You’re a small business owner, so I know that you’re super busy. Mother’s Day is coming and it may not be top-of-mind. There’s so much you have to do. I’ve got you! If it’s one thing I know, it’s books. Investor’s Business Daily interviewed me when they wanted to write an article on books CEOs read.
And the BBC contacted me to submit a question when they were interviewing Jeffrey Archer about Kane and Abel. It's one of his best-known books. They had seen the review I did on my blog.
Have you read?
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer – Review
I want to state upfront, so there are no surprises. Not all the books are written by women – most of them are. Both men and women write great books that can benefit women. I’m more interested in the content of the book rather than whether a man or woman wrote the book. As a woman who operates a small business, I appreciate great books that women write. But I'm always looking for that one idea to transform my business. It’s great to celebrate women authors. So, I carefully selected these last minute Mother's Day gift ideas for small business owners.
Have you read?
Honoring Mothers: The History of Mother’s Day & Gift Guide
Here are the last minute Mother’s Day gift ideas for small business owners that I selected for you!
Mother's Day Gift Idea: Join a Women's Network Because No One Ever Succeeds Alone
As a small business owner, you need a support network of people who will watch your back. You need people you can rely on when you have a quick question. Ellevate Network could be what you need. It's a group of professional women around the globe lifting each other up! Why join Ellevate? It's a different kind of women's network. One of the organizations's mandate is to close the gender achievement gap. Operating a successful business is not easy. Adding gender into the mix is a double whammy. But it doesn't have to be that way. Get a membership for yourself and another for a small business owner you know.
11 Books: Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Small Business Owners
- Catching the Catfishers
by Tyler Cohen Wood: This is a book about keeping yourself safe online and ensuring that your online reputation isn’t compromised. What does your digital footprint say about you? Most of us know that we should be careful about our status updates online, but how consistent are you? Are you an over-sharer, whiner, arguer, boundary-crosser, or one-upper person when posting online? It’s difficult to tell from one post. However, when a cyber-intelligence person looks at your digital trail, a picture emerges. That’s why it’s very important to Google yourself to see what others are seeing. In addition to searching your name, the author recommends that you search for your email address and username to also see what others are seeing. (Review)
by Tyler Cohen Wood: This is a book about keeping yourself safe online and ensuring that your online reputation isn’t compromised. What does your digital footprint say about you? Most of us know that we should be careful about our status updates online, but how consistent are you? Are you an over-sharer, whiner, arguer, boundary-crosser, or one-upper person when posting online? It’s difficult to tell from one post. However, when a cyber-intelligence person looks at your digital trail, a picture emerges. That’s why it’s very important to Google yourself to see what others are seeing. In addition to searching your name, the author recommends that you search for your email address and username to also see what others are seeing. (- Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly by Bernadette Jiwa: This is another wonderful book that shaped my thinking. It is also customer-centric and not seller-centric. Most people create products and then market them to prospects. What the book recommends, is that you create a product or service that addresses a meaningful problem that people have. See the subtle, but important difference?
