Published by James Hurst | The Marketing Show

What if I told you that the difference between struggling at a $40,000-a-year job and running an eight-figure enterprise could be traced back to hundreds of hours spent in your car, listening to audiobooks?

Most entrepreneurs I know are drowning in information but starving for transformation. They’ve got dozens of unread books on their shelves, half-finished courses in their email, and a growing sense that maybe they’re just not cut out for this whole business thing. The problem isn’t access to knowledge—it’s knowing what to actually read, when to read it, and how to turn those insights into action.

What if there was a roadmap? What if you could peek inside the mind of someone who’s already made the journey from corporate employee to eight-figure agency owner, and see exactly which books shaped their thinking at each stage?

That’s exactly what happened when Josh Nelson and I sat down to compare our Audible libraries. Josh built Seven Figure Agency from the ground up, and as we scrolled through his collection of over 100 business books, patterns emerged. Certain books appeared at critical junctures in his journey. Some he’d listened to a dozen times. Others provided a single insight that changed everything.

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The Foundation: How Audio Learning Changed Everything

Josh starts with a confession that resonates with so many entrepreneurs: he was a terrible student. He didn’t like to read. Traditional learning methods just didn’t click for him. But when he discovered audiobooks, everything changed.

During his years working regular jobs making between $40,000 and $70,000 annually, Josh had a two-hour daily commute. Instead of wasting that windshield time listening to music or talk radio, he turned his car into a mobile university. Hour by hour, day by day, he consumed hundreds of audiobooks on business development, self-help, and wealth creation.

Today, Josh’s routine has evolved. He works from home now, so there’s no commute. Instead, he dedicates his morning workout hour to learning—listening to audiobooks, paid courses, and training programs while he exercises. He’s also found creative pockets of time, like the 45 minutes spent feeding his three-year-old son, to continue his education.

The key insight here isn’t just about when to listen—it’s about recognizing your learning modality. Some people are visual learners who need to see words on a page. Others, like Josh, are auditory learners who absorb information best through listening. Understanding how you learn best is the first step toward making personal development actually work for you.

The Early Years: Building a Sales and Marketing Foundation

Before Audible, Josh was listening to CDs—yes, actual CDs—featuring Brian Tracy and the complete Rich Dad Poor Dad series. His first official Audible purchase was The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, which introduced him to the crucial distinction between working in your business versus working on your business.

This foundational concept helped Josh understand early on that his goal wasn’t just to create a high-paying job for himself—it was to build a real business with systems, processes, and eventually a team that could run without him being involved in every single task.

Essential Early Books That Shaped Josh’s Mindset

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy taught Josh to tackle the hardest, most impactful task first thing each day. Not just the hardest thing, but the hardest thing that would move the needle in his business. This simple discipline became a cornerstone of his productivity.

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes is one of Josh’s all-time favorites. He listened to it a dozen times during his first couple of years in business. The book teaches how to position yourself as an expert, create compelling content, and become known to a small, targeted list of ideal clients—concepts that directly shaped how Josh approaches business development today. The book also introduced the Dream 100 initiative, which became a key strategy in his marketing arsenal.

Success Principles and The Answer by John Assaraf provided personal development foundations. While The Answer ventures into “woo-woo” territory with visualization exercises and the law of attraction, it delivered one game-changing insight: you need to find people who play at what you have to work at. This reframed Josh’s entire approach to hiring. Instead of feeling guilty about delegating tasks he didn’t enjoy, he realized there are people who genuinely love those tasks and will excel at them.

The Book That Changed Everything: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

If Josh had to choose one book outside of the Bible that had the biggest impact on his life, it would be Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. Coming from a missionary family where money wasn’t a priority, Josh carried limiting beliefs about wealth creation. This book completely shifted his mindset.

The book introduces the concept of “wealth files”—fundamental differences in how rich people and poor people think about money. Josh took the exercises seriously, even doing the somewhat awkward affirmations: touching his head saying “I have a millionaire mind” while playing music in the background. These daily rituals, as uncomfortable as they felt initially, helped reprogram his relationship with wealth.

What’s fascinating is that T. Harv Eker used the book itself as a lead magnet for his two-day Millionaire Mind Intensive event. Josh attended twice and invested in additional expensive trainings like Guerrilla Marketing. This business model—where a book serves as the gateway to deeper, more expensive training—directly influenced how Josh structured his own Seven Figure Agency Roadmap book and live intensive events.

