I had never considered the business aspects of pirating until I read Katherine Howe's newest book, A True Account: Hannah Masury's Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself.Every ship's captain had a vision, as did the crew. A mission steered each voyage. The crew was kept in line with its bylaws or code of conduct. Loot was allocated based on a profit-sharing plan.In this conversation, Katherine reveals why moviegoers romanticize the golden era of pirating. Not only do we get a sneak preview of the characters and the plot in Katherine's new book, but we are also reminded of our country's history of public hangings and gibbeting.About Katherine HoweKatherine Howe is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian and novelist. She is the author of several novels for adults and young adults, has edited two volumes of primary sources for Penguin Classics, and is the co-author with Anderson Cooper of the #1 New York Times bestselling books VANDERBILT and ASTOR. You can follow her on the following social media links:Katherine's websiteAmazon author pageFacebookTwitterInstagramOur show notes for this episode are on the CFO Bookshelf website.

I'd recommend The Phoenix Project if I could only recommend one book to a CEO, CFO, or COO about the essentials or the heart of IT in a heartbeat.The Phoenix Project is the IT version of The Goal, as both are written as a novel with a protagonist with doubts, worries, and fears. Like The Goal, the main character in The Phoenix project encounters a sage who helps him glean insights from the manufacturing plant floor and apply them in a DevOps environment.Gene Kim is one of the co-authors of this special book. In this conversation with Gene, we address The Three Ways, the four types of work, internal audit, security, and why this novel has universal appeal for all industries and all professions.Important Links:IT RevolutionThe Idealcast with Gene KimThe DevOps bookshelfThe COSO Cube (there are book spoilers)Wiring the Winning OrganizationDetailed show notes

I cannot begin to count the number of times I've heard the following question or something similar, "Mark, I've heard my industry EBITDA multiple is 5x. What do you think?"As much as I want to scream at that question, this type of thinking on business value is prevalent amongst many CEOs of both big and small companies.When the book Quick Value by Reed Phillips hit my radar, I bought it immediately and couldn't put it down as I started reading it.Reed's process for valuing a private company is a simple but powerful method that should be completed annually by an internal leadership team. The process is easy to learn and can even replace annual strategic planning sessions.In this conversation, we learn the Quick Value process, who should use it, and some other nifty nuggets for leaders wanting to grow the value of their business, even when they do not want to sell it.Important LinksThe book's websiteOaklins Valuation Index (sign-up is free)Reed's LinkedIn profile

As much as I enjoy reading the Goldratt books and his theory of constraints (TOC), I never considered his early book, The Race, a solid and readable primer on throughput for financial minds.Several books have been published on throughput accounting since The Race was released in the early 1990s. In 2019, three TOC experts finished what I believe is now the best work on throughput accounting that even CEOs should read. The title is Throughput Economics.In this conversation, we address simple definitions such as throughput, operating expense, and investment. We learn why efficiency measurements can lead to disastrous results and why this book is not just for manufacturers.Notable links:Eli Schragenheim blog (one of the co-authors)Goldratt BharatThe Vanguard MethodKelvyn Youngman

If you have read any books on pricing, the title that stands above the rest is Hermann Simon's Confessions of The Pricing Man.However, suppose you are looking for a book that includes nearly every pricing tactic ever used in business. In that case, I'd start with Handbook on the Psychology of Pricing by Dr. Markus Husemann-Kopetzky. The subtitle is 100+ effects on persuasion and influence every entrepreneur, marketer and pricing manager needs to know.While this book is for the hardcore marketer and CMO, I recommend it to CEOs and CFOs too as pricing is a vital discipline that's lacking in many small businesses.A few of the topics we cover include:Flat Rate BiasScarcityReciprocity$0.79 or $ 0.93Dropping CommasThe Problem with Discounting High-Quality Products

One of my favorite books in the value investing niche is 100 Baggers by Chris Mayer, a title that is also worth reading for CEOs, CFOs, and all other business managers.During this conversation, Chris explains how small acorn businesses become large and strong oak trees. Other topics we hit include:the coffee can portfoliothe reluctant sellerowner-operatorsJohn Kelly's formulaSQGLP - a power framework for finding 100 BaggersYou can learn and read more about Chris Mayer on his blog.

When I finished Nick Gray's The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, I immediately thought that this was the perfect follow-up book to start applying all of the teachings of Dale Carnegie in his classic, How to Win Friends and Influence Others.Beyond Nick's practical advice in teaching readers how to host a party for friends and casual acquaintances, one of my favorite insights is the power of loose connections. Nick provides the perfect device on how to make the most of those loose connections that can be fun and meaningful for years to come.In this conversation, Nick explains the purpose of a cocktail party, who to invite, what to serve, how to implement icebreakers, and what to do after a party.Important Links:How to Introduce Two People via Email: Sample Scripts9 Career Day Speech and Presentation IdeasParty Times: Start, End, & Best TimesIcebreaker Name Tags: Examples and How to Do It RIGHTHow to Host an Event: Parties & NetworkingWhere to Throw a Party? Ideas and Venues for 2023Icebreaker Activities for Your Next EventNick Gray's Personal WebsiteFriendship Recession Website7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023

As a child growing up in rural Missouri who listened to countless baseball games on the radio of my favorite baseball team, I heard the names Budweiser and Busch repeatedly over the course of many years.Because of the rise in popularity of TV shows like Riches, Succession, and Yellowstone, I was curious about the Busch family--the Kennedys of St. Louis. What became of that dynasty? How did it get started? How did it grow in fame and fortune? What caused its downfall?To find the answers to those questions, I read Bill Knoedelseder's book Bitter Brew - The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's King of Beers.In this conversation, we learn how the Busch family survived prohibition and why they were able to succeed in the years to come. But we also learn the reasons for the demise of the family-owned business and why they sold out to a larger brewer.

Confessions of a Pricing Man is easily the best book ever written on this topic.The author is Hermann Simon, the Chairman of Simon-Kucher. He's also one of this generation's most prolific business thinkers, whose writing parallels Peter Drucker's.In this conversation, our topic is Hermann's 2021 book, True Profit. Topics include profit maximization, the reason why pricing as a profit lever trumps volume increases or cost reductions, and the differences between profit and free cash flow.

I predict that Number Go Up will be considered the most fascinating and entertaining book in narrative non-fiction for 2023.Our guest is Zeke Faux, an investigative reporter. Several years ago, he was asked to check out Tether and the money supporting that cryptocurrency. Zeke had no idea that story would take him across the globe, logging many air miles along the way.If you are challenged or intimidated by the vocabulary surrounding cryptocurrencies, we attack about ten terms to lay the groundwork for the stories Zeke tells us later in the interview.