10 Books for Entrepreneurs that Every Aspiring Business Owner Should Read

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Building a business can be an overwhelming experience full of ups, downs, and unexpected challenges at every turn.

Fortunately, there are successful entrepreneurs who have already been there and done that, and many of them are willing to share their secrets to success so you can avoid some common pitfalls.

In this post, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best books for entrepreneurs that share invaluable insights and lessons that will help you get on the fast track to success.

Books for Entrepreneurs

Here are 10 books for entrepreneurs that every aspiring business owner should read to build a powerful and productive business.

1. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Start With Why has captivated millions of readers and moved them to ask meaningful questions at work, including the why of their organization.

The book asks and answers critical questions, including why some people and organizations are more innovative and influential than others, why some command greater loyalty from customers and employees, and why so few are able to replicate their successes.

2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected entrepreneurs.

In this book, Horowitz breaks down the real problems that leaders face every day, including the things they don’t tell you in business school, from firing friends to poaching competitors, to cultivating a CEO mindset and knowing the right time to cash in.

3. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Whatever you want to succeed at—whether it’s parenting, athletic training, or starting a business—psychologist Angela Duckworth will teach you what really drives achievement.

According to Duckworth, the key to success is not genius, but a combination of passion and perseverance. Here, she’ll show you how grit can be learned regardless of your IQ or circumstances.

4. Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

Who Moved My Cheese is a business fable that about characters who live in a maze and search for cheese to make them happy.

The cheese is representative of whatever it is you want in life—whether it’s more money, a loving relationship, or better health.

This book will show you how to deal with change so you can enjoy less stress and more success (whatever that looks like for you) in both your work and your life.

5. Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson

Rework will turn everything you thought you knew about starting a business on its head. You’ll learn why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors, and why you’re actually better off ignoring the competition. 

You need a lot less than you think. One thing you do need is to get started. The authors will show you how to be more productive, get exposure even on a budget, and use counterintuitive ideas to find success.

6. Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

In Zero to One, the authors argue that doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of the familiar. But if you do something new, you go from 0 to 1.

They claim that tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing in today’s marketplace. Rather, they’ll evade the competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique.

This book will show you how to ask the right questions that will lead you to value in expected places.

7. Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark

The Great Resignation has shown us that more people than ever are ready to become self-reliant and work for themselves.

The question is, how do you actually make the leap to earning money doing what you love? Entrepreneur and author Dorie Clark will show you how to get started, build your reputation in a new realm, develop multiple revenue streams, and bring in a steady flow of new clients to catapult and maintain your success.

8. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

The Lean Startup teaches a number of counter-intuitive practices that help companies shift directions with agility.

Instead of wasting your time on elaborate business plans, this book offers a method for testing your vision continuously so you can adapt and adjust before it’s too late. You’ll learn Ries’ scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups.

9. The Entrepreneur Mind by Kevin D. Johnson

In this book, author Kevin D. Johnson argues that in order to reach the heights of Mark Zuckerberg or Sara Blakely, you must change the way you think by developing the Entrepreneur Mind.

Johnson, president of multimillion-dollar company Johnson Media Inc., shares the essential beliefs, characteristics, and habits of elite entrepreneurs.

You’ll find 100 key lessons organized into seven areas: Strategy, Education, People, Finance, Marketing and Sales, Leadership, and Motivation. Lessons include how to think big, who makes the best business partners, and when to abandon a business idea.

10. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

Traction introduces the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, a practical method you can use to achieve the business success you’ve always envisioned.

You’ll discover simple but powerful ways to eliminate common frustrations and run your company in a way that brings you and your team more focus, growth, and happiness.

What Kind of Books Do Millionaires Read?

If you ask any successful businessperson about their daily routine, there’s a good chance that reading is on their daily to-do list.

To learn more about what Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Warren Buffett are reading, check out our post on the reading habits of highly successful people.

Do you have a favorite book for entrepreneurs? Tell us about it in the comments below!

 

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