7 Books of Business: The Must-Read List for Entrepreneurs
Whether you are thinking about starting your own venture, have recently started your entrepreneurship journey, or are an experienced CEO; these 7 books are our top pics for anyone who is interested in growing a business.
Being an entrepreneur is not something you can learn from reading books alone, but if you want to learn the secrets of being a great founder or successful business owner, reading these books, and in this order, is the best place to start.
Each book in this list contains our favorite quote, a one-sentence summary, why you should read it, and the links to get a copy for yourself (don’t forget to write them off as a business expense!).
Use the handy table of contents below to jump to any section or book that seems particularly interesting to you. But we recommend (especially for new business owners) to follow the sequence and read in order of #1 to #7, based on how they follow your journey through entrepreneurship and the logical growth of your business.
Let’s hop right into them:
Table of contents
By: Plutarch
Favorite Quote
“Leaders, in fact, must be more afraid of inflicting harm than of suffering harm themselves.” — Plutarch
The Book in One Sentence
How to Be a Leader is Greek philosopher Plutarch’s guide to leadership, using practical ideas, historical narratives, and political events to outline the qualities of the best leaders, including serving for the right reasons, speaking persuasively, and following more experienced leaders.
Why should you read it?
Writing at the height of the Roman Empire, Plutarch suggested that people should pursue positions of leadership only if they are motivated by "judgment and reason"―not "rashly inspired by the vain pursuit of glory, a sense of rivalry, or a lack of other meaningful activities." That is why we suggest reading this book first, before embarking on an entrepreneurial journey. Otherwise, without being guided by reason, it is easy for to get swept away by the desire for power.
By: Napoleon Hill
Favorite Quote
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.” — Napoleon Hill
The Book in One Sentence
Think and Grow Rich is a curation of the 13 most common habits of wealthy and successful people, distilled from studying over 500 individuals over the course of 20 years, and in the words of the author himself: “In every chapter of this book, mention has been made of the money-making secret which has made fortunes for more than five hundred exceedingly wealthy men whom I have carefully analyzed over a long period of years”.
Why should you read it?
This is THE bestselling success book of all time. With over 15 million copies sold worldwide, Think and Grow Rich has been called the "Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature." It was the first book to boldly ask, "What makes a winner?" The man who asked and listened for the answer, Napoleon Hill, is now counted in the top ranks of the world's winners himself.
But the book is not just about ways in which you can become rich, as the title would suggest. It is about learning that both success and abundance come from how you think.
If you want to learn how to adopt the mindset necessary for success, with a set of tried-and-true steps to follow - this might just be the book for you.
By: Michael E. Gerber
Favorite Quote
“If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business – you have a job. And it’s the worst job in the world because you’re working for a lunatic!” — Michael E. Gerber
The Book in One Sentence
The E-Myth Revisited explains why 80% of small businesses fail, and how to ensure yours isn’t among those by building a company that’s based on systems and not on the work of a single individual.
Why should you read it?
Do you want to know how to grow your business productively? Michael Gerber has the answer for you in this book and walks you through all the steps you need to systemize your business. And it is all sharp insight from his own experience, which will help you deconstruct all the myths regarding the way one should work when it comes to business.
If you are just starting out on your own, start by reading this book so you can avoid building your business around yourself as the “operator”. And definitely read this book BEFORE you hire a team!
It can save you from building a unsustainable business that relies on you and you alone (which is really more like a prison!).
By: Peter Thiel
Favorite Quote
“Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius.” — Peter Thiel
The Book in One Sentence
Zero To One is an inside look at Peter Thiel’s philosophy and strategy for making your startup a success by looking at the lessons he learned from founding and selling PayPal, investing in Facebook and becoming a billionaire in the process.
Why should you read it?
You might think that we know everything by now and that there isn’t much to create at this point. That all the greatest inventions have appeared by now. And this is where you might be wrong: entrepreneur Peter Thiel confirms that there are still countless ways for us to create something new. And all this can be done by making use of your power and asking the right questions in order to come up with the next innovation.
By: Gino Wickman
Favorite Quote
“Vision without traction is merely hallucination.” — Gino Wickman
The Book in One Sentence
Traction is a road-map for running a profitable, frustration-free business using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)®, a holistic system that, when implemented in an organization, helps leaders run better businesses, get better control, have better life balance, and gain more traction; with the entire organization advancing together as a healthy, functional and cohesive team.
Why should you read it?
Do you have a grip on your business, or does your business have a grip on you?
Once a team is in place, all entrepreneurs and business leaders begin to face similar frustrations—personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth.
Decisions by underlings never seem to get made, or, once made, fail to be properly implemented. But there is a solution, and it's not complicated or theoretical.
The Entrepreneurial Operating System® provided in Traction is a practical method for founders and business owners to achieving the business success they have always envisioned.
By: Benjamin Graham
Favorite Quote
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — Benjamin Graham
The Book in One Sentence
The Intelligent Investor explains value investing, which is focused on generating steady, long-term profits by ignoring the current market and picking companies with high intrinsic value.
Why should you read it?
Warren Buffett says this is the single greatest book on investing ever written. It’s based on Benjamin Graham’s classes, which Warren Buffett took as a young student. Value investors find companies with great fundamentals and buy their shares at a discounted price. After that, all they have to do is wait and eventually, their real value will unlock.
We recommend you read this book when you start to have more money sitting in savings than you need. As a busy entrepreneur - this is likely your best investment strategy, as it is hands-off, you can just sit back and let your money grow thanks to a little thing called compound interest.
By: Jim Collins
Favorite Quote
“By definition, it is not possible for everyone to be above the average.” — Benjamin Graham
The Book in One Sentence
Good To Great examines what it takes for ordinary companies to become great and outperform their competitors by analyzing 28 companies over 30 years, who managed to make the transition or fell prey to their bad habits.
Why should you read it?
Once your business has been established, the natural next thought will be: how do we take this to the next level. If you don’t want to stop at ‘mediocre’, this book is for you.
The result you will get from reading this book, is a set of strategies, habits, and practices, which can turn a company from good to great. Here are 3 of them to give you an idea of what it takes to build something that’s world-class:
Find your Hedgehog concept.
Only adopt new technology if it helps you reach your goal.
Confront nasty facts head on but don’t lose hope.
Want to go from good to great? This is the book for you.
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