The Brainstorm Plus: Brainstorm 255: Business & Leadership Books

This week’s Brainstorm has 4 books related to business and leadership. There are tons of books on business out there, and tons more on leadership, but I picked these four as ones that, to me, stand out from the rest of the crowd for their intended audience. Click on the title to see my full review and any content notes/trigger warnings.

Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid by Mikaila Ulmer

The autobiography of Mikaila Ulmer who after being stung twice in one summer by bees when she was 4 learned more about them at the prompting of her parents, discovered bees are important and in danger, and came up with the idea to start a lemonade stand that incorporated honey to raise money to save bees while also earning herself money for a doll. From her little lemonade stand at 4 1/2, Mikaila grew her lemonade business to the point of bottling and selling it in Whole Foods grocery stores, appearing on Shark Tank, and using proceeds to start a nonprofit to benefit bees and bee education. As Mikaila shares her story, she includes key business principles every entrepreneur needs to know and gives other young people advice on how to start their own businesses.

If you know any young people interested in starting their own business, this is the book to hand them to inspire them and give them practical tools to get started.

Target Readers:
Autobiography Fans, Wannabe Entrepreneurs, Inspirational True Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers

Earn It (A Moneybunny Book) by Cinders McLeod

Bun wants to be a famous singer when she grows up. She asks her mom how to get famous, but she's a little disheartened. Working to earn and then paying for music lessons seems like a lot. Will it be worth it?

Instead of necessarily talking about how much she earns and how much music lessons cost, this book talks in the end about intangibles. How working hard to earn something, like a spot on a stage or a song produced with your name on it that others listen to, has extra value because of the work and money you put into it. The entire Moneybunny series is excellent for teaching kids money handling skills that will be applicable for their entire lives. My favorite book in the series is Give It, which explains the concept of using some of your money to help others. A perfect read as we head into the holiday season.

Target Readers:
Wannabe Entrepreneurs, Dreamers, Delayed Gratification Learners, Money Handling Learners, Rabbit Lovers, Picture Book Readers

Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It by Adam Savage

Adam Savage relates lessons he's learned over the years of being a maker, a person tackling big projects, an underling, a co-worker, and a boss. He shares tips on how to stay on top of big projects from list making to the pros of deadlines. He also talks about the necessity of both positive and negative feedback to help teams work better and everyone to grow professionally. He then talks about various methods of shop organization and finding a method that works for you, and finishes with some tips on glue, cardboard, and other maker tools.

Yes, Adam shares stories from making Mythbusters and other movies, TV shows, and commercials he did special effects or props for, but this is much more about him sharing things he's learned over the years. And those lessons are great advice. I was thrilled with his chapters on project management and leadership tips. They were excellent.

Target Readers:
Makers, Project Tacklers, Anyone Part of a Team, Leaders, Mythbuster Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Autobiography Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable and recommended to YA Readers).

What Does It Mean to be an Entrepreneur? by Rana DiOrio & Emma D. Dryden, ill. by Ken Min

Simple text clarifies what an entrepreneur is not, defines what an entrepreneur is, and outlines what it takes to be a successful one.

The concepts outlined are brought to life in the illustrations with a girl seeing a problem (messy dog), brainstorming a solution, revising when confronted with issues, and finally setting up a business (from washing machine through several re-workings to a robot dog washing contraption). This is very well put together in a way kids can easily grasp.