by Bernadette Jiwa: This is another wonderful book that shaped my thinking. It is also customer-centric and not seller-centric. Most people create products and then market them to prospects. What the book recommends, is that you create a product or service that addresses a meaningful problem that people have. See the subtle, but important difference?- Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: Besides being an enjoyable book, Girl With a Pearl Earring demonstrates creativity. Not very much is known about the artist, Johannes Vermeer. But Tracy Chevalier recreated the artist’s life, making reasonable assumptions. She studied what life was like during Vermeer’s lifetime. As a small business owner, you’ll never have complete information to make decisions and solve problems. You have to get creative and make assumptions. While I was in Dallas, I visited the Dallas Museum of Art and viewed the exhibits in the Vermeer Suite. I was quite delighted. (Review)
by Tracy Chevalier: Besides being an enjoyable book, Girl With a Pearl Earring demonstrates creativity. Not very much is known about the artist, Johannes Vermeer. But Tracy Chevalier recreated the artist’s life, making reasonable assumptions. She studied what life was like during Vermeer’s lifetime. As a small business owner, you’ll never have complete information to make decisions and solve problems. You have to get creative and make assumptions. While I was in Dallas, I visited the Dallas Museum of Art and viewed the exhibits in the Vermeer Suite. I was quite delighted. (- Think Like a SheEO by Vicki Saunders and MJ Ryan: Most people would love to create success on their own terms. They're fearful for whatever reasons, which stops them dead in their tracks. And the success rate for small business does nothing to inspire confidence in most people who are looking to start a new business. But Think like a SheEO provides tools to increase the success rate. As a serial entrepreneur, based on her many years of experience running both successful and unsuccessful businesses, Vicki has distilled her experiences into eight principles, which form the basis for each chapter. (Review)
by Vicki Saunders and MJ Ryan: Most people would love to create success on their own terms. They're fearful for whatever reasons, which stops them dead in their tracks. And the success rate for small business does nothing to inspire confidence in most people who are looking to start a new business. But Think like a SheEO provides tools to increase the success rate. As a serial entrepreneur, based on her many years of experience running both successful and unsuccessful businesses, Vicki has distilled her experiences into eight principles, which form the basis for each chapter. (- Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong by Jessica Bacal: It’s important to learn from the mistakes of others so you don’t make the same ones. Some notable women like Chery Strayed and Carol Dweck are among the 25 people who talk about mistakes they made. If you are a small business owner who strives for perfectionism, read this book. It’s very sobering.
by Jessica Bacal: It’s important to learn from the mistakes of others so you don’t make the same ones. Some notable women like Chery Strayed and Carol Dweck are among the 25 people who talk about mistakes they made. If you are a small business owner who strives for perfectionism, read this book. It’s very sobering.[Like The Invisible Mentor page on Facebook]
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I read the Handmaid’s Tale before it became a hit series that so many can’t wait to watch. It's a dystopian novel that reminded me of George Orwell’s 1984. The story is set is Boston, Massachusetts near Harvard University at some unspecified future time period, but before 2195, known as the Gilead period. In the story, there is a revolution. The entire US Congress is wiped out, and a totalitarian regime is now in power. Women lose their rights and freedom that they fought so hard for. They no longer have control over their reproductive rights. It’s good to read science fiction to get a glimpse of what the future could be. If you projected into the future, how could you better position your small business. (Review)
by Margaret Atwood: I read the Handmaid’s Tale before it became a hit series that so many can’t wait to watch. It's a dystopian novel that reminded me of George Orwell’s 
. The story is set is Boston, Massachusetts near Harvard University at some unspecified future time period, but before 2195, known as the Gilead period. In the story, there is a revolution. The entire US Congress is wiped out, and a totalitarian regime is now in power. Women lose their rights and freedom that they fought so hard for. They no longer have control over their reproductive rights. It’s good to read science fiction to get a glimpse of what the future could be. If you projected into the future, how could you better position your small business. (- Stiletto Network by Pamela Ryckman: I’m currently reading this book but wanted to include it because women’s networks play such as important role in business today. As a business owner, do you have role models, supporters, mentors, and sponsors? As a woman, we have an obligation to help other women. If you’re looking for a network to become a part of, Ellevate Network fits the bill. Why not get a membership yourself and one for another business owner?
by Pamela Ryckman: I’m currently reading this book but wanted to include it because women’s networks play such as important role in business today. As a business owner, do you have role models, supporters, mentors, and sponsors? As a woman, we have an obligation to help other women. If you’re looking for a network to become a part of, Ellevate Network fits the bill. - The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business by Susan Solovic: I loved this book because it has a lot of solid advice. The setback is that it was published in 2007, so most of the links no longer work, and many of the organizations mentioned no longer exists. Susan Wilson Solovic wrote The Girl’s Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business because at the time, fewer than 3 percent of women-owned businesses in the US grossed a million dollars or more in revenues. To increase that number, women need a guide to help them navigate the challenges of business ownership. The book has a blueprint for you to follow to turn your small business into a million-dollar enterprise. (Review)
by Susan Solovic: I loved this book because it has a lot of solid advice. The setback is that it was published in 2007, so most of the links no longer work, and many of the organizations mentioned no longer exists. Susan Wilson Solovic wrote The Girl’s Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business because at the time, fewer than 3 percent of women-owned businesses in the US grossed a million dollars or more in revenues. To increase that number, women need a guide to help them navigate the challenges of business ownership. The book has a blueprint for you to follow to turn your small business into a million-dollar enterprise. (- A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford: I bought this book years ago because a small business owner whom I interviewed remarked that A Woman of Substance was one of the books that impacted her life. I can see why. I love books that have strong female characters who we can learn from. This book is exactly what you need when you’re going through a difficult time in your business. It’s a story of triumph against the odds.
