Your Business Brickyard by Howard Mann

This free ebook is a delightful and concise read. Although the whole book is good, a couple of sections really jumped out at me (impressive in such a small book).

The first was the vivid image that gave the book (and the author's business) its name 'The Business Brickyard'. The story (which I will not spoil here) follows a theme I have heard many times before, but I enjoyed how this particular story played out. The image it painted is a vivid and simple metaphor for the importance of getting the basics correct; one I'm sure to remember.

The second of these stand out sections was on getting paid quick, even if you risk losing important customers because of your demand. 'We are not a bank' is a simple phrase that I will also remember.

Really, though, the whole book is packed with great content. Much of it I've heard before but never so concise, but there are also a couple of new ideas as well nuances on old ideas.

In a couple of sections, the brevity did make the advice seem incomplete. Creating a one-page snapshot of my business, for example, would be wonderful, but I'm not sure how I would put that together so that it updated automatically. However, having the idea is good enough for now. I'm sure I'll work it out.

The other bonus is that the book is illustrated by Kevin Cornell. I like his work very much.

Your Business Brickyard