Scaling Up Magazine Scaling Up Magazine April 2018 | Page 7

SPRING 2018
MUST-READ BOOKS: 2018
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The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by Scott Galloway
Written by iconoclastic NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway, this compelling book expands on Galloway’s
famous YouTube lecture on how the “four horsemen”—Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google—have invaded
our lives on a moment-to-moment basis. I can’t think of a company on the planet that isn’t threatened by one of
these four juggernauts. Read it so you can understand their vulnerabilities and make the most of them in your
growth strategy.
Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future by Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson
Every company is a technology business today. We’ve got to rely on technology platforms to scale. This book
will show you how to make the most of those that exist today as you gr ow your business. The authors bring
deep expertise to the subject: McAfee is a principal research scientist at MIT and Brynjolfsson is the director of
the MIT Center for Digital Business.
Performance Partnerships: The Checkered Past, Changing Present & Exciting Future of Affiliate
Marketing by Robert Glazer
One of the best ways to build your brand is to leverage the reach of other brands and partners. This book shows
you how to structure those partnerships so you only pay for results. Robert Glazer—founder and director of
Acceleration Partners, an affiliate-management agency that works with giant brands such as Airbnb, Reebok,
Target, Gymboree and Warby Parker—shows how midmarket companies can do what they do to generate the
one thing every business needs: sales.
Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk from a Business Rebel by Sam Zell
Few entrepreneurs know more about bringing in cash than real estate innovator Sam Zell. This entertaining
book provides hundreds of practical lessons and tips on how to make deals, generate cash and scale
organizations. Zell’s strange but effective approach to the relationship building that fuels revenue makes
the book worth reading. Don’t miss the section about Sam’s music boxes—a year-end gift that signaled to
recipients they were in “the club.”
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, can teach even the most
successful entrepreneurs how to create wealth. It’s not just studying spreadsheets that has given him an edge
in a brutally competitive field. One of the most important principles that drove his billions is meditating
twice a day. He even pays his employees to meditate. Do try this at home. Decluttering your mind—and
your team’s—will free you to make the decisions you need to unlock faster growth in 2018.