My Father’s Business
The Small-Town Values That Built Dollar General into a Billion-Dollar Company
Cal Turner Jr

“Longtime Dollar General CEO Cal Turner, Jr. shares his extraordinary life as heir to the company founded by his father, Cal Turner, Sr., and his grandfather, a dirt farmer turned Depression-era entrepreneur. Cal’s narrative is at its heart a father-son story, from his childhood in Scottsville, Kentucky, where business and family were one, to the triumph of reaching the Fortune 300 — at the cost of risking that very father/son relationship. Cal shares how the small-town values with which he was raised helped him guide Dollar General from family enterprise to national powerhouse.”

The readers are treated to a comprehensive exploration of the company’s history. The narrative seamlessly weaves together the personal stories of Cal Turner Senior and Cal Turner Jr, offering a delightful blend of humor and insightful anecdotes from the company’s journey.

The book sheds light on the founding fathers of Dollar General, individuals rooted in small-town values, emphasizing hard work, honesty, and community spirit. The fundamental principles of the company—providing everyday items at the lowest prices and cherishing the core customer base—are consistently underscored.

For those who appreciate authentic tales of real people navigating the business world, presented in a straightforward manner, this book is a captivating read. While the narrative occasionally lapses into repetition and unnecessary details, the overall experience is engaging and informative.

The genuine charm lies in the depiction of the Turners’ lives and the humorous accounts of pivotal events. The book offers a compelling glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of maintaining retail stores, making it a worthwhile read for anyone intrigued by the intricacies of business operations.

I particularly enjoyed the insights into Cal Jr. and his family, and the book’s focus on the economic aspects of running a business. I recommend “My Father’s Business” to aspiring entrepreneurs, and those fascinated by the inner workings of retail establishments. Despite minor flaws, the book successfully captures the essence of Dollar General’s success and the values that propelled it to become a billion-dollar company. The book is well written and a good read, 4 stars.

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The Genius Habit
Break Free from Burnout, Reduce Career Anxiety and Double Your Productivity by Leveraging the Power of Being Who You Are at Work
Laura Garnett

“Both inspirational and practical, The Genius Habit introduces a methodology that has helped Laura’s high-profile clients at LinkedIn, Capital One, and Verizon transform their careers and their lives. The Genius Habit gives employees—from entry-level assistants, to middle managers, to CEOs of major companies—the tools they need to gain clarity about who they are and where they are going, and to proactively create the career of their dreams.”

I thought this book was about habits, but it’s not at all. For a book with such a long title, it still didn’t explain what it’s about. This book is about doing your strengths in work and life, which the author calls “your zone of genius”. It’s a drawn out way of saying ‘know thyself’ – this book focuses on building a career on those things you already do well and enjoy. The thoughts and ideas of this are fine but I feel like it’s also just common sense. I also feel this is not possible 24/7, there are always times you need to do something that you enjoy less, and it doesn’t give you any tips for this. The book also has a bunch of other wishy-washy topics on mindfulness, meditation, getting sleep, and perseverance.

One aspect I struggled with was the explanation of the “performance tracker”. The idea of measuring when you’re in your “zone of genius” makes sense, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Numerous variables such as location and who you’re working with are not thoroughly explored, leaving me questioning the reliability of this tracking method.

The message is fine, but I just didn’t feel for this book. It just wasn’t well executed? I found myself not wanting to continue to read it. It was a long book regarding only one topic, yet still didn’t get much out of it. It’s common sense and basic knowledge to me. Unfortunately the writing style was not super engaging for me and the overuse of words like genius made me not enjoy and connect with it as much as I would have otherwise. The author spoke a lot about their own experiences and in a voice that just annoyed me.

There was not any new or unique concept in the book that would make it stand out.
Overall the main points can be summarized very quickly and it wasn’t written in an engaging way. Basically, do work in your strength areas. 2 Stars for me. If you’re after a book on habits, try Atomic Habits instead. Or just try a few pages to see if the style works for you.

