MY LIST OF THE 11 BEST BOOKS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
There are many interesting and educational books that I feel would be beneficial for all entrepreneurs to read. I know that a lot of you might have already read some or most of these books, but these books are some of the ones I feel are the “basic” books that everyone should read at least once.
1. “Think and Grow Rich.” by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill teaches that your mindset is the key to riches. “Riches begin in the form of thought!”
Gathered from the interviews of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and some of the most successful men in this country, Hill lays out a guide on how you can live your life to become successful.
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
2. “The Richest Man in Babylon.” by George S. Clason
“Money is governed today by the same laws which controlled it when prosperous men thronged the streets of Babylon.”
The laws of money never change. From the past, the present and in the future!
My favorite quotes from this book:
“I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep.”
The inspiration I got from the quote:
Pay yourself first!
3. “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” by Robert Kiyosaki
This book tells the the story of Robert Kiyosaki’s two dads. One is his real dad who believes in getting a good education, then finding a good job and staying there and retiring.
His “other” dad is his best friends dad, who is an entrepreneur, and believes in starting a business, investing your money and then letting your money work for you.
What I really learned from this book is to know the difference between an asset, something that puts money in your pocket and a liability, something that takes money out of your pocket. That is the most important distinction to recognize if you want to get rich.
4. “$100 Startup.” by Charles Lebeau
In this book, Charles Lebeau presents success stories of business owners who started with very little money. He demonstrates that you don’t need a lot of money to start a successful business.
What I learned from this book is, you don’t need a ton of money to start a business. You need to have an idea, see an opportunity and have the drive to make it happen!
5. “The Lean Startup.” by Eric Ries
Most startups end up failing, but many of these failures are preventable.
Eric Ries provides a different approach, the idea is to build companies that are both more efficient and leverage human creativity more effectively.
Businesses need to adjust and adapt, and ”The Lean Startup” will show you how!
6. “The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5,
Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.”
by Tim Ferriss
Being an entrepreneur is a great way to take control of your life and enjoy what you do. You have more choices on when and where you work and how you do it.
After reading this book I believe the key to escaping the rat race is to outsource. If you can pay someone else to do a job for less money than you can make doing a more important job, then you save money and time. You can eliminate a huge chunk of your work, make more money, and live your dream life!
7. “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” by Dale Carnegie
Carnegie believes the best characteristic an entrepreneur can have is the ability to communicate well with others. He breaks down the steps you need to take to make friends and connect with people.
He shows how to make people feel appreciated and loved and how to value others.
This is a “timeless” book and adds value to entrepreneurs, businesses and readers of all ages!
8. “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” by Stephen R. Covey
This book by Stephen Covey is a classic! It is a book that every business owner should have and keep accessible. It is a book to read over and over again to help you grow as person, an entrepreneur and a business owner.
9. “The E-Myth Revisited.” by Michael E. Gerber
In the revised edition of the bestseller, “The E-Myth”, Michael Gerber debunks some of the myths that may confuse you while starting your own business.
When coming up with an idea for your business or just starting it, you’ll get advice from everywhere. While your family and friends have good intentions, they can end up getting in the way of being able to run or start your business.
This book addresses the myths and bad advice for beginning your start-up and growing an idea into a successful business.
While I don’t usually rate books on how much they can help someone’s success in business, I would probably give this book a #1!
Read this book! Gerber will take you through the steps of running a business from beginning to end.
10. “Rework.” by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
“Rework” will show you how to have a different attitude about your business with more emphasis on actually starting the business instead of over thinking every aspect of planning.
While other books may give you instructions on writing a business plan, tell you to study the market and find financing, the authors of this book tell you to act on your dreams and START NOW!
11. “Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way.” by Richard Branson
“Losing My Virginity” is an autobiography of one of the greatest business geniuses in the world.
Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Records, Virgin Media and many other companies in the Virgin Group.
Branson grew his fortune by following a simple philosophy: “Screw it, let’s do it”
WHY YOU SHOULD READ MORE BOOKS
Do you remember as a child, when you first learned to read, how it opened up the world to you? At that point, anything you wanted to know, any question you had, you could find the answer in a book.
For some of us, as we got older, the magic faded away. We got involved in other things and reading became less exciting. It’s hard to believe, but the average person reads just one book a year.
In my opinion, it is important for everyone to read more. However, with this blog being about making money, I thought I would focus on the importance of entrepreneurs and business owners reading more books. It may surprise you, but the average entrepreneur reads at least 60 books a year.
It may seem obvious that someone who wants to start a business or run their current business, would want to read books on the subject of business, especially in their field of interest. Reading books will encourage self-improvement, self-education and success.
To an entrepreneur and business owner, books can be a source of business strategies and inspiration. Books provide suggestions and tips and they help develop skills.
But, entrepreneurs should read more than just information about their specific field. Reading books about many subjects such as fiction, philosophy, science, engineering, technology, physics and business lead to greater creativity and problem solving ability.
The more you read, the more you build your vocabulary and not only will you be able to communicate better with those around you, you’ll be able to understand others better. Those are skills that every entrepreneur and business owner need.
The information that you’ll find in books can help you start your business, run your business and help you in many ways to succeed as a person. You should set aside time each day to read and make sure that you consistently stick to that schedule.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found this list of books interesting. I love reading and sharing the thoughts of successful business owners, and plan on writing reviews on more books that are true to the entrepreneurial spirit. Please send in any comments or questions and please share this site with your friends.
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