Book Review: Lists that Saved My Business by Angel Tuccy and Eric Reamer

I am a prolific reader. I read mostly fiction. I am not a huge fan of non-fiction books. To date, I have read only ten books on marketing, but Lists that Saved My Business by Angel Tuccy and Eric Reamer is by far the most practical book I have read on the subject of marketing. I love their motto: “No matter what business you are in… You’re in the Relationship Business!”

This quote makes so much sense to me. I began reading Angel’s and Eric’s book with an open mind, even though I am not an official business owner. I am a children’s author and the one thing I need help in is finding ways to brand myself as an expert in the field of foreign language. I was pleasantly surprised with all the real-life advice and tasks anyone wanting to change for the better can do.

For example, in chapter 13, the authors talk about hosting your own workshop. This is, in my opinion, a brilliant idea. As a trilingual children’s author I can see the benefit of hosting a free workshop for parents interested in teaching their children a foreign language. I love this explanation as to why it is a good idea to host your own workshop: “Hosting your own workshop sets the stage for the most perfect form of marketing: Customer conversation. Customers will draw attention to the benefits, and ask questions that allow you to show off your expertise.”

After reading this section in chapter 13, I knew right away what I need to do to help expand myself as a trilingual children’s author. My second favorite chapter is chapter 18, “Tools for the Trade.” I think we all can use some common sense advice when it comes to staying organized. Again, the authors used a very powerful example to simplify the necessity of staying organized. I am a visual learner, and the example drove the point home for me. Angel and Eric used the following quote taken from author Stacey Platt’s book, What’s A Disorganized Person To Do?:

“If I came into your home and asked you to show me your birth certificate, would you know where to find it? What about a safety pin, an extension cord, or your checkbook? You might be able to find most of these without too much digging around. But if I were to ask you for a fork, you would know exactly where to find one. The system for organizing your flatware demonstrates four organizing principles:
1. Forks are kept with forks.
2. Forks have a single and consistent home.
3. Everyone in the household is in agreement about where the forks belong.
4. Forks are put away after they’ve been used and washed.”

I plan to implement the principles I have learned from reading Lists that Saved My Business because I believe I will benefit greatly from doing so. If you are a business owner, and you need some fresh, practical ideas on how to take your business to the next level, I recommend you buy a copy of Angel’s and Eric’s book. If you would like to learn more about Angel and Eric, please visit their website.