Learning and spending money in education will be one of the best investments you can make to improve and grow your business. One of the cheapest ways to do this is to read books, as they contain years of experience from some of the top business people out there. But how can you figure out from the tons of lists out there what the must read books for business owners are?
While this isn’t a comprehensive list, it’s a good one to get you started for those of you out there who want to learn about overall business strategies and getting noticed in a noisy world.
Zero to One by Blake Masters and Peter Thiel
This book, co-written by the founder of Twitter talks about how you can find one great thing that can help us be successful in business. Sure, there’s lots of technology out there that can help you, but Peter believes that the ability to think for yourself is what will help you to become a successful leader.
This book talks about how you can think outside the box to create a great business that is not only profitable, but has the potential to change the world. He guides you through the types of questions you need to ask as a business owner.
Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas From the Computer Age by Paul Graham
This book by ViaWeb and Y Combinator talks about the world as we know it today and what people are motivated by. He talks about ideas that shape what people think, work and live. There is a lot of nuggets in there that you can use to apply to how you view your business.
You can also check out his blog or the Y Combinator News Site for more wisdom.
The Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawasaki
Does this guy need an introduction? He’s one of the smart guys in the tech field and this book doesn’t disappoint. This book features decades of Guy’s experience in business. He talks about how to use new tools to be better in business like building a strong team, how to work with your competitors and creating a great product.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
This is another modern classic book that show you how you can leverage your time and money more efficiently. He talks about something called “validated learning” which means you keep improving as you go along in your business journey. He also talks about how you know when it’s time to pivot and stop wasting time on business plans.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
This is a great book if you don’t believe that passion is a way to be successful in business. Cal Newport features stories of people and how they became successful in their business by putting in the hard work. It’s only after that did their passion emerged.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
If you want to learn from one of the greats, then you definitely should check out Elon Musk. This biography of sorts talks about Elon’s story and how creators can still compete and come up with innovative ideas even today. It’s a great inspiring read if you’re feeling discouraged about where you are in your business.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
This is a great book to learn from one of the greatest businessmen who created one of the most iconic brands in history. This book shares the inside of the story about the beginning of Nike and how it grew to become the company it is today. He talks about his mission and how much he made in the early days. An inspiring read for those in the early stages of their business.
The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross
This newly released book is an interesting guide in what will happen in trends in the next ten years. Alec has traveled to over forty countries and has seen many things, including industries such as robotics and artificial intelligence. He not only goes over those trends and more, but address the question of how we can adapt and prepare our children for a new world.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
Another great biography about one of the biggest names in business. You’ll learn about how Jeff started in his early days and was able to grow Amazon to what it’s known as today. You’ll also learn about the corporate culture, and how his relentlessness seeps into every part of its company, including its employees.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
This book takes you inside Zappos and its mission to make sure it cultivates the value of happiness. He’s done things like paying employees $2,000 to quit and helping employees to grow personally. It’s a great book to learn from someone who has does things unconventionally and you’ll learn a lot of insights.
Without Their Permission by Alexis Ohanian
Who wouldn’t want to read a book by the co-founder of Reddit? In it, he talks about how powerful the internet is and its potential to change millions of lives. You can use the power of the internet to create communities, new technology and business.
He shares ideas and even doodles about how to use the internet for good as well as his philosophies for doing business the right way.