and wife all in the background behind Boudreau:

(Missy is 1-1 on her birthday with another game 7 on April 28^th that we didn’t win.)

I told him my list also included both Winter Classics including the first time one in Pittsburgh where I showed up as “Captain Capitals”.

Zack was really happy that I mentioned this year’s Winter Classic because he was with me and now he was part of our shared Caps history.

Fact is, I love the way a sports team can bring together generations.

In Ted Leonsis’ wonderful book, The Business of Happiness, he mentions that when he bought the Caps franchise from Abe Poulin, he told Ted that owning a team is a true ‘Public Trust’.

Well after tonight I get it even more – but to really understand that you have to go back in history a little bit…

My dad is responsible for getting me into hockey and the love of the Caps. We came to the United States from Russia in 1976, and he brought his affection for hockey from the Soviet Union here to DC. I started attending games when I was 7 or 8. I remember vividly the “Save the Caps” tele-sales drive in ’82 and asking my dad to buy some tickets. He picked up a 10-game plan so we did our small part to save the team.

And it was only fitting I invited my dad along for Zack’s first Caps game a few years ago. It was pretty perfect because he caught a puck from Semin by yelling puck in Russian (shiboo).

With the Capitals 40^th Anniversary year this year, I started thinking about how many different threads and memories the Caps team and community have been in our family.

I remember way back as a kid skating on the mini ice at the Carousel Hotel in Ocean City, MD with Rod Langway and Yvon Yabre. We had some cheapo plastic sticks and I was still rocking the rental skates.

It was years later that I finally played youth hockey for real. Both my Bantam years I was chosen from my team to be part of the shootout they used to do in between periods. I think I was the only one to have ever won 2 years in a row, at least at that point.

I had, and still have, pretty much one breakaway move – forehand, backhand, forehand wide and bring it back to the backhand to roof it. I kept going back to that move over and over as my goalie bailed me out to win in the 2^nd year. Actually my men’s league team now calls “Oscar Meyer” if I get a break on net.

And coming around full circle, Zack, was part of the ‘mites on ice’ program last year.

I love the fact that Caps really go out of their way to be part of the community. Just one example is for the past few years I’ve been involved with DreamsforKids.org. It’s an opportunity for special needs kids to learn about hockey and meet some of their favorite hockey players.

My brother, Adam and I have been there multiple times, and I take Zack out of school to be involved in serving others.

I always ask him if he’d want to go to help the kids if no Caps players showed up (we never know who will be there or if there might be a cancellation). His reply is always ‘Yes’. I’m proud of him for helping here with our buddy Jonathan.

And that kind of hospitality and involvement starts at the top. I was fortunate to have the owner, Ted Leonsis, come out to keynote the Underground® seminar one year. I loved his book and message so much that I wanted to share it with more entrepreneurs. (His ‘Business of Happiness’ really is a wonderful book!)

Now simply speaking could have been enough, but he went out of his way to actually invite us to the owner’s box so I could surprise my dad with meeting Ted.

And then last year my brother Adam’s company, ParkingPanda, that he co-founded is an official parking partner of Monumental sports. Adam deserved a big thank you because he was able to get us into a cool skate at Nats Stadium following the Winter Classic. Zack loved being on the same ice as the Caps and hanging out on their bench.

I’ve seen Zack grow up through the sport of hockey and at tonight’s game I really saw a big moment.

He wanted to go watch warm-ups so we got down to the section 100 seating pretty early on. This time he was determined to get over the glass where the Caps come out of the locker room. (It’s actually really nice that they allow kids and fans down early for warm-ups.) So Zack is about 3 rows up and in a pretty good spot but then the actual ticket holders for those seats show up and the usher graciously escorted the kids out of the row.

Zack came back to me and asked what he should do. I told him he can figure it out. It surprised me that he walked right up to people in the row he wanted and politely said, “Excuse me” to get up front again. This was a big step because Zack really doesn’t feel comfortable all the time speaking up like that. He ended being the very first one at the bottom of overhang so he got high-fives from all the Caps leaving the ice. He was ecstatic!

After warm-ups were over we headed up to the concourse and started walking to our seats. We got a few feet and ran into a kid from Zack’s squirt hockey team. They both said hi and then he whips out an official puck that’s still wet from the ice. He told Zack that Eric Fehr had tossed him a puck. He wasn’t showing off – just excited. Now I thought Zack might get pouty or be upset that he didn’t get a puck but he just looked at his teammate and said, “Cool!” No big deal and no complaining. I was really proud of Zack again here again. He was happy because he managed to do exactly what he had set out to do.

I really do think I saw him grow right before my eyes. It wasn’t just two guys eating chili dogs at Verizon Center and enjoying a solid 6-1 rout by the home team – but a shared memory in the tapestry of our family. I’m so thankful I can continue the tradition my dad started with me so many years ago and hopefully we’ll get to see the Caps raise the cup one year soon with all of us in the stands. But that might even be secondary to having this unique bond.

