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Resources

Ecommerce Resources

Free eBooks

“How Profitable Should Your Amazon Business Be?”

In this eBook we explore:

  • The benchmarks you should be measuring to determine if your Amazon business is truly profitable
  • The key traits that profitable Amazon businesses share
  • The common anchors that weigh your business down and tank your bottom line

In this eBook, we provide real P&L reports which you can use to assess your own Amazon business’s health. Then we provide actionable steps for maximizing your Amazon business’s profitability – and many of them are changes that you can make today. And last but not least, a bonus section includes our findings on the profitable business owner’s mindset. Most Amazon businesses can be more profitable, and Seller Accountant wants to help.

We invite you to download your free copy of “How Profitable Should Your Amazon Business Be?” today.


“Solving the Cash Flow Crisis”

In this eBook, we discuss:

  • Which options are best for raising capital
  • How to objectively assess your business model
  • How much cash your business actually needs

Many sellers started their e-commerce businesses for the freedom they promised, but it can be confusing to figure out which profit-driving metrics you “should” be paying attention to. Our eBook cuts to the chase about which data points are worth your time so you can get back to enjoying the lifestyle you want while reducing stress over gaining revenue.

We invite you to download your free copy of “Solving the Cash Flow Crisis” today.

eCourses

Amazon Accounting: How to Gain Visibility into Your Business

Amazon Accounting: How to Gain Visibility into Your Business is a course for Amazon business owners who understand the basics of accounting but want to take that knowledge to the next level.


CFO Tactics for E-Commerce Sellers

CFO Tactics for E-Commerce Sellers is an advanced course for e-Commerce sellers who understand their books but want to apply CFO tactics to make more money!

Recommended Ecommerce Resources

Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Jocko and Leif use lessons learned while commanding Navy Seals in Iraq to help business leaders lead by taking ownership and by creating a culture of ownership. I love stories, so I loved that Jocko and Leif told real combat stories to illustrate leadership principles and then applied those principles to the marketplace. I found this book to be informative, motivating, and fun to read.


Drive – Daniel Pink

I love Pink’s work on human motivation, and this book, Drive, gets at the heart of what Pink calls “the three elements of true motivation” – Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. If we can understand what drives our employees and customers and build our businesses around what naturally motivates people to be great, our businesses and our lives will be enriched.


A Whole New Mind – Daniel Pink

This is the first Pink book I ever read, and it is still one of my favorites. Developing products and services that meet basic customer needs is the price of admission. Understanding how to create meaning, value, and a human experience with our products, services, and leadership is the key to winning in the 21st century.


The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John Maxwell

If you want to learn how to be a leader, Maxwell’s classic book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” is a great place to start. Tested, practical, actionable counsel on how to grow as a leader.


The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stanier

I’ve struggled as a manager and leader when I “call all the shots” and become the expert/boss. In this book, Bungay Stanier walks you through how to use a handful of questions to transfer your dominant leadership style into one where you listen to and get the best out of your team. This book has been a huge help to me!


Grit – Angela Duckworth

I heard Angela speak at a conference and was impressed with her authenticity and with her research. Her book did not disappoint. See how developing grit, more than intelligence or anything else, can better serve your kids, your teams, and yourself.


Crucial Conversations – Kerry Patterson

This book has been so helpful for me as I’ve learned to navigate “high-stakes” conversations. These skills have served me as a leader, as a negotiator, and as a husband and father. This book is a must-read for any other left-brainers who don’t always bring enough emotional intelligence to tough conversations.


Emotional Intelligence 2.0 – Travis Bradberry

I think Dr. Bradberry’s book is foundational to understanding what EQ is and how to develop it. Unlike IQ which doesn’t change much throughout life, EQ can be cultivated and is a better predictor of success than IQ.


The Power of a Positive No – William Ury

Another great conversation book from one of Harvard’s greatest negotiations minds. The Power of a Positive No will teach you how to say No to things are not critical while still building relationships. It is possible to not do everything people ask you to do while building respect and rapport. This book will teach you how.


What Got you Here Won’t Get You There – Marshall Goldsmith

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There was surprising to me in that it didn’t talk about how to build better business systems for scale. Nope, instead it talked about how to work on challenging interpersonal issues that are holding you back as a leader. I found this book to be very helpful and practical.


Braving The Wilderness – Brene Brown

Dr. Brown’s book on vulnerability might be in my top 5. This book is outstanding for cultivating the courage to be real and authentic in relationships, and this book will help you serve your team and family better.


Traction – Gino Wickman

Wickman’s book changed my life when I implemented Traction along with a CEO Mastermind I was in 5-6 years ago. This book is practical and easy to follow and will walk you through exactly how to build a scalable operating system for your business. I’ve run traction with 3-4 man teams and in an organization with over 100 employees, and this system is a game-changer!


The Four Disciplines of Execution – Chris McChesney

If your goal is to drive performance in your company and create engagement from your team, 4DX is a great book for how to focus on the most important, act on lead measures, create a compelling scorecard, and how to create a cadence of accountability.


Making Money is Killing Your Business – Chuck Blakeman

All of these execution books do a great job of giving you practical tactical advice on how to scale your business, but Blakeman’s book was particularly helpful in helping me work through what I wanted my business to do and be for me. Did I want to exit? Did I want to scale? Knowing clearly what your ideal picture of a mature business is is hugely important, and this book will help you think through setting your business maturity date and plan.


The 12 Week Year – Brian Moran

Most of these execution books help you focus on time periods that are less than a year, and Brian’s book takes this ideology to the extreme walking you through how to organize everything around a 12-week time frame.


Scaling Up – Verne Harnish

Verne’s book is probably better for larger organizations (say $10m+) but still has some very practical guidance on how to build scalability into your business.


Predictable Success – Les McKeown

Les does a great job of articulating the awkward “whitewater” phase that every successful startup hits when sales are up but chaos is even higher. I’ve now felt whitewater in both of my startups, and I found Les’s guidance and counsel to be very helpful as I looked to propel my businesses toward predictable success.


The Lean Startup – Eric Ries

Fail quickly, validate hypotheses constantly, and use customer feedback to drive the development of your products and services. Don’t wait to have a perfectly executed product that nobody wants! Launch a minimum viable product and listen to your customers so that you can make the right pivots quickly!


Measure What Matters – John Doerr

Classic management book based on John’s extensive experience with Intel back in the 70s and then coaching Google as they exploded. This isn’t the most helpful book on my list, but it was interesting to read and drives home the point that finding the right numbers to measure gives you tremendous power to understand and drive your business.


Cashflow Quadrant – Robert T. Kiyosoki

If you haven’t read most of the books in Kiyosoki’s library you need to. Rich Dad Poor Dad is outstanding as are most of his team’s subsequent releases. This book in particular does a great job of walking you through how to move from being an employee or a self-employed person to a person who actually owns a company and investments. Great book that is a must-read for entrepreneurs who aspire to be financially independent!


Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey

I love Ramsey’s books for helping normal folks like you and me navigate ourselves out of debt and into financial freedom. If credit card debt or debt in general are weighing you down, read this book and follow Dave’s simple process for getting free!


Profit First – Mike Michalowicz

Mike has created a pretty simple system for paying yourself first as a business owner. Many of the underlying concepts are similar to Dave Ramsey’s envelope system, but Mike applies them virtually using several different bank accounts to ensure that you pay yourself first and lean up your other expenses.


Atomic Habits – James Clear

I love how practical and actionable James’s book on habits is! Understand how your mind works and build habits that will drive you forward. Your current habits are perfectly suited to deliver your current results. If you want different results, develop different habits.


The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg

Duhigg’s book is fascinating and looks more at the neuroscience of habits. Atomic Habits is a bit more practical than this book, but as a nerd I found Duhigg’s research absolutely fascinating and highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a deeper dive in how habits are formed, changed, maintained, etc.


Getting Things Done – David Allen

David’s classic book on increasing personal productivity using a simple task management system has served me big time! How can we operate with a ZERO inbox?!? David will teach you how.


When – Daniel Pink

Timing is everything. Once again Pink uses his research to explain how real humans work in our businesses. When are you most effective? How should you schedule your day?


Scrum – Jeff Sutherland

I don’t own a software company but Jeff’s presentation of how to be more productive in large projects using Scrum methodology was very helpful to me – not just to understand what my SAAS buddies were talking about, but so that I can create shorter rhythms, more accountability, and better debriefs for my team.


