Accel5®’s Business Book Summaries of the Month: June 2021

Add these summarized business books from Accel5 to your June reading list.

This month’s collection covers a variety of topics including entrepreneurship, stress management, inclusion, productivity and continuous learning, all summarized to be enjoyed in minutes!

Get Funded! by John Biggs and Eric Villines
The success of a startup company depends on a good idea, a viable market, and funding to keep the doors open until the company can generate positive cash flow. Unfortunately, securing funds is a challenge for many entrepreneurs. In Get Funded!, John Biggs and Eric Villines offer comprehensive advice about identifying appropriate funding models and finding the right investors.

The Innovator’s Spirit by Chuck Swoboda
Innovators do the unexpected and sometimes even the “impossible.” They stretch and, if necessary, break patterns, rules, and protocols. In The Innovator’s Spirit, Chuck Swoboda reveals the true power behind innovation: people. He shows how creative entrepreneurs and business leaders take risks, strengthen their thinking, and translate ideas into hands-on strategies. While the spirit of the innovator is in every person, it takes patience and perseverance to unlock.

The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
In The Four Steps to the Epiphany, Steve Blank offers an actionable guide for launching a successful startup. Instead of following models used by big companies that already deeply understand their customers and competitors, startups should consider following the customer development model, a four-step approach that consists of customer discovery, customer validation, customer creation, and company building. By using this framework, you can avoid many common startup pitfalls that typically plague enterprising entrepreneurs.

The Energized Workplace by Perry Timms
The prevailing focus on putting all our energy into work is creating stress, burnout, and a mental health crisis. Business leaders have a responsibility to create healthy workplaces so that employees can flourish. In The Energized Workplace, Perry Timms addresses energy problems in the workplace and uses organizational design to provide you with a toolkit of solutions. His recommendations will help you implement energy-building habits and put employee health and productivity at the forefront of your company.

Yes Is More by Howard Brown
Over the course of his career, Howard L. Brown bought more than 40 businesses that he integrated into the office-products companies he was running. Although his products were commodities, he focused on hard work and innovation, developing highly successful one-stop shopping solutions in the office-products market. In Yes Is More, Brown shares his experiences and lessons learned with the hope of inspiring young entrepreneurs.

Building For Everyone by Annie Jean-Baptiste
In Building for Everyone, Annie Jean-Baptiste shares her experience leading Google’s product inclusion effort, translating it into actionable steps that leaders in any industry can take to make the inclusion of diverse perspectives and experiences a priority in their organizations. As a leader, you can apply the principles of intentional inclusion along the product development process from ideation to execution to see gains in innovation, customer loyalty, market growth, and bottom-line profits. While it may not be an easy road — conversations can get messy and awkward — disregarding inclusion and representation means risking not only profits but your company’s brand and reputation as well.

Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley
When products or brands have more buyers than sellers, they’re oversubscribed. Businesses that are oversubscribed enjoy greater profitability, but they’re also positioned to thrive through stronger customer relationships and higher levels of innovation. In Oversubscribed, Daniel Priestley shares the eight principles for becoming oversubscribed and the five phases of the campaign-driven enterprise method.

Solving the Productivity Puzzle by Tim Ringo
An engaged, productive workforce is essential for business success. However, most of today’s workforce is stuck in a rut. In Solving the Productivity Puzzle, award-winning human resources consultant Tim Ringo teaches business leaders and human resources professionals how to address the challenge of stagnating productivity. He reveals how to motivate employees and develop a business culture that allows people to thrive.

The Upskilling Imperative by Shelley Osborne
Today’s business environment requires leaders and employees at all levels to engage in continuous learning. This means rethinking how people view their jobs, skills, and themselves as individuals. In The Upskilling Imperative, Shelley Osborne presents the business case for establishing learning cultures and shares how to make learning core to the way organizations work today.

Accel5® features hundreds of business book summaries, videos and articles from top authors and publishers, covering a wide range of business topics to help enhance soft skills, personally and professionally.