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This article showcases our top picks for the Best Books For New Business. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).
We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.
This product was recommended by Chris Martinez from Idiomatic, Inc.
One of the best business books for new businesses is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This book made me more aware of my thinking and decisions making process as a leader. It gave me a deeper understanding of what drives thought as a whole and understanding how different biases impact thought and decision-making. As a leader, your decisions impact many people and your own brain can play tricks on you, so it’s important to be mindful of how you approach every situation.
This product was recommended by Saurav Ahuja from Excel Trick
Although Nike is now recognized all around the world, getting to this point was no easy task. Co-founder of Nike and author of Shoe Dog Phil Knight recounts borrowing $50 from a friend to fund the company’s initial stages after graduating from business school. In his memoir, Knight discusses how he came to pursue the unorthodox road of an entrepreneur’s life, and in doing so, he lets his witty, likeable, and honest personality come through. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of Knight and be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams thanks to his story and the lessons he has learned along the way.
The book is easy to read and has some humor inside it. The author offers great ideas on how people should change their ways of thinking about money. This can surely inspire its readers, especially those who are new to the business. It can provide valuable insights that will be useful for entrepreneurs wanting to know if a business is for them or not. Ultimately, the learnings from this book can be their guide as they navigate the business world.
This product was recommended by Ruben Gamez from SignWell
Company of One is a must-read for any new business leaders considering when, how, and if to scale up their operations. While other books tackle scaling beautifully, this book is meant to show you how staying in a company of one indefinitely can offer you the lifestyle, income, and fulfillment you want. Jarvis shows you how to build a better company, not a bigger one, and continue to enjoy the work-life balance that comes along with it.
The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board by Keith J. Cunningham. The premise of the book is that business is an intellectual sport and should be treated as such. The author recommends scheduling daily, systematized thinking time on our calendars. Keith explains, in detail, how he structures his thinking time. He provides some of his go to thinking time questions as a template to start our own thinking time practice. By having a structured time to think, we can go deeply into the heart of issues that we are grappling with within our businesses. The thinking time process allows us to get past the easy, obvious, and emotional solutions to be able to minimize risk, avoid doing stupid things, and make the best decisions that will lead to sustainable success, make more money, and increase the chances of keeping that money.
This product was recommended by Brian Jones from Best in Edmonton
In Think Again, Adam Grant urges us to reconsider our received wisdom. In spite of the changing business environment, Grant’s book serves as a motivating reminder and essential push to endure. It teaches us to be ok with not knowing, being wrong, and not being right. Through psychological research and relevant stories, Grant explains how we can all begin to address these issues. As a businessperson, I liked the way he stressed the importance of motivational reasoning for influencing others to reconsider their views. This book demonstrates that a leader who actively seeks feedback from subordinates and acknowledges when he or she does not know something leads to more innovative and successful teams.
This product was recommended by Jack Williams from HandyManReviewed
The most inspiring leadership book I’ve ever read is Turn the Ship Around. The story tells how David Marquet, an experienced Navy officer, raised the Santa Fe from last to first in the fleet by taking on the United States. As a result of Marquet’s crew’s age-old leader-follower style, each member quickly rose to be leader and took charge of everything. Rather than assuming control, leadership is about delegating authority and cultivating leaders rather than followers. Marquet’s unconventional advice is relevant to everyone, no matter what they do. It is rewarding to work in an environment where everyone is accountable for their actions, where people are healthy and happy, and where everyone is a leader. Leadership and organizations will benefit from this book if they internalize it. Long-term benefits of investing in your people, leader development, and commitment to excellence and continuous improvement outweigh turbulence and challenges.
The thoughts of one of Silicon Valley’s most renowned businessmen, Ben Horowitz, are shared in this book from startup up to the IPO stage. It is without a doubt that this is one of my favorites. In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, he tells his own story of founding, running, selling, buying, managing, and investing in tech companies. This book is a masterpiece that stands on its own, but it provides practical advice for navigating the most challenging issues that business schools do not typically cover. This includes how to poach rivals and friends and how to develop a CEO mentality..
This product was recommended by Jenna Adams from Avenue perth
A thrilling read, The Power of Habit explores the scientific discoveries behind why habits exist and how they can be changed. Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit is an exhilarating argument that understanding how habits work is the key to achieving success. There are billions at stake and implementing keystone habits can mean the difference between success and failure. It reveals how notable people were successful thanks to the right habits. I was most interested in how to form effective habits. While changing our routine, we need to keep the cue and reward in place. This book contains an exhilarating argument: Understanding how habits work is the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies, and achieving success.
This product was recommended by David Zhang from Kate Backdrop
For every business book that tells you to think outside the box, there’s another one that urges you to find your true passion. In Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh shares the lessons he learned in his business journey and how they helped him grow Zappos from a small online startup to a billion-dollar company. Also, he talks about the importance of company culture and how to create a happy, productive work environment. This book is a great read for entrepreneurs who want to learn from Tony’s success story and apply his lessons to their own businesses.
This product was recommended by Ankit Batra from Hollyweed CBD
Founders frequently believe that they alone are capable of guiding their start-ups to success; while this is an essential mindset to develop and an effective manifestation, the business also requires teamwork and a lot of perspectives to better guide its course. The company is initially only an idea in the entrepreneur’s head, but through time, the founder shapes the company’s basis and shapes its tastes and culture with the help of his organization. This book helps in minding perspectives that are often overlooked when preparing for a startup. Wasserman eloquently explains why some approaches to entrepreneurship are superior to others by supporting his ideas with examples from real-world situations.
