March 2020 was a vibe. And by "vibe," I mean a total dumpster fire. I’d…
My 3 Go-To Business Books
Can I tell you about my pandemic reading list?
It’s 2020. The world has gone quiet. My calendar, once packed with industry events, flights, and back-to-back meetings, was suddenly, startlingly empty.
And I did what a lot of us did.
I read. A lot.
But here’s the thing about that season that I don’t talk about enough – it wasn’t just pandemic downtime. It was the year I started building my next-chapter business. And I was scared, overwhelmed, and had absolutely no idea how to talk about what I was doing or who I was doing it for.
While I plowed through many titles, these 3 were my faves.
And this week, after binge-listening to the StoryBrand podcast, I’ve been thinking about all three of them again.
Wanna dive in?
📘 Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller
This one cracked something open for me.
I had spent decades being the expert in the room. I knew my stuff. But the moment I tried to explain my new business to someone outside my industry? Blank stares.
StoryBrand taught me that the problem wasn’t my expertise. It was that I was making myself the hero of the story, when my client needed to be the hero.
That one shift changed everything. My bio, my messaging, my offers. All of it.
(If you haven’t listened to the StoryBrand podcast or read the updated Building a StoryBrand 2.0 – add it to your list immediately.)
📗 The One Thing – Gary Keller
Here’s the trap that gets almost every expert professional I know.
You’re good at a lot of things. So you try to build a business around all of them.
And then you wonder why nothing gains traction.
The One Thing is an uncomfortable read, because it asks you to stop. To choose. To say no to the 11 good ideas so you can say a real yes to the one great one.
It’s still the book I recommend most when someone tells me they feel scattered.
📕 The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks
This one isn’t a business book. It’s a YOU book.
Hendricks talks about something he calls the “Upper Limit Problem” – the invisible ceiling we hit the moment things start going well. The self-sabotage that shows up disguised as procrastination, perfectionism, or suddenly being very busy doing everything except the thing.
I’ve seen it in myself. I see it in every next-chapter professional I work with.
Read this one slowly. Take notes.
These three books together gave me a foundation when I had no idea what I was building yet.
Message. Focus. Mindset.
If you’re in that “overwhelmed, where do I even start?” season right now – this is your reading list.
I shared more about all three over on Instagram and LinkedIn this week, including what makes each one a next-chapter essential. Come find the posts and let me know which one speaks to where you are right now.
To decluttering the overwhelm, and getting focused on your One Thing,
Leanne
P.S. What’s the one book that changed how you think about your business? I’m building a community reading list and I want yours on it.
Talk soon, Leanne
P.P.S. My real-life newsletter goes deeper – more insights, more goodies, and more of the good stuff you won’t find anywhere else. If you want in, you can subscribe right here. I’d love to have you.
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