Sales Mastery: Learning to Close Deals

When Josh identified that he needed more sales skills, he consumed books specifically focused on that constraint. Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play provided tactical training for selling to B2B clients. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, though old, offered timeless principles that remain practical today.

Zig Ziglar on Selling and various sales-focused content filled his learning queue during this phase. The key principle here is crucial: don’t just buy books randomly. Identify the specific bottleneck in your business right now, then find books that directly address that constraint.

Marketing Strategy: Attracting Opportunities

Once Josh could close deals effectively, he faced a new problem: not enough opportunities in his pipeline. This shifted his focus to marketing books.

Inbound Marketing became fundamental to Josh’s marketing philosophy. Though written to sell HubSpot, the book taught him how to create great content—webinars, podcasts, articles—that attracts pre-qualified prospects who are already positioned to buy. This approach of putting out valuable content and having clients come to you, rather than chasing them, transformed his entire marketing strategy.

Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port is another book Josh considers essential. The first book in Port’s series (not “Beyond Book Solid”) provides a masterclass in marketing yourself and attracting clients in service-based businesses. Josh describes it as incredibly impactful for businesses in the $500,000 to $10 million range.

Content Rules introduced Josh to the 90-9-1 rule: 90% of people online are lurkers who consume content passively, 9% are engagers who comment and interact, and only 1% are creators who actually put out content. This statistic gave Josh confidence. He realized that simply by creating content consistently, he automatically entered the top 1%—even when he felt he didn’t have much expertise or experience to share. The more he created, the better he became, and the stronger his positioning grew.

The Wizard of Ads is one of the best marketing books available, written by someone who actually does marketing at a high level rather than just theorizing about it.

Wealth Creation Philosophy: Beyond Making Money

Rich Dad Poor Dad and the entire Rich Dad series on CDs provided Josh’s foundational wealth philosophy. The core principle is simple but powerful: rich people invest in assets that create passive income, while poor people invest in liabilities like cars, toys, and oversized houses that drain cash flow.

Playing Cashflow, the board game created by Robert Kiyosaki, reinforced these principles through experience. Josh recommends playing it multiple times a year to keep these wealth-building concepts front of mind.

The Richest Man in Babylon is essentially the original version of Profit First. The central lesson: the richest man in Babylon became wealthy by taking his money first before paying bills or anyone else. He invested that money in assets that held value, increased over time, and threw off cash flow. When your passive income exceeds your living expenses, you achieve true financial freedom.

Josh acknowledges he executes this principle well in some areas while also choosing to live a great life now. He’s found a balance between aggressive wealth building and enjoying the present, influenced by books like Die with Zero, which argues that you should spend money on experiences and quality of life while you’re actually alive to enjoy them, rather than hoarding wealth you’ll never use.

Personal Development and Mindset: The Daily Practice

Josh is deeply invested in Tony Robbins’ content, particularly the daily rituals in Robbins’ Breakthrough app. Every day must start with gratitude. Josh lists what he’s grateful for—his wife, kids, business, and the amazing community he serves. This practice shifts his entire energy and stress level.

The principle is simple: you attract more of what you focus on. Whether you’re running a $10 million enterprise or just getting started, focusing on what you already have and feeling genuine gratitude attracts more abundance. When you start the day in a state of positive gratitude, stress disappears and opportunities multiply.

Robin Sharma’s content, especially How to Craft a World-Class Life, had a profound impact on Josh’s holistic approach to success. Before this training, Josh prioritized sales, revenue, and business growth almost exclusively. Sharma’s message convinced him that health, fitness, and positive mindset are equally important. Keeping yourself in great shape physically and maintaining positive energy that lifts others up became non-negotiable parts of Josh’s daily routine.

Leadership and Team Building: Scaling Beyond Yourself

As Josh’s business grew, his reading shifted toward leadership and team development.

Who: The A Method for Hiring transformed Josh’s hiring process. The book provides a clear, systematic approach to finding and selecting the right people for your team.