I remember watching the final episode of the TV show Parenthood with my wife and thinking how appropriate it was for the Braverman clan to have a send off for the patriarch, Zeke, with a game of baseball. It was something they all shared as a family and it goes beyond just the sports side of winning or losing. There’s truly something magical with the joy and connection that comes from these shared moments.

Update: It happened! The Caps finally won the Stanley Cup. What an incredible run and a magical season. My brothers and I went out to Las Vegas to see them hoisting the Cup and I nearly had tears watching. (In the Washington Post, you can just make out my brother, Adam on the right-hand side.)

Experiment: How to see more ‘magic’ with your kids

January 17, 2015 by Yanik Silver

This past summer, we took a road trip with the kids to check out a camp our 9-year old, Zack, was deciding on. I really like windshield time because I make it a point to turn off the radio for some of the journey. I also like this for short rides to school or hockey practice or art lessons. It creates some dialogue because your kids can only stare out the window for so long before they must talk to you.

Now we had 5-hours of drivetime so lots of conversations about all sorts of subject. I brought up the idea of the magic of your imagination and consciously creating your intent. I started by asking the kids what kind of animals they thought we might see on the way up. I got the usual answers like deer or horses. And then Zoe, our 7-year old said, “a dog being walked”. That’s specific. I like it.

We saw deer and horses and then at the next 2 places we stopped, we got the doggies.

Yes, of course, it’s not that crazy to see dogs being walked on rest stops, but it was a start. It got them intrigued and then Missy said she’ll believe it if she sees a penguin!

Now I wasn’t sure we’d see a penguin waddling around in July but I have a cheerful expectancy that something intriguing would happen.

Arriving at camp, the kids are whisked away with other potential campers and sent on a full trial run of all the best parts of camp. And then the parents are sequestered and taken on their own tour to sell them too. We see all the recreational facilities, water sports, full-sized hockey rink and even some wild stuff like zip lines and trapeze set-ups. Wow! I want to go to camp. (As an immigrant child, camp was just never a typical thing so I never got to experience a full-blown sleepaway camp. So I need to do something about that. Look for a big announcement soon on what’s replacing Underground.)

As we entered the art room, I had a feeling I might spot a piece of penguin artwork. I was intent on finding one and I was checking all around the art room, but still no luck. However, my intuition was kinda right. As we kept moving along to check out a cabin, there hung up on a camper’s bunk bed was a picture of a penguin she drew. I snapped this shot while walking through:

Missy looked at the penguin and her jaw dropped.

Of course, you might dismiss this as selective perception, like the way you notice the same make of car after you just bought it. But I’m not that sure here. We only walked into 2 cabins out of dozens on the camp and I doubt artwork lasts a long time since they are continually creating new stuff. Regardless, I’m willing to accept it might have been a coincidence.

On way home the next day we talked again about the magic of our imagination and intention. I brought up the penguin and we started playing the game again.

I said I wanted to see an ‘ice cube’ and then Zoe said a ‘polar bear’. Once again I had no idea how or where it’d show up but I knew it would. About 5 minutes in, I spotted a sign like this:

It said the word ‘ice’ so I thought that was my ice cube and I was (mostly) satisfied.

But we had a lot more road time still to go. The weather was pretty wild and we got everything from perfectly sunny weather to blinding rain and lightning multiple times. Then add in nasty traffic, multiple accidents, re-routed detours and the kids arguing with each other.

What was a 5-hour drive the day before ended up turning into a 7-hour trek home. But beacause of the detour I took, this next moment really blew us away…

I took us off the highway to hit some back roads to get around a big accident and major traffic. Now before we got back on the interstate we came to a corner convenience store. Everyone in the car was ready for a stretch, bathroom break, and maybe a snack so we piled out. And right as I walked towards the entrance I pass an ice machine and do a double-take. I see this on the side of it:

That is a polar bear INSIDE an ice cube!

For me this was a significant synchronicity because it’s a combination of both our thoughts – that’s pretty wild! The interesting thing about synchronicity is there’s just enough potential for it to be explained away. But if it’s a meaningful incident to you – it matters. (The subject of synchronicity that Carl Jung introduced is endlessly fascinating and I was even re-introduced to Jung’s work via a synchronicity.)

The best part is Zoe was definitely impressed and it made a big impression on everyone in the family. So much so that when we created our family values, which we call our ‘13 Silver Keys’, one of them is “Make Magic”. Ths 13 Silver Keys are inspired by Ben Franklin’s 13 weekly virtues and also my friend value-based parenting expert, Richard Eyre. (I’ll probably do another blog post about this topic soon and how we created them together as a family.)

And now every time we get to the ‘Make Magic’ week, I can just say ‘polar bear’ and the kids remember the story and it becomes short-hand for them.
Try this little game with your kids in the car or anyone really, and see how it ‘magically’ shows up in your life.

At the top of this post is a drawing in my journal from one of my favorite Einstein quotes that really sums this up for me:

“There are only two ways to live your life.One is as though nothing is a miracle and the others is as though everything is a miracle.”

