When I see a book title like this I want to scream “Oh yes it IS!” With economic times such as they are, money is on everyone’s mind. I like Bob Proctor a lot — he strikes me as a sincere person with a real message. I have to admit that I ordered this book out of both frustration and curiosity, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised.

I know what it’s like to be paralyzed by fear — I’ve been there more than once in my life, and it’s no place to be for even a second. But focusing totally on money doesn’t get you there either. As an entrepreneur, it’s incredibly important to understand the role of money in your business and your life: not just the currency, but also the flow of it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful in “putting my mind right” so that I can get on with the business of helping other people with THEIR businesses.

There is one book that was brought to my attention recently which I bought and devoured. Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think” beautifully sums up the web visitor’s experience and provides guidelines for web designers and web site owners alike. Given that most people arrive at a site for the first time as a result of a search engine click, here are some of the questions that each site should answer:

• What is this? What is the purpose of this web site?
• What do they have here? Can I buy stuff, rent stuff, sell stuff?
• What can I do here? Get help, log in, go shopping, read an article?
• Why should I be here and not somewhere else? Did my search land on a page where the search result I saw is obvious?

All of these things must be obvious within the first few seconds of the visitor’s arrival, or they’ll just hit the back button and continue surveying the search results.

The book goes on to describe specific remedies for web visitor frustration, including keeping your navigation simple, keeping colors and fonts consistent, and making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. Keep navigation hyperlinks simple and direct, and make sure the link they click corresponds to a title on the page to which the link takes them.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who works on their own web site!

Webinar Date: April 9, 2008

Seldom does a book come along that so captures my attention that I turn around and give away copies en masse, but that was the case with Timothy Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Work Week.” Yes, you read that correctly, 4 Hours not 4 Days. You see why it got my attention initially.

When I designed my business, I had in mind a truly mobile lifestyle where I would operate off my laptop from exotic locations. I did that for the first 2 years, but I got sidetracked along the way. In May 2007, I picked up the audio book version of 4-Hour Work Week, and while listening to Tim’s words, that wonderful spark of wanderlust was rekindled. When I had the opportunity, I gave away a total of 10 copies of the book to fellow entrepreneurs, and challenged them to read and consider Tim’s example.

At first glance, his ideas may seem a bit extreme, but with the worldwide access and automated delivery that Internet-based businesses provide, it’s an entirely feasible lifestyle. I have different priorities than Tim does, but I do like the idea of concentrated periods of work (4-6 months) followed by shorter periods of rest/rejeuvenation (4-6 weeks). Personally, I think I could continue working and traveling happily into my 80s with a lifestyle balanced in this way.

Even if you don’t agree with the final premise of the book, I encourage you to read it to get the gist of it. The book provides the details of Tim’s businesses, providing one of the best case studies I have found of the freedom that Internet-based businesses can provide.