11. Getting Past NO by William Ury, Bantam Books (1993)

Getting Past No is the state-of-the-art book on negotiation for the twenty-first century. Used by US President, heads of corporations, and heads of state. If you cannot resolve conflict in your favor because your negotiating partner is unreasonable, you cannot ultimately achieve success. Don’t forget its predecessor!

Buy Getting Past NO

12. Lincoln: Speeches and Writings by Don Edward Fehrenbacher

If you have problems writing your thoughts then you have problems communicating which is fatal to any entrepreneur. Here is an individual who was a Senator and two (2) term President of the United States through the American Civil War, and writer of the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address, and accomplished writer and speaker.

Buy Lincoln Speeches and Writings

13. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

Remember what you learned as a child from The Little Blue Engine …I think I can, I think I can! There are times that we may need the simplicity of a child likeness and trudge onward. Share a moment with your kids and read through this classic. You’ll be amazed at how you may be able to apply it to your own personal business endeavors.

Buy The Little Engine That Could

14. What Clients Love by Harry Beckwith

Harry Beckwith works with 23 Fortune 500 companies and is the branding consultant to the world’s premier brand consultancy. He has appeared on CNN, given keynote addresses to Microsoft, Disney and ABC, and authored the critically acclaimed international business bestseller, What Clients Love.

Buy What Clients Love

6. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

“All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea. You might well remember that nothing can bring you success but yourself. If you are ready for the secret, you already possess one half of it. ~ Napoleon Hill. In the early 1900’s Napoleon Hill dedicated about 20 years of his life to study and interview 500 of the most successful people at the time such as Edison, Ford and Andrew Carnegie. Think and Grow Rich is a direct result of his findings. A book that went on to sell over 20 million copies. A book that greatly influenced the whole field of personal development as we know it today, and becoming an instant classic. Buy Think and Grow Rich

7. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Aside from establishing the first library, first public school, first public fire department, and inventing the lightening rod, Benjamin Franklin ran a billion dollar empire that produced a book second in sales only to the Bible. When he was not busy, he also signed the Declaration of Independence and United States Consitution, and negotiated the treaty ending the American Revolutionary War with England. Well worth the read for anyone who wants to study successful entrepreneurs. Buy The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

8. The Way To Wealth by Steve Shipside

Since the first publication of The Way to Wealth in the 1750’s, millions of aspiring entrepreneurs have used Benjamin Franklin’s advice to create and maintain profitable businesses. Franklin died a hugely wealthy man and he is still listed in the Wealthy 100: The 100 Wealthiest Americans in History. Here Steve Shipside interprets Franklin’s text for the modern day. This brilliant interpretation of The Way to Wealth Is an entertaining accompaniment to one of the most famous books ever written. A pocket edition of Benjamin Franklin’s life and business philosophies which after two centuries are still relevant. Buy The Way To Wealth

9. Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty by Harvey Mackay

Harvey Mackay, who taught millions of Americans how to “swim with the sharks without getting eaten alive” now dives deep into the art of which he’s grandmaster: networking. Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty contains Harvey’s gold-chip advice, accumulated over a lifetime of business success, on how to build and maintain the network you need. Harvey guarantees you’ll never be more than a phone call away from a person in the position to help you get what you want – whether it’s the job opportunity of a lifetime or a lifetime partner, the sales prospect of your dreams or the career advice you’ve only dreamed of. Buy Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty

10. Getting To Yes by Roger Fisher and Wiliam Ury

Getting to Yes is a straightforward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting taken. Without this book and its sequel, you are seriously at a disadvantage in negotiations and conflict resolution. It offers a concise, step-by-step, proven strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Based on the work of Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deal continually with all levels of negotiations and conflict resolutions from domestic to business to international, Getting to Yes tells you how to :  Separate the people from the problem, Focus on interests, not positions, Work together to create opinions that will satisfy both parties, Negotiate successfully with people who are more powerful, refuse to play by the rules, or resort to “dirty tricks.” Buy Getting To Yes Well, we are nearly done with our list. What books would you recommend?

