A Book Every Entrepreneur Should Read (And Questions to Guide Your Reading)

I'm still a bit gushy over Daniel Priestley's book Entrepreneur Revolution. And I finished reading it weeks ago.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Woman writing in notebook
Woman writing in notebook

I'm still a bit gushy over Daniel Priestley's book Entrepreneur Revolution. And I finished reading it weeks ago.

The author is a serial entrepreneur and serious smarty-pants (in the best way). His book, subtitled "How To Develop Your Entrepreneurial Mindset And Start A Business That Works," covers everything: how the work system has changed, the hierarchy of the entrepreneur brain (and where most wannabe entrepreneurs get stuck), the essence of success, discovering your "theme," a business model that works for today, and the 7 stage journey into the "Entrepreneur Revolution."

First of all, it confirmed my belief that much of the people I know subscribe to old thinking that doesn't really work anymore. While most people think things like, Work hard now and you'll get your rewards later, those of us with the natural inclination toward "new" ideas think things like, There is no pay, just life, and Fun builds your business. Reading Priestley's book can help you script conversations with people who ask questions like "So when are you going to get a 'real' job?" (If you even stoop to having those conversations; it may be a wise practice not to engage these old thinkers at all on the topic.)

Priestley also offers a vital pep talk about wanting a lot of money. It's not selfish, he writes, to have a lot of spare time or cash. What IS selfish is indulging your time doing something that neither serves nor inspires anyone, and then to only "make a boring amount of money that barely compensates you for your time." He suggests the following as language for your own internal goal-setting about your finances: "I want the most amount of money that I can receive as a result of me being true to my authentic passions and inspirations."

Your entrepreneur brain, writes Priestley, is made up of three parts. The small part at the base of your skull, where it joins your neck, is the Reptile brain, responsible for helping you escape dangerous circumstances and survive in any conditions. The middle part, more evolved than the Reptile brain is the Monkey brain, which focuses on the familiar, likes ticking items off your to-do list, and loves drama. To truly step into your role as an entrepreneur, you have to work more consciously with your highest brain: the Empire Builder brain which focuses on inspiration, love, compassion and strategy. He provides a lot of context for these concepts and makes them really easy to understand -- and retain. More importantly, he gives you 10 challenges to help you really come into your own as an Empire Builder, including: making three calls (or more) to figure out an idea, and carrying a lot of cash daily.

Ready to dive into it yourself? Here are some questions to guide your reading and help you get the most from it:

  1. Name an "old idea" that I didn't mention above.

  • Name the amount of money Priestley wants you to aim for as income.
  • Finish this sentence: "The Empire Builder sees the world..."
  • Why does Priestley suggest you carry a ridiculous sum of cash each day?
  • Name the five archetypes you should have on any team.
  • What are the three components of success? When have you seen or felt them at work in your life?
  • What's your entrepreneur sweet spot?
  • What's your "theme"?
  • What are Intellectual Property and products?
  • What are the elements of the Ascending Transaction Model and what will you create for your own ATM?
  • In the "7 Stage Journey Into the Entrepreneurial Revolution," what are the 3 levels of work, the 3 levels of play, and the final (7th) stage?
  • What 3 traits must you possess to make it on the entrepreneurship path?
  • What are the 7 maxims to cultivate a culture of results?
  • What is the Value Creation System?
  • This post was originally published on RosellaLaFevre.com.

    Popular in the Community

    Close

    What's Hot