Book Review: Success Made Simple
I recently received a review copy of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, by Erik Wesner. I was very interested to dig into the book as I know little about the Amish and even less about Amish businesses (which have a 95% success rate!), and have been intrigued since I attended college not too far from Lancaster County, PA.
As I started reading the book, it all made so much sense — the overlap that exists between Amish culture and successful business owners. Erik Wesner spent two years exploring the lives and success stories of more than 50 Amish business owners, and what he learned is valuable for all of us, from veteran business owners to those on the brink of taking the entrepreneurial plunge.
Here are some of the most powerful small business lessons that remained with me when I finished reading the book.
Your level of formal education doesn’t determine your level of success.
Wesner explained in the book how many successful Amish business owners have just an 8th-grade education under their belts. Not to reduce the value of an education, but this really does exemplify how there’s a lot more to business success than book smarts.
As explained in the book, knowledge and experience can come from a multitude of places, including hands-on learning, having a mentor and/or reliable sounding board, and adopting a can-do-open-to-learning attitude.
There is no substitute for excellent customer service.
As business owners, happy clients/customers are the goal, and the book delves into all of the ways Amish business owners put the customer relationship first. Wesner describes how Amish business owners focus on customer satisfaction including providing a high-quality product/service, inviting word of mouth referrals, and showing appreciation for the best clients.
Being grounded is the cornerstone of success for all business owners.
Spirituality and recognition of a higher power is an essential belief of the Amish. In Amish business, this faith translates into being grounded and actively honoring that through your business activities. For all business owners, the key is having a grounding faith that supports you. What grounds you can certainly be faith and spirituality, or it can be anything you consider a foundation in your life — family, a set of core principles, honesty. Believing in what you’re doing is vital for making it over the hurdles of small business ownership.
Storytelling is more than a bedtime ritual.
I love the marketing section of the book where Wesner discusses how many Amish business owners use a compelling narrative to boost their sales and marketing activities. This is an excellent way to engage your audience, and differentiate yourself from the competition … necessary elements in all marketing campaigns.
Small business owners have to learn how to work smarter.
One of the last chapters in the book outlines how Amish business owners take time to learn their strengths so they can focus on doing what they do best and become more efficient. This is an important lesson that needs to be learned by all small business owners. Some of the ways Amish business owners work smarter include being organized, aiming for a work/life balance, and fostering relationships with competitors.
These highlights only scratch the surface of the value of Success Made Simple, and there’s a lot more to be learned from this book. It’s very well-written with an easy-to-read anecdotal format and takeaway points at the end of each chapter, making it easy to gain huge insights into successful businesses. This book will make an excellent addition to your small business library.
Review Copy Giveaway
Like I did with my first book review, I’d like to give my copy away to an interested reader to pass on the learning. In this case, though, my husband wants to read it first! But if you’re interested, be the first person to tweet the following (be sure you follow me, so I can DM you to let you know if you’ve won), and I will send the book off to you as soon as my husband gives it back:
Read this review of Amish business book, “Success Made Simple” by Erik Wesner http://bit.ly/byqs03 (via @alyssagregory)
Good luck!
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