The 4-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss

If your goal is to autopilot your business so that you can work less, then Tim’s book is a great tool to help you get started. Even though I don’t aspire to only work four hours per week, I want to learn how to outsource, delegate, automate, and otherwise make my business into a money-making machine so that I can focus my energy on what I love and not the current emergency.


It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy at Work – Jason Fried

The founders of Basecamp have made a killing building great software and a culture that gets things done while not having everything be an emergency. They’ve never had to raise VC, they produce close to 9-fig revenue each year, and are wildly profitable while paying above market wages and benefits. I have a lot to learn from how these guys have done it!


Mindset – Carol Dweck

Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? Is life happening to you and you feel like you don’t have any control to change things? If so, you might need some encouragement to view life as a process that can constantly be improved. You don’t have to bite off every word she says in order to benefit from cultivating a growth mindset in yourself!


Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman

Nobel laureate Dr. Daniel Kahneman shares his knowledge of how the human brain works and how we need to balance quick intuitive thinking with slower deep thinking. This book is nerdy, fascinating, and very helpful in understanding how we process the data in front of us and how our biases can influence our judgement.


Legendary – Tommy Breedlove

Tommy is one of the most genuinely inspiring people I know (and I have the privilege of knowing Tommy as a friend). This book walks you through how to build your life purpose statement and then how to take concrete steps in your life to gain peace, wealth, and freedom. Great book and great guy!


The Ideal Team Player – Patrick Lencioni

Patrick has taught me more about hiring and developing a culture than anyone else. I think I’ve hired close to 300 people in the past 7 years through my companies, and Patrick’s guidance told via parables has given me the clarity to make better staffing decisions consistently! I love this book!


The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni

I think this book was Lencioni’s original parable as a business lesson book, and it has changed the way I lead companies. How can you cultivate trust, transparency, and accountability in your company? Working through these 5 dysfunctions will help you a ton!


Turn the Ship Around – L. David Marquet

This book is the story of how Captain Marquet took the worst performing submarine in the US Navy and turned it into the best by implementing a ‘chiefs in charge’ approach where field level leaders had more ownership and responsibility for making decisions. I love military stories, and I love leadership books, which is why this one was absolutely captivating to me!


Generation Z Unfiltered – Tim Elmore

Elmore has given us many books on managing the leading the emerging generations. Instead of viewing younger adult workers as problematic, what if we lead them in such a way as to help them realize their greatest potential and leverage their strengths instead of trying to make Gen Z like older generations? Elmore will walk you through how. I had the privilege of speaking to Tim on a conference call, and he is another “good as gold” kind of guy who genuinely wants to help us lead our younger workforce better.


Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance

What?!? This guy exited Paypal for hundreds of millions of dollars, built an automobile company, and then a rocket company? Are you kidding me? I loved this biography and recommend spending some time in Elon’s world.


Principles – Ray Dalio

Ray’s book isn’t a true biography, but he does share a bunch of his story along with his philosophy on investing and life.


Leonardo da Vinci – Walter Isaacson

Not a quick read but a fascinating play by play of this great man’s life.


Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

Honestly, Steve Jobs might be one of the more interesting personas of the last 100 years – brilliant, visionary, ass-hole, genius. I couldn’t put this biography down, and while I don’t necessarily want to emulate Steve’s leadership style, his impact on innovation and on the marketplace will be real for centuries.


Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

I honestly had never heard the story of Nike. Hearing Phil tell how he built Nike from scratch into an internationally renowned brand was amazing. His story is very interesting and entertaining. He used a hands off approach to leadership and was able to get the most out of his team.


Titan – Ron Chernow (About John D Rockefeller)

My goodness, was Rockefeller’s life fascinating. Even when he had nothing, he managed his money and business relationships in such a way that, frankly, his wealth probably would have happened in any industry. He was surprisingly generous unless you were a competitor! Love this biography.


The Pumpkin Plan – Mike Michalowicz

By focusing on delivering value to your very best customers and choosing not to please everyone, you can build an effective business. There are riches in niches, and Mike walks you through his journey of focusing in order to grow. Great book!


The Richest Man in Babylon – George Clason

This is a cool old parable of lessons that a rich guy from Babylon taught a younger man. I love parables and loved this book! It all still applies thousands of years later.


The Four – Scott Galloway

Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple have dramatically outperformed the market over the past decade and this book explores their dominance. I’m not sure exactly how to apply this to my little business, but I found it very interesting.