The business book industry is huge with guidance available on every topic imaginable. For example, did you know you can buy books on how to organise calls and take contact information? Or on how to create a vision board? It’s all there on Amazon.
Fortunately, there are some books that do provide truly exceptional value and can literally change people’s lives. Here’s a list of my best books for entrepreneurs as well as some recommendations from other business leaders.
The 7 day startup
The 7 day startup by Dan Norris taught me to make decisions more quickly. As someone who had been dreaming about running a business for several years, I assumed it was too complicated. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it without lots of investment, time and support. The book teaches you that it’s better to make a poor decision than no decision at all because as a startup nothing is permanent. You can literally start a business with nothing but your brain – you just need a good idea and some enthusiasm.
Each day, you focus on a new element of the business – the name, the website, the marketing etc. He teaches you that it’s all simple and straightforward provided you’re able to go with your gut and make decisions.
If you’ve been putting off taking something further for a while, this book is for you. Even if your business is already set up, his approach should help you let go of worries and push yourself further.
24 Assets
In my opinion, Daniel Priestley writes the best books for entrepreneurs. His business, Dent Global, is a business incubator and he’s helped entrepreneurs all over the world to find success. My favourite one of this books is 24 Assets which shows you how to add incredible value to your business in the eyes of new employees, customers and investors. One such asset is the brand and that’s why I place so much importance on giving clients a strong brand to hang every other form of communication on.
Blue Ocean Strategy
Next on the list for the best books for entrepreneurs was recommended by Colleen Wong. The founder of TechSixtyFour and My Gator Watch, the wearable mobile phone and tracker made just for kids, she loved Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim.
She said, “The key takeaway is not to focus on how to beat your competition as there is always limited pie to go around. I build my brand by focusing on value innovation in hopes of creating a demand that didn’t even exist. I work to keep costs low and pass it on to my customer while keeping product quality high. We incorporate flexible working into every area of the business in order to create a culture that every stakeholder buys into. I change the game that everyone is playing. I want to create the first ever tech start up run only by flexible working staff. Imagine a tech start up run mainly by mums of toddlers that takes on world.”
Thinking Fast and Slow
“Thinking Fast and Slow is a brilliant read by a brilliant author. It is an analysis on the dichotomy of thought – one way your brain works is fast and instinctive, the other is slow and deliberate. On the face of it, it sounds unrelated to business. However, the more you read, the more fascinating the analysis becomes, allowing you to understand how these processes go on in the minds of your customers, your employees, yourself even. Reading the book will literally change the way you think, as well as helping you understand when to use each of those ways of thinking. It is without doubt the most useful book I have read for business.”
She Who Dares
When asked about the best books for entrepreneurs, Jo Maloney, Founder of PR agency Chocolate PR, recommended She Who Dares: A Collection Of Powerful Stories Written By The Female Founders Graduating From Female Success Network Class Of 2018.
Commenting on why she enjoyed the book so much, she said, “She Who Dares is a powerful movement to encourage & inspire aspiring female entrepreneurs. A variety of exceptional women describe how they embraced their entrepreneurial spirit, overcame adversity & broke boundaries to achieve their version of success.”
Black Box Thinking
Caroline Pegden of TempaGoGo, an online temporary recruitment marketplace, recommends Matthew Syed’s Black Box Thinking.
She said the book “really helped us frame our company culture. What inspires us most about the book are the following concepts:
Zero to One
Business for Punks
Chris Stimson, founder of ethical LED lighting specialist Well-Lit, recommends Business For Punks: Break All the Rules–the BrewDog Way by BrewDog founder James Watt.
He commented, “The most non nonsense, no BS, real world advice I’ve ever read. How not to conform, how to be different, how to excel when power organisations are trying to stop you and using it against them ! Utterly brilliant”
The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry
Shoe Dog
He loves it because “This book tells the story of Nike, the global sportswear powerhouse. What makes Shoe Dog so valuable, interesting and useful, though, is the fact that it really delves into the early years of the company – its growth from Phil Knight in his basement with 20 pairs of shoes, to the huge brand we all know today. Most of all, this ‘warts and all’ story delivers an important lesson about how growing a company is messy, complicated and mistake-ridden. It’s a rollercoaster from despair to euphoria. It’s both massively entertaining and illuminating at the same time.”
The Big Leap
She Means Business
Cruelty-free bag brand Katherena founder, Katie Sykes loved She Means Business by Carrie Green.
Speaking about why it had such an impact on her, Katie said, “She Means Business was a lesson on mindset really. It made me think about how important it is to believe in myself and chase my dreams. I went on to join the She Means Business Facebook group and still watch training webinars from Carrie Green every now and then.”
Good to Great
Nila Holden, who helps food and drink entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses, chose Good to Great by Jim Collins.
She said, “It gave me the inspiration and insight to take the long term view and build a great brand, rather than chasing quick money.”
Measure What Matters
Rob Hartley, Co-founder at Get Dinghy, the ethical insurance provider for freelancers, cites Measure what Matters by John Doerr as his favourite book. He said, “It is the best book on Objectives and Key Result (OKRs) and why this practice of goal setting matters to any stage business. Containing real life examples it helps you see how effective OKRs are and how they can be implemented successfully.”
Just Survive Somehow
A book that is very close to my heart because it was written by the Managing Director of one of Upmarketry’s clients’ The Point.1888, is Just Survive Somehow by Will Stewart. Providing a powerful perspective on the first year in the life of a business, the book teaches you how to value you time and not waste it, how to build resilience and to recognise that building a business means building a brand.
Building a Storybrand
Million Dollar Consulting
If you run a service business, you’re bound to have struggled at one point or another with how to set your rates. You know what you’re worth but sometimes if a client challenges the price, it can make you doubt yourself. With Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss, you’ll learn how to:
-Maximize fees by adopting a “value mindset”
-Build a successful model for marketing remotely
-Form powerful alliances to increase reach and impact, and much more.
Originally written in 2009, Alan has worked hard to keep the content updated with the times and this year he launched the sixth edition of the book.
The E-myth Revisited
When I asked my network for recommendations for this blog post on the best books for entrepreneurs, I received not one but two votes for The E-myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber. Andrew Spiers of web agency Lens Digital and business coach Charlie Lock both found the book incredibly insightful for starting and growing a business. It walks you through the steps in the life of a company, from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective.
The 10x Rule: The only difference between success and failure
The Successful Mumpreneur
For all the mothers out there who are growing their own businesses while working just as hard keeping the kids happy and alive, why not try The Successful Mumpreneur. This was recommended by Justine Perry of Digital Marketing Agency Cariad Marketing. The book was written by Debbie Gilbert to help readers understand how to work flexibly around their families while doing what they love. With case studies, FAQs and a whole lot more, it’s one I’ll be adding to my reading list.
The 4 hour work week
And to finish off with one more of my favourites….. Timothy Ferris had international success with The Four Hour Work Week because he introduced new ideas to help you achieve more in less time. Who doesn’t want that?
From skim reading to checking emails only once a day, he introduces you to a ton of clever hacks suitable for the self-employed and those working for other companies.
I think the main takeaway for me was to assign a financial value to my time. If I determine that an hour of my time is worth £X and I could get a task done by someone else for half that time, enabling me to spend my time much more wisely, then that’s a good business decision. From outsourcing to cheaper experts to trying virtual assistants in India to tackle all your admin for a few pounds per hour, you’ll learn how to make much better use of your time but still get everything you need to do, done.
No matter how limited your time may be at the moment, find an opportunity to read one of these books. It could transform the future of your business.
