I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Byron K. McFarland shares the experience and insights gained from selling a business to the right people in “Bankable Buyer.”
The Synopsis
When the Buyer Is Already in the Building
For owners who want more than a transaction, Bankable Buyer explores one of the most overlooked—and most misunderstood—exit paths: selling a business to the people who already know it best.
Through real-world scenarios, behind-the-scenes analysis, and practical reflection, this book examines what it takes to prepare a management team to become a credible buyer—and what owners must consider long before an exit is forced by circumstance.
This is not a how-to manual or a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a clear-eyed look at readiness, risk, and responsibility—for both sellers and future owners.
If protecting your people, your culture, and your legacy matters as much as the numbers, this book belongs on your desk.
The Review
This was a compelling and insightful read. The balance the Author found in both the financial and human aspects of not only owning a business, but of making sure that business goes into the right hands was refreshing to see play out in this book. The author does a remarkable job of writing in a way that feels personal and speaks to each individual reader in a different way.
The heart of this book was in the careful framework of the authors experiences in selling their business in coming up with a clear succession plan. While thoroughly detailed, the author never lets up on loading the reader, now the emotional impact of selling a business and what it took to get that business up and running to begin with. Finding the right person or persons to run us something you created showcases how important humanity is in business not just profit. The pacing is perfect and allows readers to pick this book up time and time again on needing help in creating their own succession plans.
The Verdict
Compelling, written with authority, and highly engaging, author Byron K McFarland’s “Bankable Buyer” is a must read non-fiction business book. An emotional and inspirational written book, the author showcases why it is so important to have a succession plan in order and the importance of finding the right people to take your business and the direction you intended it to be taken in making this a perfect reference book that readers can pick up time and time again. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy of this book today!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Authors Claude Hanhart and Rachel Collins share effective tools to communicate goals in business in their book “Connecting Goals to Impacts and Outcomes.”
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The Synopsis
You’ve been in that Agile planning session.
Everyone agrees on goals like “improve customer experience” or “increase engagement.” The roadmap looks aligned. The OKRs are approved. But when the sprint ends, no one can clearly explain what success actually means—or why customers should care.
Months later, your product team ships a feature. Customers don’t use it. Stakeholders ask uncomfortable questions. Someone says, “I thought we were building something different.”
This isn’t a delivery problem. It’s a conversation problem.
Across Agile teams, product management organizations, and enterprise transformations, teams work hard, follow the process, and deliver on time—yet still struggle to create real customer and business value. The gap isn’t execution. It’s how goals, assumptions, and decisions are discussed.
Structured Conversations is a practical toolkit for closing that gap.
This book shows product leaders, Agile coaches, and delivery teams how to use clear language and visual thinking to align strategy, product decisions, and day‑to‑day work around measurable outcomes.
In this book, you’ll learn how to:
Write clear, outcome‑focused goals using VERB + NOUN syntax that eliminate ambiguity
Connect customer needs to business impact using Empathy Mapping, Customer Journey Mapping, and Impact Mapping
Align product roadmaps and delivery plans with OKRs that drive accountability and learning
Validate assumptions early using Hypothesis‑Driven Development and Example Mapping
Facilitate cross‑functional Agile conversations where disagreements become productive
Turn vague requirements into clear, executable user stories that teams interpret the same way
Drawing on experience across startups, financial services, and large‑scale Agile transformations, Structured Conversations bridges the gap between product strategy and value delivery with techniques that work in real‑world environments.
The approaches are modular. Start with the technique that addresses your biggest challenge today. Each chapter includes step‑by‑step guidance, real examples, and “Try This Right Now”exercises you can apply immediately.
Whether you work in product management, Agile delivery, or organizational change, this book helps you turn good intentions into measurable outcomes.
The Review
This was a compelling, engaging business-driven book. The authors do a wonderful job of hooking readers with a simple yet impactful solution that creates engagement and interest in companies and their products. The balance between thoughtful lessons and frameworks for driving these successes, along with the actual workbooks and guides the authors create, allows readers to put what they’ve learned into practice, making this a memorable book to get lost in.
