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Books play an important role in almost everything, whether you are going to start your own business, find motivation, self-improvement, learn something new, or entertain yourself and it’s nowhere wrong that books are an essential part of our life’s journey.
And,
People like you, who are striving to start a successful business, just need to read books business books because books give you the proper knowledge and guidance about what you are going to do and the best approach for getting things done smoothly.
As you know Reading is fundamental, and continuity is the key to success, reading books regularly can help you in many more things such as developing new skills, becoming a better decision-maker and problem solver, improving yourself, becoming more creative, and ultimately leading to success.
For entrepreneurs, books are their second home because more than their college studies, they learned things from books because business books are a mixture of emotion, creativity, failure lessons, motivation, planning, strategies, success, and yeah heartwarming inspirational stories of successful leaders.
and, that is the reason why successful people have a habit of reading, like…
Bill Gates reads about 50 books in a year, Oprah Winfrey (the most successful woman) calls reading her path to personal freedom, and yeah Warren buffet spent 80% of their time reading.
That’s the reason everyone focuses on reading books because what make other successful can also help you make your business succeed.
So, here are those 12 business books you need to start your journey.
These business books are best for beginners and are already power-packed with the right strategies and experiences that lead to success especially when you are just starting.
So, keep reading…
1. Start With Why – by SIMON SINEK
GOODREADS SCORE: 4.10
Written by Simon Sinek in 2011, this book outlines the theory of effective leadership skills. The book is based on Simon’s TED talk he gave in 2009 which went viral and garnered millions of views.
In his TED Talk, Simon explains why it’s important to start your business with a WHY question and why most entrepreneurs fail to build a successful business and what they need to do.
In a Single Sentence, he tries to answer a single question “how do entrepreneurs think and how do they need to think”.
Let me explain, entrepreneurs know what they do, and how they do it, but very few of them know why they do it. They first think about WHAT, then HOW, and finally WHY. So, instead of going from WHAT to WHY, go from WHY to WHAT, because when we start with WHY it reinforces our purpose of doing.
And, it is called the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek because it is not just an approach, it is a framework upon which a business or organization can be built.
My View: An absolute masterpiece by Simon Sinek describes how a simple change can lead your business to success. This is one of my favorite business books and a must-read for all beginner Entrepreneurs.
2. The 5 levels of Leadership – by J.C MAXWELL
Goodreads Score: 4.30
What does leadership mean to you? This isn’t a tricky question, I think most of you answer it in under 10 sec, but what you know isn’t totally right, and this book “Five Levels of Leadership” explain what actually leadership means.
Written by Jhon Maxwell this book outlines all 5 stages of Leadership, Position (level 1), Permission (level 2), Production (level3), People Development (level 4), and Pinnacle (level 5). This book also explains how to identify which level of Leader you are and how to get to the next level.
This book teaches you what actually a good leader is like and why every Business needs more level 5 leaders and how you as a leader can go to the top of all. But if you think you are the best, then give yourself some time to read this book. Just because having words like Manager, CEO, or something like this in your Job title doesn’t mean you are a great leader.
My View: If you are a beginner or just started your business then give some quality time to this book, because no matter what you are, who you are, or where you are this book has something to teach you on your way to becoming a great leader.
3. Think and Grow Rich – by NAPOLEON HILL
Goodreads Score: 4.18
An international bestseller, Think and Grow Rich summarizes Hill’s interviews with over 500 self-made millionaires (including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnage), which he breaks down into 13 steps to Personal Success.
However, the philosophy of personal success described in this book is not about increasing your wealth, but Hill clarifies that the ultimate goal of the book is to help people become self Aware in every aspect of life (physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially).
The book teaches how to train your mind to achieve
My View: A must-read self-help book for everyone. No matter who you are and what you conceive, this book will help you achieve.
4. How to win Friends and Influence People – by DALE CARNEGIE
Goodreads Score: 4.21
With over 10 million copies sold, “How to win Friends and Influence People” becomes the first choice of every entrepreneur, business owner, millionaire, student, and everyone who wants to build trust, handle people, be a leader, or want to improve themself.
Published in 1936, Authored by Dale Carnegie, the book aims at how to change other people’s behavior with your Influence. It teaches you how to communicate with people, understand people, influence people, handle people, win people’s trust, be a good leader, change people’s behavior, and many more things that help you succeed.
In this book, Dale Carnegie gives 30 principles which are separated into 4 parts, from handling people to changing them with your leadership. Since 1936, this book has helped millions of people on their way and the principles laid down in this book are as effective today as they were in the 90s.
My View: This is one of the Classical self-help books that every successful people recommend. If you are an Entrepreneur then this book will help you in make your team work more productive.
5. The Lean Startup – by ERIC RIES
Goodreads Score: 4.11
Starting a business is not rocket science but making that business successful and profitable in minimal time and with less effort is based on Science, and that’s what Ries explained in his book “The Lean Startup”.
In this book, Ries shares a systematic, cost-effective, and scientific way to start, manage, and grow your startup, which he divided into 3 stages, Vision (where you think of your Business Idea), Steer (where you test your idea with your MVP), and Accelerate (when your idea worked and you start to expand).
