ECHOtape’s Top Book Recommendations

ECHOtape's Best Books for Business and Life | via TAPED, the ECHOtape blog

The most successful people didn’t get to where they are without a bit of sage advice along the way. Mentors, co-workers, and leaders all play a key role, but so do good old fashioned books. Whether its strategy, self-improvement, fiction or non-fiction,  the right book at the right moment can level the playing field and give you a crucial new outlook. We asked the ECHOtape team what their favorite books are, and here’s their response.

Risa Edelstein, Director of Marketing

  • Favorite business book: I have a few.  The Tipping Point  by Malcolm Gladwell is an oldie, but goodie. Great by Choice by Collins & Hansen. And, Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg.
  • Why these? I like books that make me think about doing my job differently, that challenge my way of thinking or that educate me about a better way to do something.
  • Favorite book of all time:  1,000 Places to See Before You Die because I love to dream and I love to travel.
  • Currently reading…  Inside the Box by Drew Boyd & Jacob Goldenberg

Kyle Beaulieu, Sales Manager

  • Favorite business book: The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton.
  • Why? It inspired me to save and invest for my future in a way I never thought before.
  • Favorite book of all time: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Patrice LaPlante, Account Executive

  • Favorite business book: The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
  • Why?  It taught me to put the emphasis on Value instead of Price.  Also some advice on building relationships with customers.  In the end, the buyer buys the rep and the product, not only the product.
  • Favorite book of all time:  The Black Tower by Stephen King, and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
  • Currently reading…  The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

John Rose, Account Executive

  • Favorite business book: The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly.
  • Why?  The mutual investment between employers and employees needed for companies and individuals to succeed professionally and personally.
  • Favorite book of all time:  Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
  • Currently reading…   1984 by George Orwell and Born to Run (autobiography) by Bruce Springsteen.

Elisa Quintero, Administrative Manager

  • Favorite business book: Deep Work by Cal Newport.
  • Why? It taught me how not to spread myself to thin, which I use at work and at home.
  • Favorite book of all time:   The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Currently reading…    Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Steve Underhill, Sales & Marketing Coordinator

  • Favorite business book: PSTC Directory and any tape manufacturers manual.
  • Why? It helped me become very knowledgeable and has helped me help with my career as “The” all around tape guy!!  Honestly, I don’t read very much, I learn most of what I know through experience although my new duties in marketing have me reading a lot more again.
  • Favorite book of all time:  All of the How to books for dummies.

Patricia Villeneuve, A/P Coordinator

  • Currently reading… I have been absorbed for quite a period of time now in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I am now reading the 7th book out of 8. I become so absorbed in the story that I really feel part of it.  My interest also lies there as my father and ancestors were Scottish.  It gives me a bit of a picture as to what they must have gone through during those very turbulent times, both in the “old” country and the new.

Heather Stalker, Writer/Editor

  • Favorite business book: You know what I really love? Magazines.  Fast Company, and Wired.  Oh! And Psychology Today can be really provocative.  But as far as classic books, Creativity, Inc.by Ed Catmull stands out, and Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.
  • Why these? As a writer, reading is my job, so to be honest… reading business books feels like work.  The magazine format allows me to glean more information, faster.  When I do settle down with a good book, it’s to escape.
  • Favorite book of all time:  The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley  Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.  What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell.
  • Currently reading… My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl.  What is the Bible by Rob Bell.  

Dave Jugan, Account Executive

  • Favorite business book:.  How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
  • Why? Because you learn, “It is not about you.”
  • Currently reading…  For sure, the Bible.  Also, my all time favorite book. But other than that, most of what I read is now online.

Is there a book that changed your life or business? Tell us about it.