35 Must-Read Books for Entrepreneurs Starting A New Business
As an entrepreneur, you’re doing it all for your new business. Marketing, financials, networking – all while living your personal life. So how do you learn how to manage it all? There are tons of ways to learn and teach yourself, but books are perhaps one of the best.
Not only do you get actionable strategies from real, successful people who have experienced what you’re experiencing, you get it with more detail than courses, ebooks, and other modes of learning.
Check out our picks for the top books you should be reading as an entrepreneur in 2021:
1. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dream by Matthew Walker
Oftentimes entrepreneurs feel like they have to work endless hours to see their business grow. And sometimes, they HAVE to because they don’t have any employees and they’re doing it all by themselves. And so, sleep falls by the wayside.
But we actually need sleep to be productive, whether we like it or not. In his book, Walker talks about unlocking potential by learning more about your own body and sleep cycles.
2. Courage to Lose Sight of Shore: How to Partner With Private Equity to Grow Your Business With Confidence by Kelley W. Powell
We all need a little help sometimes – small and new business owners especially. This book comes from a woman with years of experience getting companies to grow sustainably by partnering with private equity.
Even if you’re new to the business world, you might find this information useful down the line.
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
We all knew this one had to be on this list. Networking and getting people to trust you is the #1 thing entrepreneurs want to do. You want to build trust with your audience and potential customers, and have a solid network of people if you ever need help, referrals, etc.
4. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
If you’re looking for a book that will show you exactly how to really be an entrepreneur and make money doing it, this book is the one. Financial education is important as a business owner, but not everyone is taught the same things about money growing up or even as they get older. This book will show you the truth and teach you all about how to manage and save.
5. Female Innovators at Work by Danielle Newnham
This one is for all you leaders of women-owned businesses out there! Newnham’s book is full of case studies from female founders, CEOs, and more who grew their business and maintained a thriving career. It’s truly inspiring.
6. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
When you think you can’t do it anymore, when you think it’s just too hard, whenever you want to give up – look back on the words of Angela Duckworth. Read this book to learn more about creating that determination in yourself, pushing boundaries, and never giving up. It’s hard, but you can do it.
7. Profit First: A Simple System to Transform Any Business From A Cash-Eating Monster to A Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz
Money – it’s the single most important thing to small and new business owners. Mike Michalowicz teaches you a real, actionable system for getting on top of your cash flow and achieving growth.
8. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Most new startups fail after a few months or years. But you can escape that trap by adapting to the “lean” startup approach. In his book, Ries takes you through how to shorten development cycles, measure progress and not vanity metrics, and so much more that normally lead to the failure of startups.
9. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is a little older, but it is a timeless book filled with evergreen ideas and concepts. Hill takes you through his 16 laws of success he developed while studying businessman Andrew Carnegie. These skills can be applied to any aspect of life – not just money.
10. Good to Great … Why Some Companies Make The Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Good to Great is stories of real companies and their path to success. You’ll learn why some companies succeed and others fail, and how to make your new business be one of the ones that achieves sustainable growth.
11. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
Develop habits that set you up for success and allow you to find what works for you. This book will help you set up a foundation for getting things done in a way specific to you.
12. The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod
A lot of us are not morning people. And let’s face it – it’s hard to make yourself love getting out of bed every morning if you’re one to hit the snooze button over and over. This book teaches you how waking up with a purpose can help you transform your business by changing the outlook on your whole day.
13. Choose Yourself by James Altucher
Angel investor and entrepreneur James Altucher talks in his book about throwing the old ways – going to college, getting a 9-5, retiring – and choosing yourself and your own journey. You’ll read about Altucher’s model of success for achieving internal fulfillment and external wealth.
14. The 4-Hour WorkWeek by Tim Ferriss
The whole reason you decided to leave your 9-5 was so you’re not tethered to the constraints of the basic working style, right? You have this amazing business idea, and you want to do it the way you want to do it. Then read The 4-Hour Workweek! Ferriss talks about having the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want, while being effective at work.
15. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Another one about being lean and building your business as minimally as possible, The $100 Startup will teach you about the importance of your money and where it goes, and show you how to start and grow a business with a small team.
16. Value Proposition Design by Alexander Osterwalder, Et. Al
If you’re having trouble pinpointing what makes you special, you need Value Proposition Design. This book will help you create desirable products and services that set your new business apart from the competitors. Or, if you already have an amazing product or service, it can help you find a compelling way to market it.
