A summary of things you should know about The Carpenter according to Jon Gordon

Introduction

In this episode, best-selling author and epic storyteller, Jon Gordon paints the perfect picture in how to properly create a start up from the ground up. Jon’s book The Carpenter highlights many success stories and business strategies for the entrepreneur looking to outlast others alike. Jon presents a strong main idea that you shouldn’t focus on building your business, you should focus on using your business to love, serve and care and with that mentality your business will grow exponentially.

The Book’s Unique Quality

I don’t think there is another book that takes these concepts of love, serve, and care and really dives into them. If we love what we do, serve others and care what you produce we’ll make the difference.

The Reader’s Takeaway

I would go with Care. It would have to be caring more. We could all work harder but to work harder you have to care more. You have to care so much about what you’re doing that you don’t allow yourself to be distracted from doing your best. People want to do business with people who care about them and I really believe that when you look at the great companies, they stand out in ways of showing that they care.

A Deep Dive Into The Book

I’ll take you through some of the main principles in the book. The first one starts with designing your masterpiece, before you build something you must design it. You need to figure out what it looks like and what are you doing at your best. If you are succeeding but you don’t have time for your kids and family, that’s not what you want your masterpiece to look like. You need to focus on your priorities a little more to create your masterpiece.

The next chapter goes into being a craftsman. A carpenter builds things but a Craftsman creates a work of art. It’s not about doing things the fastest and the cheapest, it’s about doing things the best. I believe if you really take pride in your work and you see yourself as a craftsman, you’ll stand out. We show the difference between people who are just building and those who are building the work of art with their life and their work.

We then move into the mindset and belief to build something great. Optimism and belief have to be a part of anything you’re building because you’ll change and face challenges through the building process. I write about great ways to approach it from the right prospective and right thinking.

From there we move into the three greatest strategies of all. Love, care and serve. If you focus on these three strategies you’ll stand out from anyone and everyone who doesn’t practice these three principles.

Notable Quotes From The Book

“Don’t focus on building your business, focus on using your business to love, serve and care and your business will grow exponentially” – Jon Gordon

The Credibility/Inspiration Of The Author

I am a writer and a speaker who has written a number of books notably The Energy Bus. Most importantly I’m a husband and a dad to two children who are now 16 and 14. I also work with a lot of professional sports teams, college teams, companies, school districts and I am really passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

It all started with a carpenter that came to my house for some work. It was during the recession and I asked him how business was with the expectation that it probably wasn’t doing so well. It was his response that took me by surprise. He had been busier than ever. Average Carpenters weren’t doing well, but the great ones, the ones who stood out in the market place, they were thriving! He cared about his work and cared about his clients and I realized that the greatest success strategies of all are to love, serve and care. Those who care more, do more. So the idea of caring more and the idea of how to stand out more in your work was the inspiration behind writing this book.

Other Books Recommended By The Author

Tribes by Seth Godin

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Traveling Light by Max Lucado

More Information About This Book and The Author

Buy The Carpenter by Jon Gordon on Amazon today

Visit JonGordon.com to learn more about Jon himself

Visit Carpenter11.com to get more insights about the book

Follow Jon Gordon on Twitter and Facebook

More Information About This Episode

Download the full transcript here

Listen on iTunes, Stitcher , and SoundCloud

Related books: Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else by Jon Gordon | The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work by Jon Gordon

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Wade Danielson

Wade is a 4-time serial entrepreneur and is the Founder/Host of The Entrepreneurs Library. With a long time passion for reading books, Wade created an online resource and podcast for entrepreneurs who love to read personal and business development books. His long-term goal in life is to start an entrepreneurial home schooling program for children of business-minded families.