With almost twenty years’ experience in running his own businesses, and mentoring hundreds of other business owners, Modus Accountants founder and director Mark Spolander has seen it all.

Like many business owners, Mark has an unrelenting thirst for knowledge, and is an avid reader and audio book listener. At Modus we’re always looking to help entrepreneurs in any way we can, so we sat down with Mark and asked him what top three reads he would recommend for someone who has just started out in business.

All these books are available to purchase from local bookstores in Oxfordshire. We’ve included a few links to the Blackwell’s website where all of these are available as well.

1) Rich Dad Poor Dad (1997) by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Reflecting on the lessons taught by both father figures in his life whilst growing up, Robert Kiyosaki highlights six lessons he learnt from his rich father and applied to his own financial strategy. Kiyosaki focuses on ways of making passive income and encourages changing the mindset surrounding money and finances.

Mark says: ‘This book is all about changing your methodology and mindset around money and finance. It really got me thinking differently about money.’

Available here.

2) The E-myth by Michael Gerber

Gerber discusses the entrepreneurial myth and highlights the key reason why businesses fail to thrive and grow: the stunted mindset of leadership. He also stresses the importance of working on your business, rather than in it as a business owner to yield as much from it as possible. Strategising to ensure your business could run without you may sound counterproductive but Gerber makes some compelling arguments.

Mark says: ‘The book that changed my life the most was the E-myth by Michael Gerber. It was all about how to systemise and how to get your business working like a machine rather than needing you on the tools all the time. I read it at the start of franchising my first business, it completely changed how i operated and has enabled me to go and show other businesses how to operate’

Available here.

3) How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie explains how the most successful leaders have all learnt how to influence and manage others around them. He lists some top techniques for handling people and winning them over to your way of thinking. He also discusses how important it is to be a better communicator and therefore a better and more successful manager.

Mark says: ‘It’s all about people. How to win friends and influence people is an old book but it’s tried and tested. It really takes you through how to work with people, how to not take things too seriously in life and just be a better manager or a better communicator. Obviously in business, everything is to do with people, so I’d say this one is probably the most important out of all three.’

Available here.

Inspired to push your business toward success in 2021? Modus offer accounting, business coaching and mentoring support by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, get in touch today to book a free one-to-one strategy session with our team here or call us on 01993 225030.