FEATURED AUTHOR: DR. SHARON LAMM-HARTMAN

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Life and Work, You Can’t Fake It to Make It.

The Authenticity Code is a WSJ, Amazon and USA Today Bestselling book that combines the best of a page-turner parable and a practical tool business book to deliver encouragement and proven tools for cracking the code to becoming a more authentic professional or leader. When you become more authentic, you do what you came here to do and be who you came here to be. You communicate more effectively, and the success you desire in your life and career becomes achievable.

Dr. Sharon teaches in a fun, engaging, and honest parable style, and at the end of each chapter, you apply her proven practical tools to your own life and career.

The effectiveness of these tools is proven from the over 20 years that Dr. Sharon’s company, Inside-Out Learning, has been teaching them to their Fortune 500, mid-, and small-size business clients. Results across thousands of clients include getting promoted, landing a dream job, significantly increasing sales and revenue, developing confidence and loyalty, greatly enhancing professional, leadership, and communication skills, and improving your personal life. The promotion rate for individuals is 50-80% within a year of completing one of Inside Out Learning’s 3- to 5-day programs. Now you have the opportunity to achieve these exceptional results in an easy-to-read book format.

The Authenticity Code tells the story of a fictional corporate vice president choosing a sales director from two talented protégés. After they present their cases, he realizes that neither of them is impressive enough to qualify. Instead of giving up, the leader sets out to teach his candidates what they need to know via The Authenticity CodeTM Program. Like the candidates in the book, you, the reader, will learn to look within yourself and decide who you truly are and what you really want from life and work—and how to go about getting it.

Now Dr. Sharon encourages you to enjoy the parable, apply the tools, develop your own authentic brand statement, and achieve the success you desire.




Book Details 
Title:
The Authenticity Code: The art and science of success and why you can’t fake it to make it

Author: Dr. Sharon Lamm-Hartman
Genre: business

Publisher: Greenleaf Publishing Group (October 18, 2021)

Print length: 178 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH DR. SHARON LAMM-HARTMAN

A few of your favorite things: my cat, dog, iPhone, essential oil dispenser.
My cat who I rescued from Hawaii, and jumped through hoops to get him back to our home on the mainland. He is the sweetest cat and would have been put into a shelter and put down had we not rescued him. My dog who is a Shitsu Yorkie and has such a personality – likes to eat and go on 4+ mile walks. My fitbit – I try my best to get 10,000 steps a day, and love longer hikes on the weekend. I feel lost when I forget my fitbit. And yes I do love my essential oil dispenser and breathing lavender to help keep my mind calm and clear.
Things you need to throw out: old shoes and clothes that I have not worn in years, and pens that no longer have ink that are on my desk and scattered throughout the house, old papers all over my office. 

Things you need in order to write: being alone, hike/walk, favorite music, essential oil dispenser with lavender in it, essential oil candle burning.  
Things that hamper your writing: noise of any kind besides my favorite music, lack of physical activity prior to writing, long to do list, and being in an argument with someone I care about.

Things you love about writing: creativity, downloading my thoughts and typing as fast as I can, I love not knowing what I will write and just starting to type on the keyboard and see what comes.  

Things you hate about writing: editing, formatting.

Things you love about where you live: the views of the mountains, the peace and quiet, the guest house which I call “my house” where I can have alone time, how many great places to walk and hike around the house. There is a hiking trail at the end of our driveway. The weather is normally sunny and you can walk and hike all year round. 

Things that make you want to move: the housing market right now as I know we could make a great profit on the house if we sold right now.

Things you never want to run out of: coffee, Italian DOCG Red Wine, and dark chocolate.

Things you wish you’d never bought: the ugly sweater that just came in the mail and looked so much better when I saw it online.

Favorite foods: spicy ethnic food like Indian and Thai – the spicier the better.

Things that make you want to throw up: cow tongue and chicken hearts.

Favorite song: Prince: “Purple Rain.”

Music that make your ears bleed: anything heavy metal.

Favorite beverage: Italian red wine.

Something that gives you a pickle face: raw sauerkraut.

Favorite smell: it is a toss-up between soy/coconut-based vanilla candle and lavender.

Something that makes you hold your nose: dog poop.

Something you’re really good at: designing transformative workshops and professional and leadership development training programs. 

Something you’re really bad at: cooking.

Last best thing you ate: steamed artichoke with an amazing spicy yogurt dipping sauce.

