Why am I passionate about this?

As a business development coach and mentor with a strong background in sales and marketing roles in the SME and small business world, I have always been passionate about learning as much as I can about what works well in sales and marketing. Practicing what I preach has always been important, and I love books that align with my belief that sales and marketing need not be complex or onerous to get results. From my experience Small Business Owners do not have the band width to wade through complex marketing speak, they appreciate it when it is straight forward and simple. 


I wrote...

Quick Wins in Sales and Marketing: 50 inspiring ideas to grow your business

By Jackie Jarvis,

Book cover of Quick Wins in Sales and Marketing: 50 inspiring ideas to grow your business

What is my book about?

Quick, proven, and practical sales and marketing strategies and ideas that help attract, gain, and keep clients. This book is…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Marketing For Dummies

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I love this book as it was one of the first books I read about marketing when I was working for a small business in marketing. I wasn’t a dummy, but I wanted to make sure I hit the ground running, so this was an excellent refresher for me.

I particularly like books that make the complex simple, and this book did that. It put all aspects of marketing in front of my mind and helped me make a success of my new job. 

By Ruth Mortimer, Gregory Brooks, Craig Smith , Alexander Hiam

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Marketing For Dummies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Smart marketing techniques to get your business noticed.

Plan a successful marketing campaign and move your business forward with this fully updated edition of an established bestseller. Packed with practical advice from a team of industry experts, this readable guide features all the latest tools and techniques to help you connect with new customers and retain existing ones. From choosing the right strategy and preparing a marketing plan, to igniting your imagination and producing compelling advertising, you'll be creating a buzz and increasing profits in no time.


Book cover of The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it appealed to my all-important keep marketing simple criteria. I used the book to create a straightforward marketing plan for my own business at the time, and I shared it with my clients. I found it to be brilliantly clear, straight to the point, and full of insight and wisdom. It really made me think as I was putting my plan together. 

I think the main idea that a simple marketing plan, laid out on a single page, can be more effective than a complicated multi-page strategy document is a good one. This way of thinking certainly appealed to many of the small business owners I was working with at the time. 

By Allan Dib,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The 1-Page Marketing Plan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WARNING: Do Not Read This Book If You Hate Money

To build a successful business, you need to stop doing random acts of marketing and start following a reliable plan for rapid business growth. Traditionally, creating a marketing plan has been a difficult and time-consuming process, which is why it often doesn't get done.

In The 1-Page Marketing Plan, serial entrepreneur and rebellious marketer Allan Dib reveals a marketing implementation breakthrough that makes creating a marketing plan simple and fast. It's literally a single page, divided up into nine squares. With it, you'll be able to map out your own…


Book cover of Duct Tape Marketing  The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I love this book because it provides a step-by-step guide and is focused on low-cost, practical strategies. I have recommended it to many of my small and medium business owner clients. I also love that it covers how to be a content marketing expert and an authority in your field, as well as social media and other simple lead-generation tools. 

This book is very readable and offers a lot of simple ideas that are doable. I love the Duct Tape title as it gets a strong message across simply–Duct Tape is simple and effective; we all know that, and it makes the point that just like Duct Tape, marketing can be too. 

By John Jantsch,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Duct Tape Marketing The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In his trusted book for small businesses, John Jantsch challenges you to craft a marketing strategy that is as reliable as the go-to household item we all know, love, and turn to in a pinch: duct tape.

As a renowned marketing guru and small business coach, John Jantsch has become a leading advisor on how to build and grow a thriving business. Duct Tape Marketing shows you how to develop and execute a marketing plan that yields more revenue and ensures the longevity of small businesses.

Taking a strategic, systemic approach to marketing rather than being constantly won over to…


Book cover of Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I love this book because it made me really think about my own Purple Cow! I wondered what makes me remarkable and likely to stand out from the competition. Reading it, made me question whether I was getting that across in my marketing or not. I love Seth Godin’s writing style. I like his creativity and his point you are either remarkable or invisible. 