And why not?

Wouldn’t you want more awe, wonder and magic in your word? I know I do!

Legendary Legacy with Jordan Guernsey – The Light Inside: Truth in Business, Life and Love

December 9, 2014 by Yanik Silver

My friend Jordan Guernsey passed away on December 8^th. He was 30 years old. Yes, way too young. As Jordan was in very late stages of melanoma, he agreed to this private interview in his home as a way to further his legacy and share some of his insights with the world.

As a Maverick1000 member, together we’ve travelled all over the globe from the Ice hotel in Sweden to helping orphans in Haiti.

The conversations we’ve shared over the years were intensively powerful and enlightening including why he looked at cancer as a gift!!!

After getting the news from his wife, I cried twice yesterday. The first time out of joy, believe it or not, for him opening his eyes in a new way this morning. And I cried again as I re-listened to the interview hearing his answer again to the question of the message he most wanted his kids to know. My heart goes out to his wonderful kids and his loving wife, Paola.

I’ve never actually re-listened in full to any of the interviews I’ve done including some of the biggest icons and business celebrities. It was an emotional outpouring tuning back in to Jordan’s wisdom again. I know after listening or reading the transcript, you can’t help but walk away inspired and changed. On our private page for Maverick members there continues to be an outpouring of stories on how he’s touched so many lives from the deep conversations to incredible fun together.

As the interview finished, the next song in iTunes that ‘randomly’ came on after the was from an album called ‘Light Inside You’. I thought it was appropriate for the name of the interview since Jordan really did have a light inside.

I truly respect him as an entrepreneur but also one of the most beloved men I’ve had the honor of knowing. It was, and still is, my absolute privilege and joy to be able to bring this forth. After my time with Jordan I drew this in my journal from our final conversation.

Please share this with others. I am not copyrighting this work and you are welcome to put it out (but please keep it complete).

https://s3.amazonaws.com/maverickyanik/YanikJordaninterview-AudioOptimized.mp3

Or Download It Directly Here

You can get the transcription here: JordanGuernseyLightInside

Update:

I added a new page from my CosmicJournal.com (feel free to share this page if you like).

How Entrepreneurship Can Be The Ultimate Expression of Love

June 27, 2014 by Yanik Silver

Everybody has heard the advice do what you love and the money will follow, right?

Unfortunately it’s not quite true. In fact, I’ve got a $400,000.00 lesson that I’ll share with you later on. However, running your enterprise from the fullest expression of love can and WILL create the meaningful success that matters. Yes, we’re moving into some slightly uncharted waters combining the words ‘love’ and ‘work’ together but stick with me.

What does the ‘fullest expression of love’ look like?

Like anything and everything it always starts with you. Our responsibility is always on our shoulders first. And looking at the Evolved Enterprise diagram the founder (you) is at the center:

That’s because a business is always a reflection of the leader’s evolution.

Sleep walking

The wild thing is even if someone appears to be successful, they still could very well be existing in a slumbering type of halfhearted state. Frankly, I’ve made a lot of money without totally applying myself fully.

And that’s not because I don’t care about my ventures or customers. If you get the mechanics around delivering exceptional value correct – you will be rewarded. But I think you can take it to another level. I’ve seen it over and over again with individuals seeming to have a great business but they are not fulfilled at a deeper level. They think business is just business and don’t consider how it could be their art. And that’s why so many people start looking for creative (or sometimes self destructive) outlets to compensate for not being totally engaged. Then that lack of energy carries over to your team, your work, and your customers. Truly everything.

I know because I’ve seen it first hand…

About 7 years ago, I made a significant transition. I went from ‘just’ being an Internet marketer teaching and helping others sell their knowledge online to my next evolution. I couldn’t see doing what I was doing for another decade or more. This wasn’t a complete 180. There were still so many parts that were fulfilling in what I was doing and that left clues for a bigger, more expanded version of where I thought I’d like to play.

The idea for Maverick was rolling around in my journal for a long time and it really hit on so many things that lit me up; working with innovative entrepreneurs who not only wanted to grow themselves and their business, but also having a genuine impact in the world – while having some fun in the process. Truly changing the way business is played.

Of course, I could have easily decided to continue doing what I’ve always done and let those ‘golden handcuffs’ get tighter and tighter.

To me, it was almost like an awakening in a sense, and everybody goes through it at their own time and in their own way. The best way to think about this was an example my 6-year old daughter, Zoe provided. She really, really wanted a ‘wiggly’ tooth so bad. She kept checking her teeth but nothing was going on. Then finally she lost her first tooth a few months ago and 4 more followed in quick order.

Everything comes at the right time.

We can either resist this ‘cosmic alarm clock’ or lean into and embrace the transition into something bigger and better.

Granted it’s not always a frictionless transformation. But those thoughts you have of ‘there’s something bigger I could be playing at’ or rationalizing work as just work. Those are all indicators that change is coming. Part of my evolution was truly deciding if I was really committed to what I was building with the Maverick Ecoverse or not. And that commitment was a bit trickier after my personal income took a nosedive sinking about $400,000.00 into the venture before figuring it out.