Last thing you regret eating: edible chocolate chip cookie dough from Costco. I saw 60 calories per serving, but ate about 30 servings in one sitting.

Things you’d walk a mile for: my husband, son, family, and pets.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: pigeons, rats and bats.

Things you always put in your books: post it notes and folds on the pages. 

Things you never put in your books: book marks.

Things that make you happy: being with my son and husband, hiking, being with friends and family and belly laughing, seeing my son succeed, seeing a smile on my son and husband’s face, Completing a writing or business goal, winning business.
Things that drive you crazy: seeing a lot of clutter especially in the main living area of our home; wanting to remodel but having no idea where to start and not having the decorating gene; my son or husband being upset; not excelling at a goal. 

Proudest moment: holding my son for the first time. I never felt such love.

Most embarrassing moment: not realizing I was on video tape and putting my finger up my nose (yes this really happened in a business meeting). 

Best thing you’ve ever done: having my son and publishing The Authenticity Code. Seeing it reach 10+ Amazon #1 bestselling lists and the WSJ and USA Today. bestselling lists was a complete feeling of pride! I had worked so hard for 3 years, and I am so happy that the book is reaching thousands of readers around the world.  
Biggest mistake: trying to work with someone who I thought would be my best friend for life. I tried to help her out during a difficult time, but she would never see it that way. Unfortunately, we don’t speak anymore.

The last thing you did for the first time: hiked up a steep mountain with very loose rocks on my hands and knees praying to God that I would survive. When I reached the top of the mountain and looked down, I could not believe the 400 foot drop off.  

Something you’ll never do again: hiking a steep mountain with very loose rocks on my hands and knees. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Sharon Lamm-Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Inside Out Learning, Inc. (IOL), an award‐winning global leadership, team and organization development consulting business. In addition to running IOL, With a doctorate in Leadership Development from Columbia University, and a Masters from Cornell University, Dr. Sharon is a global executive and presentation skills coach, leadership and organization development consultant, speaker, writer, educator, wife and mom. She has designed and delivered over 3,000 innovative programs, including many women’s development and executive presence and presentation skills programs. Dr. Sharon has worked with tens of thousands of CEOs, executives, educators, professionals, and entrepreneurs worldwide. She has been an Adjunct Faculty Member at Columbia University and the Center for Creative Leadership, and has been featured in publications such as Authority Magazine, The New York Times, and several radio, television and podcast programs.  


Connect with Dr. Sharon:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

FEATURED AUTHOR: TODD STOTTLEMYRE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Many people know Todd Stottlemyre as an American former professional baseball player, most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. However, Todd Stottlemyre is also an author with a highly personal, transformative story to tell through his new book. The Observer, far from being a fiction novel, is the fable of Todd Stottlemyre’s life. He rose to superstardom winning two World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays but had yet to reach his true “peak” until the journey that began afterward.

Kat has it all (money, success, recognition, influence) except the one thing she desires desperately: a fulfilled life. A business entrepreneur in the high-end sportswear industry, Kat is driven in relentless pursuit of ever-greater success. The two anchors in Kat's frenzied life have been her father; a famous baseball pitcher turned team manager, and her son, who is following in his grandfather's footsteps. When both anchors become unstable, Kat's life tips dangerously out of balance. The market and her finances flip, and relationships start slipping through her fingers. Eager for solutions, she turns to find uncanny wisdom from places she never expected.

The Observer unpacks the idea of 180-degree thinking, which changes everything for Kat. Now, seemingly impossible goals now come into focus with crystal clear clarity. As Kat focuses on the right things, the impossible becomes her new reality.

Book Details:

Title: The Observer: A Modern Fable on Mastering Your Thoughts & Emotions

Author: Todd Stottlemyre

Genre: *Praised for breaking the boundaries of both fiction and non-fiction / women’s fiction, sports fiction, business, self-help, motivational, inspirational, mental health

Publisher: Made for Success Publishing (December 29, 2020)

Print length: 200 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH TODD STOTTLEMYRE

Things you need in order to write: clarity, a creative environment, time.

Things that hamper your writing: stress, overwhelm that destroys creativity.

Things you love about writing: I love being able to share a message of true-life events and experiences, of tragedy and triumphs to inspire and impact others to pursue their inner greatness.

Things you hate about writing: I find I do better talking than writing and my passion comes out deeper in my voice when I am speaking.

Easiest thing about being a writer: sharing personal stories, experiences, and moments.

Hardest thing about being a writer: relating to the masses so that it will enrich their lives.