The precision and expertise with which the authors lay out their templates was incredible. The idea of using a single noun and verb to communicate products and services, and of creating a comprehensive structure that businesses can build upon, was fantastic and incredibly innovative. The author’s writing style was engaging and to the point, and they imparted a lot of knowledge in just a short amount of time.
The Verdict
Engaging, thought-provoking, and compelling, “Connecting Goals to Impacts and Outcomes” by author Claude Hanhart and Rachel Collins is a must-read nonfiction book. The structure and clarity these concepts bring to readers, and the way the authors show readers how to approach these steps rather than just talk at the reader, make this a stunning book that readers can pick up and use as a reference time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Authors
Claude Hanhart is a Product Strategist and Agile Coach with 10+ years of leadership experience in driving groundbreaking product strategies and agile transformations. His approach centers on fostering innovation rooted in business objectives, customer experience, and market leadership through tools such as Generative AI, OKRs, and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD).
Claude’s unique academic background – with an MA in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages from the University of Berne in Switzerland and an MA in Geography from the University of Minnesota – brings an interdisciplinary perspective to modern product challenges. His multilingual abilities in German, Swiss German, and French have proven invaluable in international collaborations.
Structured Conversations represents Claude’s commitment to bridging strategic thinking with practical implementation. Currently based in New Jersey with his wife, Claude finds that their three energetic dogs serve as daily reminders about the importance of clear communication and patient guidance – principles that translate beautifully into his professional coaching work.
Rachel is a seasoned business‑strategy professional whose career has been built around turning complex challenges into clear, actionable solutions. With a track record of guiding organizations toward measurable impact, she blends rigorous, data‑driven analysis with a human‑centric mindset – always asking how people, processes, and technology can work together more effectively. Her practical, results‑focused approach has helped teams align goals, streamline actions, and translate those actions into lasting outcomes.
Structured Conversations marks Rachel’s first full‑length publication, and she feels especially honored to have been invited by Claude to co‑create this work. Rachel lives in North Carolina with her husband and their four rambunctious cats. When she isn’t untangling business puzzles, you’ll find her exploring the local arts scene, hiking and mountain biking, or enjoying a quiet evening of reading with her feline companions.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Mel Blackwell shares the lessons he learned to create a culture of problem solving in successful businesses in the book “Uncommon Sense.”
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The Synopsis
Does your business look successful on the outside—but feel chaotic on the inside? Are you stuck in constant firefighting, watching the same problems repeat while people dodge responsibility and culture slowly erodes? Is your culture just dysfunctional enough that everyone’s comfortably miserable, too afraid of the change that actually removes the root obstacles?
You don’t need another trendy leadership theory. You need something that actually works. Fix your culture and all metrics improve immeasurably.
After more than 35 years leading startups, turnarounds, and large organizations, former EOS Integrator Mel Blackwell has seen what really breaks businesses—and what actually fixes them. He’s led from the shop floor to the C-suite, rebuilt broken teams, and helped leaders move from chaos to clarity when pressure was real and payroll was due.
Uncommon Sense: The Fight to Fix Your Workplace Culture in the Wild West of Business is built on battle-tested leadership—not buzzwords. Through gritty stories, plainspoken wisdom, and practical tools, Mel shows you how to build a culture that can take a hit, solve problems fast, and keep moving forward.
This book doesn’t sell theory. It gives you a roadmap.
In this book, you’ll learn:
How to build a problem-solving culture instead of a complaining one
How to build winning leverage and traction into your culture
Why structure must come before people—and how to get it right
How to lead with accountability, not excuses
The system for eliminating toxic behavior that attracts, empowers, and develops good people
Best Pledge™—How to get the absolute best from your people because people as their worst self will not deliver best practice
How to align your team around vision and stellar execution
Why every organization needs two visions—and how to use them
How to lead with courage and win when pressure hits
Plus, you’ll discover why most leaders are “worshipping problems” instead of solving them, why not everyone belongs in every role, and how real leadership shows up when things get hard.
