Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: The Entrepreneurial Brain

Author Jeff Hays is a “serial entrepreneur” who has achieved much success, so, in many ways, reading his book is like spending time with a wise mentor. I like how he not only highlights his business successes but writes candidly about his failures: What didn’t work and why. For me, these stories are perhaps the most helpful part of the book, which is not only informative and factual, but inspirational and encouraging.

The book title is very appropriate, and the reader learns what drives and motivates entrepreneurs. The author writes that entrepreneurs have a deep entrepreneurial drive. This is both a strength and one of their greatest weaknesses because they are creative and bold risktakers capable of great accomplishments. It explains why entrepreneurs, even after failure, keep moving forward, ready to begin the entrepreneurial journey again and again. 

The book provides the business tools to enjoy tremendous success and is a useful primer for launching and growing a successful business. But just as importantly, the book provides insights into the mindset entrepreneurs must develop to survive: your money, relationships, sanity, and even your life are at stake if you don’t understand why you are the way you are, and how to manage it.  Hays describes the skills it takes to be successful: courage, faith, innovation, and, most of all, a passionate belief in the project.

I read this book immediately after finishing Walter Isaacson’s new book on Elon Musk. I found it interesting that when Hays writes about the entrepreneurial brain, he could have been writing about Elon Musk, who Isaacson calls “a risk junkie, someone who loves the feeling of taking risks, and the riskier the better.”

As I was reading Hays’ book, I often felt like I was sitting with him, having a beer, and taking in his wisdom about launching a new business. He covers everything from the concept of a new venture and fundraising (including valuable insights on crowdfunding), to marketing, and building a successful company. In cases when a venture fails, Hays urges entrepreneurs to learn from it. For the author, failure has been one of his greatest teachers, showing him how to work with his brain and how to work with others.

Throughout the book, the author shares the transformational wisdom he learned from his mentor, David Nemelka. He includes stories from Nemelka’s personal life, which illustrate how being an entrepreneur can affect everyone around you, especially your family. You won’t find that kind of personal insight in any other business book.

Please do not make the mistake of thinking that unless you are an entrepreneur or a founder, this book is not for you. It is. It’s for anyone who’s part of a business or organization, especially if you want to lose your love affair with certainty and do better and be better in whatever you are doing. There is something in this book for everyone on the journey of life. Reading this book will make you better at whatever you are doing. Don’t pass it up.

The Entrepreneurial Brain: How to Ride the Waves of Entrepreneurship and Live to Tell About It
Author: Jeff Hays
Publisher: Imprint: HarperCollins Leadership, 2023
Pages: 288
Price: $22.99

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Manaagement Group.