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Oct 23, 2023<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nWith host retail coach Wendy Batten<\/span><\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/wendybatten.com\/podcast-intro\/<\/span><\/p>\n
\nShow Notes:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDid you know we have an active book club in my<\/span>
\nLevel Up Mastermind<\/span>?
\nIt\u2019s true – we do! One of our amazing members – Millie Blackwell of
\nMrs. Blackwell\u2019s Village Bookshop – curates an incredible list of
\nbooks for our Mastermind members and leads our book club each
\nmonth. Today on the podcast, Millie and I are having a fun time
\nreviewing the books we read so far this year, complete with star
\nratings!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t miss the first episode Millie and I recorded together. Bonus
\npoints for whoever knows which of the books we review today Millie
\ncalled out as a favorite in Episode 132. It\u2019s linked
\nbelow!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nA quick reminder – before you shop the big guys for you reading and
\nlistening think local retail first.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHow to support your local booksellers:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n1.<\/span>
\nShop in store! This is the very best way for your local booksellers
\nto help you find exactly what you are looking for – and maybe even
\na little more!<\/span><\/p>\n
\n2.<\/span>
\nShop your local bookstore\u2019s website or through<\/span>
\nbookshop.org<\/span>
\n. Bookshop.org is an amazing alternative to shopping on Amazon. You
\ncan choose which shop you want your purchase to support. Use
\nbookshop.org if your favorite local bookstore doesn\u2019t have their
\nown website.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n3.<\/span>
\nPurchase audiobooks through<\/span>
\nLibro.fm<\/span>.
\nLibro.fm is an alternative to Audible.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nNew Zealand followers, you can shop directly with Millie<\/span>
\n
\nHERE<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe Books:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nPlaying Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up,
\nCreate, and Lead by Tara Mohr<\/span>
\n(2014)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: To us, this book was all about
\novercoming your inner critic and self doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie shared this quote:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u201cFeedback can only tell you something about the person giving you
\nthe feedback.\u00a0 It can\u2019t tell you anything essential about
\nyourself.\u201d – Tara Mohr<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI loved this one:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u201cI wrote this book because I\u2019m tired of meeting women who have
\nimportant messages to share but whose self-doubt is keeping them
\nquiet. I\u2019m tired of encountering woman after woman diluted by the
\nmyth that she needs to be MORE of something: more qualified, more
\nprepared\u2026 than she already is in order to share her ideas.\u201d – Tara
\nMohr\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie & Wendy\u2019s Star Rating: 3.5 \/ 5 stars – We both loved the
\nbook but the themes have been exhausted over the past 9
\nyears.Therefore, it didn\u2019t hit home as much as it would have had
\nthe book been read back when it was written in 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nGet Different: Marketing That Can\u2019t Be Ignored by Mike
\nMichalowicz<\/span>
\n(2021)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: Following your industry\u2019s \u201cbest
\npractice\u201d marketing creates white noise. If everyone else is doing
\nit, your business won\u2019t stand out. We have to differentiate our
\nmarketing to stand out from the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie and Wendy\u2019s Star Rating: 4.5 \/ 5 stars – Millie loved this
\none so much that she listened to the audio and then bought the book
\nto highlight and refer back. We both liked that this book had
\npractical, actionable marketing ideas for small business
\nowners.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again by
\nShep Hyken<\/span>
\n(2021)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: Customer loyalty is not about a
\nlifetime, it\u2019s about the next time every time. Hyken talks about
\nmarketing for loyalty vs. loyalty programs: We need our customers
\nto want to choose us. We need to have our team on board with
\nknowing why we can\u2019t just be mediocre.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie & Wendy\u2019s Star Rating – 4 \/ 5 stars: Shep knows his audience
\n(busy shop owners) and caters to them: this book is easy to read
\nand has great chapter summaries.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI interviewed Shep Hyken back in<\/span>
\nEpisode 118<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nPerennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts
\nby Ryan Holiday<\/span>
\n(2017)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: We need to always be looking outside
\nof our own industry for inspiration. Another takeaway that got us
\nthinking was Holiday\u2019s idea of relationships as a platform that
\nneeds to be nurtured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie & Wendy\u2019s Star Rating – 4.5 \/ 5 stars: Lots of the ideas in
\nthis book were new ones that we hadn\u2019t heard
