The 8 books every entrepreneur needs to read
Being an entrepreneur can be extremely challenging. It entails a great deal of hard work and dedication. It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle, it defines who you are and where you want to be. To truly succeed in this day and age, you are required to possess certain qualities that will make your business stand out from the crowd.
There are plenty of great books out there that offer advice about the competitive world of entrepreneurship. However, since time is so precious in the busy life of commerce, we wanted to make sure that you make the most out of every second by recommending these 8 incredible books for entrepreneurs!
1. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life: by Jen Sincero
Author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters jam packed with hilariously inspiring stories, sound advice and the occasional swear word. If you’re ready to make some serious changes in your life, this book will surely help you! All you need to know about succeeding in life and plucking the grit to get it done. Face your fears, overcome your obstacles and be the leader that you were set out to be. Read this book and begin chasing the life you’ve always longed for!
2. The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9–5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich: by Timothy Ferriss
The title of this book pretty much sums it up! Get away from the stressful ordeal of 9 to 5 and dive into a world of successful entrepreneurship. No more dead end jobs with no real meaning. Hop onto the train of success, doing what you love while making some good money. This book shows you exactly how it’s done! Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, travelling the world, earning a monthly five-figure income, or just living more and working less, this book is the ultimate blueprint.
3. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers: by Timothy Ferris
Do you have problems finishing things? Do new ideas distract you from previous ones? Do you get derailed by setbacks more often than you would like? ‘Grit’ describes what creates outstanding achievements. The book is based on interviews with high achievers from various fields, scientific research and the personal history of success of the author, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth, uncovering that achievement isn’t reserved for the talented only, but for those with passion and perseverance.
4. Grit: Why passion and resilience are the secrets to success: by Angela Duckworth
Do you have problems finishing things? Do new ideas distract you from previous ones? Do you get derailed by setbacks more often than you would like? ‘Grit’ describes what creates outstanding achievements. The book is based on interviews with high achievers from various fields, scientific research and the personal history of success of the author, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth, uncovering that achievement isn’t reserved for the talented only, but for those with passion and perseverance.
5. The Stress Test: How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper: by Ian Robertson
Why is it that some people react to seemingly trivial emotional upset; like failing an unimportant exam — with distress, while others power through life-changing tragedies showing barely any emotional upset whatsoever? In The Stress Test, clinical psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson, reveals how we can shape our brain’s response to pressure, and answers the question: can stress ever be a good thing? The Stress Test is a revelatory study of how and why we react to pressure in the way we do, with real practical benefit to how we live.
6. Management Starts With You: Gain Confidence and Success as a Leader and Manager: by Alan Hester
Management Starts With You is a wise, honest and practical guide to success in this challenging but fascinating role. Among many powerful insights we learn that: Before we can successfully manage others we first need to manage ourselves. Alan Hester has managed at all levels from team leader to director in a career taking in the public, community and private sectors. His passion is about working with delegates to increase their confidence and resilience, helping them to see that the results they achieve are a direct result of their attitude, skills and knowledge. His approach to writing this book is the same, and in it, he distills some of the most powerful insights and approaches that make his courses so popular and effective.
7. How to Perform Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most: by Hendrie Weisinger &, J. P. Pawliw-Fry
Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry deliver the sad truth: The difference between regular people and ultra-successful people is not that the latter group thrives under pressure. It’s that they’re better able to mitigate its negative effects. Well, maybe that’s good news, because, as they lay out in the book, handling pressure is a skill, and you can learn it. In the book, they offer 22 tactics for doing your best when the heat is on. Whether you’re a corporate manager, a basketball player, or a student preparing for the SAT, Performing Under Pressure will help you to do your best when it matters most.
8. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future: by Blake Masters & Peter Thiel
The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things. Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.
As the saying goes, you are what you read. If you are still in the early stages of your career, one of the best ways to thrive is to educate yourself and learn from the people who have come before you.
