Todd’s decision to leave his family’s business even after he tried unsuccessfully to grow it is a wonderfully complex life decision.

I always hated the expression that my father told me (I think he was quoting Vince Lombardi) that “Quitters Never Win and Winners never Quit”. What a bunch of hogwash! Winners know when to quit. Winners know when to move on to something else. There is no shame in business surrender.

Sometimes when you quit your current adventure it can be rejuvenating. Closing one door can open up the possibility of others opening. My friend Beth Finke, who wrote the book, “Long Time No See” talks how when she finally lost her sight after 20 years of diabetes and countless surgeries, she was relieved. She had been previously living between the seeing world and the blind world. When there was no possiblity of her seeing again, she could begin her life as a blind person.

In my book, I talk about when I was running my own businesses, there are many days I wanted to stop the world and get off. We all know if can get rough. How do you know when to quit and move on? Remember what Gene Autry said “If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you need to do is stop digging”. Evaluate where you are and the passion you have for your current endeavor.

Consolidating your gains or minimizing your losses can be the best course for you to take. Decide what you can learn from this decision. Next Path…

But the path that Todd has selected to take would be a hard one for me. I always thought that I had the easier job of going to work everyday and not staying home with our infants. At least at work, people pretended to listen to me.

Since this a Blog Book Tour, Todd asked me to give you my take on blogging.

I have come to love blogging. I have never been much to keep a diary except during especially difficult times in my life or when I was writing the book. But I wanted a way to share with visitors all of the people and ideas that I come in contact with as I travel around the country and talk to people about the book. It also is a good way to collect my ideas for the next book which incidently my wife wants me to call “Over My Wife’s Dead Body”. I wish I could get more people actively involved in my blog, but so far that has not been the reader I attract.

I think it is important for all entrepreneurs to reach out and share their ideas. Running your own business can be such a lonely place. Everyday you are riding the rollercoaster and you are trying to balance and focus on so many things. What I learned after doing 50 interviews with other entrepreneurs for the book was that we are not alone. Additionally, there are so many people out there willing to help if you just give them a chance!

I am very excited to begin this Business Blog Book Tour. It is a very creative way to talk with people all around the world. With almost no marketing budget for my book, the internet and blogs are a perfect way to spread the word and ask for meaningful discussions on the ideas expressed in “You Need to Be A Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Business”. I want to hear people’s thoughts about my personal journey and the stories that are told of 20 other entreprenuers.

I wrote this book because I can’t help myself. I am an entrepreneurholic. I have been kicked out of business, gone out of business and sold a business. People in the late 1990’s got the wrong idea that you could write a business plan on Monday on a napkin and go public on Friday. They saw it as a get rich quick scheme. In fact, I have always hated those books that “give you 10 quick steps to success”. If you want to make alot of money in the next 5 years, go get a job. Most overnight business success stories take 10 to 20 years.

Start a business because you have a passion. Develop the resilience to ride the business rollercoaster up and down as you succeed and fail. Create a family and friend support structure that can help you during these times. When you succeed, celebrate your milestones. When you fail, wallow in it if you must but see if there is anything to learn and move on. Neither success or failure lasts forever. Remember you are not alone, the people around you will help transition you through all of these times. Depend on it.

I have been reading a lot of books lately. I am searching for new ideas. With books, the writer has room to expand on a thought and give it substance. I am finding I don’t retain much from the popular snippet style of journalism in most newspapers and magazines.

The next problem I run across is which books to read. The number of business titles published in 2002 was in the thousands (8000?). I don’t have the money or the time to get through all of them. I am sure many of you have the same problem.

Here are my thoughts:

1. I buy almost everything from Amazon. The reviews give you an idea of what people think about the book. As they get to know me, they start to give better suggestions for other things I may like. I also like that I can purchase either new or used books. Check out the best biz titles for 2003 as rated by the editors and the customers.
2. Check out Jack Covert Selects from 800-CEO-READ. This Milwaukee-based company specializes in business titles for corporations and individuals. I find Jack’s reviews are through, honest, and outside the mainstream. This month he recommends:
   
   • Every Move Must Have a Purpose: Strategies from Chess for Business and Life by Bruce Pandolfini
   • American Still Life: The Jim Beam Story and the Making of the World’s #1 Bourbon by F. Paul Pacult.

3. If you are a regular reader, you’ll know I am partial to Fast Company. They started a book club in October and each month they let readers vote on five books. Here are the choices thus far:
   
   • October – Authentic Leadership by Bill George
   • November – The Simplicity Survival Handbook by Bill Jensen
   • December – Gray Matters – Rosner, Halcrow, and Lavin

   Also, John Moore posted a Best of Marketing Books list for 2003 on FC Now.

4. Check out All Consuming. The site is a combines of data from Technorati, Amazon, Weblogs.com, and Alexa to show the popularity of books on blogs. Since business blogs are still relatively new, there isn’t a ton of feedback yet. I think it will grow into another word of mouth source for recommendations.
5. Finally, I hope the Business Blog Book Tour becomes another trusted source for reading suggestions. We have lined up a great set of stops for the tour. I plan to annouce the first author after the holidays.

Tom Peters highlights many people and their ideas in his new book Re-Imagine.

The names that I recognized included Gary Hamel, Seth Godin, and Doug Hall.

Here the ones I was less familiar with and thought I should add to my reading list:

• The Experience Economy – James Gilmore and Joseph Pine
• Serious Play – Michael Schrage
• Beyond Disruption – Jean-Marie Dru
• Funky Business – Kjell Nordstrom and Jonas Ridderstrale
• Leading Minds – Howard Garner
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball – Gordon MacKenzie
• Aha! – Jordan Ayan

Anyone read any of these? I would be interested in your comments.