Things you love about where you live: I love outdoor opportunities because of our weather and the ease of travel throughout the country because of where we are located.

Things that make you want to move: the summer heat in Arizona.

Things you never want to run out of: family and friends.

Things you wish you’d never bought: golf courses.

Favorite foods: Poke, sushi, Italian. 

Things that make you want to throw up: celery, peas, wild rice.

Things you’d walk a mile for: a great meal.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: negative people.

Things you always put in your books: real-life experiences. 

Things you never put in your books: to teach something I have never learned through experience.

Favorite places you’ve been: Europe, Hawaii, Turks & Caicos.

Places you never want to go to again: bad hotels.

Favorite things to do: vacation with my family, fishing with my brother. 

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: cleaning the garage and moving.

Things that make you happy: dates with my wife, great food, inspiring movies, winning. 

Things that drive you crazy: losing, negative people, messy environments, excuses.

The last thing you did for the first time: rode a Segway. 

Something you’ll never do again: Pink Jeep Tours.

BOOK TRAILER

OTHER BOOKS BY TODD STOTTLEMYRE

Relentless Success

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Todd Stottlemyre is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for 15 seasons most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays with whom he won two World Series championships. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, St Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Awarded for his outstanding integrity and dedication to community service, he received the prestigious Branch Ricky Award and the Lou Gehrig Award. After leaving professional baseball, he pursued a career in finance building an asset management business at a high-profile Wall Street firm. He is the co-founder and owner of a private equity fund that owns, manages, and oversees a number of companies. Today, Stottlemyre channels his passion for winning as a high-performance business coach, best-selling author, and keynote speaker. Taking all he has learned both on and off the field, he works to help people achieve unparalleled success in every dimension of their lives. His latest book, The Observer: A Modern Fable on Mastering Your Thoughts & Emotions released on December 29, 2020.




Connect with Todd:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads


Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

FEATURED AUTHOR: KELI HAMMOND

ABOUT THE BOOK



What does it take to stand out from the crowd? How do you build a brand people notice, connect with, and trust? What does it really take to get (and keep) a constant flow of incoming and loyal customers and opportunities?



In Craved, Keli Hammond walks you through the ins and outs of building a brand that is not only noticed, but sought-after and profitable. She uncovers the key elements needed to craft cohesive and clever marketing campaigns and demystifies the components needed to gain influence and be memorable. 



In this book, Hammond combines decades of award-winning industry knowledge with helpful stories and advice that illustrates what not to do in brand building. She walks you through how to build a loyal tribe that advocates for you and endorses you. 



Because marketing rules change quickly, the things that worked five years ago are now outdated and old-fashioned. The guidance you get from Craved will help you elevate your profile, attract more people to you, monetize your influence, and set the stage for long-term profit for your personal brand or business. 



Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for a while, this is the resource you need to help make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality. Transform your life by strategically creating a brand people CRAVE.


Book Details:


Title: CRAVED: The Secret Sauce to Building A Highly-Successful, Standout Brand
Author: Keli Hammond
Genre: Non-Fiction, Business
Published: April 9, 2019

Print length: 305 pages

 

 

IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH KELI HAMMOND

Ifs


If you could talk to someone (living), who would it be and what would you ask them?
Actress (and producer) Viola Davis, hands-down. She is a triple-threat, being the first black actor to win an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. Her commitment to her own personal excellence is so inspiring. Plus I just love her on How to Get Away With Murder. If I could ask one her one thing, I would want to know how she balances her drive to excel with her personal life and well-being. How does she juggle the two?

If you could talk to someone (dead), who would it be and what would you ask them?
I'd have to say, Nelson Mandela. Having lived through apartheid and 18 years in prison, then going on to become the president of South Africa in his 70s, I mean WOW. That would be a conversation for the record books. I would ask him how it felt to be honored with a Nobel Peace Prize.

If you could live in any time period which would it be?
I’d have to go with New York City In the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance. I'd love to be around greats like Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, and Zora Neal Hurston, just to feel their magnetic energy. I can only imagine the inspiration, not to mention the nightlife. I'd be first In line at the Savoy Ballroom on Lenox Avenue.

If you could be anything besides a writer, what would it be?
I would probably be a United Nations Women's Cultural Ambassador or something like that. Someone that travels the world visiting, talking to, and learning about other cultures and teaching women of all ages and cultures how to achieve their personal goals and become leaders in their own right.