1. Eight Silly Monkeys Illustrated by Steve Haskamp, (2003)

Get set for romping and rhyming fun! Young ones will love counting backwards as they watch eight monkeys disappear one by one with each turn of the page in this delightful tale. Eight Silly Monkeys features full-color illustrations, charming verse, and innovative die-cutting to reveal silly, touchable monkeys on each page. As fun to read as it is to listen to, this enjoyable rhyming adventure is a perfect read for ages 3 and up. Buy Eight Silly Monkeys

More than three-quarters of individuals who received coaching reported better relationships with direct reports, and 71% reported better relationships with immediate supervisors. More than 6 in 10 reported improved teamwork, relationships with peers, and job satisfaction. Other intangible business results included reduced conflict, greater organizational commitment, and better relationships with clients.

Business Coaching improves your personal wealth. Over one-third of the participants earned $200,000 per year or more, with almost 20% earning $250,000 or more. Also 57% of participants were in their thirties. Two-thirds of participants were males. 55% of participants were engaged in change-oriented coaching, with an emphasis on supplementing and refocusing participants’ skills. 29% participated in growth-oriented coaching, with an emphasis on accelerating the learning curve for high-potential or recently promoted managers/executives. 16% combined the two areas of emphasis.

Better relationships : Individuals who received coaching reported experiencing better relationships with their direct reports, immediate supervisors, peers and clients. They also reported better teamwork and job satisfaction, reduced conflict, and renewed organizational commitment.

Coaching pays off : 91% of participants who were coached indicated that the value received from coaching programs was greater than the time and money invested.

High satisfaction : 86% of participants who received coaching were very or extremely satisfied with their coaching experience.

3 out of 4 achieved goals : 73% of participants who received coaching reported that their goals were extremely or very effectively achieved. These goals included interpersonal improvements, better management and leadership skills, business agility, and personal growth.

High recommendation rate : 93% of participants receiving coaching would recommend it to others.

A detailed study was recently conducted and published detailing the benefits and findings in support of Management & Executive Coaching.  Included within this document are “5 main items of ROI” that surfaced through this research.

John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company, and as gasoline grew in import so did Rockefeller’s wealth. He became the world’s richest man and first American billionaire. Credited as the richest person in history.

2. Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877)

Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt was a transporation tycoon, and according to “The Wealthy 100″ by Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther, Vanderbilt would be worth $143 billion in 2007 dollars, A current famous descendant in the family is journalist Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Vanderbilt and great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. transportation tycoon.

3. John Jacob Astor (1763-1848)

Fur magnate and founder of a renowned family of Anglo-American capitalists, business leaders, and philanthropists. His American Fur Company is considered the first U.S. business monopoly.Astor started a fur-goods shop in New York City about 1786 after learning about the fur trade while aboard the ship that brought him to the U.S. Benefitting from the Jay Treaty between England and the U.S.

4. Stephen Girard (1750-1831)

Stephen Girard did start with a handicap, being born blind in one eye. It may have been a personality disorder which drove him to precise, minute instructions to his subordinates in excruciating detail. Although he left the largest estate in the nation’s history, that estate continued to accumulate money from his minute instructions to executors,  enlarging his vast fortune fifty-fold, a century after his death.

5 . Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)

Carnegie started as a telegrapher and by the 1860s had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks. He built further wealth as a bond salesman raising money for American enterprise in Europe. He is often regarded as the second-richest man in history after John D. Rockefeller. He earned most of his fortune in the steel industry, but spent his last years as a philanthropist. From 1901 forward,

6. Bill Gates (1955 – )

William Henry “Bill” Gates III is an American business magnate, philanthropist, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. He is ranked consistently one of the world’s wealthiest people and the wealthiest overall as of 2009. He also  remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 8 percent of the common stock.

7. Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876)

Alexander Turney Stewart was a successful Irish American entrepreneur who made his multi-million fortune in what was at the time the most extensive and lucrative dry goods business in the world. He was a business genius, and by 1848 he had built a large marble-fronted store which was devoted to the wholesale branch of his business, and the largest retail store in the world at that time.