18 Best Books To Read For Entrepreneurs For Business Success
FULL DISCLOSURE: This page contains affiliate links which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Why reading is important for entrepreneurs?
Reading is one of the most important things you can do to improve your business skills. It helps you learn about new business concepts, strategies, and techniques that can help you be successful. It also allows you to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the business world.
By reading entrepreneur books, you can learn how to start and grow your own business. You can also learn from the experiences of other entrepreneurs, which can help you avoid common mistakes.
Last but not least, reading is like getting nutrients for your mind. It helps you grow and develop as a person. As an entrepreneur, you need to constantly be learning and growing to be successful.
Introducing 18 best books to read for entrepreneurs
The top 18 business books for entrepreneurs include the following. These books are packed with information that will help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The Lean Startup is a book for entrepreneurs about how to start and grow a business. It teaches entrepreneurs how to be innovative and efficient with their time and resources. This book is a must-read for anyone starting a business.
The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ Demarco
The Millionaire Fastlane is a book about achieving financial independence through entrepreneurship. It teaches entrepreneurs how to create wealth and build successful businesses quickly by creating and selling high-value products and services.
This book is ideal for anyone who wants to become a millionaire entrepreneur.
The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman
The Start-Up of You is a book about taking control of your career and building a successful business by leveraging your personal strengths and connections. Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and partner at Greylock Partners, offers practical advice on how to create a personal brand, develop valuable skills, and network with the right people.
He also provides case studies of successful people, including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. It teaches entrepreneurs how to use technology to their advantage and network with others to achieve success. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to start their own business.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness is a book about how to create a successful and rewarding business by delivering happiness to their loyal customers and using happiness as a business strategy. It teaches entrepreneurs how to create a company culture that employees will love working for and potential customers will love doing business with.
This book is ideal for any entrepreneur who wants their company to be successful both financially and emotionally.
The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change) by Clayton M. Christensen
The Innovator's Dilemma is a book about how successful companies can become obsolete if they don't embrace change. It teaches entrepreneurs how to stay ahead of the curve by being innovative and adaptive and spot opportunities and create innovative products that will disrupt existing markets.
This book is essential reading for any entrepreneur who wants their business to stay competitive in today's marketplace.
First Things First by Stephen Covey
First Things First is a book about time management core principles that can be applied to all aspects of life, including work and family responsibilities. It teaches entrepreneurs how to prioritize tasks to achieve success in all areas of their lives.
This book is perfect for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the demands of entrepreneurship.
E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth Revisited is a book about starting and running a business. It covers the myths that many people have about business, and dispels them with factual information.
The book also provides guidance on how to start and run a successful business by understanding the myths that often prevent them from doing so.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
If you're looking to start your own business, The 4-Hour Workweek is a must read. In it, Timothy Ferriss lays out a step-by-step guide for how to achieve success while working less. He offers tips and tricks for streamlining your workflow, automating your business processes, and outsourcing the tasks you don't have time for.
The end result? You'll be able to work just four hours per week and still enjoy the same level of success you would if you were working full-time.
Getting Things Done by David Allen
If you're looking for a productivity system that will help you get more done, “Getting Things Done” is the book for you. David Allen's system has been used by millions of people around the world, and it's helped many of them achieve remarkable levels of productivity.
In this book, Allen explains his system in detail and provides tips and tricks for implementing it in your own life.
Click Millionaires by Scott Fox
This book is the book I read when I was just starting out in 2014. It gave me a lot of ideas and is an inspiring book for me to start my online business. It's all about how to create a successful online business through various means such as website development, online marketing, and product creation.
It covers topics such as affiliate marketing, list building, and traffic generation. If you're looking to start an online business, this is a great place to start. It's also a great read for entrepreneurs who are looking to create an online presence and make some extra cash on the side.
The $100 Startup by Chris Gillebeau
In this book, Chris Gillebeau details how to achieve success with a small amount of capital. He profiles 50 entrepreneurs who have bootstrapped their businesses with limited resources and achieved great success.
If you're looking for creative ways to start your business on a shoestring budget and inspiration, this is the perfect read for you.
Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive by Dorie Clark
In “Entrepreneurial You”, Dorie Clark outlines how to turn your skills and expertise into a successful business. She provides guidance on how to identify your niche, develop products or services based on that niche, and create a revenue stream around your new venture.
She also provides tips and actionable advice on how to create multiple streams of income and thrive as an entrepreneur. This book is perfect for entrepreneurs who are looking to build a business around what they know best.
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
This book is all about using obstacles and setbacks as a way to become stronger and more successful. Ryan Holiday draws on the stories of historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius and Steve Jobs to illustrate his points.
It teaches you how to turn difficult situations into opportunities for growth. If you're struggling with self-doubt or fear or if you're facing difficult challenges in your business, this book can help you overcome those obstacles.
The Entrepreneur Mind by Kevin D. Johnson
This book is all about the entrepreneurial mindset of successful entrepreneurs. Kevin D. Johnson shares his insights on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. It provides insights and entrepreneurial advice on topics such as risk-taking, , innovation, perseverance, goal-setting, and networking.
If you want to learn what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, this is the book for you.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
In Zero to One, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel discusses what it takes to create a successful startup. He argues that businesses should focus on monopolies rather than creating small improvements on existing products or services.
Thiel also believes that startups should strive to be unique and not just copycat businesses.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
The Hard Thing About Hard Things is a guide for entrepreneurs who are experiencing difficult times in their businesses. Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and former CEO of Opsware, offers entrepreneurial advice on how to manage employees, make tough decisions, and raise money in a tough economy.
He also shares personal stories about his own experiences as an entrepreneur.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Start with Why explores the concept of “leadership,” and why some people are better at inspiring others than others. Sinek argues that great leaders always start from a place of WHY they do things – their motivation comes from wanting to make a difference rather than simply making money.
He uses case studies such as Apple, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers to illustrate his points.
The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
The Personal MBA is an instructional book for self-taught entrepreneurs who want to learn more about business concepts. Kaufman, an entrepreneur himself, offers lessons on topics such as accounting, finance, marketing, and operations.
He also includes exercises and quizzes so that readers can test their knowledge of each topic.
The benefits of reading these entrepreneurial books
Each of these 18 best books to read for entrepreneurs offers valuable insights into entrepreneurship that can help you build a successful business. They cover a range of topics, from starting a company to growing it to becoming a millionaire. Reading these entrepreneurial books will help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed as an entrepreneur.
How to apply the lessons learned from these books to your business
Each book offers different lessons that you can apply to your business. However, there are some general tips that apply to all of them:
1) Be prepared to work hard – success as an entrepreneur doesn’t come easy;
2) Stay focused on your goals and make sure your actions are in line with them;
3) Learn from your mistakes and find ways to improve; and
4) Keep learning and expanding your knowledge base.
And don't just passively read, take notes and think about how you can apply what you learn to your business while you are reading. I started by writing linear notes in my journal on the books I read and over time evolved to drawing mind maps on the essential concepts of the book. This will help you retain and recall the key ideas when you need them.
Conclusion
If you're an entrepreneur, reading books on business is a must. The 18 best books to read for entrepreneurs we've listed will help you learn essential skills and knowledge that will help you succeed in your business ventures. Each book offers different insights, but they all have one thing in common – they teach you how to be successful as an entrepreneur. So pick up a few of these books and get started on the road to entrepreneurial success today!
FAQ
What if I have no time to read or I just don't like reading?
If you are short of time to read, you can block out time for reading on a daily basis. You can start small by reading 5 to 10 minutes or by reading one or two pages. If it's important enough, you will schedule it. I have it as part of my morning routine to read ebook summary a day.
You can also try speed reading, which is a great way to get through a lot of information quickly. There are a few different ways to speed read, but the basic idea is to read multiple words at once or multiple lines at once.
If you don't like reading. You can listen to Audio books, which is a great way to get through a book quickly if you're short on time. You can also use the MS Edge browser settings, which allows you to listen to books while you're working on other things. This is great if you want to get through a book quickly but don't have time to sit down and read it. I have made a video on how to do this and you can check it out below:
All you need is one great idea from a book to make it worth your while and there are plenty of great books out there for entrepreneurs.