This is where following what you love becomes a huge double-edged sword by simply and blindly following a passion without an established business model. Plus, if you have a pretty much carte blanche checkbook that doesn’t help either because you continue to throw more and more cash into it instead of thinking of creative solutions. (Yes, this was one of those times I didn’t follow my own advice with Maverick Rule #16 Bootstrap. Having too much capital leads to incredible waste and doing things using conventional means.)

So what happens?

Well you’ll continue getting bonked on the head with increased severity if you don’t figure it out. For me, it took finally selling my Aston Martin to cover payroll in order to make the changes we needed to get profitable. But I’m thankful for those experiences because it forced me to truly decide if the vision for what we were building was worth it or not. And that’s where passion really helps you with perseverance. Of course, you’re going to encounter set-backs and any venture is a zig-zagging process. And it was my love for the bigger mission – and that kept me going to figure out how to make it work.

One of my favorite questions during this period has been, ‘What would you do even if you knew it would fail?’

I believe I heard this from Brene Brown inside her awesome book Daring Greatly. It makes you think if whatever you’re doing is worth your life’s energy or not?

It’s an even better question than one you may have heard before, ‘What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?’ The refined version forces you consider putting in your full heart & soul regardless of the outcome. This is something I’ve been practicing more and more after studying it through one of my favorite recent books The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope.

Putting in the work (if it’s from a true place of meaning) is enough reward. Sometimes that concept may be difficult, but if we’re awaiting outside praise or recognition we’re always beholden to it.

So if you can truly awaken from the autopilot nature of where you are – you can start to stir a deeper sense of direction. And that inner guide has the key to what you can be doing to re-invent or re-work your company or yourself.

And at the highest expression is LOVE.

Loving yourself and honoring yourself shows up in many ways. It takes time and it’s an ongoing process. I’ll recommend my friend, Kamal Ravikant’s book, ‘Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It.

It’s a very personal story Kamal took as CEO of a venture-backed company in Silicon Valley and he went from depressed and blackness to fully engaged and living at an optimal level. You’ll have to challenge yourself to do the exercises in here for significant results.

Lately I’m seeing a lot of Maverick members and colleagues in a state of transition. Maybe it’s because I’ve personally gone through this and come out the other side that I’m seeing it more and more. But I’m not so sure that’s why it’s showing up more. It truly feels like accomplished entrepreneurs want to know ‘What’s next?’ And the same thing that got them to where they are now won’t necessarily take them to a higher place. But you can get there by continually expressing your deepest and most honest love for yourself and your gifts. (These are some of my favorite conversations with Maverick1000 members.)

When you’re fully utilizing everything you were designed to do there’s a complete sense of divine inspiration and time stands still. The more you can truly ‘know yourself’ the better you can recognize where your sweet spot is. I’ve taken multiple personal assessment tests and would recommend Wealth Dynamics, StrengthsFinder, Kolbe and even the Enneagram. I don’t know why we’re wired this way, maybe it comes from when you were a kid and brought home your report card with all ‘A’s’ except one ‘C’ and your parents focused on the ‘C’. But for some reason we don’t really focus and develop our strengths that come naturally. Those are the sweet spots that bring more joy and energy into everything we do.

Aligning With Your Shadow

Part of my journey has also been going deeper and exploring my ‘shadow’. This is a Jungian concept for a part that we want to repress and hold back typically from the light. And many times it comes up in all sorts of ways. It could be road rage and yelling at other people in traffic in front of your kids, it could be sexually acting out, it could be continually beating yourself up for not being good enough. One way you can often recognize a shadow is a behavior you see in others that elicits a charged reaction in you that really bothers you.

Essentially, everyone around you can be a mirror for yourself and if there’s something that bothers you – usually it’s because you have this behavior and haven’t acknowledged it. Many times just bringing awareness to your shadow is a fast step forward to integrating it more fully into who you are.

Personally, one of my shadows was recognizing I was not ever giving 100%.

I could see an interesting pattern looking back on my life. For instance in college, I’d go out the night before a big exam, come in late into the lecture hall smelling like bourbon, borrow a pencil and be the first one out. Even with that – I’d still get a solid ‘B’. And with my businesses, I’ve always done well and over-delivered but I’ve never given my everything. If I’m being totally honest, it’s probably because that leaves a little room to justify results if they are not what you hoped for.

As I mentioned before, echoing the Great Work of Your Life book – by putting your full essence behind something, you let go of the outcome because your full effort is reward by itself.

Loving yourself is also about taking care of yourself. One of my very astute friends, Richard Rossi, likes to ask ‘How would you treat a million dollar racehorse?’ Would you feed them junk? Would you let them not get enough rest? Would they get training whenever they felt like it? Or instead, would there be consciousness and intentionality in what you do? Of course there would. And you can probably guess where Richard was going with this – you’re the million-dollar racehorse. Actually I’d bet you’re worth significantly more than a mil.

But how are you treating yourself?

The Daily Return Path to Joy, Happiness and Bliss was part of my experiment to see how I can purposely work on making sure I’m the best I can be each day.

Am I perfect? No, not at all but I know I’m consistently evolving and growing.

Loving yourself fully changes the dynamics of how everyone around you reacts to you too. Because if we’re honoring your authentic vision there’s no time to say ‘Yes’ when you really should be saying ‘No’ to things that don’t support this. So many entrepreneurs I know are wired to be giving but they don’t make space for themselves.

One of my most recent practices to create space for myself has been meditating. So far I’m at 20 minutes per day in the morning. I know quite a few entrepreneurs who meditate and it’s becoming bigger and bigger. In fact, it came up in a big way as I was prepping to interview hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons for a private Q&A with Russell and a Yoga session for Maverick members.

Russell Simmons sharing success practices on the mat

Going through his latest book, Success through Stillness, the entire work is really devoted to meditation, yoga and a deeper stillness applied to business. I decided to make a commitment right there to try it in my life.

His deep conviction for these pieces helped take his game to a whole new level and really impressed me. (The funny thing is Russell will candidly admit he only started going to yoga to check out hot ladies!) Also, I’d been paying attention to more and more research about the scientific benefits of meditation – so I decided to go for it. I can’t say it’s been a light switch type moment where my world has completely changed, but it’s a practice and one that I look forward to now each day. In these moments of stillness, I feel like I get centered on what’s important and what’s not.

I see working on your own evolution as holographic for your business since we know everything really stems from you as the leader. Meaning a change to ‘you’ creates a change in your business too. It really does work that way.

And it’s this full expression of love that shows up in different facets of your company, team and customers.

Company:

By law, a corporation is its own entity, right? So as an entity (AKA a ‘body’), the analogy would continue that there is a ‘Soul’ inside. It might sound really odd but I think that’s true. Your business can stand for something more and just like we evolve, your business’ purpose can evolve too.

A venture could be created with the purpose of simply maximizing bottom line profit, or it could be upped one level by having a distinctive mission or big ‘Why’. (Though I truly believe they are not mutually exclusive. In the Evolved Enterprise framework your bottom line is actually enhanced by a bigger mission.)

An conscious business is a catalyst to enhance every area of the business starting internally with culture…

Culture:

Regardless if you set an intentional culture or not, there’s always a culture internally within your company.

Your employees could be showing up just for their paycheck at the lowest level of engagement, coming together for the culture one level up or because they truly believe they’re playing a part in something bigger.

And what if your goal as the leader was to help everyone on your team become the fullest expression of themselves? Same as your personal evolution, right? Your company becomes the container and catalyst for growth, learning and complete expression of their gifts & talents. Not everyone is wired to do their own thing but when you can give your team a ‘sandbox’ to build their dreams, they win and you win. Zappos is a well-praised poster child (for good reason) lately for taking their culture of happiness seriously. Just one of the perks there is having a ‘dream manager’ who helps their team figure out their dreams (i.e. owning a house, etc.) and making it happen. That’s huge. Starbucks has just raised their commitment to their team members by reimbursing them for online education.

On our team we start with strengths testing and then through some trial and error help members experiment and move into roles best suited for them. We’re not perfect at this but we’re continually growing. And you can see changes in engagement when people feel they could bring their full selves to work. It makes a big difference.

I’m really proud of this note I got from a Maverick Team Green member just the other day:

“I just want to say thank you for listening to my ideas and giving me the space to grow them. I have never experienced this type of freedom in my job and cannot even begin to express how much it means to me. I am very passionate about working towards positive change in our world. There is nothing I aspire to more than to be in a place where I can really help people. So once again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to realize my dreams. I love Maverick – the team and the members.”

Let’s look at a few other facets…

Sales:

If I’m just selling something without a bigger meaning, I’m simply selling to sell no matter what. But raising the intention up a level is a consultative sale. But still on a whole different level is falling in love with your prospect. And if you’re in love with them that means you could do what’s in your customer’s true best interest. Which sometimes means no sale – but other times it means you must do everything in your power to get them to buy because you know the positive results they’ll have.

If you love your prospect, you would be doing them a disservice to not get them to purchase, right? It’s a subtle but dramatic difference. And if there’s true love with the product or service that also creates a higher-level engagement with your customers/members/clients.

Customers:

On the lowest level of our triangle people are simply getting a need met. Your product or service is their solution so it’s transactional. At the next level there is a community being built with a true identity tied in. (I shared an entire segment on Community Code 2.0: Building Beloved Brand Builders at the last Underground® event.) And finally at the highest level of expanded love, your customers see it as their responsibility to actually ‘convert’ others. Yes, almost evangelical.

Don’t get me wrong about everything I’ve just covered. I think business is already a value driver and server or else it would be out of business, but by truly adding a genuine element of love it could be so much more. It can move from transactional, to transformational or even transcending business as usual. It could be an Evolved Enterprise.