This book doesn’t read like a consultant talking at you. It’s written by a mentor walking beside you—telling the truth, sharing the scars, and showing you what works in the trenches.
When you apply what’s inside this book, leadership gets clearer. Problems get smaller. People are at their best. Teams get stronger. You gain leverage. And your business becomes something that can survive storms instead of being wrecked by them.
If you’re tired of drifting, guessing, and putting out fires—and ready to lead with clarity, courage, and confidence—this is your moment.
Buy Uncommon Sense: The Fight to Fix Your Workplace Culture in the Wild West of Business today and start building a culture that actually works.
The Review
This was a powerful and insightful read that really does a remarkable job of cutting through the technical jargon and power words that so many other business books like to focus on for leadership and instead focuses on getting to the root of many company’s problems. The honest and engaging way the author engaged with the reader and wrote in a way that felt conversational in tone allowed the reader to hone in on the author’s core messages and experiences and apply those lessons throughout the book to their own life.
The author touches upon a lot of useful and tried and true practices and engaging tools that management, leadership, and aspiring entrepreneurs can use on a daily basis. The idea of leaders needing not only an initial vision for the company, but a subvision of how the company will get to that end goal was fascinating, as was the square wheeled wagon theory the author presents that reflects the misdiagnosis of company problems that often lead to more issues than results. The imagery and creative ways in which the author relates these problems are not only fun but help illustrate the problems perfectly.
The Verdict
Engaging, thoroughly-presented, and compelling, author Mel Blackwell’s “Uncommon Sense” is a must-read business and leadership nonfiction book that will both inspire and educate readers who are looking to establish a solid, functioning culture of cohesiveness for their businesses. The even pacing of the book and detailed practices the author puts out there for readers to utilize will keep them not only engaged in the book, but utilizing it as a point of reference time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Mel Blackwell has been fixing broken businesses for over 35 years. He started in a smoke-filled trailer park collection office right out of high school and worked his way up to leading teams at billion-dollar companies. He’s run startups, turned around failing businesses, and spent more than 20 years in VP-level C-suite roles.
He’s learned what works and what doesn’t, usually by screwing things up first, then figuring out how to fix them. He’s walked into businesses that looked like shot-up saloons and helped turn them into places where good people actually want to work.
Mel doesn’t sell complicated frameworks or flavor-of-the-month programs. He shoots straight about what it takes to build a culture that can actually handle the Wild West of business. No fluff. No corporate jargon. Just what works.
When he speaks or coaches, people tell him he makes complicated things simple. That’s because he’s lived it. He knows what it’s like to be in the middle of the fire with no perfect answer and a team looking to you for direction. He is featured in International Business Times, USA Today, CEO Weekly, and MSN.
Mel holds a BS in Marketing from Auburn University and an MA in Management from The University of Alabama, but most of what he knows came from doing the work, not from a textbook.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author London Porter shares hundreds of lessons to help leaders grow in the book “THINK LEAD REPEAT.”
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The Synopsis
Think – Lead – Repeat offers 369 days of practical wisdom and bold leadership insight—one day at a time. Designed for modern professionals who balance ambition with authenticity, this book delivers bite-sized lessons on influence, emotional intelligence, strategy, and communication. A great conversation starter for team meetings. Each daily read blends inspiration, reflection, and actionable guidance to help leaders at every level think sharper, lead stronger, and make things happen—with purpose, confidence, and a touch of swagger.
The Review
What a compelling and insightful read. The author delivers each chapter with gusto and wit, offering lessons in business and personal growth that will resonate with readers daily. The personal empowerment and business development lessons will reinforce the reader, emphasizing the author’s expertise and knowledge and making the tone feel incredibly real and relatable at the same time.