If you had to do community service (or already do volunteer work), what would you choose?
I love to work with young ladies, both teenagers and college grads from urban or underserved communities. A lot of times they get so caught up in their surroundings and daily struggles that they don’t believe their dreams are possible. I believe that these women need strong mentors to help them navigate the world and trust in their contributions to society.

If you could meet any author for coffee, who would you like to meet and what would you talk about?
Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk)! I just want to pick his brain and soak up all of his infectious energy. I love how blunt and outspoken he is; his ways (and thoughts) remind me so much of my own.


If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?

I would have to say Paris, France. Love, love, love that city. As cliché as it may sound, Paris is top of the list. The multitude of things to see and do coupled with the diversity makes it such a pleasant city to be in. Every time I'm there I find that I'm so relaxed. Simple things like coffee and croissants are so enjoyable.


Ands


5 favorite possessions: 
•    cell phone
•    Nike apparel (all of it) LOL
•    smoothies
•    Bose wireless Bluetooth speaker
•    my marketing awards and accolades

5 things you need in order to write:
•    laptop or my iPad
•    inspiration
•    coffee
•    my notebook for jotting down the millions of ideas in my head
•    the TV on in the background (on mute)

5 things you love about where you live:
•    there are so many restaurants
•    that [weather-wise] we get all four seasons here
•    all of the different types of social events
•    you can easily drive to so many other awesome major cities
•    museums

5 things about you or 5 phrases/words to describe you:
•    world-traveler
•    energetic
•    enthusiastic
•    team-builder
•    supportive

5 favorite foods:
•    stir-fry anything
•    tacos
•    salads (of all kinds)
•    salmon
•    crab cakes

5 favorite places you’ve been:
There are lots, but here are a few…
•    Budapest
•    Thailand
•    Brazil
•    Iceland
•    Japan

5 favorite books:
•    The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
•    Presence by Amy Cuddy
•    The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
•    The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
•    Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

5 living people you’d like to invite to dinner: 
•    Comedian Trevor Noah
•    Rapper J. Cole
•    Author Mel Robbins
•    Singer Rihanna
•    Fashion Designer Christian Siriano (but I need him to bring dresses with him, haha)

5 people you’d like to be stuck in a bookstore with:
•    Dave Chapelle
•    Charlie Sheen
•    Ellen Degeneres
•    Jada Pinkett-Smith
•    Sean "Diddy" Combs

5 people you consider as heroes:
•    Colin Kaepernick
•    Michelle Obama (sorry Barack, haha. But this one's for the ladies)
•    Shonda Rhimes
•    Ryan Coogler
•    Lena Waithe

Whats

What’s your all-time favorite place?
Italy, easily. Either Florence or Rome. Italy is such a breathtaking country. It's peaceful, tranquil, historical, very walkable, and oh yeah, the food is amazing.

What’s your favorite song?
"We All Try" by Frank Ocean.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?
Jamaica…because it's a whole lot of reggae, rum punch, and relaxation. Oh, and can’t forget about the jerk chicken and coco bread.

What’s your favorite thing to do?
I love to be outside. I find fresh air exhilarating. Just to be outside on a beautiful spring or fall day reinvigorates me, and I love both city sights and outdoor hiking equally.

What’s your favorite dessert?
Love, love, love me some tiramisu (only the cake though, not the pudding).

What’s your favorite beverage?
Any smoothie that includes açaí. I became familiar with açaí when I traveled to Brazil in 2010, and ever since then, I've been obsessed.

What’s your favorite quote?
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” by Henry Ford.

What’s your favorite movie snack?
I always go for the raisinets, which is funny to me because I don't like raisins (like at all). LOL. But if I'm at the movies, I never pass up a box of raisinets. It's the strangest thing.

What’s your favorite social media site? Would you rather tweet or post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest . . .?
Instagram, hands-down. I love the connection that you're able to build with people through that specific social networking site. I've met some really fun and awesome folks through IG.


What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
Lip balm. I'm literally obsessed with keeping my lips moisturized. It's bad. HaHa.

What movie genre do you prefer: drama, comedy, action, adventure, thriller, or horror?
I love all things action/suspense, those keep you on the edge of your seat kind of movies. Think Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Kill Bill.

What do you collect?
Shot glasses and magnets from my travels around the world. They are a great way to remember the places I've been and the people I've met along the way.

What book are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on my second book, which is a mixture of a memoir/self-help/how-to book aimed at helping give people the courage to pursue their passion (despite setbacks) in order to live a more fulfilled life. In that book, I share personal stories and situations to show people how you can rebound from anything and transform yourself into whomever you seek to become.


