Becoming a best-in-class business does not happen overnight.  And the first gate of the Value Acceleration Methodology is “Discover” for a reason.  You need to get educated on how to actually drive value, increase business attractiveness, and move your company onto the path toward owner independence.  Following this blog is a good start.  Attend some seminars.  Meet with some experts.  Read some books.

Walking to Destiny is a book written for business owners to understand how to use the Value Acceleration Methodology to rapidly increase business value by three to five times over a three year cycle.  It breaks down core concepts of what actually makes a business attractive on the market and debunks your “ugly baby syndrome.”  If you haven’t already, get your copy and start reading today.

Want more?  Here’s a list of books to keep you busy this summer.

• Bennis, Warren. Managing the Dream: Reflections on Leadership and Change. New York: Perseus Publishing, 2000.
• Bossidy, Larry and Ram Charan. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. New York: Crown Business, 2002.
• Brown, John H. How To Run Your Business So You Can Leave It In Style. Denver: Business Enterprise Press, 1997.
• Christman, Peter G. The Master Plan: Exit Strategy For Successful Business Owners. 2015.
• Collins, Jim and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: Harper Collins, 2002.
• Collins, Jim. Good to Great. New York: Harper Collins, 2001
• Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Free Press, 1989.
• Danco, Léon A. Beyond Survival: A Guide for Business Owners and Their Families. Michigan: Reston Pub. Co., 1975.
• Deans, Thomas William. Every Family’s Business: 12 Commonsense Questions to Protect Your Wealth. Orangeville: Détente Financial Press Ltd., 2013.
• Gerber, Michael E. The E-Myth. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.
• Hams, Brad with John A. Byrne. Ownership Thinking. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012.
• Harnish, Verne. Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. New York: SelectBooks, 2002.
• Jackim, Richard E. and Peter G. Christman. The $10 Trillion Opportunity. Chicago: R. Jackim & Company, 2005.
• Snider, Christopher M. Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions An Owner Must Take To Rapidly Grow Value & Unlock Wealth. Cleveland: ThinkTank Publishing House, 2016.
• Stewart, Thomas A. The Wealth of Knowledge: Intellectual Capital and the Twenty-first Century Organization. New York: Doubleday, 2001.
• Ungashick, Patrick A. Dance in the End Zone: The Business Owner’s Exit Planning Playbook. Alpharetta: BookLogix, 2008, 2011, 2013.
• Wattles, Wallace D. The Science of Getting Rich. Blacksburg: Thrifty Books, 2009.
• Welch, Jack. Jack: Straight from the Gut. New York: Warner Business Books, 2001.

Happy reading!