10 Great Reads to Help Grow Your Business
NAHB’s Young Professionals (YP) compiled a list of books that have helped inspire their careers and grow their businesses. These 10 books make great gifts for the upcoming holiday season, or purchases for yourself to get ahead of the competition.
The list features books on various topics, such as culture-setting reads like “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara.
“This topic is very related to home building,” said YP Committee Chair Robert Carroll. “We can excel by recognizing our role in creating experiences around our very emotional and personal transactions. This book creates cultural language to move your sales process from transactional to relational.”
Also featured is “Behind Your Back” by Bradley Hartmann, a book about what purchasing managers say when you leave the room.
“Hartmann is a former area purchasing manager for Pulte Homes, and provides insight to how purchasing managers approach their jobs and how they handle relationships with colleagues,” said Wes Robbins, vice president and partner at W Robbins & Company, LLC. Robbins found the book valuable to those looking for insider knowledge on selling to large-volume builders, especially to learn what is and is not important.
Additionally, NAHB’s Young Professionals are celebrating their end-of-year virtual happy hour on Friday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. ET. Members are invited to discuss their favorite books from the year, play games and meet fellow YPs. Holiday attire is welcome. Register now.
Latest from NAHBNow
Jul 07, 2026
Labor Market Cools While Construction Industry Faces HeadwindsThe U.S. labor market lost momentum in June, with total nonfarm payroll employment rising by just 57,000 — the smallest gain since February’s outright decline.
Jul 06, 2026
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to End TPS for Haiti and SyriaA 6-3 Supreme Court ruling on June 25 cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian nationals in the U.S.
Latest Economic News
Jul 07, 2026
Residential Construction Employment Concentrated in Rural and Smaller-Market CountiesResidential construction employment continued to soften in recent months, reflecting elevated interest rates, ongoing affordability challenges, and slower home building activity.
Jul 06, 2026
Top Ten Builder Market Share Falls in 2025The top ten builders accounted for 43.6% of all new U.S. single-family home closings in 2025, down 1.2 percentage points from 2024 (44.8%), based on BUILDER magazine data.
Jul 03, 2026
Mortgage Rates Increased in June as Markets Weigh Inflation and Fed PolicyMortgage rates continued to increase in June as markets priced in a rate hike due to high inflation and stronger-than-expected labor market.