“You did what?”
That’s right we wrote a book.
For the past 19 months Drew and I have been working on a unique book project. “SHARPEN: A Guidebook for Business Ownership & Adventures in Leadership.”
Here’s a link to our book website www.SharpenBook.com that tells a little bit more about the book, contains a press kit and links to Amazon (Kindle and Hardcover version). It officially goes on sale Monday September 23rd.
You can buy it HERE.
“Why did you decide to write it?”
In our peer advisory councils and one on one executive coaching sessions we found that wisdom and specifically Proverbs was brought up often and help guide and lead discussions.
The book of Proverbs is a favorite book in wisdom literature for both of us. It is filled with lessons on everything in life – how to live, how to raise kids, what the role of money should be, etc. There is also a great deal of powerful and practical advice for businesspeople. Written by Solomon, one of the richest men in history and certainly one of the wisest, Proverbs should be required reading in every business school.
The problem is that Solomon was apparently ADD because every chapter skips around between subjects and ping-pongs back and forth. It can be hard to follow. So, we re-organized the book of Proverbs into subjects and wrote our book around those subjects that every business leader will surely face at one time or another.
Like most entrepreneurs, we made our share of mistakes. We started Acumen to have a community for people like us who need to sit down with others who are in the same boat and be transparent about what’s going on inside the business and inside their head and heart. This book is an extension of that work and the many conversations and interactions we have had through the years.
Also, we realized that a book like this would have been helpful to us as we launched and grew our businesses. As we organized the proverbs and wrote the book, we realized that Solomon’s concepts are timeless. In fact, they could have been written today. Great ideas are like that.
We’ve also paired the ideas in Proverbs with stories, examples, tools, mental models, and exercises to help translate 3000-year-old timeless wisdom and integrate into your decision making and business today.
We’d like to think that this book can be both a handbook for life, but also a North Star to follow when your business gets complicated. As businesspeople we make tough decisions every day, oftentimes on the fly and most often without a lot of feedback from our ‘multitude of counselors’.
Our hope is that business leaders will keep a copy of this book on their desk and refer to it often as they face each day with all that it brings.
It goes on sale Monday the 23rd! We’ll be sending out more information that day!
Here’s some feedback from a Partner in Acumen.
“4 chapters into your book and I’ve been moved in ways of understanding God in ways I hadn’t always understood with Him. It’s moved me to think and dive deeper in areas of fear the Lord and wisdom in ways I haven’t always done. You’ve unpacked a great book and extracted scriptures to speak to these very areas of our life. Very good stuff. Love reading my one chapter a day and allowing God to teach me throughout the day.”
Jeremy McDowell,
CEO & Founder, Midwest Sports Production
What Others Are Saying About Sharpen
The book of Proverbs teaches us to cry out for wisdom. That truth should be no different for our businesses than our daily life. Drew and Dan help drive that point home in Sharpen.
David Green,
CEO & Founder, Hobby Lobby, Inc.
“As a business leader, I have hungered for wisdom in many circumstances. Proverbs provides it. Dan and Drew bring to life this ageless guide and how you can lead conscientiously and courageously so that your company can flourish and perform. Take it with you to work!”
Cheryl Bachelder
Former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Board Member at Pier One, Chick-fil-A, and Procter & Gamble, and author of Dare to Serve
Sharpen is filled with refreshing, uncommon candor. Each chapter provides pragmatic applications to help Christian leaders tackle today’s most common leadership challenges. I found as many applications for how I manage our home and family as I do in managing my company. Reading this book humbly reminds me of how to be a Kingdom Leader.
John Ramstead
Founder and Host of the Eternal Leadership Podcast
CEO, Beyond Influence