There is so much small business owners need to know to operate at peak performance. Luckily we live in the Information Age with plentiful resources. To help you sift through some of the data, every week we're going to look at three business books and the lessons you can learn from reading them.

Creative Strategy Generation: Using Passion and Creativity to Compose Business Strategies that Inspire Action and Growth ($40)

Some people think business is ruled by the brain's left side, creativity by the right side, and never the twain shall meet. Bob Caporale disagrees. In this book he maintains you should connect your strategic thinking to your creative processes in order to achieve the best results.

There's a lot to explore in this book, including ways to clear your mind to allow new ideas in (something many entrepreneurs find difficult to do), how to use storytelling to synthesize your messages, how to truly understand your customers and how to become a problem solver.

Caporale underscores a long-held belief of mine: "It's not about reinventing the wheel. It's about inspiring people to update the wheel, use it in a new kind of vehicle, and drive it to places that have never been visited before."

Become a 21st Century Executive: Breaking Away From the Pack ($12.95)

By Nigel Dessau

Though this book is designed for and being marketed to Millennials who are looking for advice on how to become leaders, there's a lot in here that entrepreneurs of any age can learn from.

This is an easy-to-read book featuring lot of callouts, such as "Next Steps" and "The Bottom Line." The book explores how to get out of a rut, why it's "crucial" to have a mentor and why we need to realize there is no such thing as work/life balance. Dessau even shares the three most important pieces of advice he's ever received.

The Sales Assassin: Master Your Black Belt in Sales ($18.95)

By Anthony Caliendo

As small business owners you are constantly selling something. Whether it's selling your actual products and services to customers, selling the value of your businesses to potential lenders or convincing potential employees to come work for you, selling is part of every entrepreneur's daily life.

An expert in sales himself, author Anthony Caliendo explains how you can achieve Sales Assassin Mastery (SAM), which, he says, "requires passion, dedication and courage to persevere despite the greatest of obstacles."

Caliendo also believes in order to achieve SAM, you must be an entrepreneur, even if you don't own a company. There's lots here of value for both you and your sales team.

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