Getting Naked: A Business Fable by Patrick Lencioni is one of the best leadership books Josh has read. Lencioni excels at teaching through story-based content, entering you into real-world scenarios where you live out the lessons through the characters’ eyes. This approach makes the principles land differently than traditional business books.

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, which Josh read in college, introduces the Theory of Constraints. The premise is that there’s always one bottleneck in your operation causing all other components not to work correctly. Focus on identifying and solving that single constraint, and you unlock exponential growth. This applies to every area of life and business.

Persuasion and Influence: The Science of Selling

Influence by Robert Cialdini is essential reading for any marketer. Josh is surprised how many marketers haven’t read it. The book presents scientifically researched principles of what persuades people to do business with someone else, backed by actual experiments and data rather than theory or opinion.

Double Double and The Sales Acceleration Formula are must-reads for anyone building an outbound sales team, providing practical frameworks for prospecting and sales processes.

Operations and Scaling: Building Systems

Traction by Gino Wickman outlines the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and is the most fundamental book that scaled Josh’s business to multiple seven figures. Reading the book provides the foundation, but implementing EOS with an actual implementer who helps build your leadership team and make them autonomous is where the real transformation happens.

Scaling Up by Verne Harnish takes E-Myth concepts and makes them more practical, though it’s designed for companies doing $10 million or more in revenue. For businesses in the $500,000 to $10 million range, Traction hits the sweet spot.

Rocket Fuel, another EOS book, addresses how visionaries can find their integrator—that second-in-command who actually executes and gets things done while the visionary focuses on big-picture strategy and growth.

Financial Management: From Profit First to Simple Numbers

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz should be required reading for every entrepreneur. The premise is beautifully simple: take your profit first. The moment revenue comes in, move a percentage (20%, 30%, 50%—whatever you determine) to a profit account. Then establish ratios for operating expenses, taxes, owner pay, and long-term savings. Taking profit off the table immediately is the most reliable way to run a profitable business and actually keep the money you make.

Once you pass $2 million in revenue, Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits by Greg Crabtree becomes more relevant. Josh now works directly with Crabtree in the Seven Figure Agency Titan mastermind, where all participants’ revenues and expenses are analyzed on a single sheet to identify where each agency is over-spending or under-spending, with benchmarking data from the entire group.

Time Management and Productivity: Buying Back Your Life

Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell is a recent book that massively impacted how Josh thinks about implementation, effectiveness, and freeing up his time. Josh is in Martell’s elite coaching program and considers this essential reading. However, he offers important context: if you don’t have revenue yet, this book might not be your priority. When you’re focused on business development and revenue generation, time optimization takes a back seat. Once you have plenty of money coming in, then you focus on buying back your time and increasing effectiveness.

The One Thing by Gary Keller is similar to the Theory of Constraints—identifying the single thing that will have the biggest impact and focusing on that ruthlessly.

Getting Things Done by David Allen is a classic on stress-free productivity that everyone should read.

Customer Retention and Relationships: The Long Game

The Referral Engine by John Jantsch and Duct Tape Marketing by the same author provide excellent frameworks for creating referral systems and sustainable marketing strategies.

Giftology teaches how to show gratitude and give gifts at scale. From a retention perspective, demonstrating genuine appreciation to clients through thoughtful gifting strengthens relationships and increases lifetime value.

The Client Retention Handbook—if you run an agency, this title speaks for itself. Retaining clients at the highest level possible should be a core focus.

Recent Game-Changers: AI and Modern Business

They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan shaped much of Josh’s content creation philosophy in the early days. Sheridan spoke at the Seven Figure Agency intensive, and Josh has since become friends with him. The book’s core principle is simple: answer the questions your prospects are actually asking through your content.

$100 Million Leads and $100 Million Offers by Alex Hormozi provide current, actionable strategies for lead generation and offer creation.

The AI-Driven Leader by Marcus Sheridan is essential for any agency owner in today’s market. It changes how you think about AI strategically, not just tactically. If you run an agency of any size, this book should be on your desk.

Instant AI Agency by Dan Wardrope focuses on using database reactivation with HighLevel and charging a percentage of revenue generated. Josh found it well-explained and highly relevant for HighLevel users specifically.

Biographies and History: Learning from Others’ Lives

While Josh generally prefers tactical, step-by-step books over biographies, he’s found value in certain ones. Open by Andre Agassi was a fun read as a former tennis player. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson provided insights into one of history’s greatest innovators.