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The Science of Growth
How Facebook Beat Friendster – and How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust
Sean Ammirati

“The lean entrepreneurship movement has captivated Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs across the country. It provided an agile framework to develop the right product solution for a given target market, and is now used by almost every fledgling company to do just that. The next challenge is growth – to achieve the financial returns and, more importantly, the impact they dreamed of when starting off on their adventure. Why do some companies realize the VC’s goal of a 10x return on investment, while others flounder? What differentiates the companies that become part of the fabric of our lives and remain responsive, no matter how big they get from those that quickly fade?”

The author gives us a big-picture view of how Facebook outshined Friendster and why nine other startups aced the game. The book, though, doesn’t go deep into the juicy details like numbers, how they thought, or the tools they used. Most of these companies are already big shots, and you might have heard their stories already.

The book’s structure is well-organized, guiding readers through the critical stages of startup development. From the initial idea to execution and scaling. The author did their homework, but it feels like it just scratches the surface. A lot of it is about the popular tech startups and viral growth. It could’ve thrown in different types of companies. The book has this thing where it looks back and says, “Look, this is why these guys made it!” but doesn’t really spill the secret sauce for success.

Overall, it’s okay. If you’re not drowning in business books and just want a quick rundown, it works. I’d give it a 3 star rating – not bad, not amazing. Just right if you’re starting out in the business book world.

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Without Their Permission
The Story of Reddit and a Blueprint for How to Change the World
Alexis Ohanian

“As Alexis Ohanian learned when he helped to co-found the immensely popular reddit.com, the internet is the most powerful and democratic tool for disseminating information in human history. And when that power is harnessed to create new communities, technologies, businesses or charities, the results can be absolutely stunning. In this book, Alexis will share his ideas, tips and even his own doodles about harnessing the power of the web for good, and along the way, he will share his philosophy with young entrepreneurs all over the globe.”

I absolutely loved reading this book. It hooked me right from the start and kept me engaged throughout. Alexis writes just like I do, saying what’s on his mind and giving us a raw account of events. I have to admit, he does go a bit overboard with the use of brackets (but hey, I’m guilty of that too!)

The book wasn’t exactly what I expected, though. I thought it would be a straightforward chronological story of how Reddit came to be. Instead, the story of Reddit is brief and not presented in order. But once I got past that initial surprise and understood the book’s style, it was all good. Alexis takes us on a journey beyond Reddit, sharing his experiences with other companies and providing what he calls “the blueprint” for creating your own successful internet startup. So, if you’re looking for insights and inspiration in the world of internet startups, this book has got you covered.

I should mention that this book is very focused on internet startups, so it might not be as applicable to other types of businesses. Don’t let that discourage you. It’s still a fascinating and entertaining read. I genuinely enjoyed it from start to finish. I’d give it a solid 4 stars.

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Getting Naked
A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty
Patrick Lencioni

“Another extraordinary business fable from the New York Times bestselling author Patrick Lencioni Written in the same dynamic style as his previous bestsellers including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni illustrates the principles of inspiring client loyalty through a fascinating business fable. He explains the theory of vulnerability in depth and presents concrete steps for putting it to work in any organization. The story follows a small consulting firm, Lighthouse Partners, which often beats out big-name competitors for top clients. One such competitor buys out Lighthouse and learns important lessons about what it means to provide value to its clients.”

I am a fan of this particular author, having delved into several of his captivating works. As I embarked upon “Getting Naked,” I found myself comforted by the familiar cadence and structure that I had come to associate with his novels. This book also adheres to his trademark style of weaving a fable throughout the narrative, imparting invaluable lessons to the characters and, by extension, the readers.

Lencioni expounds upon the concept of vulnerability, urging us to embrace it both in our interactions with employees and clients alike. While this book didn’t quite achieve the same level of gripping suspense that some of his other works possess, perhaps my familiarity with his narrative structure contributed to my ability to predict the end. Nevertheless, it remains an engaging read, with the author skillfully interweaving his principles within the fable.

