Dear friend, (4 mins)

A friend and I were in the Suana at the gym. He asked what books I'd recommend. I gave him six that have changed how I live. Then I figured you deserved to hear them too.

Here's the thing about reading.

Most people treat it like a task. Finish the book, move on, forget it in three weeks.

That's not how I do it.

The books below I've listened to three, five, and twelve times.

Now? I listen to each of them every year.

Why?

You bring a different version of yourself to the same words each time you go back. “You need to be reminded more than you need to be taught.” -Alex Hormozi

I run a detailing business in Sacramento, But before I did that I learned how to build community and friendships. That’s not easy, and building a real business isn’t.

Everything below helped me do it better.

The 6 books (and a free book at the bottom)

Dale Carnegie

I've read this at least 11 times since I was 18. Every year, once through. The core idea is simple: make people feel important. Not as a manipulation tactic, but because it's the right thing to do. There's a whole chapter on exactly that distinction. Most people read it and think it's a sales book. It isn't. It's a how-to for being a decent human who's also effective. There’s one line in that chapter that goes something like this:

2 Never Split the Difference

Chris Voss

A negotiation book that contradicts Carnegie in interesting ways. Good. Grapple with the conflict — that's where the real thinking happens. The two tools I use constantly: mirroring (repeat the last few words someone said, let your voice go up, watch them explain themselves) and labeling (identify the emotion behind what someone's saying and name it out loud). It diffuses misunderstandings before they explode. Useful when a client is frustrated, which happens.

3 Unreasonable Hospitality

Will Gadara

I listened to this driving back from Southern California. Six and a half hours. Finished it before I got home. It was almost a spiritual experience.

Two things hit me hard:

first, that there's nobility in service. I wasn't always sure about that. He convinced me. Nobility in something like detailing? That brings a different version of me to this work.

Second, his idea that it's cool to care. I've always cared deeply about this work. He gave language to something I'd felt but never heard anyone say out loud. That matters.

4 & 5

$100M Offers & $100M Leads

Alex Hormozi

Both books. Read both. The first taught me how to build an offer people actually want. The second introduced me to the First Five framework: when you're doing something new, do the first five at cost or free. I used this when I ceramic coated a motorcycle for the first time. The client knew. They were patient. I learned what I didn't know I didn't know. It mitigates your risk and makes you a better provider. That's not charity — that's smart business.

06 (Bonus)

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

Frank Bettger

Older book. Don't let that stop you. Two things: Self Organization Day — take a few hours once a week to plan the week ahead. Structure doesn't slow you down. It keeps you free. And the

second thing: double your enthusiasm. People are drawn to someone who's genuinely fired up about what they do, even if what they do is detail cars.

I listen to most of these books on audible, while detailing. I just relistened to the 3rd book on this list. It still hits. (I want to find special moments for my friends and clients)

You could spend the next ten years with just these six books and come out ahead of most people who read a hundred. The goal isn’t information. It’s transformation. And (often times) that takes repetition of an idea.

Go back to them when something isn't working. Go back when everything is working. Either way, you'll find something you missed.

One more thing: I also wrote a book called Just Start. It's for people who want to act but keep waiting for the right moment. If that's you, go grab here. Also as a thank you for reading till the end here is Hormozi's $100M Offers book for free, just cover shipping. (About $10) Worth every cent if you run any kind of business. Here’s the link to the free book:

P.S. — I dictated the draft of this while detailing a Mercades G-Wagon. (Did the final edit in Central Asia beginning a missions trip) The irony of recommending books about service while actively in service is not lost on me.