Hey friend-

I LOVE physical books and keep those that have shaped my work on my desk. I reference them all of the time, so I thought I'd share them with you. Without further ado:

​“Purple Cow” by Seth Godin​

Key Lesson: Very simple. Be remarkable.

​“The Obstacle Is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. ​

Key Lesson: It’s impossible to be objective on your own stuff, and it’s very easy for an outsider to come in. So partner with an outsider to help you see through your own BS.

​“Built to Sell” by John Warlow. ​

Key Lesson: it takes three things to be successful, and particularly to build a business that’s exit-ready. We recently partnered with John's company to bring his system to our customers.

1. Belief
2. A plan
3. Accountability

​“The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries:​

Key Lesson: Run microexperiments, get signal vs. noise, and do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

​“Walking to Destiny” by Christopher Snyder​

Key Lesson: The odds are against all entrepreneurs who lack a formal plan. Be intentional if you want a successful exit from your business.

​“Buy Back Your Time” by Dan Martell. ​

Key Lesson: You can replace yourself for less than you think.

​“Every Man's Bible” by many. ​

Key Lesson: Only one perfect person walked this earth, and I'm not Him. Thus, give myself grace.

“1985-1990 Square One Inc. Corporate Records” by Marilyn and Dale Oldham (Mom and Dad to me)

Key Lesson: The difference between value creation businesses vs. lifestyle businesses. And my first introduction to entrepreneurship. This one’s a banger, and you can't have it :)

It takes me back to my childhood in 1985, as I was a skater, and my parents saw a need to sell skateboards in Topeka, Kansas. I love having this in my life because it takes me back to those early days of my entrepreneurial plantings.

​“Rosie Greer’s Needlepoint for Men” by Rosie Greer​

Key Lesson: Be yourself and be authentic. Who cares what anybody says or thinks?

I'm thankful for these texts and the impact they’ve had on my life.

Have a phenomenal weekend and be well.

-KO

P.S.: Totally unrelated to books, but I’ve been sitting on this and it’s time.

Over the past year, we’ve been quietly helping founders figure out exactly where AI can remove bottlenecks in their business. Not theory. Not “here’s ChatGPT.” Actual operational wins. The kind that give you hours back every week and keep you ahead of the curve..

We turned it into a standalone service: the AI Readiness & Efficiency Assessment.

I personally go deep on your business, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and hand you a prioritized roadmap you can act on immediately. If you need help implementing it, we can help you.

We’re capping it at five per month so we can do it right.

Learn more here ↓, or just hit reply and I’ll fill you in.