All-time favorites with pictures:

What’s your all-time favorite picture of yourself?
Me in the red suit. It's colorful and vibrant (which is the way I feel about my personality.

What’s your latest recommendation for:
•    Food: Thai is my go-to, Drunken noodles or yellow curry. In the DC-area, Pasara Thai is my favorite.
•    Music: Sabrina Claudio, every single song
•    Movie: I'm always behind on movies, so I'll just share one of my go-tos. I love 80's and 90's movies. Beverly Hills Cop.
•    Book: Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything by Iyanla Vanzant
•    Audiobook: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
•    TV: I'm still obsessed with The Walking Dead.
•    Netflix/Amazon Prime: Orange Is the New Black
•    Miscellaneous: I do interior design on the side (love it). I grew up watching HGTV as a child and that helped me envision how to turn empty spaces and blank canvases into warm, inviting rooms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keli Hammond is a nationally-recognized, award-winning expert on marketing. The author of Craved: The Secret Sauce to Building a Highly-Successful, Standout Brand, Keli knows what it takes to make people stop, listen, engage, and invest in brands (both personal and business).

With a focus on brand acceleration and positioning, Keli's expertise helps people pinpoint hurdles to success and pivot their marketing to achieve maximum results and brand loyalty.

Keli distilled more than 15 years of marketing know-how into her debut book, aptly named  Craved, which offers practical tips and resources that provide clarity on how to turn a passion into profit by becoming a dynamic marketer.

Keli owns B Classic, a Washington, DC-based marketing and communications agency that helps entrepreneurs, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies better educate, entice, inspire, and engage their target consumers.

A highly sought-after speaker, trainer and writer, Keli regularly speaks to groups of business owners, students, and women about personal branding, marketing, and social media. She has been featured in The Washington Informer and The Start-Up Growth.

Keli holds a BA in Advertising from Temple University and certification in Change Leadership (Change Management) from Cornell University.


Connect with Keli:
Instagram  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn   

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Featured Author: Dale Gibbons

I'm happy to have Dale Gibbons here with his non-fiction book, Master Your Money in 7 Days. It's intended to help families, individuals, and businesses to ... well ... master their money in 7 days. The book includes a downloadable cash flow management tool using Microsoft Excel, which I have started using, and which I think will be enormously helpful for me and my mathematically illiterate brain.

As the book description says, "In this short, easy to read story, you'll learn why budgeting doesn’t work for most people and what to do about it. You’ll learn how to get control and keep control of your money by focusing on your cash flow. You'll meet a young couple who are tired of struggling and worrying about money. They're tired of their money bossing them around and causing stress in their marriage.

They're introduced to a few caring people — true "Money Masters" who share with them a simple seven-day system and easy new habits that put them in control of their money and on the road to financial peace and prosperity.

It doesn't matter how much you currently earn. College students making a few thousand dollars a year to doctors making a half million have benefited from this simple method. It has helped countless folks in all income brackets get and keep control of their money, and it will help you, too."

Get to know Dale in my interview with him, and check out his book. Find out how to master your money in 7 days.

About the book:

Get complete control of your money and enjoy financial peace in as little as seven days using the world’s simplest cash management method.

Dale Gibbons wrote Master Your Money in 7 Days to help individuals and businesses to rebuild their finances in a week. No matter what the income bracket, the constructive new habits taught by Dale Gibbons in his new book Master Your Money in 7 Days and his Cash Flow Tracker are empowering people on every career path to get and keep control of their cash flow.

Gibbons’ system has been tested by college students to CEOs to a church congregation and has helped them all build more financial security for themselves and their families than they ever thought possible.
 
In his new book, Master your Money in 7 Days, Gibbons speaks to both business owners and individuals who share the common goal of getting their finances under control. He reminds business readers: “Never delegate your checkbook.”   

Gibbons then asks readers to examine their current fiscal status and be candid with themselves when answering the following questions:  

• Do you run out of money before you run out of month?  
• Do you worry about how you’ll afford important things for your family?  
• Have you ever pay overdraft fees?  
• Were you ever embarrassed at the cash register by an overdrawn account?  
• Have you tried to save money only to transfer it back to your account to pay living expenses?  

If the answer to those questions is “yes,” then money is mastering you instead of you mastering your money.  

He has also developed a free cash flow management tool using Microsoft Excel, which he details in the book, advising you to use it once a week.  

