Small Business Motivation

Where does the startup journey begin? Startups are the epitome of untapped potential–turning “unsolvable” needs into a whole new opportunity for growth. Companies aspire to learn from the startup rulebook. Yet, when it comes to our personal lives, we opt to avoid those “unsolvable” problems and stick with the familiar and safe options: Do as instructed, walk the line, don’t stick out. In short: Don’t live your life like a startup.

When Marcus Whitney moved to Nashville in 2000, he was a college dropout with a one-year-old and a baby on the way. He waited tables and lived in a week-to-week efficiency hotel. From the outside, Marcus looked like the furthest thing from a budding entrepreneur. But inside, he knew entrepreneurship was his path to a better life. Two decades later, Marcus has founded two innovative companies in the healthcare space, exited a tech marketing company, and co-owns Nashville’s new Major League Soccer team. Marcus walks you through his unlikely journey from waiting tables to building companies.

Several years ago as a practicing physician, I was struck by a feeling that I could more broadly impact the world around me. This led me to study, question, discover, and eventually enter the world of investing and entrepreneurship. I co-founded a healthcare service company that is now in multiple states, and also co-founded a venture capital firm that I run full time. These endeavors have since employed thousands, yielded millions in revenues and returns, and influenced people to realize their full potential. Along the way, I shared my journey with fellow physicians and investors.

Are you truly happy with your life? Facing the answer to this question can be scary, but it is a necessary step to take control of it, change it, and finally make it become the life you deserve and always wanted to have. In Did You Sell Your Soul?: It's Never Too Late to Change Your Story, author and successful entrepreneur Vick Tipnes shows listeners how to overcome obstacles, remain focused, and achieve your life goals.

For as long as she could remember, Jackley, the cofounder of the revolutionary microlending site Kiva, had a singular and urgent ambition: to help alleviate global poverty. She believes that many of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in the world are not focused on high-tech ventures or making a lot of money; instead, they wake up every day and build better lives for themselves, their families and their communities, regardless of the things they lack or the obstacles they encounter.

Did you ever have a great boss? Everyone should have one, but not enough people do. If you're a boss, or hope to become one, or have a less-than-great boss, then this is the book that could change your career-and your life.

The comprehensive guide to starting and growing your dream business. In this groundbreaking audiobook, best-selling author Jim Stovall shares the practical wisdom gained from his 40-year career as an award-winning entrepreneur alongside the time-tested strategies compiled by Dr. Kevin Schneider through his experience as the director of the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship at Oral Roberts University. Few books have offered both pragmatic, real-world examples and proven academic principles, as listeners will find in The Art of Entrepreneurship.

Robert Kiyosaki is one of the new breed of business owners, who has stopped talking about the shortcomings of the school system and is doing something about it. In this thought-provoking audio, Robert Kiyosaki has continued the themes begun in his international best seller "If You Want to Be Rich and Happy Don't Go to School?"

Simpleology is the cutting-edge speed-learning psychology that governs success or failure in every endeavor. It provides the explanation for those who succeed in life - because, consciously or unconsciously, they have been following the five laws explained here. Those who fail have been breaking at least one of these laws on a regular basis.

Obroni and the Chocolate Factory is Steven's chaotic, fascinating, and bemusing journey to create a successful international business that aspired do a bit of good in the world. This book is at once a penetrating business memoir and a story about imagining globalism done right. Wallace's picaresque journey takes him to Ghana's residence for the head of state, to the Amsterdam offices of a secretive international cocoa conglomerate, and face-to-face with key figures in the sharp-elbowed world of global trade and geopolitics.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton is a friend of failure. In the 1970s, he brought the Minnesota Vikings to the Superbowl three times - and three times his team was crushed. The first two companies he founded both quickly folded. But by learning how to deal with defeat, Tarkenton discovered the key to success.

When you feel that pull to be part of social change, where do you start? How can you ensure that your good intentions create a positive impact? How do you focus your scattered efforts? And how do you sustain yourself throughout? Impact brings you the answers. Drawing on their network and experience as founders of She's the First, Christen Brandt and Tammy Tibbetts show you how to create your own impact strategy, one that fits into your life and allows you to match what you have with what the world needs.

In Becoming Self-Made, Elaina Ray walks you through her journey of finding her soul's purpose and building a multimillion-dollar business in under two years and across multiple continents. In this travel memoir/powerful business guide, you will discover, as Ray did, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, create and scale your business, and use your innate gifts to chase your wildest dreams so that you, too, can do what you love without sacrificing your most valuable resource: your time.

You don't have to be a mechanical genius to be an inventor. Anyone can invent - a parent wrestling with a baby sling...a coach frustrated with slick-soled running shoes...an office worker determined to keep the computer cords untangled. Inventing is simply finding clever solutions to everyday challenges. Author and inventor Patricia Nolan-Brown has turned common annoyances into ingenious and money-making products.

Are You Fully Charged? reveals the three keys that matter most for our daily well-being, as well as our engagement in our work. Drawing on the latest and most practical research from business, psychology, and economics, this audiobook focuses on changes we can make to create better days for ourselves and others.

Are you stuck in a valley of self-limiting beliefs, looking for inspiration to get past your fears and advance your entrepreneurship journey? Here’s a chance to create your dream life on your terms–you’ll find all the tools, tricks, and tips for a successful entrepreneurship journey right inside.

The one and only reason your business exists (and why it matters). Your business can have a dramatic impact on your personal life. Understanding why you are in business will help you enjoy your business more and will help you build the right kind of business.

You have an amazing business idea, something groundbreaking that will shake the world to its very core. You’ve verified this with countless sources and know that being an entrepreneur is what you’ve always been destined for. But, somehow it still all just feels a bit too overwhelming…sound familiar? Whether you’ve been pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams for some time now or are new to this space, chances are high that you’ve begun to notice how chaotic managing all the moving parts can be.

S.U.M.O. stands for Shut Up, Move On. It's a phrase to say to ourselves (and sometimes others) when we are acting or thinking in a way that is hindering our ability to succeed. It doesn't necessarily mean "get over it" or "pull yourself together" (although there may be occasions when both responses are necessary): "Shut Up" means stop what you're doing, take time out to reflect, let go of baggage and beliefs that hinder your potential; "Move On" means tomorrow can be different from today, look for new possibilities, don't just think about it, take action.

Terry Giles has lived a classic-American success story. By 30, he had built one of the largest criminal defense firms in Southern California and had generated tens of millions in revenue working with high-profile clients. By 34, he had left the legal profession and had achieved even greater success as an entrepreneur, seemingly overnight. But as Giles observes in The Fifteen Percent, no one goes through life without facing serious obstacles.