The Obvious Choice

Timeless Lessons on Success, Profit, and Finding Your Way

By: Jonathan Goodman

Narrated by: Chris Ciulla

"A much-needed guide to winning in business as a human in an all-too online world." – Entrepreneur

Trying to win the internet is a gloriously inefficient way to build a business.

No matter your goals, The Obvious Choice offers 15 essential lessons on profit and success that are timeless because they prioritize the humans who buy from you and not erratic and temperamental algorithms.

Jonathan Goodman—one of the world's leading experts on helping people simplify their business—reveals proven frameworks for increasing efficiency, praying to the social media gods less, and mastering the art of finding your customers.

Backed by a wide range of case studies, Goodman shows how modern marketing technology has led us astray. That start-ups and established organizations alike have bought into the misguided idea that they need to become "famous on the internet" just to make a few sales.

If you're having trouble finding your way, the problem isn't you. The problem is what you've been made to believe it takes to succeed.

This book is for any marketer, business owner, coach, or entrepreneur who wants an easier way to make more money, help more people, and have more freedom by avoiding wasted time and resources on dead-ends and ineffective methods.

Specifically, you'll learn how to:

• Build trust in business relationships through community, specificity, and familiarity.
• Apply the four-step content creation framework designed for business owners, not influencers, to get more customers (because likes don't pay the bills).
• Improve profitability by cutting out the work not worth doing.

Algorithms change, humans don't.

No matter who you are and no matter what you sell, your customer is a human. And yet, marketing these days feels so inhuman.

Filled with frameworks, entertaining stories, and admittedly bad-Dad jokes, The Obvious Choice is a much-needed recalibration and, at times, a refreshing slap for a business generation that's lost its way.

Buy this book to learn how to earn more and compete less in this much-needed approach to success in a crowded marketplace.

Useful information, charts, illustrations, and reflections can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Jonathan Goodman (P)2025 HarperCollins Leadership

entertaining simplicity

I love this book! Jon gives so many great examples, an entertaining narrator, and simplifies so many concepts and ideas. He keeps it simple and real and it's a breath of fresh air while he gives examples and practical knowledge.

There are a lot of great take aways and aha moments and the book feels like story time instead of blasting you with useless information.

Refreshing and Reaffirming

A great read for any industry, this book offers a refreshing perspective and challenges the echo chamber of misguided advice that often misleads business owners and entrepreneurs (myself included). It’s a reaffirming guide for those seeking clarity and actionable insights to navigate their journey to become the obvious choice.

Helpful without being overwhelming

If you desire to earn "enough" to live a financially stress free life from your business this is a great book for you. If you are trying to make as much money as possible this would not be a great book for you.

I found it a relief to think in terms of "good enough" and not even need to become moderatley famous to actually earn a living helping people through my business. He shares a lot of good ideas and his transparency at the end about how he earns a living was insightful and appreciated.

This is a book I will go through multiple times to learn from and plan future business decisions.

This book is exactly what I needed

I’ve been a fitness professional for the past 16 years and run my own small fitness business. I’ve played the long game when it comes to building a solid personal training and group fitness business, always focusing on good practices, strong relationships, and trust—which has served me well.

I now have a team of coaches working with me, and my goal is to mentor them and help them understand the value of affinity marketing, referrals, and networking—not just social media!

Brilliant book and highly recommended.

Worth the Time

Excellent source for those lost in the grind to build a business. Must read for serious fitness business lifers

Proceed with caution!!!

Be careful with this book. It looks like a safe, normal, business book, but it has insidious plans. If you let it into your home it's probably going to change the way you view your existence.

If you aren't mindful you'll find yourself becoming more present, confident, and fully embracing your most authentic self. Horrible, right? Stay away, reader. Preserve your cynicism at all costs.

concise and meaningful

This is my favorite book in years. Truely inspiring. Unlike other books in this category, Goodman keeps stories brief and concise to make a point not brag.

Authentic truths

What a great book shifting my mind to measure what matters and helping align my thoughts on what I want out of life