The thing that stood out to me as a reader was both the unique way the author crafted these lessons and the way readers can interact with the book. The author breaks these micro-lessons into 1-page lessons, divided by month and day, allowing the reader to follow them almost like a daily motivational page to keep the day moving forward. On top of this, readers can pick up this book at any time and often return to it time and again to engage with the lessons they need most in times of crisis or uncertainty.
The Verdict
Authentic, honest, and engaging, author London Porter’s “Think Lead Repeat” is a must-read nonfiction motivational business read. The expertise and heart with which the author writes and the way readers are able to take in these lessons at their own pace and put them into action to see the change in their leadership skills will resonate with readers and keep them returning to this book anytime they need more drive and inspiration to move forward in business. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
London isn’t your average HR executive — he’s a LinkedIn mini-sensation who leverages his charismatic personal brand to redefine leadership conversations in addition to everything HR.
Known for his engaging short videos that develop work competencies under 2 mins, he enthusiastically spotlights his brother and sister public service organizations, nation wide. His savvy yet cheeky style has cultivated an impressive following — enough to earn him 2025 HR Professional of the Year.
With a knack for writing popular books, inspiring thousands, and consistently adding straight whiskey value across the HR and business communities, London has pledged his personal life to helping raise the vibration of the work place and the planet, one conversational competency at a time. And c’mon, when was the last time competency training was binge-worthy?
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Duane Deason shares the practical use of a cost management center to make a company leaner and more profitable in the book “Operationally Svelte: Manage Costs to Increase Profit and Enhance Performance.”
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The Synopsis
Operationally Svelte Unleashes Growth, Innovation, and Profit
An “operationally svelte” organization means it is lean, flexible, and efficient.
Organizational bloat creeps into companies as they grow. It dulls cutting-edge innovation, slows responses to changing economic conditions, whittles down profitability, and hinders growth. You will not curtail it by doing what you have always done. Companies need a new strategy.
In Operationally Svelte, author Duane Deason presents a refreshing approach to making an organization lean and unleashing its potential: create a Cost Management Center. Think of it this way—while your Sales team focuses on revenue, your Cost Management Center team focuses on managing and controlling costs throughout the organization.
Get step-by-step guidance to establish a Cost Management Center and eliminate the common culprits of waste and inefficiency. Then dive into strategies to maximize its effectiveness and transform your company for optimal performance, enhanced growth, superior innovation, and increased profit.
The Review
This was such a powerful and insightful read for those in leadership roles within a business. The author found a great strategy that greatly balances the need to manage a business’s daily costs while also allowing staff to innovate and grow as a company. The author’s writing style is very detailed and practical, speaking to innovators and business leaders who have a firm grasp of the technical details but can connect with the author’s messaging and outline for the cost management center.
The concept of a svelte organization is a powerful one: running a lean, mean operation that improves sales and growth. Yet oftentimes, overreaching to cut costs inefficiently can stifle that growth. The author’s deep dive into the ways a cost management center would help create the necessary oversight over the expenses incurred by your business was remarkable to get into, from understanding the differences in costs per items/tasks, to tackling the use of technology and emerging AI, to creating a cost management center by finding key team members and outlining the responsibilities of the center going forward. The author also covers many areas in this realm, from those that incur higher costs to those on the horizon, giving readers a wealth of details to engage with.
The Verdict
Thoughtful, engaging, and memorable, author Duane Deason’s “Operationally Svelte” is a must-read nonfiction business read. The depth of information and the clear, precise way the author writes and conveys it through solid, insightful frameworks that business leaders can follow thoroughly. This is one book readers and leaders can return to time and time again for guidance. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
I am the author of Operationally Svelte: Manage Costs to Increase Profit and Enhance Performance. I wrote the book to take cost management out of the shadows, to explore why current strategies are failing, and to provide a more optimal solution. Companies owe their employees, customers, and shareholders an organization that is lean and best prepared to fend off competition, weather economic downturns, and adapt to organizational change. Svelte companies are not only more profitable but also experience a higher level of performance and innovation when compared to their peers.
