Best service industry books according to redditors

I notice that this blog post is largely a funnel for a landing page to drive people to your consulting services. In particular:

> After 8 years of struggling, I now work a lot less, make 5-10x more per hour, and I work with clients I love. I'm now sharing how you can do this too.

Over the past five years I turned a freelance web dev career into a 15 person consulting firm that does about $2MM/yr. Because of that I can plainly see that your claims don't really pass the sniff test. Your company's LinkedIn page tells me that you're self-employed. E.g., you essentially own a job (rather than a business), because you don't have staff to do the actual billable work.

A professional services firm absolutely requires staff to be able to scale. Here is an awesome article that summarizes why. This message is also drilled home in much greater detail in the bible of PS management: "Managing the Professional Service Firm."

Even a moderately successful web dev can command at least $60/hr. There's no way in hell you're getting $300-600/hr on a consistent basis. I make much more than that all day, every day... but it's only because I have a full-time staff of nine engineers, each billing out at $120-180/hr.

You're overstating your success in an attempt to make money advising others. I consider that dishonest.

This isn't a direct answer to your question - but as you continue in your business, I'd highly recommend grabbing a coy of Managing the Professional Services Firm.

Maintaining, growing and scaling a Prof. Services business is fundamentally different than, say, an e-commerce biz or brick-and-mortar retail etc.

Seriously consider, and I mean really plan it all out before starting a restaurant. Restaurants are extremely difficult to make decent money out of. They require large upfront costs, ruthless hours, and all for very little pay out. There is a reason even seasoned entrepreneurs fail in the restaurant business. This isn't to say it can't be done, as it is done a lot, but make sure that you "cool unique idea" would actually work in your area. I suggest giving this book a read before you head into business (It isn't the end all be all, and it does focus on bars, but it is still a good read). You don't say anything about any previous experience just that you searched for business plan template which, judging by that alone, is not a good sign IMO. You say that you make this type of food all the time, is that for yourself our in a restaurant setting? Have you ever worked in a restaurant/been a higher up in a restaurant? I'm not saying that you shouldn't follow your dream if you know what you are doing, just saying take it easy and plan.

I 100% agree with this. I've been reading Managing the Professional Services Firm and David makes it very clear that "prestige" is, in reality, a more advanced pyramid scheme marketing trick for HYPW (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Wharton) grads to lap up while the partners at those firms make all of the cash. I don't even think this is unique to consulting firms. Most big companies that heavily employ from the Ivies work this way, I believe.

These 3 are my bibles for my practice.
I use the cosmetic ingredient dictionary so regularly that its falling apart, and ethics of touch was hugely helpful for me to get into the right mindset.
The milady standard is what's taught in all NIC exam prep esthetics courses as of 2018, and its everything you need.
https://www.amazon.com/Exam-Review-Milady-Standard-Esthetics/dp/1111306923/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=milady+esthetics+textbook&qid=1572801173&sprefix=milady+est&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Touch-Hands-Practitioners-Professional/dp/1882908422/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=56738567460&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9fntBRCGARIsAGjFq5GLmzRGMCOuUK38RzXgdQf2t4Vx3wEwX1ZHNRS2POApCSEl3dqfcq4aAhDcEALw_wcB&hvadid=274736590276&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9021324&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7034269035402737343&hvtargid=kwd-308880410391&hydadcr=22219_10176633&keywords=ethics+of+touch&qid=1572801143&sr=8-1

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/a-consumers-dictionary-of-cosmetic-ingredients-complete-information-about-the-harmful-and-desirable-ingredients-in-cosmetics_ruth-winter/309337/item/5468319/?mkwid=Kgc4Uomt%7cdm&pcrid=70112892192&product=5468319&plc=&pgrid=21326673552&ptaid=aud-473968998433%3apla-293656415450&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_content=Kgc4Uomt%7cdm%7cpcrid%7c70112892192%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7c%7cproduct%7c5468319%7cslid%7c%7cpgrid%7c21326673552%7cptaid%7caud-473968998433%3apla-293656415450%7c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9fntBRCGARIsAGjFq5EJ--zjNJZCHD2S44D_Bhi-yBFkRoS08qGEcw-T4TcyiW96LHb5CbsaApKcEALw_wcB#isbn=0307451119&idiq=5468319

• Milady's Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary - Good reference guide on ingredients.
  
  
• Cosmetics & Toiletries - You can subscribe their online magazine and learn some ingredients or browse around.

Intelligent Policing.

Maybe a little heavy and more of a SLT orientated book, but it really scapes out quite clearly the inefficiencies in the service and how we should be aiming to structure policing to give the best service. Would definitely recommend if you're a fan of systems theory.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find.