Ries uses real-life case studies to define the principles of the book, in fact, the name Lean Startup came from Toyota’s lean manufacturing revolution led by Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo.
In Ries words, with the Lean Startup method, an organization can eventually stop wasting time and effort, test their ideas in the real world with minimal cost, create products in a timely manner that will be of interest to users, adds value to their lives and can lead to success.
My View: The book’s concept is followed by the worlds leading companies including Dropbox. It gives you a scientific way of validating your business in the real world.
6. The $100 Startup – by CHRIS GUILLEBEAU
Goodreads Score: 3.87
What does it cost to start your own business out of your 9 to 5 job? In Chris’s words, you can start it with $100 (a round figure). After visiting more than 175 nations and meeting over 1500 individuals making $50,000 or more from a modest investment, Chris uncovers some key strategies for making it happen with just $100 even if you have no special skills.
This book has a very different angle, it doesn’t about how to start a business instead this book is about how to restructure your living, create a new future, and attain freedom by following your passion and doing what you love to do.
The Author also argues that turning your small ideas into a meaningful journey doesn’t need an MBA, a fancy Business Plan, a multiplex, or even hundreds of employees. All you need is a product or service born out of your Passion, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.
Never teach a man to fish — Sell him the fish instead.Chris Guillebeau, The $100 Startup
My View: If you have an idea and the passion to execute it, this book will help you turn your idea into a thriving business.
7. Will it Fly – by PAT FLYNN
GOODREADS SCORE: 3.88
Got a world-changing idea but are not sure that it works or not, don’t worry everyone who has an idea has the same problem but one person figures it out, and give some actionable tips to test your next business idea so that you don’t waste your time, money, and effort into it.
Authored by Pat Flynn this book has everything to test your newly born idea in the real world before investing your time and money in making it. Nourished by real tips and advice the book is divided into 5 main sections. Mission Design (where you discover whether your idea is aligned with you and your life goals or not. Development Lab (where you actually define what actually your Idea is), Flight Planning (where you do the market research to know what’s going into your space), Flight Simulator (where you test your idea in the real world, whether it works or not), All System Go (where you start scaling your idea into a full-scale business).
The author argues that when it comes to starting a business you need to experiment because when you experiment you know whether or not somebody actually pays for what is it that you have to offer. And, when you do that you gain Confidence and motivation to do that work.
My View: Testing your business idea is essential, and this book teaches you the right way to test your business idea so, you put your time, energy, and money into the right things.
8. Zero to One – by PETER THIEL
Goodreads Score: 4.18
Zero to One, What does it mean? well, Peter answers it in a different way, Doing something that nobody had done before. You also pronounce it as Innovation. Let me explain in the author’s words, when you do something that already exists or had done before then it’s going from One to n and it is defined as Horizontal Progress, and doing something that had never been done before means it’s going from Zero to One and this is defined as Vertical Progress by Peter.
In his book, Peter puts his own experience from PayPal and Palantir for entrepreneurs to make a change that they believe. The main goal of the book is to unlock the power of innovation with help of technology. The book is well written and framed with advice and tips along with real-life examples, that you cannot stop yourself from reading the book.
My View: Zero to One answers the questions every beginner entrepreneurs have in beginning including you. This is a must-read self-help business book for every entrepreneur.
9. Rework – by JASON FRIED and DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
Goodreads Score: 3.97
A classic business book that challenges your knowledge of starting a business. Instead of giving you the same business advice as reading the market, studying the competition, creating a business plan, or looking for investors, this book teaches you better, faster, smarter, cheaper, and easier ways to succeed in business.
The book aims to teach you, How to get started with what you have without thinking more about what you need to look more professional. One of the most important lessons you’ll in this book is to stop thinking and start working with what you have.
And the most lesson this book will teach that, all that you know that are so-called important to start a business is just an EXCUSE like, why you don’t need to be a workaholic, you don’t need investors, you don’t need to compete with others, you don’t need to waste time on Paperwork, you don’t need more people, and why even you don’t need a multiplex, All you need to do is start Working.
My View: The book has straightforward lessons with an easy-to-go approach. After reading this book you will learn how to be more productive, how to get more exposure with less effort and money, and tons of other lessons that will inspire you to work.
10. Shoe Dog – by PHIL KNIGHT
Goodreads Score: 4.47
Shoe dog, A memoir by the creator of the world-famous brand NIKE. It reveals the challenges and struggles Phil knight faces in building Nike, from its starting days to becoming the world’s most iconic brand which we all know. The book has 20 chapters focused on the first 18 years of Nike from 1962 (when it all started) to 1980 (when Nike went Public).
This is the first time ever that the world knows the inside story of Nike’s early days and what are the challenges Phil faces in building Nike. Means. how a 24-year old business graduate started a company from just $50 (which he had borrowed from his own father) with a simple mission, import high-quality and low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Now that $50 dollar company’s annual sales top $30 billion.
This is not just a business book, it is a legacy of Phil Knight who decided to start his own business and created one such brand that got recognition in every corner of the world. But Phil Knight, the man behind the Nike always been a mystery, and now for the first time in this memoir, he discloses himself to the last.
My View: The book has many hidden lessons to teach you, but the story of how Phil started definitely inspires you to take action.