David McCullough’s historical biographies like 1776, Truman, and The Wright Brothers offer valuable perspectives on persistence, innovation, and leadership through historical context.

Presentation and Communication: Captivating Your Audience

Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath teaches what makes ideas memorable. The STICK acronym emphasizes storytelling with concrete, tactical examples. The biggest takeaway: people won’t remember everything you say, but they will remember a good story.

Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs breaks down how the master presenter captivated audiences and provides a framework you can use for your next speaking opportunity.

Pitch Perfect by Bill McGowan (Josh’s favorite over “Pitch Anything” by Oren Klaff) offers excellent guidance on sales presentations.

Faith and Philosophy: The Spiritual Foundation

Josh is clear that The Message version of The Bible is his all-time favorite book outside of business literature. The Message translates biblical text into modern, everyday language rather than complicated traditional terminology, making it more accessible.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is an excellent spiritual development book.

Ryan Holiday’s Stoic philosophy books—The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, Stillness Is the Key, Courage Is Calling, and Discipline Is Destiny—provide philosophical frameworks for navigating challenges and developing character.

The Evolution of Learning: From Books to Courses

Josh’s learning journey has evolved significantly. In the early days when he had limited financial resources, every $9 audiobook was a calculated investment. Today, he’ll invest $1,500 to $2,000 in a comprehensive course or coaching program. The depth available from experts he truly resonates with justifies the higher investment, and his return on those expensive trainings far exceeds what he gets from books alone.

He’s enrolled in Tony Robbins’ programs, Dan Martell’s elite coaching, and works directly with experts like Greg Crabtree through the Titan mastermind. These high-level programs provide not just information but implementation support, community, and direct access to the people who’ve already achieved what he’s working toward.

The Reading Habit: Making It Stick

Josh takes at least 10 minutes at the end of each workout to write down actionable takeaways in Evernote on his phone. He asks himself: what’s the next thing I’m actually going to implement? It’s what you implement, not what you consume, that creates results.

He also recommends sharing your learning journey on social media. Take a picture of the book you’re reading and your highlights. Post it as a story. Share your workout. This public commitment bakes the habit into your identity, inspires others, and increases accountability.

The 75 Hard challenge incorporates daily reading as one of its requirements—10 pages per day from a physical book, and you must finish any book you start. This discipline forces completion rather than endlessly starting new books without finishing them.

Strategic Reading: Solving Your Current Constraint

Perhaps the most important insight from Josh’s library tour is this: don’t just buy books for the sake of collecting them. Your library should shift based on where you are in your journey and what problems you need to solve right now.

Early on, Josh needed sales books because he couldn’t close deals. Then he needed marketing books because he didn’t have enough opportunities. Later came leadership books as he built his team. Now he focuses on advanced strategy, AI integration, and operational excellence.

Be selective. Buy books that will solve a specific constraint you’re facing right now. Read them with intention. Implement immediately. Then move to the next constraint.

My Assessment

What I Love:

• Josh’s journey from “terrible student” to voracious learner proves that finding your learning modality (audio vs. visual) can unlock everything
• The strategic approach to reading—focusing on your current constraint rather than randomly consuming content—is incredibly practical
• Seeing how Josh’s library evolved from foundational books to advanced courses and coaching mirrors a natural progression every entrepreneur experiences
• The emphasis on implementation over consumption is crucial—it’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know
• Josh’s willingness to invest progressively more in his education (from $9 audiobooks to $5,000 courses) demonstrates proper resource allocation as your business grows

Areas for Consideration:

• With 100+ books consumed, there’s a risk of information overload—Josh addresses this by focusing on implementation, but it’s worth noting
• Some of the older books may contain outdated tactics (though timeless principles remain valuable)
• The time investment required is substantial—not everyone has a two-hour commute or dedicated workout time for learning
• Jumping between too many books before finishing them can dilute impact (which is why 75 Hard’s completion requirement is valuable)

Overall, Josh’s library represents a masterclass in strategic self-education. The progression from foundational mindset books through tactical sales and marketing training to advanced leadership and systems thinking mirrors the natural evolution of building a successful business. Most importantly, Josh didn’t just read these books—he implemented the principles and built an eight-figure enterprise as proof.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I read physical books or listen to audiobooks?

