Entrepreneurship is a constant learning process that will be full of peaks and valleys. Every entrepreneur should strive to gain knowledge from those who have come before him and learn from their successes and failures.
One of the best ways to soak up all that knowledge is by reading, and there’s no shortage of fantastic books out there to learn from. If you’re looking for some fuel to feed your entrepreneurial spirit, here are 25 of the best business books you can pick up.
1. Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie
First, the founder of TOMS shoes isn’t a guy named Tom, but Blake Mycoskie. In his book Start Something That Matters, Mycoskie details not just how he created a successful company but one that made a real difference for millions of lives across the world. It’s an inspiring read that’s sure to push entrepreneurs to build something that matters.
2. Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn
Taking a business idea and bringing it to market is risky, no matter what the business may be. Here in Will It Fly? Flynn doesn’t merely caution readers against moving forward with half-baked ideas but shows them how to separate the good ideas from the bad and offers a roadmap for actually launching a business that has solid wings to fly with.
3. #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
A true rags-to-riches story that embraces the hustle of the entrepreneurial spirit, Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso’s business memoir is guaranteed to inspire female entrepreneurs for years to come. Amoruso details in #Girlboss how her small eBay business grew into a clothing retailer powerhouse that she could never have imagined. Amoruso provides witty and helpful business insights from trusting your instincts to know when to break the rules.
4. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
A little motivation can go a long way in helping a business idea get off the ground — even if there’s not a lot of money in the bank. Author Chris Guillebeau lays out a convincing argument in The $100 Startup that it’s not money that determines a business’s chances of success but something intangible. Guillebeau presents 50 success stories of entrepreneurs who made an impact, even without vast piles of cash.
5. Good to Great by Jim Collins
In Good to Great, Jim Collins looks at 28 companies over the last 20 years and what practices they’ve implemented that helped them rise to the top. The book sheds valuable light on management strategy and how to create a business culture that rises above mediocrity and, instead, yields the sort of results that other businesses want to mimic for themselves.
In short, if you want your business to go from being good to something truly remarkable, this read is a great tool to help.
6. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
One of the most popular novels with business leaders and CEOs, The Fountainhead is sure to add fuel to the fire for any entrepreneur. First published in 1943, it continues to inspire entrepreneurs who want to forge their path. Self-made billionaire Mark Cuban said that it should be “required reading” for every entrepreneur.[1]
7. Rhinoceros Success by Scott Alexander
For entrepreneurs to find long-standing success, charging full speed ahead with the power of a rhinoceros is essential. Written in 1980 but still incredibly relevant and inspiring today, Rhinoceros Success looks at how to throw oneself completely into a goal and the reality of what it ultimately takes to build and create a successful business and career.
8. Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey and
Raj Sisodia
John Macky founded Whole Foods and helped redefine what a grocery store could be. Here in Conscious Capitalism, with co-author Raj Sisodia, Mackey looks at how to build a business that aims for a higher purpose than just making a profit. Creating a business where capitalism and values are on the same team isn’t always easy, but as Mackey and Sisodia show, it’s a doable goal worth striving for.
9. The Glitter Plan by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor
Juicy Couture is a million-dollar fashion brand, but it all started with just $200. Part business memoir and part how-to guide, company founders Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor deliver a highly entertaining and informative read that reveals the story behind their success and lessons learned along the way in The Glitter Plan.
10. The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Nobody gets through life without running into obstacles and hardships. While some might falter, others persevere to even greater heights. So what separates these two groups of people? Author Ryan Holiday writes in The Obstacle Is the Way in great detail why the principles of a Roman emperor were so powerful when employed by everyone from John D. Rockefeller and Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant and Steve Jobs when they were faced with adversity.
11. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph
The Wall Street Journal called That Will Never Work details how the idea of Netflix changed entertainment as we know it, “an engaging read that will engross any would-be entrepreneur.” [2]
The Netflix co-founder’s read functions as both a highly-entertaining history of Netflix’s creation and a source of advice on how to start what ultimately became a billion-dollar company. From how to move past disappointment to defining success, it’s one of the best business books of the last several years.
12. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
While there’s plenty of business knowledge to be pulled from Gladwell’s book, Outliners: The Story of Success is by no means your ordinary business how-to book. Gladwell takes a highly fascinating look at everything from the rock stardom of The Beatles to tech giant Bill Gates and how not just the 10,000-hour rule plays a part in success, but how one makes the most of all those hours. No matter what your profession, there are nuggets of insight that all entrepreneurs will find useful within the book’s pages.
13. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
You’d be hard-pressed not to find The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People on a “best of” list for entrepreneurs. It’s a book that every entrepreneur should at least read, if not own. Author Stephen R. Covey lays out a clear pathway for developing the habits that lead to success in work and creating a life of integrity that makes a lasting impact.
14. Self Made by Nely Galán
Regarding the entertainment industry, Nely Galán has reached the top as the former president of Telemundo. In her memoir, Galán recounts the challenges she faced as a Hispanic woman in the television business and how her pull-no-punches attitude helped her create and climb her career ladder.
Galán doesn’t just write about what she’s accomplished in the book Self-Made but offers motivation and advice for every person who wants to create their self-made path to success.
15. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
Money guru Davey Rasey has built his radio show into a financial advice empire and has put the principles he used into this book EntreLeadership. Ramsey lays out tips for finding and leading the right people and how to turn obstacles into advantages as your business grows. In their review, The Simple Dollar called it the “best single book on entrepreneurship” yet.[3]
16. Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
With accolades from Bill Gates to Tony Robbins, Principles examines the code that guides Ray Dalio’s life and how he founded and grew the investment firm Bridgewater Associates. From goal setting to the importance of transparency and honesty, Dalio provides a blueprint for his business success and evidence of how it’s touched nearly every aspect of his life.
17. Rise and Grind by Daymond John
Daymond John is no stranger to fans of the hit entrepreneur pitch T.V. show Shark Tank. Before John invested and mentored young companies, he was carving out his path with the FUBU clothing brand. The lessons and advice that John doles out in rising And Grind are just as applicable to today’s entrepreneurs as they were in the 1990s when he launched his brand with a $40 budget.
18. To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink
Even if you’re not technically in sales, having sales skills will always add value to your profession. Author Daniel Pink delivers apparent and easy-to-follow advice on how entrepreneurs can use proven sales techniques in their businesses and lives in To Sell Is Human. Knowing how to utilize the art of persuasion is an invaluable skill for motivation, and Pink’s book offers sound knowledge on the subject.
19. Zero to One by Peter Thiel
An inspiring read for anybody with an entrepreneurial spirit, Zero To One makes Thiel’s case for why now is the best time to be an entrepreneur and how to think like an innovator. The book has been praised for offering fresh and inspiring ideas by a who’s who of the tech world, including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
20. Atomic Habits by James Clear
Good habits help you in business and life, while bad habits can unravel everything you’ve worked for. Good habit formation isn’t easy, but the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, makes his case for why it’s so essential and provides a proven formula for putting good habits in place while identifying and dropping the bad ones.
21. The Creative Curve by Allen Gannett
Creativity is critical for entrepreneurs, but not everyone is creative, or more accurately, not everyone thinks they’re clever.
Allen Gannett believes everyone can learn to harness the creative spark inside them; it’s all about applying the laws of the creative curve. In The Creative Curve, Gannett combines real-life stories and how-to advice for entrepreneurs to harness their creative spirit.
22. Success Never Smelled So Sweet by Lisa Pierce and Hilary Beard
Failure is something that every successful entrepreneur is familiar with, and it’s how they learn from it that ultimately leads to fruitful endeavors. Lisa Pierce and Hilary Beard’s layout in Success Never Smelled So Sweet is a personal story that details not just the setbacks and obstacles she once faced as a black woman who was saddled with debt, but how she learned to tackle each problem and build the L.E. Beauty company.
For those who may be wondering if it’s possible to leave behind the 9-to-5 Grind, Pierce and Beard prove it’s doable and worthwhile.
23. Start by Jon Acuff
According to author Jon Acuff, there are only two paths in life: average and excellent. The middle path, of course, is the one of least resistance but less rewarding. Staying on the unique way is easier said than done, but Acuff provides a map in Start for how to start down this path, push past the problems that arise, and ultimately create work that matters.
24. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Technology has provided a natural opportunity for legal industry entrepreneurs, and a massive part of that is recognizing how to build good products and services. The Lean Startup does just that, and author Eric Ries provides sound advice on vetting new ideas and products when starting a new company. Entrepreneurs will find Ries’s methods and examples both insightful and, most importantly, practical.
25. Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Bringing about real change is a difficult thing to make happen, and according to Switch, three things must occur: direction, motivation, and shape. There’s more to it than that, and the Heaths provide plenty of real examples from the business world, such as the successful 1 percent milk campaign. There’s a certain psychology to creating change, and Switch helps uncover some of that mystery.
26. The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Generosity and business domination aren’t two things that often go hand-in-hand, but The Go-Giver highlights why the old proverb “give, and you shall receive” is so meaningful for entrepreneurs. Written as a novel, the book functions as a blueprint for how to create a significant business that adds real value to all the lives it impacts.
27. Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Social media plays a massive role in the brand identity of today’s businesses. In Crushing It! Gary Vaynerchuk offers entrepreneurs evidence-based examples of how-to and how-not-to use social media platforms to build a framework that creates industry influence. While the world of social media is constantly changing, Vaynerchuk manages to create a practical guide that applies to both big and small social media platforms.
28. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
With a four-star rating and over 48,000 reviews on Good Reads, many people find real value in Ben Horowitz’s helpful but brutally honest advice in The Hard Thing About Hard Things. A must-read for anyone who’s just earned their MBA, Horowitz offers no-nonsense advice on the challenges that you’ll face when starting a business and how to push past them.
29. The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman
This is one of the best business books out there for new entrepreneurs. The Founder’s Dilemmas provides readers with a guide to mistakes that could threaten their business. The most impactful leaders learn to avoid mistakes by watching others, and this read aims to help readers see those hazards and pitfalls from a mile away and how to best prevent them.
30. Mistakes I Made at Work by Jessica Bacal
Occasionally screwing up on the job is a part of life, and nobody’s immune to it, whether they’re a CEO, professional athlete, or world-famous rock star. Mistakes I Made at Work isn’t an entrepreneur’s memoir but a collection of the harsh lessons from various successful women.
From the tech sector to professional sports, author Jessica Bacal’s interviews provide real insight and valuable lessons that the next generation of successful women can find real value in.
| [1] | ^ | Business Insider: Mark Cuban Reveals The Best And Worst ‘Shark Tank’ Pitches And More |
| [2] | ^ | The Wall Street Journal: ‘That Will Never Work’ Review: Streaming Ahead |
| [3] | ^ | The Simple Dollar: Review: EntreLeadership |
