Why am I passionate about this?

I am the oldest child, and former teacher turned technology innovator. As the only girl, growing up with three brothers gave me the tenacity to overcome limiting beliefs. Information technology has helped me create an environment where I can help a lot of people. At the end of the day, what I love most is helping someone turn an idea into a tangible solution while motivating team members to see the beauty and joy in this type of service.  


I wrote

Project Orienteering: A Field Guide For Project Leadership

By Denise Brinkmeyer,

Book cover of Project Orienteering: A Field Guide For Project Leadership

What is my book about?

Many of us still approach project management as a set of best practices and processes that follow a structured and…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Denise Brinkmeyer Why did I love this book?

I love Stephen Covey’s work, having first encountered The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In this book, he delves into the strategy and tactics for developing a team that helps you as a leader achieve your goals as a team.

Leading a team must include serving the team, and a strong leader listens, coaches, and affirms. This is a great book that I re-read every couple of years.

By Stephen R. Covey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The 8th Habit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Over half a million copies sold.

From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to accessing and encouraging the human potential for greatness.

In the more than twenty-five years since its publication, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become an international phenomenon with more than twenty-five million copies sold. Tens of millions of people in business, government, and schools have dramatically improved their lives and organizations by applying the principles of Stephen R. Covey’s classic book.

The world, however, is a vastly changed place. Being…


Book cover of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Denise Brinkmeyer Why did I love this book?

This book inspires me to look at how I spend my time at work. I do many things that could be automated so that I can spend more time doing things that machines are not great at. 

While I do not intend to work only 4 hours a week, I use the inspiration for this book to move from 75-hour weeks to a more practical 40-50 hours that allow me to have time for my non-business roles (wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, etc.). Note that some technologies are outdated, but the concepts are golden.

If you like this book, you might like his Tools of Titans, as well.

By Timothy Ferriss,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The 4-Hour Workweek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new, updated and expanded edition of this New York Times bestseller on how to reconstruct your life so it's not all about work

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan - there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.

This step-by step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

* How Tim went from…


Book cover of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Denise Brinkmeyer Why did I love this book?

Malcolm Gladwell never disappoints me. He has said that when people meet him, they treat him like they know him. After years of reading his books and listening to his podcasts, his voice sounds like a friend's.

This book is one of my favorites because it gives me hope that with the right ingredients of passion, hard work, and opportunity, our efforts will tip toward success. It reminds me to open my eyes and watch for opportunities so that when we are in the business of passionate service, we may end up on a great adventure that we could not have predicted.

By Malcolm Gladwell,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Tipping Point as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An introduction to the Tipping Point theory explains how minor changes in ideas and products can increase their popularity and how small adjustments in an individual's immediate environment can alter group behavior.


Book cover of Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Denise Brinkmeyer Why did I love this book?

I love this book because I like to write. 

Anne makes me feel normal when I immobilize my writing by fearing that no one will like it or, worse yet, that no one will even care to read it.  When I am pulled off my joy of writing, I re-read this book and find my joy again.

By Anne Lamott,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked Bird by Bird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps" (Los Angeles Times). 

“Superb writing advice…. Hilarious, helpful, and provocative.” —The New York Times Book Review

For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom…


Book cover of The E-Myth Revisited

Denise Brinkmeyer Why did I love this book?

I read this book in 2007 as my life was headed toward significant change as a business owner.

Before I became a partner in the business that my husband and I now own, we were tired of working for someone else, tired of fighting to steer the company in the right direction, and tired of feeling exploited as the only people generating significant revenue for the company. We had even explored buying a Smoothie King franchise and walking away from the business where we had invested so much time and energy.

Michael Gerber took us on a journey that helped us understand where we truly were on our adventure and how much we thrived on creating experiences for our customers. While we are not creating franchises for our business, the advice helped us develop systems in the operation, which greatly improved our success.

By Michael E. Gerber,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The E-Myth Revisited as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

E-Myth \ 'e-,'mith\ n 1: the entrepreneurial myth: the myth that most people who start small businesses are entrepreneurs 2: the fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business can successfully run a business that does that technical work Voted #1 business book by Inc. 500 CEOs. An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the phenomenal bestseller dispels the myths about starting your own business. Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get…


Explore my book 😀

Project Orienteering: A Field Guide For Project Leadership

By Denise Brinkmeyer,

Book cover of Project Orienteering: A Field Guide For Project Leadership

What is my book about?

Many of us still approach project management as a set of best practices and processes that follow a structured and linear path to delivering the intended outcome. But what often happens during the course of a project is that communication generates confusion, scheduled get off track, sponsors disengage, and teams can end up far away from their intended destinations.

In my book, I take readers through every phase of a project’s journey. Using my 20+ years of project management experience, I highlight the most important skills necessary to land a successful project.

Book cover of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Book cover of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Book cover of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

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Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

Book cover of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

Margot Machol Bisnow Author Of Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve become passionate about telling parents how to raise happy, resilient, creative, confident, entrepreneurial children who are doing something that gives them joy. So many young people are unhappy; parents don’t understand how to help. They think their children should follow their path, but that no longer works for many. For the last 10 years, I’ve been speaking to parent groups; I was an Advisor to EQ Generation, an after-school program that gives children the skills to succeed; on the Advisory Board of MUSE School, preparing young people with passion-based learning; and on the Board of Spark the Journey, mentoring low-income high school students to achieve college and career success. 

Margot's book list on learn how to raise confident children

What is my book about?

This book shakes longstanding assumptions of parenting.

Through 99 stories of people who are now changing the world, it shows how to raise creative, confident, resilient children who are filled with joy and purpose. Based on interviews with top entrepreneurs and their parents, it guides you to help your children identify their passion and figure out how they can spend their professional lives doing something they love. 

Parents' well-intentioned efforts often boomerang. By ignoring their children’s skills and interests, parents can inadvertently create pressure and anxiety, thwarting their children's ability to excel and find happiness. Too often, following your heart…

Raising an Entrepreneur: How to Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams - 99 Stories from Families Who Did

By Margot Machol Bisnow,

What is this book about?

Learn how successful entrepreneurs were raised! Could your children start a company that disrupts existing industries? Or a non-profit that helps people around the world? Or follow their passion as an artist or activist? And most important, lead a life of joy and purpose, to be happy and fulfilled? Margot Machol Bisnow, mother of two thriving entrepreneurs, reveals how to raise creative, confident, resilient, fearless kids who achieve their dreams, through 99 stories of families who did it.

Read stories from 70 families who raised true game changers. See family photos of these thriving entrepreneurs, both when they were young…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in self-actualization, small business, and quality of life?

Self-Actualization 230 books
Small Business 32 books
Quality Of Life 28 books