A: It depends on your learning modality. Josh is an auditory learner who absorbs information best through listening. Others are visual learners who need to see words on a page. Some people benefit from doing both simultaneously—listening while following along in the book. Experiment to discover what works for you, then lean into that method.

Q: How do I find time to read or listen to books when I’m so busy?

A: Josh found time during his commute (two hours daily), during workouts (one hour), and during routine activities like feeding his son (45 minutes). Look for “dead time” in your schedule—driving, exercising, doing household chores, waiting in lines. These moments add up to hours of learning time each week.

Q: How many books should I be reading at once?

A: Josh recommends focusing on one book that addresses your current constraint, reading it with intention, and implementing it before moving to the next. The 75 Hard challenge requires you to finish any book you start, which creates good discipline. Reading six books simultaneously often means finishing none and implementing nothing.

Q: What’s the most important book for someone just starting in business?

A: Josh points to two foundational books: The E-Myth Revisited for understanding how to build a business (not just a job) and Secrets of the Millionaire Mind for shifting your money mindset. Rich Dad Poor Dad is also essential for understanding the difference between assets and liabilities.

Q: Should I invest in expensive courses and coaching programs or stick with books?

A: It depends on your stage and resources. When Josh was making $40,000-$70,000 annually, books were the right investment. Now that he’s running an eight-figure business, $1,500-$5,000 courses and coaching programs provide greater depth and return. Start where you are, but be willing to invest more as your business grows and your time becomes more valuable.

Q: How do I remember what I read and actually implement it?

A: Josh spends at least 10 minutes after each learning session writing down actionable takeaways in Evernote. He asks himself: “What’s the next thing I’m actually going to implement?” He also recommends sharing your learning journey on social media to bake the habit into your identity and increase accountability.

Q: What’s the Theory of Constraints and why does it matter?

A: Introduced in The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, the Theory of Constraints states that there’s one bottleneck in your operation causing everything else not to work correctly. Focus on identifying and solving that single constraint, and you unlock exponential growth. This applies to every area of your business and life. Books like The One Thing reinforce this principle of singular focus.

Q: Is it worth reading older business books, or should I only read recent publications?

A: Many of Josh’s most impactful books are older—How to Win Friends and Influence People, Think and Grow Rich, The Richest Man in Babylon. Timeless principles don’t expire. However, for topics like AI, digital marketing tactics, and current technology, you need recent content. Balance foundational wisdom with current tactical knowledge.

Q: How do I know which book to read next?

A: Identify your current constraint—the bottleneck preventing your next level of growth. If you can’t close deals, read sales books. If you don’t have enough leads, read marketing books. If your team is struggling, read leadership books. If you’re not profitable, read financial management books. Let your current problems guide your reading list.

Q: Should I finish every book I start, even if I’m not enjoying it?

A: The 75 Hard approach requires finishing what you start, which builds discipline. However, Josh also acknowledges that some books just don’t resonate. If a book truly isn’t serving you after giving it a fair shot (maybe 25-30% through), it’s okay to move on. The key is not starting too many books simultaneously and never finishing any of them.

Next Steps

Ready to transform your mindset and build your business through strategic learning? Here’s how to get started:

1. Watch the full library tour to see Josh walk through his complete Audible collection and hear his detailed thoughts on each book
2. Visit James’s complete library to discover even more book recommendations and resources
3. Identify your current constraint—what’s the one bottleneck holding your business back right now?
4. Choose ONE book from this list that directly addresses that constraint (I’ll be adding Amazon affiliate links for each title mentioned)
5. Determine your learning modality—do you absorb information better through listening or reading?
6. Block out dedicated learning time in your schedule—commutes, workouts, or other routine activities
7. Join the conversation in the Marketing Show Facebook group and share what you’re reading
8. Set up a system to capture and implement insights—use Evernote, a physical journal, or whatever works for you

The difference between where you are now and where you want to be isn’t luck or talent—it’s knowledge applied consistently over time. Josh’s journey from a struggling entrepreneur to eight-figure agency owner was built one audiobook at a time, one insight at a time, one implementation at a time.

Your library is waiting to be built. Your transformation is waiting to begin. Start with one book. Start today.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue creating free content for you!