The World According to Mitch Fanning

Earlier this week, I received the following messages from friend and web developer Trevor Twining via my Facebook News Feed:

Simple and to the point, but most importantly, it reminded me that making a difference (and helping others) doesn’t have to be hard work.  It doesn’t have to be time-consuming and you don’t need to be a millionaire philanthropist with your own foundation.

Back to the story…

24 hours later, 7 people (last time I checked) had agreed to make $10-$20 pledges to help the YWCA Niagara with their food bank (including me). Including Trevor’s matching pledges the grand total for the day was $210.

Sending Trevor the pledge was actually the easiest part.  Trevor sent the following message with 3 options for giving your pledge (Paypal, Interac Email money transfer, arranging a “physical” exchange in person):

I chose the “lazy” option, Paypal.

And the point of it all, drum roll please…

The point of this blog post is not to “toot my own horn,” but a gentle reminder (mostly to myself) that doing something good for others takes less time then we often think.  To make a difference, you don’t need to set-up a robust online donation system, spend months planning a large social media outreach campaign, or donate thousands of dollars.

All it takes is you, 7 other people, and a laptop!

Honourable mention goes out to Heather Twining for her mad shopping and coupon ‘skillz’ to ensure the pledges received buys the maximum amount of food for YWCA Niagara food bank.

Photo credit : Trevor and Heather Twining

Here is a list of books I’ve not only read (or listened to) more than once, but keep most on my bedside dresser for quick reference.

Please don’t let some of the “less is more” business book titles mislead you into thinking these books aren’t helpful. That would be a mistake. The concepts in these books are solid. Over the past 15 years, I’ve read hundreds of business/finance/personal development/entrepreneur books, and – in my humble opinion – the following 10 books have the stuff other books don’t.

If you take just one idea (from each book) and ACTUALLY implement it, the $20 or so you paid for the book will be returned to you – and then some. I’ve implemented ideas from these books and it has made a huge difference in my life.

For quick reference, I’ve organized them into 3 simple categories (work, money, personal) with detailed notes for each book. Before you go over the list there are a few things to keep in mind. First, I’d suggest reading one book at a time. If you want to read two, I suggest picking one each category (i.e. work, personal, etc.).

For those of you who are confused by the fact that I’ve listed “personal” books as being business-in-nature, let me just say that these books have helped me create a good “personal operating system,” which as a framework has helped me to make good business decisions (not always, but most of the time).

Again, I hope you find them helpful, I certainly have.

So go on…grab a book and a coffee, and enjoy!

Currently Reading…

The next book on my “to-read” list:

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

 

Work

Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers

I love this book! Why? Because it’s got all the ingredients I look for in any good business book: 1) It goes against conventional wisdom. 2) The author actually did what they’re telling you to do. 3) It’s a good mix between concepts and “actionable” tactics. Most importantly, I like the fact that Derek was completely honest about his catastrophic (but common) failures and mistakes. If you want a true manifesto, you have it here in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Read my full review. Read more customer reviews on Amazon…

Rework by Jason Fried

Again, just like in “Anything You Want,” Jason Fried and co-author David Hansson follow their own advice. Translation: They’re giving you their proven philosophies, which is at the core of 37signals’ (their business) success and inspiring us to put them into practice. There’s no fluff here just hundreds of simple rules for success. Part entrepreneurial handbook for the 21st century, part manifesto for anyone wondering how work really works in the web 2.0 age. Read more customer reviews on Amazon…

The 4-Hour Workweek (new edition) by Tim Ferriss

Okay, I want to be very clear here: This book isn’t about getting your work week down to 4 hours. It’s really about testing assumptions, bending reality to your own will, and trying to fill every waking minute of your day doing stuff that excites you. This was the first book that made me realize holy #%*! money isn’t the most important thing, my time (and what I do with it) is. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, traveling, earning more income, or just living more, this book is the blueprint. Read more reviews on Amazon… [Note: I also enjoyed Tim's 2nd book: The 4-Hour Body]

