The most competent people in business are always learning. Books can help us understand the skills needed to overcome challenges.
And the best way to learn from the best is by reading from entrepreneurs. We’ve compiled ten of our favourite books on entrepreneurship written by influential people to help you prepare for your eventual takeover of the business world.
They're inspiring, irreverent, and precisely what you need to get motivated and help you drive through the challenges and improve your business plan to become a successful entrepreneur.
“I insist on a lot of time being spent, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking and make fewer impulse decisions than most people in business.” Warren Buffet
10 Books For Your Shelf
1. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation To Create Radically Successful Businesses.
By Eric Ries
What's the difference between startups that fail and those that thrive? Ries claims it's his "Lean Startup" methodology for building a business.
In this book, he outlines a step-by-step approach to creating and managing successful startups, along with helpful anecdotes and stories from companies you respect.
Amazon Review: "Eric Ries proposes a model for managing something that traditionally has been somewhat unmanageable: An entrepreneurial startup business.
It's a good read, even if you're not in a startup business but want to use the same ideas for managing a new project, product launch, or service."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change.
By Stephen R. Covey
Covey shares his principle-centred approach to solving personal and professional problems in this bestseller. You'll learn how to adapt, take advantage of the opportunities change creates, and do it all with integrity.
Amazon Review: "This is a book you will want to read all the way through and then go back and work on each of the seven habits individually. Dr Covey can share the information in a practical way that can be applied to our personal life as well as family, business or any other relationships. The first three habits are personal and are part of the private victory; the next three habits deal with relationships and are part of the public victory. The last habit is self-renewal, the sharpening of the saw. There are so many nuggets of information in this book that you will find useful in your life."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
3. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.
by Timothy Ferriss
The title might seem too good to be true, but this book took the business world by storm. Ferriss explains how he went from earning $40,000 a year working 80 hours per week to bringing in $40,000 a month working just four hours per week. Are you going to Ferriss' four-hour workweek? Probably not. But you will gain helpful strategies for getting more from every hour of every day.
Amazon Review: "I am honestly not entirely sure what to say about this book. The message is to stop working harder and start working smarter. As a USA Today bestselling author with multiple number 1's under my belt, I wasn't completely sure how the advice in this book would apply to me. Still, I came up with several ways to implement this without quitting writing (to move into sales) or hiring a ghostwriter. I was uncertain how to take my personal development to the next level before buying this book. I'm now working more efficiently."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
4. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World.
By Gary Vaynerchuk
You can't have a list of entrepreneurial books without this classic from Gary Vee. In this book, Vaynerchuk outlines how to connect with customers and beat your competition on social media. Vaynerchuk's practical advice shows you how to transform traffic into sales for impressive results.
Amazon Review: "I read this book on a flight to go hear Gary V. speak in person. What I loved most about this book were the actual examples of posts on different social media platforms, with Gary explaining what's good or bad about what that company was doing in that post. I had several "Aha" moments"
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
5. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
By Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth is a psychologist who believes success has less to do with genius and more to do with the unique combination of passion and perseverance she calls grit. Duckworth as she studies cadets at West Point, teachers in some of the nation's toughest schools, and finalists in the National Spelling Bee to determine why some succeed and others do not.
Amazon Review: "Very informative book about the power of passion, hard work, and perseverance. The author provides plenty of examples that are relevant and easy to follow. The book is well organized and flows really well. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn how to improve their mindset or help improve the mindset of others."
You can purchase from Amazon here.
6. The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business.
By Clayton Christensen
Christensen's book is based on the idea that great companies fail because they do everything right.
You'll benefit from his analysis of changes in technology and the importance those changes have for a company's future.
Christensen also explains why it's so hard to sustain success and how to keep bad business from sneaking up on you.
Amazon Review: "Attention all future game-changers: If you want to change the world, you can't follow the world's rules. This book gives you a blueprint for action."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
7. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
By Malcolm Gladwell
Why are some of us great at making decisions while others struggle with choosing the right breakfast cereal in the morning? Why do some trust our instincts and others don't? "Blink" argues that great decision makers don't spend much time deliberating. Instead, they're great at filtering the factors that matter.
Amazon Review: "'Blink' is a work of intelligent teaching that, if you are willing, can teach you to trust your own instincts. There is a balance between subjective and objective decision making, and Malcolm Gladwell finds the common sense approach to finding that balance."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
8. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future.
By Peter Thiel
In this book, PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel break down his passion for doing something new. The next Bill Gates won't build operating systems, and the next Larry Page won't make search engines. Thiel argues that you don't have to worry about competition when you create something new.
Amazon Review: "'Zero to One' is a refreshing intellectual deep dive into the motives behind entrepreneurship. It's full of unique, practical insights and discusses success in terms of human nature and culture. Along with a business strategy, Thiel outlines how successful innovation shapes society."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
9. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.
By Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek wants you to be more inspired at work and, in turn, inspire others. He explains that the most influential leaders in the world all think, act, and communicate similarly. Throughout this book, you'll master Sinek's "Golden Circle" framework for building organisations and leading people in a way that sets your business apart.
Amazon Review: "'Start with Why' completely changed how I think about communication, but it's more than that. It's a beautiful philosophy encouraging an exploration of more profound meaning and purpose, and it's an insightful exploration of why some people and organisations are successful while others fail."
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here.
10. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
By James Clear
When was the last time you took a good look at your habits? You'll want to give Atomic Habits a read. This book offers tactical advice for forming more productive habits and letting go of habits that aren't serving you.
One of the core concepts in 'Atomic Habits' is to focus on minor improvements. For example, the impact a 1% improvement per day can make may appear negligible at first, but Clear makes a compelling argument that in the case of habits, thinking small produces the most significant results over time."
Amazon Review: "I've read a lot of books on changing behaviour and building habits, and James Clear's Atomic Habits is my new favourite. This book is different from others in the way it covers an enormous amount of ground in the larger area of self-improvement while seamlessly tying all these ideas back into the central theme of habits.
You can purchase from Amazon here or grab insights from Blinkist here
