I spend a ton of time reading, researching, and writing. I mean a ton…For Noteworthy, for clients, and some of it just for my own personal growth.

I did a roundup this week of some of the great stuff I’ve read in the last month or two.

There is Just. So. Much. Out There! And I get so excited about it all. It’s also often the case that there’s really no way for me to say it better so I summarize and link instead.

Hopefully enthusiastically enough to get you to click through.

You never know, you might see exactly what you needed to see, when you needed to see it thanks to this brief but thorough roundup. Let’s see if that’s what happens!

Here’s what I’ve picked out just for you.

First Ten by Seth Godin

I enjoy the short impactfulness of Seth’s thoughts. His posts are quick, impactful reads and this one is no different. Except in this one he gives you instruction on how to determine if what you are doing will succeed. I have done it with Noteworthy and I think you will benefit greatly from this process yourself.

Tim Ferriss’ Three Rules of Branding

I will admit, tiny crush on Tim Ferris (my Husband is fully aware and not at all worried). It’s like an information hoarding crush. I read and devour absolutely everything he writes.

When I landed on this particular article doing research for something else I loved how brief and impactful (a theme) it is so I have to share it with you. It’s fabulous advice like this:

“Branding is a side effect of consistent association. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Put good business first, and good “brand” will follow.” ~Tim Ferris

See what I mean? OMG so good.

12 Books That Will Make You A Better Writer by Ann Handley

I adore Ann Handley. She is truly one of the better business content writers out there although not widely published. She and I have somewhat of a personal relationship albeit via messenger and social media. And she is absolutely hysterical.

I’ve read some of what’s on this list but read what she writes about E.B. White’s “One Man’s Meat”:

“To say that I have a literary crush on E.B. White is an understatement on par with saying that ‘oxygen is important’ or ‘2017 politics were ludicrous.’ Some things are so obvious they don’t need to be said. Which is why E.B. White is on this list not once … but twice.

This title is a collection of first-person essays published 55 years ago, largely centered on the writer’s daily life on a Maine saltwater farm five hours north of Boston.

I visited that farm in the summer of 2017. I parked my rear end in the very same spot E.B. White’s rear end occupies in the picture on the cover of this book. There is no better personal essayist than this guy.”

Doesn’t that just make want you want to rush out and grab that book and read it all day and all night? Even if you don’t read any of the books she suggests, read how she describes them. That in and of itself is fabulous writing.

Will Influencer Marketing Last? By Mark Schaefer

Lately, the word about town has been what a scam “influencer” marketing is. In this article Mark explains the ins and outs of it and why you can’t ignore it. Namely this:

“We need a new way to reach consumers because the old foundations of marketing are crumbling before our eyes. Two-thirds of the customer journey is taking place through some form of word-of-mouth online, in reviews and from influencers.”

My take on it? One of the biggest influencer channels I see, especially for small, local businesses, is Nextdoor. If you have not joined your neighborhood Nextdoor yet, get in there. Seriously. I see recommendations on it literally daily and I know for a fact businesses have grown tremendously from these word-of-mouth reviews on Nextdoor.

If you have not figured out how to make this work for your business read this article and put your thinking cap on.

1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly

You need only 1,000 True Fans to be a successful entrepreneur/business owner. That’s it, says Kevin Kelly. A True Fan is defined as a customer that will buy anything you produce.

I actually read this essay earlier this year and and have read the section devoted to him in Tim Ferriss’ book Tools of Titans. He provides so much great insight and advice. Trust me, you need to read this too.

“A thousand customers is a whole lot more feasible to aim for than a million fans. Millions of paying fans is not a realistic goal to shoot for, especially when you are starting out. But a thousand fans is doable. You might even be able to remember a thousand names. If you added one new true fan per day, it’d only take a few years to gain a thousand.”

Everyone starts at one and getting to 1,000 is totally doable. Read it. Do it.

Don’t Eat Before Reading This by Anthony Bourdain

Well, what can I say. This is the pièce de résistance.

My tribute to, love for, and fascination with Anthony Bourdain will probably never die.

And because this article is how he got his shot at stardom, this is what I always come back to.

The Backstory.
In debt and in despair, he decided to write something that would entertain his cooks. He thought he’d make a $100 bucks sending it to the New York Press (run by Sam Sifton at the time—currently a world-class food writer for the New York Times) and be a hero to a few fry cooks.

Sam said he would publish it but it always got bumped.

His mother suggested sending it to The New Yorker. He says, in a fit of inebriated hubris, he found the courage to do just that, never expecting anyone there would even read it, much less want to publish it.

Until David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, called his kitchen phone.

When he wrote this article he was 44 years old, a recovering addict, living paycheck to paycheck, and had given up any dream of financial security much less wealth. He’d had a widely reported restaurant failure and was the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halle in the financial district (now closed).

When the article ran, it catapulted him to fame in less than two days.

The day it came out he was serving jury duty and when he came out of the courthouse the steps were covered in press looking to interview…him.

By the end of the week he had a book deal for Kitchen Confidential and from there a contract with the Food Network and the rest is history.

Thursday’s fish is Monday’s dish, Tuesday nights are for pros, what “save for well done” means and the perils of “brunching” are all things he explains about the back-alley, seedy underbelly of the restaurant kitchen world.

“Even more despised than the Brunch People are the vegetarians. Serious cooks regard these members of the dining public—and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans—as enemies of everything that’s good and decent in the human spirit.” ~Anthony Bourdain

He turned on his profession, as he puts it, and gave the rest of us an insider’s guide on how to eat out, when, and what. In one of the most satirically funny essays I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and click to read it.