10 Best Business Books for Entrepreneurs

Before we dive into the 10 best business books for entrepreneurs, I have a secret that I want to share with you…

You may or may not know this but, I am a high school dropout. I never finished high school. I quit half way through my last year. I’ve gone on to build an amazing life and business which I attribute it to one thing– I read a lot of books. Not only do I read books, I implement what the books tell me to do in my life and my business and it works. One day a famous author asked me why I wasn’t in one of her programs and I said, “Plain and simple, I don’t need your program, I read the book and I did the work to put it into action.”

That is the power of a good book and I have 10 such books that I have read (some of them more than once). They’re instrumental in my own success – and they can be in yours too.

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10 Best Business Books for Entrepreneurs

1.) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
I read this book 10 years ago when I still had a job but was really wishing that I was an entrepreneur. I really wished that I owned my own business; I really wished that I had financial freedom, I really wished that I owned a house someplace warm and sunny, and I really wished that my home was on the ocean. 10 years ago those are things I wrote down as big audacious goals while I was reading this book and 10 years later every single thing that I aspired to has actually happened. Wishing is not a business strategy – but reading this book and putting its information into practice is. I am reading The Success Principles for the second time right now – I’m picking up great ideas this time around too!

2.) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
A lot of people think that Big Magic is just for creative and author types but I’ll tell you, Big Magic is packed full of juicy ideas! Things like idea fairies that tap you on the shoulder with ideas for your business. When you engage with them you have an opportunity for success. If you ignore them or stop engaging, all of sudden you see those ideas happening in another person’s business. Someone else has had the same idea as you – but they’ve chosen to run with it, where you chose to drop the ball. This is a fantastic book for harnessing your creative ideas and taking action every single day.

3.) The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
I’ve read all of Brené Brown’s books, The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong. They’re all amazing but the reason I put The Gifts of Imperfection as the one book by her on my list, and not all of her books, is because it’s the starting step. We need to deal with perfectionism and see how our imperfections are actually gifts in our life before we are ready for the rest. While I endorse all 3 of Brené Brown’s books, I would start with The Gifts of Imperfection. This is the first book that I ever bought that I immediately went back to the store and bought 10 more copies for people who are really important to me. I gave them all away because I thought the book was that powerful.

4.) Influence by Robert Cialdini
Influence is an amazing book! I had the privilege of meeting Robert Cialdini and he is amazing in person too. I’ll tell you a secret; he is working on another book. Influence has sold over 5 million copies and it talks about how persuasion works, why we make decisions we make, and how things influence us subconsciously. It’s a great book for you to read in order to understand human psychology. You’ll get some ideas for your business out of this book as well.

5.) Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
This book is an all time favorite and it’s a classic but I have a confession – it took me years to get through this book. I don’t think I was ready to read Think and Grow Rich when I first sat down with it many years ago. Once I finished it, my eyes and my mind were opened wide. So profound was the effect, I bought the workbook so I could go back and do the exercises from the book. This classic is powerful in terms of realizing what you can do with your mind and understanding the power of a mastermind. I highly suggest you read this book and if reading is not your thing, maybe you’ll listen to it on audio. It is a powerful, life-changing book.

6.) The Go Giver by Bob Burg
The Go Giver is a fabulous book about what happens when we can give instead of focusing on what we can get. Often we are so consumed by what we want in our life that we obsess over what we don’t yet have.The Go Giver will turn that around and show you how to make significant changes in your life by introducing you to the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. This book teaches us that, “Putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives, ultimately leads to unexpected returns.”

7.) What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter
This book is another classic written by a psychologist that offers extraordinary insight on what goes on in our minds. We have an itty bitty shitty committee that goes on inside of our head and it criticizes our every move, every day. The good news is you can learn how to harness that committee and change the things that you say to yourself. I highly suggest it because what gets in the way of an entrepreneur’s success is often their mind; it’s their belief in themselves that really makes the difference between a “wantrepreneur” and a successful entrepreneur.

8.) Mindset by Carol Dweck
This is another great book about your thoughts and about their impact on your life. I think Mindset is a must read for anyone who wants the ultimate freedom of running their own business because the ultimate freedom also means the ultimate responsibility and Mindset will teach you a lot about how you need to think. It is not just our abilities and talents that lead us to success – it’s how we think about those things and whether we have a fixed or growth mindset. I speak often about mindset – this book has the information to make a huge difference in yours.

9.) Double Double by Cameron Herold
With this fantastic book, Cameron Herold is going to teach you how to double your business in 3 years – and even better, it’s easy. He even includes an exercise on how to come up with a compelling vision for your business. Why is a compelling vision important? Because when you’re only looking at a tactic, that’s not enough to sustain your inspiration and motivation long term. But when you have a compelling vision that’s way off in the distance, it’s amazing how your behavior shifts. Your approach shifts dramatically when you are focusing on something on the horizon versus the task at hand.

10.) MONEY Master The Game by Tony Robbins
There are a lot of entrepreneurs who put their heads in the sand when it comes to money and the truth is you really don’t have a business until you turned a profit. Businesses are about an exchange of a product or service for money. The whole reason you go into business for yourself, is so that you can make money to support the lifestyle that you want. Money is not the root of all evil. Money is actually a really good thing and Tony Robbins can help you shift your thinking.

Bonus Recommendation!
11.) Pilot To Profit by Lisa Larter
I couldn’t wrap up this list without mentioning my own book, Pilot to Profit. If you want to learn about navigating modern entrepreneurship to build your business using online marketing, social media, content marketing and sales, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of my book. It also makes the perfect complain to my Pilot To Profit Program.

When you read, what you learn can be put into immediate action or it can stay in your subconscious mind and resurface years later when you need it most.

I’m a life-long, avid reader and this is the third post that I’ve done with book recommendations. I did a video a few years back on 5 business books that changed my life, and a blog on six amazing books that feed your mind and soul – I still stand behind those recommendations. If you add all these lists up, you’ll have 22 books you could read this year (and a pretty great business book library too). Just think about all the expertise you’d be able to apply to your business!

Leave me a comment and tell me the top 3 books that you have read in your life and how they have impacted you. I want to know what those books are because I’m curious and because I’m always on the hunt for a new juicy book to read!