What do you think? What have you seen that reflects a fuller expression of something bigger through business?

66 Must-read books for Impactful Entrepreneurs

December 30, 2013 by Yanik Silver

The other day, Maverick1000 members were asking about book recommendations on our private forum. I typically read 1-2 books per week (minimum) so this forced me to sort out some top recommendations by category.

I’ve always believed your life is changed by the books you read, experiences you create and the people you meet.

Think of this as the start of your Maverick MBA with 6 of the most important categories for evolved enterprises and impactful entrepreneurs in the 21^st century.

1) Success Thinking/Foundation

2) Marketing & Sales

3) Strategic Thinking & Innovation

4) Operations/Systems

5) 21st Century Orgs & Modern Entrepreneurship

6) Action & Productivity

* * *

I. Success Thinking/Foundation:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Not really a business book but probably one of the biggest influences for top CEOs and entrepreneurs who have cited this numerous times. I’ve read this several times and even threw out calling our daughter Dagny – but Missy didn’t go for that. I loved Atlas Shrugged for instilling the philosophy that productive value should be compensated and revered instead of these individuals being coerced into self-sacrifice because of their talent and other’s “needs”. It really cemented the argument in my mind that the more laissez-faire approach to governing is ultimately best for a free marketplace and productive society. Yes, this is a thick read but well worth it.

Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer

I know the title of this book is a bit off putting and that’s probably why Robert renamed the latest edition. I love the way Ringer objectively looks at other people’s success advice in here. For instance, the advice of “work hard and you’ll succeed”. He asked himself what “working hard” really means since one person’s definition of working hard is a 18-hour shift while someone else might have a totally different notion. Ringer threw out typical advice like this to work on his own theories for figuring out success. Plus, there is one chapter in here “the Leapfrog theory” that is essential reading. It explodes the myth of “working your way to the top”. Basically this is a waste of time to keep the status quo. You can leapfrog over any competitors by proclaiming yourself at their same level – but you’ve got to be able to back it up with the goods. For some reason people are always waiting to be anointed the “expert” – it doesn’t happen. And Ringer’s book is packed with even more hard-hitting realities for street-smart entrepreneurs.

Lead the Field By Earl Nightingale

I can’t even begin to count the times I’ve listened to these programs. Earl was really the first person who game me ‘permission’ to think and behave differently. He talks about how the top 5% of achievers don’t do the things ordinary people do and that’s why they are extraordinary. Or they are willing to do the things the other 95% aren’t willing to do (like read/listen for hours per day honing my expertise)

Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki

A lot of people might say “Rich Dad/Poor Dad” is more influential but I would argue this second book in the series really hits the concepts explained there harder. If you’re looking for a book to shake you or someone who needs it out of the typical 9-to-5 mindset – this will do it. The Cashflow Quadrant is all about creating enough passive income to pay for your needs and truly creating financial independence. It’s a simple concept explained by Kiyosaki’s drawing depicted on the cover. On the left-hand side are the people who trade time for money. That’s the “E” or employee quadrant and the “S” or Small business quadrant. Then on the right-hand side are the people creating passive wealth by being “I” – Investors or “B” Business owners (who work on in their business not in it). While Kiyosaki’s books are pretty short on specific details – I think the philosophy and mindset is way more powerful and important.

THE LAW OF SUCCESS IN SIXTEEN LESSONS by Napoleon Hill

I like this even better than the more popular Think and Grow Rich because you get the full lessons Napoleon Hill uncovered with interviews spanning 20 years with the biggest tycoons and empire builders of his time.

59 Seconds: Think a Little Change a Lot by Richard Wiseman

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams by Deepak Chopra

The Practice of Happiness by John Kehoe

John is not super well known but this is a great book to get you attuned to some of the most important elements in a joyful life.

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Wow! This is a powerhouse of a book dealing with shame and vulnerability, something every leader needs to hear and work with.

Choose Yourself by James Altucher

James is one of the most transparent and wonderfully vulnerable people I have met (and read). James has made and lost millions and he provides a valuable paradigm for anyone to get their thinking straight.

Make it Big: 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success by Frank McKinney

Frank McKinney builds mega multi-million dollar mansions on spec (meaning – no buyer before he builds). This is his first book that really shares his all encompassing philosophy for living a full life in every sense. I’ve spent extended amounts of time with Frank in Haiti helping build self-sustaining villages and Frank has immense integrity in everything he does leading from these principles.

The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

My #1 book of the last year. It’s a little (okay a lot) different than any business book because it’s about your Dharma. A Buddhist concept essentially meaning your path or truth. If you’re considering what you really should be doing with your life and how to integrate your deepest purpose and meaning into everything you do – this is the book to read. Mine is massively highlighted with notes all over.

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant

I love, love, love this book! Written by a CEO of a venture backed company in Silicon Valley, it’s a totally transformative book to go from depressed and dark periods of burn out to full engaged and living at your optimal level. Try the exercises in here for big results.

