I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard the following question, “Mark, I’ve heard my industry EBITDA multiple is 5x. What do you think?” Many CEOs think their business value is based on a simple equation. When the book Quick Value by Reed Phillips hit my radar, I bought it immediately. Reed’s process for valuing a private company is a simple but powerful method that should be completed annually by an internal leadership team.
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Throughput Planning, Reporting, and Analysis
“Here, Mark, I think this book will help.” I will be forever thankful for Stuart Varner of a small injection molding company in Poynette, WI, recommending The Goal by Goldratt as I started working on my first manufacturing project early in my finance career. For years, I waited for the perfect book on Throughput planning, reporting, and analysis. Not only is Throughput Economics thorough, but it’s readable. Visiting with one of the authors was a treat.
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The Psychology of Pricing
If you have read any books on pricing, the title that stands out is Hermann Simon’s Confessions of The Pricing Man. However, suppose you are looking for a book that includes nearly every pricing tactic ever used in business. In that case, I’d start with Handbook on the Psychology of Pricing by Dr. Markus Husemann-Kopetzky. While this book is for the hardcore marketer and CMO, CEOs, and CFOs will also gain valuable insights from this highly readable book.
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100 Baggers
I’ve read many books on investing, and after reading about a dozen in this genre, the content grows repetitive and even tiresome. Periodically, a new title will rise from the crowd in this busy book category. That’s the case for 100 Baggers by Chris Mayer, published in 2015. In addition to a catchy title, the book hits a home run with its sound business advice and a solid framework that’s even relevant for CEOs, CFOs, and COOs.
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The 2-Hour Cocktail Party
On a personal and professional level, Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie was transformational. Carnegie would have loved Nick Gray’s The 2-Hour Cocktail Party because it explains how, when, and where to connect with other people, which can lead to lifelong friendships. This book is relevant to any financial and business leader; Nick nails it when he says, “Networking is the key to success in every career or business.”
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The Rise and Fall of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty
As a kid, I listened to hundreds of games of my favorite team, where I repeatedly heard the names Budweiser and Busch over many years. Because of the rise in popularity of TV shows like Riches, Succession, and Yellowstone, I was curious if Bill Knoedelseder’s book Bitter Brew – The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s King of Beers included a similar story arc. The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ with many previously untold stories.
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True Profit
Hermann Simon’s Confessions of a Pricing Man is easily the best book ever written on this topic. The author is the Chairman of the global strategy consulting firm Simon-Kucher. He’s also one of this generation’s most prolific business thinkers, whose writing parallels Peter Drucker’s. In this conversation, our topic is Hermann’s 2021 book, True Profit. Topics include profit maximization, why price increases trump volume increases or cost reductions, and profit elasticity.
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The Stories Beyond FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried
I predict that Number Go Up by Zeke Faux will be considered the most fascinating and entertaining book in narrative non-fiction for 2023. If you know little about FTX and its infamous founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, this readable account of its demise is a perfect starting point. The book’s scope extends well beyond FTX as Zeke chronicles his ventures around the globe, sharing what I call binge-worthy episodes suitable for a Netflix docuseries.
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Data Thinking for Business Leaders
Dan Murray is the Director of Strategic Innovations at Interworks and is the author of Tableau This. He recently completed a blog series entitled BI Cantos, which is about how to successfully deploy a business intelligence system, which is the topic of this conversation. We discuss the critical thinking, tools, and consultants needed before, during, and after business intelligence implementation. We also address several myths surrounding these projects.
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Farming, Food, and Finances with Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin calls himself a Christian, libertarian, capitalist, and lunatic farmer. I think of him as an economist, philosopher, brilliant marketer, excellent financial analyst, gifted public speaker, a master in debate, and certainly a Thomas Jefferson farmer. During this conversation, we focus on his book, Folks, This Ain’t Normal. We address open-book farming, the mechanical food worldview, and the frustrating death tax for those inheriting farms. Joel’s satire and storytelling make this conversation go far too fast.
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