After reading this book, I began questioning myself and my clients more, and I started noticing businesses that have a clear purple cow. Putting a Purple Cow into everything you do is something that I found easy to remember. I love the simple genius of this message.  

By Seth Godin,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Purple Cow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.

What do Apple, Starbucks, Dyson and Pret a Manger have in common? How do they achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and-true brands to gasp their last? The old checklist of P's used by marketers - Pricing, Promotion, Publicity - aren't working anymore. The golden age of advertising is over. It's time to add a new P - the Purple Cow.

Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat-out unbelievable. In his new bestseller, Seth Godin urges you to put a…


Book cover of The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Book

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I love this book because it is so accessible and real. It is a substantial book that is more like a good marketing course. I would say it is one of my best go-to reference books. There is so much money, time, and effort wasted on marketing that doesn’t work, and I am a big believer in putting the time and effort into creating the best strategic plan. This book has given me a resource to refer to, to check my knowledge. 

I love a marketing book that shows that the author understands the small business owner and this author does. I found the case studies brought the marketing methods and ideas alive for me. The way this book is written it feels like the author really cares about helping small business owners with their marketing. I love that. 

By Dee Blick,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book is written for you if you want to get to grips with your marketing but you need a helping hand. It's packed with powerful tips, proven tools and many real-life examples and case studies. If you're looking for commonsense marketing advice that you can implement immediately, you'll find it on every page. You'll learn how to: plan and review your marketing activities, write brilliant copy that generates sales, write sales letters that sells, effectively troubleshoot when your marketing is not delivering, make your website a magnet for visitors and loads more!


Explore my book 😀

Quick Wins in Sales and Marketing: 50 inspiring ideas to grow your business

By Jackie Jarvis,

Book cover of Quick Wins in Sales and Marketing: 50 inspiring ideas to grow your business

What is my book about?

Quick, proven, and practical sales and marketing strategies and ideas that help attract, gain, and keep clients. This book is easy to read and easy to act on, packed with examples from business owners who have made these ideas work for them. 

The book shares 50 Quick Wins that will help you attract high-quality leads, enhance customer retention, build strong business relationships, sell effectively without being pushy, and make your marketing work for you. This book will motivate you to take the action you need to get the results you want. It is the kind of book to have on your desk to pick up when you need a new idea or need to refresh your whole approach to sales and marketing.

Book cover of Marketing For Dummies
Book cover of The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd
Book cover of Duct Tape Marketing  The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Bad Blood

By K.B. Thorne,

Book cover of Bad Blood

K.B. Thorne Author Of Bad Blood

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve adored reading a good snarky first-person story since I first read Bloodlist, so long as the snark doesn’t go too far and become total unlikeable jerk… It can be a fine line! I hope I stay on the right side of it, but having read it enough and written in it for years with my Blood Rights Series, I feel qualified to say I’m a…snark connoisseur. (If you ask my family, this is how my own internal/life narrator speaks! My mother says that my character Dakota is me if I “said everything aloud that I think in my head.” She’s probably right, and I’m okay with that.)

K.B.'s book list on if first person snark is your style

What is my book about?

Bad Blood is paranormal suspense in First Person Snark, so if you like sarcastic, strong female characters set in a world where the preternatural is run amok (i.e., legal citizens in the United States), then this book and series are for you.

Follow Sadie Stanton–"poster girl for the preternatural"–as she deals with all sorts of messes and sets up her business while being a vampire in a new day...or night, really.

Bad Blood

By K.B. Thorne,

What is this book about?

VAMPIRES ARE PEOPLE TOO

I’m Sadie Stanton, and I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of me. I’m just like everyone else—I’m trying to start a business, not spending much time on my social life, and dealing with an obnoxious roommate...

Oh, and being a vampire. There’s that. But it’s okay, because we’re all legal now.

But believe me, that doesn’t make life easy. In fact, it might be harder now than ever before, but I did it to myself… And now vampires are attacking people seemingly at random and not even trying to feed. Everyone…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in marketing, small business, and branding?

Marketing 205 books
Small Business 32 books
Branding 29 books