I spend much of my time advocating, speaking, and educating on the topic of cost management. To pay the bills, I serve as President of The Efficacy Group, where I provide cost management advisory and consulting services. My early career was with PwC followed by starting my first business that provided financial support for companies undergoing transactions. After selling the business, I assumed the role of CFO at one of my former clients that was doing the typical titanic after the dot-com bust in the early 2000s. It was during that time as CFO when I fell in love with cost management. The feeling of saving a company from certain bankruptcy felt more rewarding than the prior acquisitions and initial public offerings that I had supported.
The last 25 years of my career have been dedicated to cost management in one form or another. I’ve had the privilege of working with many companies of varying sizes and industries. Through that, I observed patterns that resulted in success and others that led to deterioration. Among these patterns was the realization that companies that failed to prioritize cost management would eventually fail. Just like life, companies can’t outgrow their problems. Hence, I decided to dedicate my career to helping companies lower costs and operate more efficiently without hindering growth or innovation.
I am a Certified Public Accountant and have an MBA from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Mark Kenneth Morgenfruh shares the power of leading a business by working with people and not focusing on the company’s optics and bottom line in the book “Never Fire Anyone: A Leader’s Guide on How to Lead People Not Companies.”
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The Synopsis
Delightfully obvious, just like All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. This book takes some unique and colorful perspectives on Leadership, Business, Talent, Communication, Artificial Intelligence, Contradictions, DEI, Giving Up, Slowing Down, Forgiveness and the Stupidly Obvious. A lot we may already know, but forget to practice.
When you grow up in Vineland, NJ you grow up everything Philly. Broad Street Bullies. Today’s Brotherly Shove. Sarcasm that can almost pierce skin. It really is the City of Brotherly Love. Tough Love. Mark Morgenfruh lives and writes in blunt, colorfully-worded, provocative and logical Philly-style prose. Not everyone’s cup of tea, to be sure.
But if you can get past the initial cold-water shock, and believe kick-ass leaders can be taught to stop the avoidant “happy talk” that’s fatal to teams and organizations, the level of success you’ll have is obscene.
Let’s disagree. Let’s even get angry. Then when all the cards are on the table, let’s talk it out and solve problems, lead others with clarity, and go have an ice-cold beer when it’s all done for the day.
The Review
The first thing that stood out about this book was the author’s straightforward writing. The unapologetic way the author confronts the need to step up as a leader in business was powerful to feel, covering everything from the bias that exists when hiring, to being able to be empathetic to others in a work environment, and even how to confront and properly work with those who may be underperforming in their duties.
The author’s honesty and bold writing style really do a great job of connecting with readers. Authenticity and accountability seem to be two cornerstones of the author’s leadership philosophy, tackling the truth behind why DEI in the workplace is so important and why it needs to be appropriately utilized to maximize potential and foster a culture of growth. The book also tackles topics such as AI integration and so much more.
The Verdict
Detailed, compelling, and thought-provoking, “Never Fire Anyone” by author Mark Kenneth Morgenfruh is a must-read nonfiction book on leadership and business. The practical applications managers can apply to their leadership skills, and the way the author relates to those in management positions and connects with them to confront the things that make life difficult, make this book invaluable and well-written. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Mark Morgenfruh is an HR practitioner with more than 30 years of experience across mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, compensation and benefits, cultural transformation, organizational development, performance metrics alignment, and HR technology. He is a trusted Senior Advisor to multiple organizations, offering expertise in human capital due diligence, post-close integrations, total rewards design, and HR strategy, delivery, and technology.
Since 2017, he has successfully operated his own consulting practice, building on a foundation of leadership experience from executive roles in prominent global and domestic organizations.
