An entrepreneur may be just starting out, or be the most successful in the world, however, the learning never stops.
Nobody can ever learn everything there ever is because the world is ever-evolving and is full of challenges. New competitors, new obstacles and new areas to explore.
Reading books can help you gain new perspectives, ideas and the privilege of avoiding the same mistakes as others made before you. The books mentioned below have everything from how to change your mindset to being highly effective and so much more. You also get to know how the founders of highly-successful businesses such as Apple, Paypal etc made it when they were just small-scale companies finding their way.
So, get started on some of the must-read books for entrepreneurs that talk about how to start and grow a venture of your own and everything in between. The habit of reading fuels success and helps you grow personally as well as professionally.
Here are the top 10 books in no particular orders to read as an entrepreneur:
1) “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
“Think and Grow Rich” is all about changing your mindset on a personal and professional level. A lot of people set goals, but never actually fulfilled them. However, reading this book will definitely change your perspective and mindset to actually hit the goals you set for yourself and your business.
2) “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey
This is a book where you always get to learn something new every time you read it. If you want to learn how to be a more successful entrepreneur than others and how to maintain that trajectory of growth and effectiveness, look no further.
I personally learnt a lot from reading this classic over and over again.
3) “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
The name itself is enchanting to all the people stuck in the cycle of the nine-to-five grind. It helps them dream and think bigger and is a must read for all the aspiring entrepreneurs. It’s all about creating passive sources of income because once you’re set up and things are running smoothly, you can devote only four hours a week to your business. This enables you to have the resources, time and financial freedom to pursue your buried passions.
4) “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki
“The Art of the Start” is a highly revered book that motivates you to kickstart the ideas you’ve been sitting on for a while. What makes this book eve more powerful is the fact that it comes from Guy Kawasaki, who was a marketing executive at Apple. He knows the ins and outs of jumpstarting a campaign or a business in the most effective manner.
5) “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is an exceptional motivational speaker and author who teaches people to ask the right questions and there is only one here: WHY?
It encourages leaders and innovators to inspire and uplift their co-workers by asking why should something happen or not? It makes people rethink and get a deeper understanding of all the tasks which leads to better decision making and efforts being directed at the correct place.
6) “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
Having great ideas, skills and resources is not enough on its own when it comes to business. Connections are equally important because they serve as doorways to opportunities. It is a must-read book for all the entrepreneurs for building interpersonal skills and cultivating meaningful relationships.
7) “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
A book title that makes you stop and think is what Daniel Kahneman came up with. The Nobel Prize winner talks about the psychology behind decision-making and the role played by fast and slow thinking. Since entrepreneurs have to constantly make decisions on a routine basis, it is crucial to have the correct mindset and understanding while doing so.
8) “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, the co-founder of Paypal has extremely valuable advice for budding entrepreneurs armed with ideas and aspirations to help them with the dos-and-dont’s before jumping into the field of business. It’s like having a highly sophisticated and reliable way of knowing if your idea is innovative, feasible and valuable enough to be turned into a company.
9) “Founders at Work” by Jessica Livingston
This is a great book that gives you insight into how it was like for founders of globally known and highly successful companies during their early years. From the likes of Apple, Paytm, Hotmail and so many more, you get the option to deep dive into how they came up with ideas and what it took to turn those ideas into million and billion dollar ventures.
10) “The Fire Starter Sessions” by Danielle LaPorte
Do you feel that you need that extra motivation and guidance to light the sparks of your inner flame that has been diminishing for a while now? Then this is the book for you. Laporte’s sixteen motivational sessions focus on providing you the tools you need to break out of the patterns and reasons that are holding you back from being successful.
The Bottom Line
As the owner of a startup or even a multi-million dollar conglomerate, there will always be days when you need some advice or just some reassurance that you are on the right path.