by Barbara Taylor Bradford: I bought this book years ago because a small business owner whom I interviewed remarked that A Woman of Substance was one of the books that impacted her life. I can see why. I love books that have strong female characters who we can learn from. This book is exactly what you need when you’re going through a difficult time in your business. It’s a story of triumph against the odds.- Game Changer by Douglas E. Richards: The storyline is compelling, and the book is a page turner. It introduces a concept called Matrix Learning, which is deep learning. It’s about uploading years of knowledge to your brain within hours. There is an ethical aspect to this book. How should the government choose who gets this technology? In the novel, it’s the Einstein’s of the world that the government selects to become even smarter. The reader sees how people can exploit technology in bad ways. This book reminded me of the importance of knowledge. Imagine if you knew your niche inside out, as well as adjacent ones, how might you grow your business.
Have you read?
Scientists discover how to ‘upload knowledge to your brain'
One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and other mysteries provide fun problem-solving activities to keep you busy. After I finished reading the book, I realized that the end made perfect sense and the clues were right there, but I didn’t ask enough questions. Do you ask enough of the right questions in your business? (Review)
by Agatha Christie: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and other mysteries provide fun problem-solving activities to keep you busy. After I finished reading the book, I realized that the end made perfect sense and the clues were right there, but I didn’t ask enough questions. Do you ask enough of the right questions in your business? (Another Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Small Business Owners
These two are products that I created with you in mind. You and few other small business owners can do it together. Because I wanted get as much from books that I read, I read four very good books on learning. I don't know if you're like me, but I was never taught how to learn.
My teachers and professors threw content at me and I had to figure out how to absorb it. Sometimes I did and other times I didn't. Based on what I learned, I created the Learning How to Read Again Tips Sheet. Here's how to access it. Additionally, if you're up for a challenge, literally, you and a few small business owners can Join the How to Learn Again Reading Program.
Final Thoughts on Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Small Business Owners
These Mother's Day Gifts ideas are suitable for you and other women small business owners. The knowledge you'll gain from reading these books will make a difference in your business especially if you apply the ideas. You get to share that opportunity with women who you want to succeed.
Catching the Catfishers: Disarm the Online Pretenders, Predators, and Perpetrators Who Are Out to Ruin Your Life
Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That FlyGirl with a Pearl Earring, The: A NovelThink Like A SheEOMistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It WrongThe Handmaid's TaleStiletto Network: Inside the Women's Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business by Pamela Ryckman (2013-05-16)The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar BusinessBarbara Taylor Bradford Harte Family Saga: A Woman of Substance, Hold the Dream, To Be the BestGame ChangerThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Book Related Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Small Business Owners
Whenever you read, it's important to take notes by hand to test your understanding of the text. There is nothing like a beautiful notebook. And of course you'll need bookmarks to make sure you do not lose your place in the book. Additionally, how about a beautiful bag to carry the books in?
Notebook BLUE II blank fabric-related 30 x 22.5
Fabric related ink blue white notebookNotebook green, green bullet journalKitten cat bookmark, peeking bookmarkleather bookmark,pesonalized leather bookmarkBookmark Set15″ Handmade Satchel Briefcase Laptop BagLeather messenger, messenger bag womenThe Briefcase | waxed canvas waterproof crossbody shoulder laptop vegan bag
This article contains Amazon and Etsy affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and buy any of the books and gifts from Amazon or Etsy, they will pay me a small commission.