Recently publishing his first business book, Never Fire Anyone, Mark has started to distill more than three decades of observations and experience into his first of what he hopes will be many creative works. It is a brilliant new model and way to think about how we should stop leading “companies” and start to lead the people that are the cause of success.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Scott Alldridge shares the methods for integrating unique cybersecurity programs with business goals in the book “The Visible Ops Cybersecurity.”
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The Synopsis
Scott Alldridge, holds an M.B.A. in Cybersecurity and is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), ITIL Certified expert, and Harvard Certified in Technology and Privacy and is a nationally renowned expert. Scott is a distinguished leader with over 30 years of experience in IT management and cybersecurity, specializing in protecting critical IT systems that businesses rely on today. As the CEO of IP Services, Scott has played a pivotal role in delivering advanced managed IT and cybersecurity solutions across various industries. His strategic use of the TotalControl™ framework aligns technology investments with business goals, ensuring enhanced security, operational excellence, and resilience.
“Cyber-defense is not a thing you buy, or something you learn. It’s an information-driven machine you must design and operate in order to create and manage visibility, changes, and improvement. In VisibleOps Cybersecurity, these foundational elements are brought together with cyberdefense techniques to allow organizations to manage the complexity of cyber risks by building a resilient, effective program of improvement – one that you will need no matter the attacker or threat.”
Tony Sager / Center for Internet Security (CIS)
Senior Vice President and Chief Evangelist
The Review
Instantly, this book distinguishes itself from typical cybersecurity books by being more business-driven than anything else. The author’s clear, direct, and informative writing style immediately delves into how this technology benefits businesses, particularly for small and aspiring entrepreneurs starting a new business in a technological age. Yet the author writes in a way that also cuts through the technical speak, instead worded in a way that companies and owners, from CEOs and board members to small online shops, can understand the technology fueling their businesses.
The world is moving at a rapid pace, and online business has accelerated this speed, making it even quicker. Therefore, developing a business with security in place to protect it is vital. The author clearly outlines the steps that business owners need to take, from the importance of automation to installing compliance frameworks that can improve IT departments’ operations and more. The emphasis it places on business owners is remarkable, and it even outlines what business owners need to ask their IT providers and develop plans and responses to incidents that occur, so that those unfamiliar with the tech scene can understand.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, engaging, and insightful, author Scott Alldridge’s “The Visible Ops Cybersecurity” is a must-read nonfiction book on business and technology. The information and the fast-paced nature of the book serve as more than a guide, but a call to action for business owners to take control of their business from a cybersecurity perspective and understand the needs of their IT department, making things run much more smoothly. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Scott Alldridge holds an M.B.A. in Cybersecurity and is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), ITIL Certified expert, and Harvard Certified in Technology and Privacy, and is a nationally renowned expert. Scott is a distinguished leader with over 30 years of experience in IT management and cybersecurity, specializing in protecting critical IT systems that businesses rely on today. As the CEO of IP Services, Scott has played a pivotal role in delivering advanced managed IT and cybersecurity solutions across various industries. His strategic use of the TotalControl™ framework aligns technology investments with business goals, ensuring enhanced security, operational excellence, and resilience.
In his role as President of the IT Process Institute (ITPI), Scott co-authored the renowned VisibleOps series, with over 400,000 copies sold globally. His expertise spans IT management, cybersecurity, risk management, regulatory compliance, and cloud computing. Scott is also a recognized thought leader in modern cybersecurity strategies, including Zero Trust and Integrity Management, which are critical to safeguarding today’s complex IT environments.
Through his leadership, Scott has guided organizations in strengthening their security postures and navigating the complexities of today’s threat landscape. His contributions, including white papers, keynote addresses, and innovative frameworks, continue to shape the cybersecurity industry and influence best practices for protecting essential IT systems.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Authors Frank Felker and Marty M. Fahncke share the best way to sell your business and maintain your legacy on your own terms in the book “Boomer Sells The Business: A Step-by-Step Guide to Cashing Out & Living Large.”
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The Synopsis
Every business owner will exit someday. The only question is: will it be on your terms – or someone else’s?