\nbefore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman<\/span>
\n(2021)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: If you live to the age of 80, you
\nwill live for 4000 weeks which, according to Millie is
\n\u201cterrifyingly and insultingly short.\u201d This \u201ctime reminder\u201d (not
\ntime management) book is all about embracing that limit and
\nrealizing we will never get everything done in our lives that we
\nwant to get done. We need to be intentional about what is important
\nto us including rest and recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie\u2019s Star Rating – 5 \/ 5 stars: Millie reminds US readers to
\nnot judge this book by its cover.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWendy\u2019s Star Rating – 4.75 \/ 5 stars: I would give the audiobook 5
\n\/ 5, but found the paperback harder to pick up.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHow to Grow Your Small Business by Donald Miller<\/span>
\n
\n(2023)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: This one is textbook-like, specific,
\nall-action: A great how-to guide for someone who wants to start a
\nsmall business. Miller uses an airplane analogy to break a business
\ndown into 6 parts which when we discussed in the mastermind, many
\nhad strong feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMillie and Wendy\u2019s Star Rating: 4 \/ 5 – Neither of us were in the
\nspace of needing a book like this at the time we read it, but it is
\ngreat if it is the type of business book you are looking
\nfor.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg
\nMcKeown<\/span>
\n(2014)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOur thoughts\/themes\/takeaways: Millie loved the chapter on sleep
\nand buffering: creating buffers in our lives to relieve stress. My
\nbig takeaway was the reminder that there are trade-offs with every
\ndecision and you have to be disciplined with decision
\nmaking.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u201cSimplify, eliminate, reduce. Do less but better.\u201d – Greg
\nMcKeown<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAbout Millie and Mrs. Blackwell\u2019s Village Bookshop:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMrs. Blackwell is a specialist in non-fiction categories and
\nstationery. She grew up on an apricot orchard in Central Otago but
\nnever really cared for the taste of the fruit. Mrs. Blackwell\u2019s
\nVillage Bookshop is an independent bookshop for inquisitive minds
\nand romantic souls in Greytown, New Zealand.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWebsite<\/span>
\n|<\/span>
\nInstagram<\/span><\/p>\n
\nRelated podcasts we think you\u2019ll like:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEpisode 132<\/span>:
\nRetailer Success Series: Community Marketing Strategies with Millie
\nBlackwell<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEpisode 118<\/span>:
\nHow to Create Loyalty and Amazing Customer Experiences with Guest
\nExpert & Author Shep Hyken<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEpisode 98<\/span>:
\nMy Top Business Books for Retailers (the giveaway in this episode
\nis closed!)<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAbout your host, Wendy Batten<\/span><\/p>\n
\nIn case we haven\u2019t met yet, I\u2019m Wendy, a small business coach and
\nfounder of<\/span>
\nthe Retailer\u2019s Inner Circle<\/span>,<\/span>
\n
\nwhere I help other independent shop owners<\/span>
\nlearn how to gain the right business skillsets to see more profits,
\npaychecks, and joy<\/span>
\nas they navigate running their retail business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThrough online classes, business coaching programs, speaking, and
\na<\/span>
\ntop-ranked podcast<\/span>,
\nI\u2019ve helped hundreds of retailers around the globe reclaim their
\ndream and see the success they want from their beautiful shops. my
\nsignature private coaching community,<\/span>
\nThe Retailer\u2019s Inner Circle<\/span>,
\nhas helped retailers around the world build their retail business
\nskill sets and confidence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI am proud to have been featured in several major publications,
\nincluding my own business column in What Women Create magazine. I
\nhave been privileged to be a guest on top-ranked podcasts and
\nsought-after as a guest speaker and teacher for several brands,
\nassociations, and communities that are passionate about the success
\nof independent retailers.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWhen I\u2019m not coaching, you will find me either DIYing and
\nrenovating my very imperfect old crooked cottage by the sea in the
\nUNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, NS, or blogging about our
\ntravel and RVing adventures and the weird fun things we get up to
\nin our coastal village. I\u2019d love to invite you to check out one of
\nmy<\/span>
\nfree resources for real retailers<\/span>
\nat<\/span>
\nhttps:\/\/wendybatten.com\/free-resources\/<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nFor more support from Wendy<\/span><\/p>\n
\nRetailer\u2019s Inner Circle – Join Wendy inside the best retailer\u2019s
\ncommunity<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWendysources for shop owners\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHang out and connect with Wendy on IG\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAll of Wendy\u2019s programs and services for shop owners can be
\nfound<\/span>
\nHERE.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n