The recent volcano in Iceland that grounded thousands of plane flights across Europe made me wonder how many small business owners were in panic mode because they couldn’t get back to their businesses and keep the doors open. It’s a real problem with small business owners.

If you are involved in every step that is taken in your company, you have created a job for yourself that could hold you prisoner and keep you from enjoying the fruits of your labor. When I was consulting with small business owners, this was one of the biggest business issues.

I’ll never forget one talk I gave to a group of small business owners about actions they could take to make their business more efficient and sustainable by making it less dependent upon them.

One business owner pulled me aside after the talk and shared his story. He said, “You are absolutely right about setting up systems and processes to make your business run without you. I’ve been in business for 30 years and have turned a profit every month. So I decided to reward myself and take a vacation. I took a month off and went to Europe and came back to total chaos in my business. On top of that, my company lost money that month!”

He was so wrapped up in every part of his business, that nothing could get done without him being there. He changed that really quickly once he saw what was happening. And he was much happier after making that change.

As your business grows, it’s important that you create sustainable systems and processes to help your business stay alive if something happens to you. My colleague Susan Carter wrote a book a few years ago that will help you do just that. It’s called, How To Make Your Business Run Without You and will take you step-by-step through the process.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.

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I love books. Plain and simple. Always have and always will. It started when I was very young. My Mom used to take our entire family on weekly trips to the library. We always came home with stacks of books and to this day, all of us love to read.

So I get really excited when a new book arrives at my door. I am so lucky that publishers and PR people want to know what I think about their client’s recent book, but I’ve been falling down on the job. I am way overloaded on book reviews! Just take a look at the picture below. This is the window sill in my office where I’ve been stacking the books I need to review.

There are some really great business books that you need to know about. So here’s my promise to you. I am going to get these reviews done by completing at least two reviews a month. I’m toying with the idea of doing video reviews … I think that could be quite fun!

I’m going to be giving away some of these books as the year progresses, so keep your eyes wide open for your chance to grab a book you’ve been waiting for. To make sure you get regular updates, you can fill out the subscription box below and I’ll send you weekly updates via email or you can subscribe to the RSS feed if you prefer.

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Guy Kawasaki’s new book “Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide To Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition” landed in my mailbox this week. It’s a thick, chunky book that reflects the contents within.

Here’s the bottom line. If you’ve ever read the tips on Kawasaki’s blog, you’ll love this book.

Chock full of great (actionable!) tips on topics like starting a business, marketing, dealing with employees, communicating, recruiting, hiring and firing, networking and much more, you could sit and spend hours pouring through the tips and tactics he shares.

But I don’t recommend reading this book cover to cover.

Reality Check will serve you better if you “read it when you need it.” There’s just too much good stuff to digest in one sitting and different tips will apply to your business as it matures and transitions through different stages. It will help you more if you keep it handy and use it as a guide to help you through whatever problem you are facing.

It’s worth picking up a copy though. It will be available in bookstores on October 30th and can currently be preorderd from amazon.com.

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So much of business these days is accomplished through email or other written works that you can’t afford to “not know” how to put the right words together at the right time. And the truth is that the English language isn’t all that easy to decipher. With all sorts of rules and exceptions, it’s no wonder people get confused.

If you’re like me and struggle with a few of the tangled up grammar rules, here’s your answer. Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) is about to release her first print book Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.

I’ve been listening to Grammar Girl’s podcast on iTunes for months and it’s always helpful. I’m thrilled to see this book is hitting the market. If you are not sure whether this book is for you, you can check it out by getting a free chapter of Grammar Girl’s new book now. Just click on Dirty Words (PDF).

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Business books are one of the hottest commodities you can create — but they are not easy to market and require a big investment of time.

Everyone I know has a book in them. Whether you take the time to write it or not, that’s up to you. One small business owner recently tackled that task. But he forgot to create a marketing plan to help get the word out. Oops.

The time to start thinking about marketing your book is before it’s written. All is not lost if your already in progress though.

One of the very best tools to help you market your book is “1001 Ways To Market Your Books.” That will keep you busy and help you achieve your marketing goals.

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This book by customer loyalty expert Kevin Stirtz is a short read packed with a powerful punch. Kevin’s 21 real world lessons in creating more loyal customers can be easily implemented in your business.

In every chapter you’ll find a great tidbit that will make you whack yourself on the forehead and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The practicality of these tips is what makes this book so great.

If you want your customers to be more loyal to your business, take a minute and pick up your copy of More Loyal Customers: 21 Real World Lessons to Keep Your Customers Coming Back today.

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A while back a small business owner paid me a visit. He wanted help marketing his fitness business to women. Before we even started talking, he handed me his business card. The card was very professional and said all the right things. But it also included a huge blunder.

He was pretty smart to target women as prospects for his business. After all, experts say that in the average household women control over two thirds, 75 percent, of the finances and are responsible for 80 percent of purchasing decisions. That means women wake up in the morning ready to spend money. Will they spend it with your business?

And what about women-owned businesses? Well, that’s a huge market too. According the the Center for Women´s Business Research, 10.6 million firms are at least 50% owned by a woman or women and the average growth rate of women-owned firms is nearly twice that of all firms. On top of that, women-owned firms employ 19.1 million people and generate $2.5 trillion in sales. So if you’re targeting women as prospective buyers, you better make sure you know how to sell to them.

A good place to start is with Yvonne DiVita’s Dick*Less Marketing: Smart Marketing To Women Online book.

And don’t make marketing blunders like my client did. Make sure your visual materials scream “women are my market” too. His didn’t. On the front of his business card was a photo of “rock hard men’s abs.” Ack.

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You just can’t beat this book by Marcia Yudkin. Every small business owner should have a dog-eared copy within reach. I’ve given away many copies of this book to my clients and recommended it to several others.

Your small business must have a public relations plan and 6 Steps To Free Publicity can help you put it together. Just like Marcia (a master marketer), this book is practical and idea-filled. You’ll wonder how your business ever survived without it.

Get your copy of 6 Steps to Free Publicity here from amazon.com. 

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