Boomer Sells The Business is your step-by-step guide to selling your business for the highest possible price—to the perfect buyer—while protecting your team, your legacy, and your peace of mind.
Whether you’re years away from selling or ready to cash out soon, this practical, no-fluff guide walks you through everything you need to prepare for a profitable and purposeful exit.
Co-authors Frank Felker and Marty M. Fahncke combine decades of entrepreneurial experience, over $450 million in executed buy/sell transactions, and firsthand advisory insights to help you avoid the most common – and most costly – mistakes owners make when it’s time to sell.
Inside, you’ll learn:
How to avoid the #1 mistake business owners make when exiting
The 7 steps to building a “sale-ready” business
Who’s most likely to buy your business—and who to avoid
How to emotionally and financially prepare for life after the sale
You’ll also discover how to protect your employees’ futures, create an exciting post-exit lifestyle, and learn from real-world stories of business owners who sold successfully—and those who didn’t.
Don’t leave your life’s work to chance.
With over 80% of businesses never being sold, Boomer Sells The Business gives you the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts to beat the odds—and create the future you deserve.
The Review
This was such an insightful and engaging read. One thing most businesses probably don’t think about is the longevity of the company should something happen, whether that is a change in the economy or the passing of the business owner or something else beyond a person’s control. The authors brilliantly highlight the need to make a person’s business sell-ready, even if you aren’t looking to sell yet. The straightforward, honest, and detailed writing style spoke to the business itself, utilizing numerous case studies to emphasize each point made in the book.
The guide itself worked well on so many levels, not only exploring why businesses need to make their businesses ready to sell, but also how to utilize this method to maximize business now and give owners peace of mind, as well as the team helping the business thrive. I also appreciated the authors taking the time to recognize when a good time to sell is versus a bad one, such as acknowledging the existence of burnout in business and why selling because of it can be detrimental to the business you spent so long building.
The Verdict
Engaging, thought-provoking, and expertly crafted, authors Frank Felker and Marty M. Fahncke’s “Boomer Sells the Business” is a must-read nonfiction book on business. The expertise and knowledge readers gain, the sense of peace of mind the guide gives to companies overall, and the way readers can read through this book and then return to it time and time again for references make this a compelling guide to have when building a business and then ensuring it is ready to sell. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Frank Felker is an author, educator and lifelong entrepreneur with more than 50 years experience starting, running and helping small businesses.
The bestselling author of five books on marketing, sales, and entrepreneurship, he is also the creator and host of what is arguably the longest-running small business podcast anywhere, Radio Free Enterprise, which first started dropping episodes in 2004 and continues to this day.
In addition to working with hundreds of small business owners, Frank has also consulted to or presented for large corporations and organizations such as Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Constant Contact, The International Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Printing Industries of America, GBC Corporation, Isagenix, America Online, Xerox, and IBM.
Over 26,000 entrepreneurs from 170 countries are enrolled in his online business courses and he has presented before thousands more across the United States, in South America, Britain, and Europe at venues including the Kennedy Center, The Venetian Las Vegas, and the headquarters of America Online and Texas Instruments.
Frank encourages his readers to reach out to him on LinkedIn and Facebook – be sure to tell him you’re a reader so he’ll be sure to accept your invitation to connect.
Meet Marty M. Fahncke, a seasoned world-class Marketer with over 35 years of experience in growing & scaling businesses, and over 25 years of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions. Marty{s first taste of success in acquisitions came early on when a business he co-launched with some friends was acquired for 7 figures after just 18 months in business. But he quickly learned that the acquisition process is not always as easy as it seems. Fast forward to today and Marty has helped businesses scale to over $1 Billion in revenue and executed over $450 million in Mergers and Acquisitions transactions. Along with his partners, they are actively acquiring businesses across various industries including e-commerce, consumer goods, health & wellness, agencies, SaaS, and more. In addition, Marty offers his expertise as an M&A Advisor, assisting business owners in the successful process of selling OR acquiring businesses. He knows that buying or selling a business can be time-consuming, stressful, and can occasionally be a roller-coaster of emotions. But with expert guidance from Marty and the team from Westbound Road, it can also be rewarding and lucrative.