The Three Fears:

1. Fear of losing the business
2. Fear of being embarrassed
3. Fear of feeling inferior

The core principles presented in this book, particularly those surrounding vulnerability and the 3 fears, hold significant value, particularly for those in the service industry. It is rare to find a book that caters specifically to businesses that offer services as their primary product. In this regard, the author excels, providing practical insights and guidance for service businesses.

Overall, “Getting Naked” is a commendable addition to the author’s repertoire, although it may not stand out as his most exceptional work. Admittedly, the topic at hand is not new, as other authors such as Brené Brown have also explored the importance of vulnerability. The fact that multiple authors have tackled this subject underscores its significance and relevance in our lives. Taking into account its strengths and its place in the broader literary landscape, I give this book 4 stars.

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Developing the Leader Within You
John C. Maxwell

“In this repackaged bestseller John Maxwell examines the differences between leadership styles, outlines principles for inspiring, motivating, and influencing others. These principles can be used in any organization to foster integrity and self-discipline and bring a positive change. Developing the Leader Within You also allows readers to examine how to be effective in the highest calling of leadership by understanding the five characteristics that set “leader managers” apart from “run-of-the-mill managers.” In this John Maxwell classic, he shows readers how to develop the vision, value, influence, and motivation required of successful leaders.”

In this book, there are both commendable and average aspects. Some sections can be skimmed through, while others provide valuable insights. Unfortunately, the author’s frequent use of poems, motivational and self-help language didn’t resonate with me.

I was captivated by the first portion of the book. However, it then went downhill and didn’t improve for the rest of the book. Although there is a wealth of valuable content within these pages, locating it can be challenging due to poor organization and vagueness. Certain sections suffer from being overly general, and much of the information presented seems to rely on common sense rather than groundbreaking ideas. Examples and stories would have enhanced the reading experience. It’s worth noting that the book does incorporate thought-provoking questions and self-evaluations regarding one’s leadership abilities.

Overall, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Flex
The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World
Jeffrey Hull

“Based on his popular classes with Harvard Medical School physicians and New York University business students, Hull has identified the six key elements that leaders in this new workplace need to succeed, known as Flexibility, Intentionality, Emotional Intelligence, Realness, Collaboration, and Engagement. From start-ups to universities to Fortune 500 companies, he’s been able to help leaders across the board develop the skill sets that have advanced their careers and won them accolades.”

This book is a thought-provoking book that truly inspires its readers to become better leaders. The author introduces the concept of beta leaders, a unique approach to leadership that challenges conventional thinking and encourages introverted collaborative leaders in an ever-changing world.

While the concept of beta leaders is interesting I found myself occasionally distracted by the abundance of case studies within the book. These real-world examples provide valuable insights, but their sheer quantity made it somewhat challenging to keep track of each individual and their unique circumstances. I often wished for more in-depth exploration of a single character’s leadership journey and the theory that goes with it. Then I could have been following the character through various scenarios to see how they evolved.

The book excels in presenting a collection of coaching tips, each bundled with profound leadership insights tailored for the modern workplace. It highlights numerous areas where anyone can enhance their leadership skills. I found myself particularly engrossed in the sections that resonated with my own leadership style, while some other sections didn’t capture my attention as strongly.

One of the book’s strong points is the well-crafted summaries and practical takeaways at the end of each chapter. I will re-read these again later. These sections offer a concise and valuable outline of the key ideas, making it easy for readers to reflect on and apply what they’ve learned.

In conclusion, “Flex” is an inspiring book that challenges traditional leadership paradigms and equips readers with the tools to adapt and excel in today’s work environment. The overall impact of the book is undeniably positive. It’s a valuable resource for those looking to enhance their leadership skills and navigate the complexities of a changing world. Especially in an inspiring way! I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

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