“Cash flow statements have been around, but they’re set up on a month-to-month timeline, and a month is far too long for the law of entropy to raise its ugly head. So I decided to manage our cash flow on a week-to-week basis. Having 20/20 visibility of our cash flow helped us make informed decisions. As a result, we saved the business and since then, it has grown to millions in sales each year, employs dozens of people and has been on the Inc. 5000 list four times.
  
Use the Cash Flow Tracker for your business or your personal cash flow management like we do. Set it up properly then update it weekly and you’ll never wonder, guess, or worry about your bank balance again.” -Dale Gibbons.

Kudos

“Dale brought a different perspective regarding how to evaluate efficiency in our daily processes.” -Kent Weigle, Vice President Credit at Farm Credit Mid America  

“Dale is a high-energy, high-integrity business leader with a knack for developing talent. His marketing skill is matched by his ability to grow a team to deliver on his promises. Dale mentored me to grow my business through expansion.” -Howard Jacobson, PhD Health Writer | Online Marketing  

Interview with Dale Gibbons

Dale, how long have you been writing, and how did you start?
I’ve been writing about eight years, mostly newsletter articles for my own publications sent to customers.

What inspired you to write Master Your Money in 7 Days?
After a dishonest bookkeeper almost put me out of business, I developed a philosophy and a method for never losing control of my cash flow again. I shared the method with friends and relatives, then church groups, and it has changed their lives. They encouraged me to write the book, and at age 49, my mid-life epiphany was to share this with the world.

How long did it take you to write this book?
Six weeks.

Wow. That’s amazing. What do you hope readers will get from it?
I hope they are inspired to take action immediately with the information I give them. It will help them become true masters of their money so they can live their life with more peace, confidence, and power. They can better serve others.

How did you come up with the title Master Your Money in 7 Days?
I wrote several titles and got lots of input from others. I felt this one best summarized the purpose of the book.

Writing isn’t your primary occupation. What else do you do, Dale?
I own two others businesses. One is a tech consulting company, and the other is a coaching and mentoring company to help others improve their cash flow.

How would you describe Master Your Money in 7 Days in a tweet?
Stop worrying and start living. New method helps you get control and keep control of your money in just 7 days.

Excellent. And you did it in just 111 characters. Why did you decide to write this book?
I’ve seen my parents, relatives, and so many friends struggle with keeping enough money in the bank to live without worry that I had to share this with the world. It’s a disarmingly simple, yet incredibly powerful method that is changing lives and improving relationships.

How did you come up with your cover art?
The publishing company designed it, but it is inspired by some of my favorite books by Ken Blanchard.

Tell us about your favorite chapter in the book.
Oh, chapter nine is my favorite because Andrew and Ellie are stunned when they discover who their mentor really is. They learn that being rich doesn’t mean being fancy.

What song would you pick to go with your book?
“Overcomer” by Mandisa.

Who are your favorite authors?
John Maxwell, Dan Kennedy, Zig Ziglar, and Seth Godin.

Um ... wait a minute. My name isn’t on that list. Just kidding. What was your favorite childhood book?
The Little Engine That Could.

Good one, and appropriate. What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?
The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant in paperback.


Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?
I write best in the morning but force myself to write any time I need to meet a deadline (mostly self-imposed).

Where do you prefer to do your writing?
My office at home in the country.



Name one thing you couldn’t live without. (It can’t be your phone!)
My computer.

Ditto. If you could only keep one book, what would it be?
The Bible.

What meal or particular food would you want to have if you were leaving the country for an extended period of time?
My mother’s meat loaf!

Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?
Bookstore for sure.

You won the lottery. What’s the first thing you would buy?
My wife’s dream car, a fully loaded Toyota Sequoya.

If you're ever lucky enough to win the lottery, she's a lucky woman. Name five people with whom you would pick to be stranded in a bookstore.
Abraham Lincoln, Jesus, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and John Maxwell.

Where would your dream office be?
A beautiful estate overlooking the Mediterranean.

Where’s home for you?
We live on 130 acres north of Louisville, Kentucky in southern Indiana.

We’re practically neighbors! I knew I liked you. What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Geez. There are so many. This first that came to mind was actually written by Paul: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

What three books have you read recently and would recommend?
1.)    The Tools, by Phil Stutz and Barry Michaels
2.)    Change Anything, by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzer
3.)    The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Go fishing with my wife. She loves to fish!

