The last 5 books I read taught me more about business than I expected.

Including a zombie comic book series.

Here's what each one unlocked:

1. Die With Zero by Bill Perkins

Key Idea: Stop maximizing your net worth. Start maximizing your life experiences.

This book hit me like a cold shower:
What’s the point of dying with millions in the bank if you never spent any of it on meaningful moments?

Your money’s worth more at 35 than 75.
Your time with your kids is worth more when they're 8 than 38.

Perkins reframes the game:

“The goal is not to die rich. It’s to live richly.”

I’ve always been a spender—and felt embarrassed about it.
This book flipped that guilt into a question I now ask often:
“Will this buy me a story worth telling?”

2. Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang

Key Idea: Rejection is a skill. You can train it.

Jia Jiang didn’t just study rejection. He chased it.
For 100 days, he made bold, unreasonable requests just to hear “no.”

But here’s the twist:

Most people don’t say no. They just need a reason to say yes.

This book reminded me that fear of rejection is usually louder than rejection itself.
If you want something, ask for it.

3. DCeased series by Tom Taylor

Key Idea: Even superheroes can’t outrun death. But they can choose how to face it.

A zombie virus spreads through screens and social media, stopping even the most powerful superheroes in universe in their tracks.

Yes, it’s a comic book series.
Yes, it belongs here.

Because it’s not just about saving the world.
It’s about what you choose to save when the world is ending.

“What would you do with your last day?”

This book made me think more about legacy than most business books ever have.

4. No Bullsh*t Strategy by Alex M H Smith

Key Idea: Strategy isn’t a deck. It’s a decision.

Smith’s writing cuts like a knife. He breaks it down to this:

“A strategy is what you say no to.”

If you’re spread thin, this book is the mirror—and the machete—you need.

5. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

Key Idea: Business can exist to serve people and the planet, not just shareholders.

Chouinard built Patagonia into a $3B company by breaking the rules.
He skipped the IPO.
Gave away the profits.
Prioritized nature over margins.

And it worked.

“How” you grow matters just as much as how much you grow.

This book reminded me that your values can be your strategy.

The unexpected pattern

These books don’t belong in the same category.

But together, they make a point I apparently need to hear right now:

Breakthroughs come from questioning what's "normal."

Normal says more money comes from more offerings.
Normal says business books have to be serious.
Normal says save everything for retirement.
Normal says don't ask for what you want.
Normal says track employee hours.

Normal is overrated.

Interesting, successful businesses can be built by people who read zombie comics for strategy advice.

What are the last 5 books you read, and what pattern jumped out at you that you didn’t expect?

Reply and let me know.

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