17. Passion & Purpose: Stories From The Best And Brightest Business Leaders by Daniel Gulati, Et. Al
Rather than actionable strategies, this read gives you insight into other successful people’s lives. You’ll read about how several, recent Harvard MBAs assumed leadership and got their own careers and business going.
18. Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffery H. Gitomer
Every entrepreneur needs to have the power of persuasion. It’s what sells products. And since you’re a new business, you may not have a stellar sales team at your disposal. Check out Little Red Book of Selling to learn some of the industry’s best tactics and tricks.
19. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
Whether you like it or not, as an entrepreneur starting a business of your own, you’re the leader. Not everyone has the inherent qualities of a leader, and that’s okay. In his book, Lencioni helps you realize how to run a team, even a dysfunctional one.
20. The Art of The Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide For Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki
If you’re looking for an all-in-one guide to start a new business, Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start 2.0 is perfect for you. He covers everything from social media and marketing to crowdfunding.
21. The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding The Pitfalls That can Sink A Startup by Noam Wasserman
Any mistake you think you might make, someone has already made before you. One of the best ways to learn and prevent those mistakes is by studying those who have come before you. This book highlights the various pitfalls that have come to pass for dozens of entrepreneurs like yourself.
22. The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle La Porte
If you haven’t quite taken the leap to starting your own business, this book might be the one you’re looking for. It’s more of a self-help book with stories and anecdotes from La Porte’s personal experiences.
23. Start Run & Grow: A Successful Small Business by Toolkit Media Group
Another all-in-one guide to starting your own business, this one covers the process chronologically, from start to growth and beyond.
24. Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom
As far as marketing books goes, this one is fantastic at helping you understand your audience and the human mind in general. A combination of psychology and marketing, it studies how our brains perceive products and services and what persuades us to buy them.
25. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
To piggyback on the psychology of why we buy, Hooked helps you build a product that is truly compelling and persuades the human brain to buy it, while also showing you how to create fans out of your customers.
26. The Online Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert Bly
No matter what role you take on in the future of your business – CEO, CFO, CMO – copywriting is one tool that will always be useful. Words are your superpowers as a new business trying to cut through the noise and stand out. This book, an updated version of his older one, The Copywriter’s Handbook, has stood the test of time. It provides real strategies and examples of tactics that work to this day.
27. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman
Another expert in copywriting, Joseph Sugarman, much like Robert Bly, provides real examples of his own pieces of advertising that have worked in the past. He explains why they work and how to incorporate them into your own marketing successfully.
28. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in A Distracted World by Cal Newport
If you have trouble focusing and getting things done or you just have too much on your plate, Newport will show you how to keep everything straight and actually get all your tasks done.
29. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building A Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz’s book will raise problems that you didn’t even know you would face as a new business. He covers all kinds of situations that will inevitably come up as part of your startup, like firing employees.
30. Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan
Another great marketing book for the times, Inbound Marketing throws out the old ways of pushing your message directly on people and instead focuses on the new practices of inbound and content marketing. You’ll learn how to attract people to your brand and make them avid fans and loyal customers.
31. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick) by Seth Godin
When the going gets tough and you’re trying to decide whether it’s time to give up or not, read this book. It will help you figure out if “the dip” is a rough patch or if there is no saving your business.
32. 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties: (And Let’s Be Honest, Your Thirties Too) by Paul Angone
Another good one if you’re deciding to take the leap into entrepreneurship, this one is also helpful for other big decisions in your life. It’s a great way to figure out if it’s time to start your business or if there’s another big life event that should take precedence. Basically, is it the right time?
33. The Power of Letting Go: How to Drop Everything That’s Holding You Back by John Purkiss
If you’re already an entrepreneur, you might be experiencing the stress of being overworked and not seeing much growth in your new business. And it won’t do you any good to continue feeling this way. The Power of Letting Go will help you find the balance between achieving your career aspirations and being happy.
34. The Creative’s Guide to Starting A Business by Harriet Kelsall
Not every entrepreneur comes from a 9-5 business or marketing background. Some of us are creatives just hoping to do what we love for a living. This book will help you branch out a finally make your passion into your business.
35. Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business by Paul Downs
The story of one man’s journey with his furniture business, is a real-life account that could inspire your decisions as an entrepreneur.