Summer is here. Time to sell a lot of beer, and read a lot of good books to help you build a stronger beer business.
To help you choose what to read, I reached out to Orman Anderson, CFO of Glazer’s Beer and Beverage for his list of favorite books.
Orman has been a guest on the Beer Business Finance topic to share his knowledge of wholesaler consolidation and wholesaler financial best practices.
And now, Orman’s Favorite Books:
The Second Mountain, David Brooks
Everything I wished I had considered about life when I started my career and everything I need to accept now that I’m nearing the end.
This book explores what we do when the first mountain we set out to conquer (career success, fame and happiness) meet the reality of life.
Most who succeed in what they set out for often find their satisfaction fleeting and unsatisfying.
Often, we are derailed from our aspirations by poor decisions, failed relationships, poor health or any number of other reasons.
In either case, we end up disillusioned and we turn toward the second mountain of purpose and meaning. This book describes the first mountain and shows you how to chart a course for the second mountain.
The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel
Everything I wish I knew about money.
This is not a book about finance. It is about the psychology of money (aptly titled).
What is it good for and how does our thinking about money lead us to do irrational, self-defeating things.
A few gems: “Wealth is what you don’t see – the house or fancy car not purchased”;
“Money is independence – it is used to do what you want, when you want for as long as you want”.
The Righteous Mind, David Haight
Read everything David Haight has written. He is incredibly insightful.
This book explains simply why we are group-ish and judgmental.
Haight uses an analogy of an elephant and a rider to explain why we often do things we don’t intend to and then rationalize our behavior. He explains succinctly how democrats/liberals’ view of the world differs from republicans/conservatives’.
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
The best book about time management.
Takes a very realistic approach. Stop trying to find productivity hacks to do more. Accept that your time and attention are limited and be more selective about what you choose to do.
Quick spoiler – make a list of 20 things you want to accomplish in life in order of importance. Focus on the top 3-5 and actively avoid doing anything toward anything lower on your list.
Attitude determines altitude.
Carol Dweck describes a growth mindset and contrasts it with a fixed mindset.
Before reading, I felt I had a growth mindset but was surprised to see how many ways I was stuck in a fixed mindset.
This was a fabulous reminder that we can improve at almost anything in life with focus, attention and hard work.
Besides height, there is very little that is fixed.