Thursday, February 16, 2017

Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read at Least Twice

I teach a course in entrepreneurship fundamentals, and I also work with many small businesses and startups as a management consultant and executive coach. I frequently recommend must-read business books to my students and clients. These entrepreneurs desperately need to absorb the books' lessons given the chronic and common problems they're each facing in their own businesses. 

The list below is the best of the best. I'm including the list here so I can easily refer my students and clients to one list instead of haphazardly referring books as I remember them. If hundreds of my students and clients will benefit from this list, other entrepreneurs may benefit as well.

These books contain the tools for building enormously successful entrepreneurs and businesses that can change the world. Read each book carefully, then read it again in six months. Find ways to implement the ideas. Change the world.

Operations
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Sales
The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
Socratic Selling by Kevin Daley
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Management
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss (Check out his blog too. This book and his blog aren't just about management. The topics are far-ranging and fascinating. He covers a lot that will change many of your long-held beliefs forever, in good ways. He does, however, dive deep into how to create and effectively manage hyper-efficient businesses, so I included it here.)
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Scaling Up by Verne Harnish
The Partnership Charter by David Gage
One Simple Idea by Stephen Key (This is actually a book about licensing inventions. It covers so many aspects of that incredible business model I just included it here.

Marketing
Every book and blog post ever written by Seth Godin. (Maybe start with What to Do When It's Your Turn, Tribes, Purple CowLinchpinand The Dip. I highly suggest reading all of his books though. They're very fast reads, so don't be overwhelmed by the idea. He's also got great books about leadership, innovation, management, life path, and more. Again, I urge you, read them all!)
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Finances
The Accounting Game by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff
How to Read a Financial Report: Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers by John A. Tracy
Throughput Accounting by Thomas Corbett

Economics
Black Swan and Antifragile by Nassim Taleb
Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber

Social Business
Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins
Cradle to Cradle by Michael Braungart and William McDonough
Biomimicry by Janine Benyus
Banker to the Poor and Creating a World without Poverty by Muhammad Yunus
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

Personal Development for Entrepreneurs
What Should I Do with My Life by Po Bronson
Mastery by George Leonard
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
A Complaint-Free World by Will Bowen
The Energy of Money by Maria Nemeth

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