Dominic Nowell-Barnes lists the books that helped him develop his business, and his brain.
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BOOK CLUB
During his early twenties, Dominic Nowell-Barnes worked flat out in e-commerce and came close to burnout. But after reading a book that altered his outlook, the Englishman took stock of his life, beginning a personal journey that led him to launch The Giving Movement, a homegrown sustainable streetwear brand that he launched during the lockdown in April 2020.
“I find this idea of constant personal development really exciting,” Nowell-Barnes tells Altitudes “I take pride in being a better version of myself every day, but I also recognise that I can’t be perfect all the time.” Now 31, he spoke to Altitudes about the books that help keep him centred.
THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK BY TIMOTHY FERRISS
This book was intriguing to me because I thought maybe it had a secret that would help me still get the rewards and fulfillment but not work 70 hours a week. The book is about flipping the vision of what a successful entrepreneur is using concepts surrounding delegation and automation that can be implemented instantly. For example, I only check my email once in the morning, action what’s needed and then I don’t look at my email again until the end of the day. This allows me to focus on something important, rather than working in reaction – that was a lightbulb moment for me.
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE BY DALE CARNEGIE
This book taught me about persuasion, which is a difficult topic because where do you draw the line between good intention and manipulation? It contains simple ideas that subconsciously have an impact on people. For example, saying someone’s name during a conversation makes them feel important and valued; never fight fire with fire, step back and think rationally; put the other person’s needs first.
THE 10X RULE BY GRANT CARDONE
This guy is a straight-talking motivational speaker whose concept says, whatever you are thinking, go 10 times bigger. It’s a very simple principle and sounds like common sense but his belief is that people set their expectations far too low. When I set out the plan for The Giving Movement I wanted to grow it into the biggest brand in the GCC. When you have that mindset, you make decisions differently and think more long-term.
GET THE EDGE BY TONY ROBBINS
The biggest lesson I learned from this book was that key things you do in the morning make you unbreakable for the day – Robbins calls it ‘the hour of power’. Up until that point I was working in reaction to everything but this book is about understanding that you’re in control of your mind.
THE CHIMP PARADOX BY DR STEVE PETERS
Essentially what I took from this book is recognising that I have different things going on in my brain, and that’s okay. Steve Peters say that we have this chimp inside our head that always jumps in and immediately reacts. The book teaches us to pause and think before saying something, and engage other parts of your brain.
IKIGAI BY HÉCTOR GARCÍA AND FRANCESC MIRALLE
Ikigai is a Japanese theory, which is what we based The Giving Movement on. It has four key points: do something you love, do something that the world needs, do something that you get paid for, do something that you love. This book taught me about finding balance and fulfilment.
