BOOKS
What Fargo
Business Owners Are
NEXT
BUSINESS
READING
In today’s fast-paced world, we’re often inundated with more words, images
and information than we know what to do with. That’s why now, more than ever,
it’s important for us to sit down with a good book and really think a problem out. For
businesspeople especially, whose time can’t always be spent analyzing their day-today operations, some long-form reading offers an opportunity to examine in greater
detail their business practices and challenge themselves on some of their most basic
assumptions. We recently surveyed dozens of Fargo business owners to see what
they’ve been reading, and these were some of their suggestions.
1 THE CHECKLIST
MANIFESTO
Atul Gawande
Shows what the simple idea
of the checklist reveals about
the complexity of our lives and
how to deal with it.
2 GOOD TO GREAT
Jim Collins
For years, this question preyed
on the mind of Jim Collins:
are there companies that defy
gravity and convert longterm mediocrity or worse into
long-term superiority? And
if so, what are the universal
distinguishing characteristics
that cause a company to go
from good to great?
3 THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK
Whether your dream is
escaping the rat race,
experiencing high-end world
travel, earning a monthly
five-figure income with zero
management or just living
more and working less, The
4-Hour Workweek is the
blueprint.
4 LEADERS EAT LAST
Simon Sinek
The biology is clear: when it
matters most, leaders who are
willing to eat last are rewarded
with deeply loyal colleagues
who will stop at nothing to
advance their leader's vision
and their organization's
interests.
5 THE HARD THING ABOUT
HARD THINGS
Ben Horowitz
Horowitz analyzes the
problems that confront
business leaders every
day, sharing the insights
he's gained developing,
managing, buying, investing
in and supervising technology
companies. A lifelong rap
fanatic, he amplifies business
lessons with lyrics from his
favorite songs.
6 LEAN IN
Sheryl Sandberg
Sandberg examines why
women's progress in achieving
leadership roles has stalled,
explains the root causes and
offers compelling, common
sense solutions that can
empower women to achieve
their full potential.
7 THE MISFIT ECONOMY
Alexa Clay & Kyra Maya
Phillips
A book that argues that
lessons in creativity,
innovation, salesmanship and
entrepreneurship can come
from surprising places: pirates,
bootleggers, counterfeiters,
hustlers, and others living and
working on the margins of
business and society.
8 TRACTION
Gino Wickman
Decisions never seem to get
made, or, once made, fail to
be properly implemented.
But there is a solution. The
By
Nate Mickelberg
Photo by
J. Alan Paul Photography
Note: All excerpts from Amazon.com
book summaries
Entrepreneurial Operating
System® is a practical
method for achieving business
success you have always
envisioned.
START SOMETHING THAT
MATTERS
Blake Mycoskie
What matters most to you?
Should you focus on earning a
living, pursuing your passions
or devoting yourself to the
causes that inspire you? The
surprising truth is you don't
have to choose – and that
you'll find more success if you
don't.
9
#GIRLBOSS
Sophia Amoruso
Sophia was never a typical
CEO – or a typical anything –
and she's written #GIRLBOSS
for other girls like her: outsiders
(and insiders) seeking a unique
path to success, even when
that path is windy as hell and
lined with naysayers.
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