This is my first instalment in a monthly series recapping the books I’ve read in a month. Today you’re looking at the books I finished in March.

It’s likely to mostly be business books but do expect some fiction, parenting and marriage stuff as well.

Yes most of the links are going to be affiliate links.

In March I’ve managed to finish 4 books about business/freelancing and start 1 more.

1. EntreLeadership

This was actually my 3rd time reading through the book and it was totally worth it. Dave shares the techniques and thoughts that have allowed him to grow his business from a card table to a national brand with hundreds of employees.

Want to learn a bit about product launches and marketing? It’s here.

How about hiring? Dave covers it.

Budgeting? Also here.

I think that it should be required reading for freelancer’s.

2. The Virtual Assistant Solution

I’m in the process of looking for an assistant and it’s a bit scary actually. I’ve tried a few times to get get one and never been happy with the work I got in return.

Actually my 3 year old could have produced better work in most cases.

This time I’m going in much slower to try and get the right person and Micheal Hyatt’s book has lots of good information to get you thinking about hiring a VA.

I wrote a review of it if you want more information.

3. Year without Pants

This is by Scott Berkun and was a very enjoyable look at the culture and process inside Automattic. I grabbed a few highlights and nots but the main take away was how they make distributed work work.

I’d love to build a culture where people help out and truly love the work they do. This gave me a taste of it.

Other people have reviewed it in depth so here is some more information.

4. Remote

I’ve been a fan of many of the books written by Basecamp (formerly 37Signals) but this one just didn’t do it for me at all.

I got about 30 pages in and it just felt like they put together a bunch of feel good statements about remote work.

No real substance at all and I stopped after 30 pages.

5. Quitter

This was my audio book of the month and my take away is that it’s worth purchasing on Kindle and diving deeper in to. If you’re thinking about quitting your job and you think the time is right, read this first and make sure.

That’s it for March. Any books you’d recomend?

photo credit: ciro@tokyo via photopin cc

4 responses to “What I read – March 2014”

  1. Jonny Blank Avatar
    Jonny Blank

    An oldie but a goodie: “Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle.” An examination by two astute and accomplished authors on why Israel produces so many successful start-ups. They leave readers with specific answers and many things to contemplate for our own lives.

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      I’ve heard the title a few times but never added it to my list. Now added.

  2. Ricardo Avatar
    Ricardo

    I have both Remote and The Year Without Pants. Haven’t finished reading either. (I have some catching up to do). But to lead off of your comment about Remote, I’m several pages in and my first impression is that I definitely liked their first book much better.

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      I have Rework and really enjoyed it. Maybe I’ve just learned way more and want something deeper. Need to dig out Rework and see if I still like it.