There are many things that you can learn from books. And entrepreneurship is certainly not one of them. That’s something you develop through trial and error with lots of experience. The journey of every entrepreneur is different. However, that doesn’t mean books are of no use.
There are numerous books out there written by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. You can read about valuable ideas and real stories of brands and their owners as they navigated their entrepreneurial paths.
From the plethora of entrepreneur books available out there, we’ve handpicked a few based on three categories: Starting a business, marketing, and mindset.
Contents
Books for entrepreneurs to help start a business
1. The E-myth revisited by Michael E Gerber
E-Myth stands for Entrepreneurial Myth. For anyone looking to start a small business, this book is immensely helpful. It will shatter the myths surrounding growing a business and offer practical advice and insights on various business aspects. It also sheds light on the reasons why many small businesses fail and how you can overcome them.
“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is living fully and just existing.”
2. Crush it! By Gary Vaynerchuk
Are you thinking to start a business based on your passion? Do you have a hobby that you are very proud of and thinning to monetize? If yes, this book is for you! Gary Vaynerchuk, a digital marketer, shares his knowledge about monetizing your skills online and why this is the right time to do it. It mostly focuses on how to build your personal brand, an audience and a community by creating content about things you love to talk about.
“Even if your ambitions are huge, start slow, start small, build gradually, build smart.”
3. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
This is the book that popularized the term of ‘Lean startup’. The concept of creating a lean and agile business is now widely acclaimed all over the world and followed by top startups. It is a great book to help you navigate the risk-riddled landscape of today’s business world.
Check out this blog on how to build a lean and agile business, based on a workshop help by the COO of Instamojo at the D2CTech conference 2023.
4. DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson
Since its release, DotCom Secrets has garnered attention globally from all kinds of online businesses. This book teaches you how to grow your company online using sales funnels. Russel Brunson, the co-founder of ClickFunnels, reveals his greatest secrets to generating leads and converting customers online after his many experiments. This is the ultimate book to master sales as a business owner who is starting out and is a must-read book for all entrepreneurs.
“One of the fundamental rules of marketing is that “a confused mind always says no.”
Mindset and productivity books for entrepreneurs
5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Entrepreneurship is also about making the most of your time and taking action consistently. This book will help you build this important quality of an entrepreneur. It presents timeless ideas of integrity, honesty and human dignity and help you develop soft skills.
“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”
6. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
One of the best books for entrepreneurs, The 4-Hour Work Week talks about the “New Rich” — how to get more time and mobility and fulfilment without waiting till retirement. The book looks into redefining rules and objectives, eliminating the concept of time management, automating cash flow, and how to be more liberated. As an entrepreneur, this book will help guide you into leading a more fulfilled and exciting life.
“But you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.”
7. The Entrepreneur Mind by Kevin D. Johnson
The Entrepreneur presents an analysis of the mindsets of 100 legendary entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. It attempts to bring lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs on how to shape their mindset and beliefs according to the trials and errors of already successful entrepreneurs.
“Change happens when the pain to stay the same exceeds the pain to change.”
8. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller
Another mindset book for entrepreneurs, The ONE Thing teaches the simple yet sophisticated lesson to channel their energy into one aspect of their business at a time. You’ll learn how to manage your training as an entrepreneur and avoid feeling overwhelmed as you strive towards your goals.
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.”
Marketing and growth books for entrepreneurs
9. Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
This book teaches you the one thing that is needed to differentiate your brand in the oversaturated market: messaging. With the right messaging, you can start to generate more leads, drive more sales, and engage more customers in the long run. You’ll learn the basics of branding and how you can present your brand values in a way that your target audience understands.
“The more you talk about the villain, the more people will want a tool to help them defeat the villain.”
10. Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
Growth Hacker Marketing charters the new low-budget approach to marketing which is the best way for online brands. You can learn about growth hacking with practical examples and advice from successful businesses. This is a great book to learn how to market your business online.
“The end goal of every growth hacker is to build a self-perpetuating marketing machine that reaches millions by itself.”
11. Power Friending by Amber Mac
This book will tell you how to make social media work for your business. It is built on one core concept: think of your audience as your friends and treat them that way. Ambe Mac presents advice to grow your business in the ever-changing landscape of social media through her professional experience as a social media marketer.
“The first rule about authenticity is that you don’t talk about authenticity.”
12. Trillion Dollar Coach
Trillion Dollar Coach is a book that chronicles the life and leadership principles of Bill Campbell, a renowned Silicon Valley executive coach who mentored some of the biggest names in tech. You can get to know about his coaching methods which focused on building strong relationships, fostering teamwork, and creating a culture of accountability. Although Campell focused on building huge tech companies, these lessons are timeless and is among the top books for entrepreneurs of all types.
“Always build communities. Build communities inside and outside of work. A place is much stronger when people are connected.”
Bonus: Free eBooks for ambitious entrepreneurs
Are you seeking resources to help build and expand your eCommerce businesses? Then you should consider checking out Instamojo’s eBooks store.
You will find an extensive collection of free ebooks on a range of topics, including marketing, finance, and operations. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced business owner, Instamojo eBooks offer valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed.
Here are two of our favourite ebooks from the store:
13. Don’t be a one-hit wonder: Keep your customers coming back for more
The most profitable businesses have one thing in common: they thrive on a customer base that repeatedly buys from them. This is called customer retention or repeat customers. In this eBook, we cover strategies to get your customers coming back for more after their first purchase.
14. Stop feeling invisible: The beginner’s guide to eCommerce SEO
Ecommerce SEO is a profitable and long-term strategy to get your online store in front of your target audience. In this ebook, you will learn the basics of Search Engine Optimization so that your online store can rank higher on Google’s search results. All the technical stuff of SEO is explained here in simple words with actionable tips that you can implement immediately.
Start with a book that will resonate with you
As an entrepreneur, it is essential to learn from the experiences of other successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. Books are one way we can do that. A good book can be eye-opening and help you achieve your goals faster.
We hope that you found books that interest you from this listicle!
