Price Yourself Right and desperation

What is the best advice you have received from a book?

I read a lot, and always have, but just the other day I was thinking about which books have actually changed my life?

One book in particular stood out. I read it when I was in my early twenties when I was working for a pharmaceutical company where I (along with the rest of the all female sales team) was being harassed by a male sales manager who offered to share expenses by sharing the same room. It was my first ‘real job’ and I got a company car (yeeha!) But I was vulnerable, I didn’t want to quit but I hated the impossible situation of going on away trips with that creep…. Anyway, back to the book: What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark McCormack. The single most major piece of advice I took from that book was start saving some ‘Go Jump’ money so that you don’t need to worry about staying on in order to get a good reference and so you can quit any time you like.

In business and in life you never want to be desperate for the money. There have been many times in my life when I have been grateful for the ‘Go Jump’ advice.
Not many books inspire people to take action but this was one that did it for me. Of all the books you have read which ones introduced you to an idea that was so profound that it changed your life in some way?

Life changing books are a good investment, ne c’est pas?

If you wish to copy this article please include this acknowledgement: ©2010 Jane Francis is the author of Price Yourself Right: A guide to charging what you are worth (ISBN: 0-595-38601-6) available at Barnes and Noble (USA), WH Smith (UK) or online at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk