Today, Eric shares five standout books he read this summer. As a passionate reader of 25–30 books a year, he found these books particularly impactful for both business and life.
The Last Lecture — Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow
This moving and timeless book was written by computer science professor Randy Pausch, as his final lecture after getting a terminal diagnosis. It blends philosophy, practical wisdom, and personal stories, offering lessons on living with purpose, nurturing relationships, and leaving a legacy. It is a book to hold onto for life, and to pass on to the next generation.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals — Oliver Burkeman
Burkeman reframes time management by reminding us we only have about 4,000 weeks on earth. Instead of chasing endless productivity, he shows how to prioritize what truly matters. The book combines humor, philosophy, and practical tools for blocking, organizing, and auditing time. It is valuable for both business and personal life.
Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet — Jesse Itzler
In this book, entrepreneur Jesse Itzler recounts a month of intense training with a Navy SEAL. His experience is raw, funny, and motivating, pushing readers to go beyond excuses and embrace discipline, resilience, and grit. It is a high-energy reminder that we are capable of far more than we think.
Make Your Own Luck: Success Tactics You Won’t Learn in Business School — Peter Kash
Written by entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Kash, this book explores how to create luck by preparing, persevering, and being open to opportunity. Through vivid personal stories, he shows how readiness and mindset can transform challenges into breakthroughs. It is a guide to moving forward, even in uncertain times.
Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry — Kelly Richmond Pope
In this book, forensic accounting professor Kelly Richmond Pope reveals the hidden world of fraud, from small-town scandals to billion-dollar schemes. Drawing on her TED Talk and Netflix documentary All the Queen’s Horses, she highlights the risks of misplaced trust and the importance of vigilance in business. It is an eye-opening and essential read for entrepreneurs.
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“As business owners, you have no idea what can happen with the people you’re working with until you read this book.”
Eric Rozenberg
Full transcript of episode 287 of The Business of Meetings podcast, a solo episode with Eric Rozenberg. Lightly edited for readability.
Eric Rozenberg: Hello and welcome to the Business of Meetings podcast. I’m your host, Eric Rozenberg. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping businesses in the meetings and event industry grow and succeed. And I’m excited to share that experience with you. If you feel alone and overwhelmed, and if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, improve your strategy and sales, and connect with like-minded professionals, you are in the right place. I invite you to visit eventbusinessformula.com and join our community of event business owners dedicated to exponential growth. Now let’s dive into today’s episode.
Hello and welcome to a new episode of the Business of Meetings podcast. And today, not the first time, I want to share with you five books among the books that I read this summer, which, by the way, there’s more than five that I read, but those are really various books that I believe will be very interesting for small business owners in our industry and for people in general that I really love.
So if you know me, you know that I love, love, love, love, love reading and learning. And if you think that what’s behind me is the books that I have in the office, I think again, you don’t see what’s behind of there. There’s, I don’t know, probably half of the number of books that are also there. In other words, when someone tells me you should read that book, the first thing I do, I just go and buy it. So, I try to read 25, 30 books a year, but there’s more waiting for me.
Long story short, these are books that I’m going to talk about that are not necessarily published the last months, and they are extremely impactful books that I’m sure will also teach you something and help you in your business and your life.
The very first one, and I’m sure many of you will say, “Oh, yeah, yeah, I’ve read that book before.” It actually the first time that I was able to read that book, and can’t even remember who offered that to me, who told me to buy it, but it’s called The Last Lecture, from Randy Pausch, professor, Carnegie Mellon, with Jeffrey Zaslow. It’s his thinking, it’s his philosophy, knowing that he was going to die. But he was a professor of computer science, and this last lecture is really mixed with philosophical book, with learnings, with inspiration on how to run your life, on what to do with your spouse, with your kids. It’s absolutely amazing. The Last Lecture. I really don’t have more to tell you than buy this book, and trust me that if you think that was a waste of time, let me know. But it’s absolutely fabulous. The Last Lecture, for those watching in YouTube, this is the cover. And just talking about it, I’m getting emotional, and really this is type of books that you keep with you all your life and you hope that the next generation will read it as well. So, phenomenal book, The Last Lecture.