II. Marketing & Sales

Influence: The psychology of persuasion by Robert Cialdini, PhD

I’ve read it at least 9 times and it will truly help you understand the psychological triggers to a sale. Very powerful stuff. Written by a self-proclaimed “sucker” and professor of psychology to help consumers avoid being taken “in” by marketers – this instantly became a classic for us marketers to apply each of the psychological tactics to success. This truly is a power that should only be harnessed for good. If I was to start at zero again and if you stripped away all the knowledge from every book I’ve read – I would start by reading this one and get it all back!

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur’s Guide by Dan Kennedy

Yes, even though this was published in 1996 and some of the new-fangled technology sections like broadcast fax are out-of-date – this is a top ten for sure! I’ve spent probably $150k or more with Dan and every product or resource I buy from him gives me back at least a 10-to-1 return. This is one of my favorite Dan books (along with #7 on the list) but you really can’t go wrong buying any of his books. When I first stumbled onto Dan I was so excited because he finally provided more of the true ‘nuts & bolts’ I was looking for. Sure, he’s grumpy and not the most sociable guy – but his information is priceless no matter what type of business you are in

Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones

One of my favorite newer books on creating an identity and community for the customers you serve.

Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company, and Your Future by Patrick Hanlon

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham

I like his Mr. X book a lot more, but it’s not as widely available. Jay is the very first direct marketing expert I ever encountered when I was 17 and his fundamental thinking for leverage and uncovering hidden assets is unparalleled.

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

An absolute classic for any direct marketer or anyone that doesn’t want to waste a dime on untrackable ads. Devour this one and also look for Caples’ other books that are out of print. A true professional who generously published his directly-traceable results for everybody to benefit from. Many people might think there’s nothing to be gained from a book written decades ago – WRONG! Everything Caples reveals applies online in spades.

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

Yes another “old time” marketing book but the gems in here are absolutely brilliant if applied today. Remember, human nature does not change – just the ways to activate our buying does. This is a short read and available online for free in many places since it’s in the public domain. Hopkins was one of the true advertising pioneers and this little guide really distills the essence of why you cannot use conjecture or opinion but actual tested, scientific methods to discover what your customers/prospects want.

Magic Words that Bring You Riches by Ted Nicholas

There are 3 main people I’d give credit for opening my eyes to the enormous power of direct response marketing and helping me achieve financial independence before I was 31. And one of those is definitely Ted Nicholas. I cannot begin to tell you how many dozens of times I listened and read Ted’s material over and over again. He’s one of my all-time marketing heroes. Ted took the guts of his $197/year newsletter on direct marketing and distilled it into this single book. When I checked this morning there were a few used copies available on Amazon but you can now find it as an ebook or real book on TedNicholas.com.

Pow! Right Between the Eyes: Profiting from the Power of Surprise by Andy Nulman

IF you want to create some memorable that your customers MUST talk about – this book gives you the formula. Warning: The only problem with surprise elements is you must be constantly re-inventing.

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

Chet a proven blueprint for creating a sales and marketing machine in your business.

Double Double by Cameron Herold

Cameron built 1-800-Got Junk from $3M – $100M+ as the COO. This is the process.

Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com by Aaron Ross

Aaron Ross presents his ‘cold calling 2.0’ strategy for creating predictable and scaleable selling. This is the personal account of creating a $100M pipeline for Salesforce and multiplying yourself and your team.

The Ultimate Sales letter by Dan Kennedy

Easiest to follow formula for creating sales copy (letters) that work.

Advertising Secret of the Written Word – Joe Sugarman

I love Joe Sugarman’s material. He’s the first person that used 800#s to market products and he’s responsible for blockbusters like ‘Blu Blockers’. Joe is first and foremost a copywriter and you’ll get some of his best thinking on this valuable subject.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff

A great book about creating the right ‘frame’ for having others qualify themselves and turn the tables on selling.

III. Thinking/Innovation:

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim

Blue Ocean is a pretty easy concept to understand but difficult to implement. It can lead to some big innovations and really owning a category that you invent – but it’s imperative to combine with something like Little Bets (below).

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam

Even if you don’t think you’re an artist in the least, this book is a really powerful application of using simple pictures to sell.

The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan

A good primer on using Mindmaps. One of my favorite tools for creating new ideas.

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries by Peter Sims

Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon

Written by one of the most popular Harvard Business School professors, Different is exactly that. It’s a good take on how to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by being different. Most businesses talk about being ‘different’ but so many fall into the trap becoming mediocre because they look at their competitors and try to copy some of their strengths. This only leads to being average across a bunch of different aspects instead of being unique in just 1 or 2 differentiable points. This book is a fairly easy read and not a dull, boring college textbook. And as one reviewer on Amazon said, just skip the Harvard MBA and get this book!

IV. Operations:

Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter

Excellent book by Maverick member, Sam Carpenter detailing how he went from nearly bankrupt and totally having a business out-of-control to a smoothly run ‘machine’.

Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable…Your Journey to Get Real, Get Simple, and Get Results by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton

One of my favorite books that has a lot of actual application to help you work on what’s most important and get all your team members in alignment with your vision.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish

Make The Noise Go Away: The Power Of An Effective Second-In-Command by Larry G. Linn

A short but profound book on grooming a “2nd in command”.

V: 21st Century Organizations & Modern Entrepreneurship:

Screw Business as Usual by Richard Branson

Richard is my biggest business hero and I’ve been privileged to spend several weeks with him on his private island. This is his manifesto for a new way of doing business and I really think there’s a tipping point that’s been reached. It’s an idea to look at new models for entrepreneurs.

4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Tim and I met over our love of marketing and living life to the fullest. There’s a reason this book has literally taken on a life of its own and achieved best-seller status so quickly. To me, it’s because the concepts in here are so compelling. I’ve given away a ton of copies of this book and a lot of people have actually gotten pissed at me for giving to them. One of my hockey teammates said that to me again a few nights ago. He’s gets really mad when he looks at it on the nightstand because he’s not living his life the way it could be using the ideas in this book. This book is designed to get you to stop and think if you are really putting the right things in the right priority. Tim has a concept of the “New Rich” and that’s people who have time to do the things they want & they’re passionate on. There’s some exciting concepts about life design, dumping the email habit, outsourcing and creating online “muses” that pay for it all. Tim started a revolution with this book and it’s still pertinent.

Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycocskie

I love what Blake has been able to do with TOMS shoes and his buy-one, give-one program is truly a remarkable and impactful business model.

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

Tony is incredible with what he’s been able to do with Zappos and now the Downtown Project. If you want to consider how happiness is integrated into your profitability for 21^st century organizations, this is your book.

Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want by Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller, Shannon Waller

This is my absolute favorite book about simply focusing on what your unique abilities are and then bringing in others who are strong in areas that are not unique abilities. Now “Unique Ability” is different than simply finding your strengths like the book “Now Discover Your Strengths” (which is also quite good for their online test). Unique ability is not only about something that is a strength for you but something you love and that gives you more energy when you do it! Critical difference. You could have a strength but you don’t necessarily want to keep doing that activity. This book walks you the process of discovering your own unique abilities. Highly recommended. (At some point I’ll do a post just on this concept and share with you my own ‘unique ability’ statement I’ve come up with from this.) This book is put out by Dan Sullivan’s company “Strategic Coach” and they have an excellent group of other ‘knowledge’ products. If you can find it the CD set “Pure Genius” is remarkable.

The Business of Happiness by Ted Leonsis

Former Underground® keynote presenter, Ted Leonsis shares his 6 secrets for building a business that increases your happiness.

Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business by John Mackey, Rajendra Sisodia and Bill George

All part of the ‘tipping point’ going on with business serving a higher purpose. I really like the idea of an evolving consciousness for business serving all stakeholders (customers, employees, suppliers, investors, etc).

A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business by Ari Weinzwieg

Huge thumbs up for me on this book! You must get this one from Ari’s training site (ZingTrain.com) and you’ll be absolutely impressed. One of the key books I always recommend.

PEAK by Chip Conley

One of my favorite books about creating a higher PEAK state for everybody in your organization based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses… by Eric Ries

Ries has quite a following in Silicon Valley and for good reason. This book lays out an excellent methodology for ‘testing’ new business ideas and getting traction fast.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder

A really nice visual way of looking at and thinking through your business model.

The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

A really nice step-by-step guide to go from idea to roll out.

Business Stripped Bare by Sir Richard Branson

The best ‘nuts and bolts’ out of any Branson book I’ve read. Plus, I love seeing some of his journal entries on the inside cover.

Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson by Mark Ford

Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal

One of the best books to get you thinking about using ‘gamification’ (the hot term) to help everything in your organization.

Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright

How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis

A totally tell-it-like-it-is recap from the founder of Maxim magazine.

Maverick Startup by Yanik Silver 😉

Yes, I’m biased but still makes the list.

VI: Action/Productivity:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The best book out there about the difference between a professional and an amateur to beat down procrastination.

No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy

Yes, Kennedy makes the list again. Let’s face it, for entrepreneurs we’ve got no greater asset than our time. And even if you’ve read a 100 other time management books I guarantee you’ll get something out of this one. Here’s Dan’s unique & ruthless approach to time management that might give some people pause. I don’t follow all of Dan’s advice here because I’m a little too nice at times but reading this book will really let you understand that you create the rules at all times. You decide how you want customers to work with you, people to contact you, etc. Fact is, if you don’t set the rules – then someone else will for you by default.

10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum Smith

This book has probably had one of the most profound effects on my inner values starting in 1998 when I got introduced to Hyrum’s company, now-called “Franklin Covey”. This book really made me examine what my value was and most importantly in what order should those values be. I look at them nearly every day when I get up to make sure my decisions are on track with my inner compass. This isn’t a half-hour read and then you’ve ‘got it’. I spent some time really considering what type of values and life legacy I’d like to leave. Excellent exercises