Interview with Rhea Freeman, author of You've Got This: How to supercharge your business and conquer your goals

Rhea Freeman, author of You've Got This: How to supercharge your business and conquer your goals recommends a great group of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Rhea's book:
Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
You've Got This: How to supercharge your business and conquer your goals
An essential and encouraging guide to growing your small business, achieving your goals and overcoming obstacles along the way.
Growing a small business can be tough. Those big shiny goals seem miles away and without a clear strategy on how to get there, those dreams can remain just that. Add a side of imposter syndrome and a lack of resources, and it’s all too easy to remain stagnant, give up, or play small.
Rhea Freeman provides a clear blueprint for how to set and achieve goals in simple steps, asking the important questions and providing you with your own personal coach. Written by an experienced small business mentor and a two times TEDx speaker, You’ve Got This is grounded in real business owners’ unfiltered success stories and is interwoven with expert insights from a selection of global brands, including Wild, Neom Organics, Snag Tights and more.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking to refresh your goals, or dreaming of starting your own side hustle, this book will guide you in creating your own effective plan to supercharge your small business and ensure that your goals become a reality.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £16.14
Bookshop.org US $22.32
Blackwells £16.99
Waterstones £16.99
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
Black Box Thinking: Why Some People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do by Matthew Syed. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Oh gosh, this is a really hard question as I read a lot, and I have quite a few books that are in the favourite zone! I would say though, one the favourite books I’ve read this year is Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. The way it started really hooked me in and it was fascinating and horrifying in equal measure. The fact that time moves faster during a crisis, how the chain of command can impact outcomes – and what was done about this in the case studies shared. It’s a book I’ve spoken to many friends about and I thought the insight was really interesting and definitely made me think of other situations.
Black Box Thinking: Why Some People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do
What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google?
What links Team Sky and the aviation industry?
What connects James Dyson and David Beckham?
They are all Black Box Thinkers.
Black Box Thinking is a new approach to high performance, a means of finding an edge in a complex and fast-changing world. It is not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as for parents and students. In other words, all of us.
Drawing on a dizzying array of case studies and real-world examples, together with cutting-edge research on marginal gains, creativity and grit, Matthew Syed tells the inside story of how success really happens - and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £10.42
Bookshop.org US $26.92
Blackwells £10.99
Waterstones £10.99
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
I was on a webinar and the person who was speaking before me recommended it as he was wrapping up his session, so I wrote that down as I’m always on the lookout for good books. When I saw the gold, swearing gnome on the cover, I didn’t need any further convincing! I like the book very much and would rate it highly, but would also say it’s not like a normal book as its chapters are short, lots of case studies and examples are woven in, and the footnotes are pretty extensive. That said, the short, sharp explanations are thought provoking and really did get my cogs turning. Rory’s insight and experience is incredible, and I feel like Alchemy gives a glimpse not just into what he’s learnt and experienced, but also how sharp his mind is!
Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense
Why is Red Bull so popular – even though everyone hates the taste? Why do countdown boards on platforms take away the pain of train delays? And why do we prefer stripy toothpaste?
Discover the alchemy behind original thinking, as TED Talk superstar and Ogilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland reveals why abandoning logic and casting aside rationality is the best way to solve any problem.
In his first book he blends cutting-edge behavioural science, jaw-dropping stories and a touch of branding magic on his mission to turn us all into idea alchemists. He shows how economists, businesses and governments have got it all wrong: we are not rational creatures who make logical decisions based on evidence. Instead, the big problems we face every day, whether as an individual or in society, could very well be solved by thinking less logically. To be brilliant, you have to be irrational.
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £12.34
Bookshop.org US $18.59
Blackwells £11.99
Waterstones £12.99
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
Matilda by Roald Dahl. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
I loved Roald Dahl when I was little, particularly Matilda. I wondered, when I had my own children, if the story would still be as good or whether I’d just remembered a brilliantly written story but age would change my opinion! Needless to say, it is still a great read. My boys now enjoy Roald Dahl too, and I enjoy reading the books with them. Dahl truly was a superb storyteller and it’s great to see so many different adaptions of the books available now, so more people can enjoy his genius.
Matilda
Matilda is a brilliant child with a magical mind.
But her parents have decided she's just a nuisance who wastes too much time on reading and stories.
And her headmistress Miss Trunchbull is a terrible bully, who thinks children are rotten and awful and should be locked up.
Now it's time for Matilda to find the power to change her story, and show them just how extraordinary children can be . . .
Buy On:
Bookshop.org UK £12.34
Bookshop.org US $8.36
Blackwells £12.99
Waterstones £7.99
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
Paper – it has to be paper! There’s something about turning pages, turning down corners (I know I shouldn’t, but I do!), tracking progress, and in some cases covering with sticky notes to refer back to that you just can’t do with an eBook. That said, I do also enjoy audiobooks and have listened to many when walking the dog – this works well until you want to go back to something specific or ‘re read’ something and you can’t find it, or the dog does something requiring attention (in my case, she likes to roll in horse poo) and then you realise you’ve missed something key as it hasn’t stopped playing.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
Hatchards
Yes – Hatchards in Piccadilly. It’s just a magical place and the smell of all the books is incredible. The displays are beautiful, and the layout of the shop is like a warren with more being revealed with each step you take. It’s also such a contrast to the noise and hubbub of Piccadilly as when you wander through the doors it’s like you’ve entered another world. I also have a book launch panel event there in January, so that shows how much I like it!
Many thanks to Rhea for recommending a great group of books! Please don't forget to check out You've Got This: How to supercharge your business and conquer your goals.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: (You've Got This: How to supercharge your business and conquer your goals), John Murray Press (Black Box Thinking: Why Some People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do), Ebury Publishing (Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense), Penguin Random House Children's UK (Matilda).
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