Then it’s a book that I received from my wife, and it’s about time management for mortals, Oliver Burkeman, and it’s called Four Thousand Weeks. You do the math. It’s about the time we have in our life, and here is also philosophical, but it’s really great tricks for time management and tools that you can really use in your business, tools that you can use in your life: the way you block your time, the way you organize your time, the way you audit your time, and with a lot of humor. So, I truly enjoyed it. It’s called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, from Oliver Burkeman.
The third book is from the poster child of an entrepreneur. I had the opportunity to listen to this guy at an EO event a few months ago, which, quite frankly, I was going, okay, he’s known, but I had no specific expectation. It was phenomenal. He’s full of energy, is an amazing storyteller, the delivery was phenomenal, and the deepness, the content was truly amazing. And he spoke about one of his books, and I decided to buy it and to read it, and it was a great use of my time. It’s the one and only Jesse Itzler, and it’s called Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet. It’s inspiring. It’s fun. And my goodness, this guy is nuts, and absolutely love what he’s describing. And quite frankly, when you’ve read it, I don’t want to complain about anything. And even if you’re tired, whatever. No, you keep going. This is a great read. And also, after you’ve read it, I’m sure you will even have a lot of energy and willingness to do even more in your life, in your business. Living with a SEAL, Jesse Itzler.
Then the fourth book that I strongly recommend you read is a book from my friend Peter Kash. He was a professor at Wharton Business School. He is an entrepreneur. He’s a VC. He is, I don’t know in how many businesses, this guy is absolutely phenomenal. And what he wrote about is Make Your Own Luck, that’s the title of the book, Success Tactics You Won’t Learn in Business School. And it’s true. And I remember there was a professor from, I believe, HEC, the business school in Paris, that had a very popular video 15 years ago. It was about luck, and he recorded himself with four students in masters that just finished the year, and he said, “We just finished the year. I’m not going to see you anymore in the future, and I forgot to tell you the most important lesson.” And he’s talking about luck and how you create your luck. And that’s really the book of Peter. It’s how you create your own luck, how you move forward, how, as Winston Churchill used to say, when you go through hell, keep walking. But actually creating the right settings and being ready to catch the luck when it pass. Plus, and just for the sake of reading the stories of Peter. Phenomenal. I really, really, really enjoy reading this book, reading those stories of his life, opportunities in business, what he did with it. Really highly recommend it. Make Your Own Luck, from Peter Kash.
And last, but certainly not least, it’s called Fool Me Once. Now, for those who love Harlan Coben, you would know about his book. There’s also a great series on Netflix, but I totally digress because it is not about that. It’s called Fool Me Once, from Kelly Richmond Pope. She is a professor of forensic accounting at DePaul University in Chicago. She has a TED talk at DePaul that I listen to. She has a documentary on Netflix, which, if I remember well, it’s called The Queen’s Horses, something like that. And it’s the story of fraud in a small town called Dixon. And she’s talking about it in the book for sure. She’s also talking about all the stories that she has witnessed, some of the stories that she has witnessed about fraud. And why am I talking about this? Because as business owners, you have no idea what can happen with the people you’re working with until you read this book. And especially if you’re like me, kind of trusting the people very quickly, and sometimes too quickly. And that’s an excellent book that really opened my eyes. I strongly recommend you to read this book, to listen to her TED talk, and to watch her series All the Queen’s Horses. It’s Kelly Richmond Pope, Fool Me Once: Scam Stories and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry. Yeah, the trillion-dollar fraud industry. Absolutely insane.
So in summary, Fool Me Once, from Kelly Richmond Pope. Make Your Own Luck: Success Tactics You Won’t Learn in Business School, from Peter Kash. Peter Kash with a K. Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet, from Jesse Itzler. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, from Oliver Burkeman. And the amazing The Last Lecture, from Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. Again, phenomenal book.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading those books. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me. And we’ll be back next week with a new episode of the Business of Meetings podcast. In the meantime, if you have any question about running your business in the meetings and event industry, you know how to reach me on LinkedIn, and if I don’t have the answer, I’m sure I know the person who can help you. So, never hesitate. Thank you. Bye-bye.
Thank you for tuning in to the Business of Meetings podcast. I hope you found today’s episode valuable. If you enjoy the show, the most important thing you can do is leave a review and share it with your colleagues. It really helps spread the word. I truly appreciate your support. And if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, don’t forget to visit eventbusinessformula.com to learn more about how we are helping event business owners like you. Thanks again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.
