5 Perfect Gifts For The Entrepreneurs In Your Life
Business owners can be a tough crowd to buy gifts for– they always seems to want more, they are ever-evolving in their interests and they are tough to keep up with. But despite the wide range of industries, interests and hobbies, all business owners seem to have a few general interests and habits in common.
Here’s a fool-proof shopping list of gifts to buy for the entrepreneurs in your life. Whether you’re shopping for a birthday present, Christmas present, holiday present or gift for any other purpose, these are always good options–
A French Press
I can’t think of one Founder, or anyone even remotely involved with startups for that matter, where coffee or tea doesn’t play a major role in their daily lives. The great thing about a quality french press is that you can use it to make a number of different beverages, which is great for the coffee-obsessed as well the non-caffeinated alike.
Even though I’ve completely eliminated all caffeine consumption recently, I still enjoy a nice hot cup of tea every now and then. Instead of the usual suspects — coffee, green tea, black tea, yerba mate or any other caffeinated beverage — I’ve recently been opting for peppermint tea throughout the day, or chamomile tea at night. I usually add a scoop of coconut oil as well to get those MCTs, in hopes of getting a boost in brain power given my lack of stimulants. A french press works great for this– I simply allow the loose leaf tea to brew, and add a scoop of coconut oil in my mug right before pouring the tea, which allows it to mix rather well.
Obviously the french press works with caffeinated and non-caffeinated tea. Tim Ferris has a pretty cool tea concoction that he’s been suggesting recently, and suggests a french press as well.
But for the coffee-obsessed, french press is the way to go. I’ve personally found that a french press gives the coffee a fuller, creamier, oilier, tastier consistency– but I’m neither a coffee expert nor a coffee snob so without risking sounding like one, I’ll leave the debate of french press vs drip coffee to the experts. But unlike a drip, or any other coffee machine, the french press is versatile and allows you to make things other than coffee if you choose.
Sonos Speakers
Whether it’s listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts, great speakers make any listening experience that much more relaxing and entertaining. Most business owners are listening to something during their “downtime”– so making their downtime that much more relaxing and rejuvenating would be a very welcome gift.
Enter Sonos. These are some of the most amazing speaker I have ever heard. They connect through wi-fi and have supporting apps for phones and computers so they can be controlled from anywhere. More affordable than Bose, but much higher quality in my personal opinion. Perfect for the office, family room and bedroom.
Amazon Gift Card
Have you ever met a business-owner that didn’t like convenience? What about a business-owner that didn’t like a good deal? Nope, neither have I. That’s why Amazon is such a hit among everyone, but especially business-owners strapped for time. Amazon gift cards are a better gift than cash nowadays.
A Tablet
No matter how much a business-owner wants to “disconnect” for a bit– they are always connected. It’s just a fact of life. Luckily, Microsoft and Apple have been absolutely on top of their games recently coming out with amazing tablets. Whether the entrepreneur is an Apple-person or a PC-person, there’s now a tablet for them.
Apple is continuously improving their iPad line of products, and the iPad Air is no different– long battery life, state-of-the-art processor and big screen– everything necessary to enjoy a good article or really dig deep into some work.
Same with the new Surface Pro from Microsoft— fast and functional. My favorite part of the Surface Pro is its compatibility with some flexible keyboards that double as covers, making it much, much easier to get some work done as well as simply browse the internet. Truly a workstation on the go.
Books
INSIGHTS: Reflections from 101 of Yale’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs
Give me the option of reading a case study or a how-to article and I’ll choose the case study every single time. There’s no replacement for real world experience (which is why I always suggest people start their own practice business as opposed to reading how-to articles nonstop). And that’s exactly what Chris LoPresti did here with INSIGHTS. The book is a compilation of real world experiences of starting, running and scaling a business shared by 101 different founders who came out of Yale.
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King
The Fish That Ate The Whale is about the story of Samuel Zemurray, who came to America in 1891 without a dollar to his name and went from roadside fruit peddler to banana industry mogul, taking on the establishment as well as conquering the same obstacles every entrepreneur faces. There are very few stories that provide both the motivation and the guidance that an entrepreneur can put to use, but this rags-to-riches story provides that and much more.
Mellon: An American Life
Sticking with the theme of real-life stories that provide truly valuable insight and guidance, of course we need to include a biography. What better biography than of Andrew Mellon, a man who took industry, government and philanthropy by storm in a very big way. He had a part in building massive companies such as Alcoa, Gulf Oil, and his own bank which is now part of BNY Mellon. After his successful career as a businessman, he left his mark on politics as one of the longest serving Treasury Secretaries. His story is amazing and is a great roadmap for anyone reaching for the stars.
The Magic of Thinking Big
One thing separates entrepreneurs from everyone else– the ability of thinking absurdly big. David Schwartz’s book, The Magic of Thinking Big, covers all topics of self-improvement, from business, to family, to finance. This book is part motivational book, part how-to book, and part case studies. This is one of the highest-rated books on Amazon in the self-help section hundreds and hundreds of reviews, and over 80% of those people gave it 5-stars. The crowd has spoken– this is a must read.
Well there you have it– 5 perfect gifts for the entrepreneurs in your life! Did I miss any? Leave some suggestions in the comments!
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