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

I found this helpful. The bibliography is also a good source for further reading.

Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions

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Good luck!

Ooh, I know this! So, first read everyone else's responses. They're probably smarter than I. I was in your shoes about 10 years ago. I was working for a small film company and taking on any job that had any element of copywriting in it. (If I got my boss coffee, I'd write a story about it and send to all my friends.) Then, I got a call from a CD I'd met at a party that I have an interview "later this week." I called all my advertising friends. This is a compilation of the advice that I think helped me land the job:

• Bring examples of your writing. 5-10 things that show you can do the work. Be prepared to discuss them, what you learned while writing them, and how you'd improve them.
  
  
• Update your resume to focus on the writing aspects of your work history.
  
  
• Research the people interviewing. Find some shared interests and the value you'll bring to the team.
  
  
• During the interview, they told me I wasn't ready for the position. I asked for the opportunity to prove that I was. I think they appreciated the pushback. I wrote a pro-bono Point-of-sale, which they paid me for so they could sell it to the client.
  
  
• The only time I ever used an AP stylebook was to win an argument with my CD. Everything is subjective in advertising.
  
  
• If you have basic competency, copywriters differentiate based on relationships, ability to execute, and life experience. Focus on these for your interview.
  
  
• Some books that changed how I see my job as a copywriter:
  
  Ogilvy on Advertising
  
  It's not how good you are...
  Selling the invisible
  
  Keep in mind, I focused on the creative side bc the agency I worked for put ZERO value on research. They (wrongly) thought it was a waste of money, and I wasn't going to convince them otherwise. They also didn't care much for conversions. They simply wanted clever writing. Your situation may be different. Research first, and focus on the important bits. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want to discuss.
  
  As for your lowball salary, everything is negotiable. Be honest. Tell them you realize they're taking a risk by interviewing fresh talent, and you'd like to revisit it after 6 months or so.

The Skincare Answer Book

I haven't read them, but heard a lot about them when they were big. The TL;DR is that you should create a business that doesn't require your constant presence. He wrote one specifically for OD's too.

This guy literally wrote the book on managing a bar. Great read even if you’re not in that business.

Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544148304/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-s5DDb89WV7MR

The Ten Demandments

I appreciated the broad, conversational approach--it is not so dense as to not be able to be shared around the office without being seen as "homework".

The no wait model I am most familiar with is the "Crane and Noon" version. When you're the MD/NP/prescriber and you're taking on patients, you're at the front of the house in the "intake/assessment zone" and you're at the "assessment beds" and you're assessing and ordering. You have staff assigned to those spaces with you. When you're done, the patient goes to the back of the house. No unreasonable waits upfront. There are some hours of the day where an entire shift worth of patients for an MD come in the door. That's it, they all belong to the MD who is taking on patients. They come in while you're on "intake" then you are responsible for their assessment, treatment and disposition.

Caveats:

staffing model must match arrival curve, they rarely do and arrival curves are very predictable

team activations for trauma, STEMI, crit care, maybe even procedural sedations

each clinician group agrees as to what is appropriate care (volume and order intensity)

MDs that are used to working with a full waiting room i.e. a surplus of billable opportunities (guaranteed income) must get used to the idea of "down time" which in the current model is seen as a crisis, when there's no one to see

*some MDs see 12 pts per shift and others see 30, it is impossible to staff effectively for that level of variation, so leadership needs to be applied


[The Definitive Guide to Emergency Department Operational Improvement: Employing Lean Principles with Current ED Best Practices to Create the “No Wait” Department] (https://www.amazon.ca/Definitive-Emergency-Department-Operational-Improvement/dp/1439808406)

http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Paper-Entrepreneur-Mike-Michalowicz-ebook/dp/B002P8MEFE

Read this

you can leave benzoyl peroxide or any other face wash on your skin for 5-20 minutes. i do it for benzoyl peroxide as well as my kojic acid soap. (generally not on the same day). milady skin care beyond the basics is a great source if you want to learn more about skin care. http://www.amazon.com/Skin-Care-Beyond-The-Basics/dp/1435487451

On Spike TV, there is a series called Bar Rescue. His book is called Raising the Bar. I think this book will answer some of your questions.

Link to the book for the lazy:
http://www.amazon.com/Raise-Bar-Action-Based-Reactions-ebook/dp/B00CLIK6OO

This is the only book I've read on the topic:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0692100946/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0692100946

I dunno, try this one Straight Up: Real World Secrets to Running a Killer Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692100946/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BB1uDbEX265HN

This book by John Taffer is written about bars but it applies to all service industry. It's a great book for any manager or owner.

https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Bar-Action-Based-Customer-Reactions/dp/0544148304/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521462849&sr=1-14&keywords=raising+the+bar