As a Sell-Side Advisor, Marty helps business owners get a top valuation for their business with the least amount of stress and risk. He advises on selling strategy, marketing the business for sale, deal negotiation, due diligence, and every other step of the way until the deal is done and your money is in the bank.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Rich Plumery shares a new take on leadership development in the book “Palms Up Leadership: Developing Our Future Leaders.”
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The Synopsis
Palms Up Leadership: Developing Future Leaders is not just another business book—it’s a transformative leadership manifesto designed for today’s rapidly evolving professional landscape.
In this compelling work, Rich Plumery draws from a wealth of experience shaped by real-world adversity, elite performance environments, and high-stakes leadership roles. At its core are the Palms Up tenets—Enable, Engage, and Embrace—a simple yet powerful framework that empowers leaders to navigate complex challenges with authenticity and purpose.
Plumery masterfully integrates principles from servant leadership, project management, sports psychology, elite military team-building, and entrepreneurship to offer a fresh, actionable approach to leadership development. Whether you’re a C-suite executive, a team leader, or an emerging talent, this book equips you with practical strategies to:
Cultivate a thriving and resilient workplace culture
Empower others through clarity, trust, and collaboration
Address pressing challenges like wisdom loss, remote work, and AI disruptions
Lead with integrity, purpose, and impact
If you’re ready to lead boldly, build better teams, and shape the next generation of leaders—Palms Up Leadership is your essential guide.
The Review
This was a truly insightful and compelling nonfiction book. The author wrote in a way that felt honest and personal while also conveying essential lessons along the way. The impact the author’s late brother had early on in his career, as well as the foundational work that went into his businesses, made the experiences that were put down on the page that much more impactful and meaningful. These lessons included things like making the minimum decision necessary to keep things moving, which was paired with a personal interaction with someone who caused him to rethink how reactive actions can have adverse consequences if not thought through carefully.
The theme and foundation for both this book and the method of Palms Up leadership that stood out for this reader was the concept of servant leadership. The concept was new to me, but it was so inspiring. The idea of selfless leadership is so unheard of by so many companies these days. Yet, the concept is beneficial both morally and monetarily, allowing employees to feel wanted and appreciated and motivating them to contribute more to the company. Leadership is meant to work with and serve the community, including the one within a business, and the author’s expertise and strategies really do a great job of aligning with that.
The Verdict
Memorable, insightful, and engaging, author Rich Plumery’s “Palms Up Leadership” is a must-read nonfiction business and leadership book. The fast pacing of the book, the action-driven steps the author lays out to help develop this unique brand of leadership, and the personal nature of the author’s experiences will keep readers invested and connected to the author and the journey this book takes them on. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Rich is a published author, thought leader, and international speaker who presents on various topics, including business recovery, performance management, and his Palm’s Up LeadershipTM brand of servant leadership. Rich has been a founder, investor, and operator in several successful businesses, including one of the first voice-controlled computers, a tactical supply company supporting elite military units (with partners who were some of the plankowners of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell). He also owned and operated a sports performance coaching business that served hundreds of professional athletes across the NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS. He applied what he had learned from his expert coaches and other world-class specialists, such as Greg Roskopf, the man who retooled Bryson DeChambeau, to develop elite corporate coaching skills.
Being an obsessed problem solver, Rich is passionate about developing a new generation of leaders to help us improve our corporate cultures. At this point in our history, we are dealing with many new dynamics, such as pandemics forcing remote work environments, global work sharing, emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, and an aging workforce, which is continually draining our wisdom bank and jeopardizing quality in many of our key industries, including manufacturing, engineering, construction and healthcare. Rich presents his solutions to these challenges, based on his unique experiences in the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds.