What are you working on now?
Writing the material for a 9-week virtual workshop called “The Cash Flow Mastery Workshop.” Enrolling in September.

Excerpt from Master Your Money in 7 Days

Introduction

What’s different about this book, and why should you buy it?

It isn’t philosophical froufrou. It’s real, step by step “how-to” that will help you get control of your money and sleep well at night.

Most books on personal finance are overwhelming. They try to cover everything there is to know about managing your money. These books leave you frustrated and stuck at square one.

This book reveals the most important, most powerful step to financial peace and wealth. It’s a secret hidden in plain sight, and being blind to it — or ignoring it — is the biggest mistake most people make with their money.

In the easy to read story that follows, you’ll meet a young couple who are tired of worrying about money— tired of their money bossing them around and causing stress in their marriage.

They’re introduced to several people—true “Money Masters” who share with them a simple seven-day system and uncommon habits that put them in control of their money and on the road to financial peace and prosperity.

It doesn’t matter how much you’re currently earning. College kids making a paltry five thousand dollars and doctors raking in five hundred thousand each year are using this method. It has helped countless ordinary folks in all income brackets and careers get and keep control of their money. They learned the system, developed constructive new habits, and have gone on to build more financial security for themselves and their families than they ever thought possible.

The method you’re about to learn isn’t a hard-to-manage budget, and you won’t be carrying around cash in cumbersome envelopes. Plus, your shopping will be guilt free, and you’ll pay your bills with confidence.

Enjoy the journey!

About the author: 


Dale Gibbons is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and cash flow consultant. After a dishonest bookkeeper nearly put him out of business in 2007, he developed a simple, effective method for managing cash flow that saved his company. It worked so well, he decided to use the method with his personal finances, then shared it with others.  He has since helped hundreds of people gain peace and confidence with their money. His unique seven-day cash flow management method replaces traditional budgeting and helps his students stop worrying and start living ... in as little as seven days.

Connect with Dale:
Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Buy the book:
Amazon 

Featured Author: Fletcher Groves

Fletcher Groves is the author of the non-fiction business book, The Pipeline: A Picture of Homebuilding Production, published by Virtualbookworm.com.

About the book:

The Pipeline creates a visual image of homebuilding production from a systems standpoint, connecting the underlying production principles and disciplines to the measures that operating performance and economic outcomes hold in common, and making the compelling argument for the velocity side of ROA as the path to sustainable competitive separation.  

Interview with Fletcher Groves:

Fletcher, how long have you been writing, and how did you start? 

I have written almost my entire business career, but this is the first book I have ever published.

Why did you decide to write The Pipeline? 

It started out as a narrative for a specific client, which I recommended crafting as a dialog on homebuilding production, rather than a more straight-forward narrative.  The client eventually opted for the straight narrative, but allowed me to retain the IP for The Pipeline as a business book in a dialog/story format.

What will others learn from reading your book? 

Literally, there has never been this in-depth a study of production principles for this industry vertical. Pascal Dennis, who wrote the foreword for The Pipeline, remarked that – from a production management standpoint – the homebuilding industry is currently where the automobile industry was a hundred years ago.

A lot of this material will be completely new to executives in this industry.

What do you like best about writing? 

I like it as a means of transferring knowledge, and a creative expression.

What’s your least favorite thing?

There is nothing I dislike about it.

How did you come up with the title of your book? 

The image I was trying to create about a production system was simply a pipeline;  therefore, the title.

Do you have another job outside of writing? 

Yes, absolutely. I am a senior consultant with the management consulting firm SAI Consulting, Inc. 

What books have you read more than once or want to read again?

I have an extensive business library, and I have repeatedly referred to portions of those books; the only books I have completely read more than once were novels like Wind from the Carolinas, A Land Remembered, and then a number of books designed for daily reading.

Who are your favorite authors? 

In the preface, I list the authors who influenced my thinking. From a business book standpoint, from the standpoint of using dialog to get business points across, the most influential author for me has been Eli Goldratt (The Goal, Critical Chain, etc.).

What do you do to market your book? 

I have used SAI’s Escape from Averageness weblog to post excerpts, going back to well before the book was published. Those posts are almost always used as updates on five or six industry-specific LinkedIn groups.

This is a non-fiction book, so there aren't characters per se. But are you like anyone in the book?

The character known as the intrepid, results-based consultant (always identified by the full description of the position, and never as anyone else) is my pseudonym, patterned after the personality of our oldest daughter, Henley. Using a pseudonym in this book allowed me to be in the story, but not have it be about me.

