Read

This is an open account of relevant books being read and analyzed.

Topics include operations, marketing, commerce, manufacturing, and food/beverage industries.

jamie freya book list

I want you to exist as you choose.

Trust that other humans have shared knowledge that YOU can leverage in aid of humanity.

You must be knowledgeable and feel good about your life. Reading will help you to feel good and capable.

Note: I’ll be listing from late 2025 onward. Occasionally, some books listed will be fiction and others may be super valuable books read earlier in my life.

Books on Business, Marketing,and Manufacturing

Click: How To Make What People Want

By Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky

Quick read intended to aid in the “speedy” development of a product, software, or service.

Knapp gives actionable steps with pretty good framing for your thoughts as you engage.

This book could work well for teams seeking to iterate an existing product/service or update UX features within an app or website.

Click HERE for more on product clarity.

Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck

By Anthony K. Tjan, Richard J. Harrington, Tsun-Yan Hsieh

This is for anyone wanting more understanding on how to bring the absolute best traits to your business. There is some value to using the book to examine oneself, but It really helps open your eyes to the various ways people can show up inside a company.

I imagine this would be a good read for someone working in small teams needing to empathize more effectively.

How to Grow Your Small Business

By Donald Miller

Standard foundation text for folks looking to build a small business, keyword small.

I found this text to be most informative for freelance work and service business ideas. While Miller’s advice could be applied to many different business models, it really fits entrepreneurs seeking to stay local and tightly managed.

Sula

By Toni Morrison

A very easy read if you are not familiar with Morrison’s work. Sula has the perfect balance of ambiguity and explanation making for a very mentally stimulating read.

$100M Offers

By Alex Hormozi

While house-sitting in Scottsdale back in 2024, I found this book in the nightstand.

I was pleasantly surprised considering my familiarity with Hormozi’s content and ethos.

For me this physical book’s presence signaled moving deeper into alignment.

Here I was ingesting the same words and knowledge in an alternate setting that embodied the many possibilities here for all of us. Moments when OUR minds align are very special.

The content of the book pushes entrepreneurs to make irresistible offers. Consider what an offer would need to become so enticing that you just had to say YES.

Think “Buy One , Get One” but 100x.

jamie freya knott
Sit for a moment and think about all the things created in this world. How does creating make you feel?

Burn Rate

By Andy Dunn

A personal account from Andy Dunn, the co-founder of Bonobos, on his bouts with bi-polar while growing a massively successful e-commerce brand.

It’s an important read for many entrepreneurs considering the suicide rates for entrepreneurs are much higher than the general public.

I interpreted much of Dunn’s experience to be alot of exacerbation of mental instability due to the high-stakes of building and growing a competitive brand in a meritocratic capitalist society. Some inevitable events were beyond his control despite excessive privilege.

Dunn’s family raised him earnestly while they meticulously gauged his merits against unrealistic standards for “American” success.

A cautionary tale for entrepreneurs coming to prominence in a post 9/11, post-pandemic economic version of American society.

Kinfolk Entrepreneur

A massive coffee table book that holds many accounts of entrepreneurs who chose unique paths to push creativity and express autonomy.

I gained awareness around the limitless nature of business in this world in a much more tangible way after reading this.

You don’t have to let market demands stifle or confine you. The book focuses on a more conscientious approach to entrepreneurship, business partnerships, and managing operations.

Coffee: From Bean to Barista

By Robert W. Thurston

Super intentional focus on coffee cultivation in nature. I picked this book up to better understand supply chains and logistics.

The book is very dense and jam packed with a lot of detailed information on coffee from every possible angle.

While reading, you may be moved by the possibility for strong environmental innovation around the coffee bean. There have been growing spaces exploring “beanless/synthetic” coffee alternatives due to changing climates and pest control issues over the years.

It makes your wonder what could be created to sustains the Earth’s ability to grow a myriad of coffee strains well into the future.