 

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

If you want to truly know how to succeed using social media, read this book. I’m serious. It’s the only book I recommend when someone asks, “any good books you can recommend on social media?” Yep, this one. Enough said. Read more reviews on Amazon…

Money

The Lazy Investor by Derek Foster

After quitting the rat race at the age of 34, Derek Foster started sharing his simple dividend investment strategies in his National Best Selling Books. I’ve met Derek – he’s the real deal. Personally, I’ve enjoyed all his books, but this one in particular is my favorite. This book details a step-by-step process I’ve used to gradually build my portfolio over time without falling victim to the high fees many investors pay. Warning: This is not a “get-rich-quick,” scheme, but I’ve personally seen a 20%+ return using this strategy over the past 3-4 years, and I’m no Warren Buffet.

Rule #1 by Phil Town

This is the best book I’ve read that teaches you the step-by-step process for conducting due diligence on a public company (using both fundamental and technical analysis) to determine if a company is worth investing in. I’ve used this process in conjunction with DRIP investing – see above book. The principles in the book are based on the Benjamin Graham–Warren Buffett–style of value investing. If you want to be a sophisticated investor, you need to read this book, or one like it. Read more reviews on Amazon…

The Millionaire Mind by Thomas Stanley

How does the typical “real-life” millionaire think and how do they live day-to-day? Once you’ve read this book, you’ll know. It’s also quite different (and less exciting) then you think. After reading this book, I started to re-align my life based on the habits and beliefs many millionaires actually possess. It’s easy to do, but it does take some discipline to keep it up. This will definitely be a book you’ll read over and over again. Read over 100 customer reviews on Amazon…

Personal

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

“Who is John Galt?” and why does this book have an average customer review of 4-stars on Amazon with 1,000+ customer reviews in total (650+ being 5 star reviews)? Because, it’s a classic! This is the only fiction book I’ve read. It’s also among the all-time favorite books of business leaders. Published over 50 years ago, this book has inspired several generations of entrepreneurs to unleash their inner titan. In fact, according to Inc Magazine, the book is responsible for launching over 1,000 companies. Read some of the 650+ 5-star customer reviews on Amazon…

Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen

Probably one of the top 3 most influential books I’ve read in my life. Steve Hagen explains buddhism in a way that makes complete sense. I wish I read this book 10 years ago. If you read this book you will not shave your head and go live in silence as a monk. You will, however, worry less, have more focus than you’ve ever had in your life, and start to experience your version of “happiness”. Sure, you’ll have days when you become distracted and frustrated, but trust me when I say you already have all the tools you need to succeed. You just have to “wake up” and “see” for yourself. Read over 90 customer reviews on Amazon…

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts

First, let me say, this book is not JUST a “travel book.” It’s more than that, much more. After reading this book I simplified my life, eliminated most of the material clutter (i.e. distractions) in my life, started saving more money, and began to value my time more than ever. As a result, I’ve increased my life options: whether that be to travel or just doing more things I love, like reading, etc. Read more reviews on Amazon…

Honourable Mention

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine

In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine shows us how this ancient philosophy can direct us toward a better life. In a way, it’s almost too personal for me to give an objective review, because I found when reading it, my existing life philosophies matched up with a 2000-year-old philosophy called Stoicism. Mine were ‘unknowingly’ self-developed, so it was interesting to read the refined version. This is one of those books that could be really life changing, if you’re ready for it. Read more reviews on Amazon…

Have you read any good business or personal development books lately? Let me know, perhaps they just might make the “list” someday.

Photo credit: Maguis & David

• How many useful things can I create in my life (for others)?
• You don’t need money to start helping people today.
• You can’t help everyone, so proudly exclude people.
• Make yourself unnecessary to running your business.
• Stay focused on just helping people today.
• Focus on improving or inventing, not promoting something that people just don’t seem to need or want.
• If you can’t say “hell yeah” or “wow, let’s do it” to something then say no.
• You don’t need large clients to be successful, just lots of little ones.