All of these characters I have encountered on different consulting engagements; some of them are typical. In the way she presents, argues, and explains – everything but gender – the intrepid, results-based consultant is very close to who I am.

How do you handle criticism of your work? 

Matter-of-factly.

Where’s home for you?  

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. A case of working where you live, not living where you work.

Is there anything in particular that you do to help the writing flow? 

Principles are immutable, but virtually all of this book comes from actual experiences with clients in business.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

Play golf.

About the author:

Fletcher Groves, III has more than 30 years’ experience in commercial banking, in residential real estate sales, development, and construction, and in management consulting. He has owned and managed his own development and award-winning homebuilding companies, as well as worked for Arthur Rutenberg Homes.

For the most part, Fletch focuses his efforts in the homebuilding industry on the velocity side of ROA, on efforts to obtain measurable improvements in operating performance and business outcomes for builder clients, centered on business process management, but including issues related to strategic planning, organizational structure, financial management, executive vetting, productivity, production systems, process workflow, and performance measurement and compensation.

He is responsible for strategic partner relationships with iGrafx (division of Corel that provides a complete suite of process applications) and LEAN Pathways.  He is an author, blogger, content expert and frequent speaker at IBS and other homebuilding conferences.  He has been instrumental in the production of Reference Point®, SAI’s periodical survey of contemporary management issues, conducted among C-level executives within the homebuilding industry.


Website | Blog | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Featured Author: The Time Trading Guru Robert Renaud

We don't have many non-fiction authors on A Blue Million Books, but I'm happy to be talking with non-fiction author Robert Renaud today. Robert explains his new book, The Time Trading Guru, shows people how to embrace the time trading principles of time, flexibility, and money, and the DREAM process to take life breaks and to become personally fulfilled. His first book, The Red Tape Chronicles, is a compilation of his cartoon strip, The Bureaucrats, the red tape comic strip about life in the service.

 

About the book:

If you want to escape the workplace and live life again then The Time Trading Guru is for you. Embrace the time trading principles of time, flexibility, and money, and trade that “work” and wasted time into “value” time by leveraging life breaks to live life to the fullest.

Robert, how did you get the idea for this book?

It really is a by-product of the challenges I’ve had in my life. I learned to take control and steer my own course.

How long have you been writing?

Well over 20 years, but mostly in business writing.

Did you have a nine to five job before you decided to write a book?

I still have a nine to five, but I use it more wisely and take advantage of time trading to live life to the fullest.

What will readers learn from The Time Trading Guru?

People will learn to manage their perceptions and take the time to live life today and to become personally fulfilled in the process.

Explain time trading, please.

Absolutely, The Time Trading Guru is about using the levers of life: time, flexibility, and money and the DREAM process that provides steps to goal setting, to take life breaks. By following this blueprint you stop postponing your life to some time in the future and begin to live life today.

What makes you a time trading guru?

A guru simply means “teacher” and this is precisely what I do in my book and on my blog www.timetradingguru.com where I muse about living life now and not some time in the future.

How long did it take you to write The Time Trading Guru?

I’ve had the ideas for quite a few years, but when I actually put pen to paper it took me about 4 months to write the book.

Do you think it’s possible to be a dreamer and a realist?

Absolutely, if you don’t have dreams, you’ll never aspire to be more than you are, but at the same time you need to be realistic about the how to achieve things. Don’t compromise the things that mean the most along way.

How would you describe your book in a tweet? (140 characters or less.)

Use the time trading formula to live life to the fullest.

Who is your target audience?

This book is directed primarily at workers. Millions of readers world-wide would be interested in The Time Trading Guru because everyone is looking for a way to gain a better quality and balance in their life without having to sacrifice what they already have. The simple time trading formula is attractive because it takes what most of us already know and makes one a master at pulling the levers of life: time, flexibility, and money to reach his dreams.

What is your favorite genre to read?

I like non-fiction in general because I like to learn new things.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I like to draw - it allows me to be completely free.

Name one thing you couldn’t live without.

A cup of tea in the morning.

Do you have any regrets?

None, I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the good and bad experiences along the way.

About the author:

Robert Renaud is a life enthusiast, pragmatic career man, spirited dreamer. He has lived his dreams, from dancing with a princess, living as a millionaire in Ecuador, to being a cartoonist. He’s a dedicated family man who leverages time trading to live life to its fullest and becoming personally fulfilled in the process.




Connect with Robert:
Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Amazon