This product was recommended by Samantha Odo from Precondo
The Art of Possibility is a self-help book that offers readers a new way of thinking about their lives and how to achieve their goals. The book is based on the premise that our lives are created by our thoughts and beliefs and that by changing our thinking, we can change our lives. Anyone starting a new business should learn to identify possibilities and seize them. It is also chock full of useful advice on how to be more positive and effective in both your professional and personal life.
This product was recommended by Sonia Navarro from Navarro Paving
The Art of the Start 2.0 is also another excellent book. Kawasaki uses his decades of experience to give his readers some important business lessons. He talks about how entrepreneurs these days have tools like crowdfunding and social media at their disposal. This is something people didn’t have a decade or two ago. Still, despite having these tools, people don’t know how to use them. This book delves deeper into that aspect and how you can make the most of modern technology to propel your business forward.
Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months is one of the best business books for people just starting out. Very few books offer actionable steps that people can follow. And this is one of those rare books. Melinda F. Emerson creates a monthly guide for new entrepreneurs to follow. Each month of the year highlights a new step to take and how to go about it. It’s a fantastic read for people who are unsure about their plans and want some solid advice.
This product was recommended by Eric Sornoso from Mealfan
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies came to life after their six-year-long research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. The book extracts eighteen successful companies and explains what factors made them successful. A thorough explanation of their beginning and end is given so that new business owners or entrepreneurs can learn from them. They have also provided practical concepts for people to apply in their respective businesses.
This book has been paramount to our growth since inception, allowing us to gain a deep understanding of each sales engagement from the first phone call, throughout each meeting, negotiation stages and subsequently, deal signing/paperwork. Ultimately, it allows the salesperson to quickly and decisively ascertain the real-world likelihood of a given account to progress, by providing a measurable framework to benchmark progress and work from. Although detailed, each element is populated by key questioning and analysis techniques to simplify. If a deal is stalling, it also provides pointers on how to move the prospect forward, or not as the case may be. In summary, you will be given the tools with which you can make a highly informed decision on where your time is best spent (and what to do with that time), and by the same token, where it’s not – this is crucial when launching a new business that needs clients.
This product was recommended by Erika Barnes from Pet Smitten
The whole ‘For Dummies’ series was a bit of a gimmick when it first started out but nowadays the books in this series are incredibly informative and enlightening. I was given this book when I first started my business and it taught me some very valuable information about how to run a business from the ground up. I had never done anything like it before so it was incredibly useful to have everything spelled out to me as if I knew nothing. That way, all of the necessary content gets covered and you aren’t left with any holes in your business knowledge.
This product was recommended by Stephanie Wilson from Policy Solver
The $100 Startup is a no-frills manual for getting your company off the ground. What I loved most about this book is that it isn’t about the easy way to make money; rather, it’s a process for you to take on. The book’s core argument is that it’s more important to take charge of your life than it is to have a successful business or a lot of money. The resources at your disposal right now may not be ideal, but they are all you have right now, and you must use them to achieve success. Stop hoping that other people will fulfil your desires and start acting on your own. You don’t have to ask for or get permission to give anything a shot.
This product was recommended by Eric Jones from Couture Candy
It is not necessary for every business to take flight and reach heights. The book The Lean Startup discusses how one can prevent failures if businesses apply the Lean Startup Method. The concept of what customers want and how to identify those requirements are rightfully explained in the book. The book talks about the systematic approach to measuring the milestones for a startup.
This product was recommended by Neil Harper from PDH-Pro
This is a must-read for any new business owner or anyone thinking about starting a new business. The hardest process of starting a new business is the very start, getting from zero to one. Whether this be one customer, one dollar, or one idea, it all has the same motivation behind it, and the same mindset needed to achieve it.
This product was recommended by Hilda Wong from Bark Posts
If you recently left your corporate job and started a new business, this book is your best bet! This book covers everything you need to know about starting a business to getting the final high-ticket client. It also offers guidance and motivation that will effectively re-energize and reinforce your strong commitment to finally escape the corporate cubicle and take the leap for good!
As an entrepreneur, motivation is a daily necessity to keep working. This book is a light read but power packed with the ultimate dosage of motivation for managing your business. This book also sheds light on how you can attract your target market and incorporate effective marketing strategies to boost your profit margins every year.
This product was recommended by Jim Campbell from Honeymoon Goals
This is an exceptional book that is targeted toward new business owners and entrepreneurs. It explains the trials and tribulations of starting a business and how to overcome them, and especially how to get past those first 90 days that so many businesses fail on. It’s a book about strategy, patience, and most importantly, believing in your business.
This product was recommended by Paige Arnof-Fenn from Mavens & Moguls
David’s new book is a real world practitioner’s guide from someone who has lived the job from the front line, he has been there and done it so he tells it like it is not theoretically but from the trenches. The name of the game today s how to get your customers engaged and here is the manual to do it.
This product was recommended by Christel Oerum from Diabetes Strong
While this book isn’t necessarily a how-to guide of ways someone should start their new business, it is an empowering narrative that gives entrepreneurs the beliefs they need (about themselves) in order to create a great new business. I really enjoyed reading this perspective, because at the heart of every business is someone with huge amounts of creativity and originality, a person who is just waiting for their chance to become successful with their venture. I firmly believe this book can be the inspiration to help all new business owners get there!