If any of the above questions or statements resonate with you then I recommend you read: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers (via Seth Godin’s new book publishing imprint, The Domino Project (powered by Amazon).  Actually, my advice would be – don’t get the book, get the audio book.

Why?

Having the audio book was like sitting down with Derek (himself) for about an hour as he told me his amazing story of how he created CDbaby from scratch and sold it 10 years later for $22 million.

Honest. Straightforward. Simple.

What I liked most about the book was the fact that he was completely honest and straightforward about his failures and mistakes.  I mean this guy made a lot of mistakes (really, who doesn’t), but he kept things simple. Really, really simple. This is an important lesson for those of us starting anything new: be it a project, a blog post, a book, or even a small business.

Just Start By Finding Ways To Help

For those of you who read a lot of business books (like me) you’re not going to hear anything new. However, what you will get for roughly $10, is an inspirational story told in a forthcoming way about an average guy who did his best not to build a business, but to help out his friends and some other independent musicians.

The Result?

Not only did this make him happy, he enjoyed the process, made something useful for thousands of people, and lived life on his own terms.

So, what do you want?

Somewhere in Santorini, Greece (not a bad point of view, if I do say so myself)

I’m currently reading Onward by Howard Shultz, founder and ceo of Starbucks.  So far, it’s a good read. I also read Howard’s first book and really enjoy his informal and genuine writing style.

One idea that popped out, while reading the latest chapter, was his need to re-communicate Starbucks’ point of view upon his return as ceo in 2008.  After pondering this idea for a moment, I came to the conclusion that every business should have a “Point of View”, just as every person should have a point of view.

Something your business stands for (your platform).

Something to defend.

Something to share.

Its reason for existing.

I believe Fruition Interactive‘s point of view is that “digital marketing should drive business results”. Your website is meaningless unless it gets people to take action – action that you’ve predetermined as being important to your business.

Your online marketing initiatives, whether it be pay per click advertising, search engine optimization, social media initiatives, or e-mail must drive qualified traffic to your site and create real, measurable business results.  If popular social networking sites are driving traffic to your site – traffic which can be verified through Google Analytics – but not turning into inquiries and/or subscribers, you’re not using social media in the right way – yet.

When it comes to my personal point of view – I have many.  One is that getting what you want usually comes as a result of not conforming to what is generally done or believed by others.  Another one is everyone should use the Internet to build their personal brand and share their Point of View.

That’s my Point of View.

What yours?

About the Author

Mitch is VP of Fruition Interactive.  He has spent the last 11 years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to some of Canada’s fastest growing web start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100 in a marketing, leadership, or business development capacity.

Photo credit: Wolfgang Staudt

Last week, I watched my twins graduate from grade 6.  In addition to reaching a milestone in life, they were also acknowledged by their teachers and fellow students by receiving awards based on leadership and sportsmanship.

I was very proud.

However, their accomplishments did not surprise me (okay, maybe a little).  Both Kari and I have always done our best to teach them about the realities of life and what’s really important.

You see, winning awards is not the important thing, it’s why they won the awards in the first place.  Meaning, we’ve tried to teach them how to be individuals, to help others, and to go after their dreams even if this means they might fail.

In my experience, society does not place enough value and significance on failure.  In the school system, we celebrate achievement with good grades, awards, and a pat on the back. As a result, children learn if they do certain things they will receive a positive outcome. However, if they strive for something greater and fail they may receive no official acknowledgment.

My point is this: it’s important for kids to also be rewarded (at graduation) for trying something and failing.  By doing so, over time they might learn how to recover from a set-back faster.  I’m not suggesting one has to fail in order to succeed.  I’m merely saying that when one DOES fail, it’s helpful to know that it’s okay and to then learn from the experience in order to move on.

Let’s teach our kids the importance and significance of failing.

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos