This page lists links to publications, podcasts, newsletters, tools and people that have and continue to be an inspiration, fountains of knowledge and useful hints, hacks and tips. We will do our best to keep this up to date but even if it ends up being an old list we would wager it will still be a useful one.
Books
Most links are to Amazon. We would encourage you to buy audio, e-books and second hand (click the used button under the price) or visit a used book store e.g https://www.worldofbooks.com or https://www.abebooks.co.uk.
Seth Godin (all books). We are particularly enjoying his latest one - This is Marketing
Rework and It doesn’t have to be crazy at work – Jason Fried. This might help you when stressing about how much it takes to run a successful business.
If you don’t mind a bit of a heavy read, then Thinking Fast and Slow is a staple. If you prefer your books with more of a storytelling style then try The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis, which is essentially the back story and highlights of Thinking Fast and Slow.
On the topic of human behaviour also nods to Nudge, Influence*, Drive and Decoded.
* a nice little summary video of Influence has also been put together. Handy.
Do Books are all great. Start with Do Purpose for business but then do dip into some of the other topics covered in the ever-expanding series.
Principles by Ray Diallo. Some of the detail of his particular principles may be challenged but having principles and a framework for tackling the tricky business of business is always sound advice.
Originals – Adam Grant. An academic who wants to understand why some entrepreneurs succeed, why some don’t and everything in between.
The obstacle is the way – Ryan Holiday. When the going gets tough read Ryan.
Let my people go surfing - Yvon Chouinard. The story of Patagonia, the original story of how businesses should be run in the 21st-century by a business founded in 1973.
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight. An epic tail.
Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh. Truly an alternative business person, who shows the value of always putting the customer first.
Podcasts
When you haven’t got the time or motivation for a book then podcasts are an easy and powerful alternative.
Masters of scale - Silicon Valley business philosophy with the good and the great of the Valley. Also noteworthy for its high production values.
The Tim Ferriss Show - Self-improvement central. Even if you find Tim hard work, he asks great questions and the guests are outstanding
Akimbo by Seth Godin – Marketing masterclass, in bite-size portions.
Freakonomics - Smart + Fun = Good times.
Screw It, Just Do It – UK focused business interviews. Humble and wise.
How I built this - The back story behind the greats. Always inspirational.
Revisionist History - Great yarns and ideas from the master story teller.
People
Mostly twitter and mostly people who have useful things to say about sustainability and the environment. But not exclusively
Newletters
Newsletters are a great way to stop wasting time surfing the web and social outlets for useful and interesting things. Instead newsletters are fully curated and delivered directly to you instead. Don’t be afraid to try and then simply hit the unsubscribe button whenever you find you are not willing or able to read them.
Do Lectures - from the people who literally wrote the book on newsletters.
Hiut Denim - great jeans even better newsletters.
Recomendo - short and useful.
Farnam Street - a bit more academic with great resources on productivity and creativity.
For the interested - yes, yes I am.
Seth’s Blog - each day, one short, thoughtful idea.
Tools
Useful software and services which make doing and creating that bit better and that bit easier.
Most are free and most have mobile apps, desktop apps and website plugins.
Slack - best for sharing ideas and news within teams
Shopify - doing business online is hard, Shopify makes it so much easier.
Grammarly- for people who dont right gud
Squarespace - easy to build websites, like this one.
Todoist - there are loads of productivity apps out there and this is one of the best.
LastPass - you need a password manager, this is one of the oldest and best.
Toggl - if you want or need to measure time, this is a great tool for tracking it.
Box - easy to use and mostly free cloud back up and storage services