The framing of how we think.

by Marcus Sheridan

If a customer is asking the question, your job is to answer it on your website. Including the money questions. The fiberglass pool guy who figured this out fifteen years ago is the reason the pricing article in our Toolbox exists.

by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The SUCCESs framework. Simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories. Read it once and you will not sit through another vague marketing meeting without flinching.

by Donald Miller

The book that taught us to make the customer the hero of every page on the site. Not the business, not the owner, the customer. We use this framework on almost every site we build.

by Donald Miller

The practical follow-up to StoryBrand. Step by step on how to actually wire the story into your website, your sales emails, and your lead magnets.

by Seth Godin

Marketing is not about shouting louder. It is about earning trust by genuinely serving the smallest group of people you can. Permission, not interruption.

by Seth Godin

A polite provocation. We all tell stories. The question is whether the story you tell matches what your customer experiences when they actually work with you.

by Roy H. Williams

Oldie but a goodie. Breaks down ad principles that still apply word for word today, and Williams writes like a friend explaining it to you over coffee.

by Robert Cialdini

Six principles of persuasion. Read once for self-defense (so you spot when they are being used on you), read twice for craft (so you can use them ethically).

by Robert Cialdini

The sequel and arguably the better book. What happens before the pitch matters more than the pitch.

by Dale Carnegie

Written in 1936. Still right about almost everything. The trades version: ask about the customer's job before you start talking about your business.

by Jonah Berger

Why some things catch on and others do not. The STEPPS framework is genuinely useful when you are trying to figure out what part of your service is worth talking about.

by Jonah Berger

The other Berger book. About removing the barriers that keep people from changing their minds instead of pushing harder. Useful if you have ever had a customer go quiet after a quote.

by Donald Miller

Phenomenal. The title speaks for itself. Read this when you have crossed your first ceiling and do not know what comes next.

by Alex Hormozi

How to make an offer so good a reasonable person feels stupid saying no. Hormozi can be a lot. The gold is real.

by Alex Hormozi

The companion volume. Four lead sources, how to work them, and an annoyingly thorough breakdown of why most businesses leave money on the table.

by Steve Anderson

Every annual shareholder letter Bezos wrote, with commentary on what was actually building Amazon underneath the headlines. The discipline of writing things down is half the lesson.

by Sam Walton

Walton's own story of building Walmart. The kind of book that reminds you the people who built the biggest companies were obsessive about the smallest details.

by Steven Bartlett

A collection of mindsets and lessons from CEOs Bartlett has interviewed. We dip into this one. You can read any chapter as a standalone.

by Simon Sinek

Why before what. The TED talk version is a fine introduction. The book gets at the deeper question of why your customers should care more about you than about the next guy.

by James Clear

Small habits, big compound. The chapters on identity-based change are the ones that stuck with us. You do not run a marathon. You become a runner.

by Seth Godin

About flying closer to the sun than is comfortable. Worth reading the year you are tempted to play it safe.

by Michael Masterson

Action beats analysis paralysis. The cycle of doing imperfect work, learning, and adjusting is the only way most businesses actually grow.

by Russell Brunson

Worth reading as a business owner. It will make you think harder about the customer's journey and what they actually need to hear from you.

by Rob Fitzpatrick

If you are thinking about starting a business, read this first. A short, practical book on how to talk to family and friends without making them tell you what you want to hear.