I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
Books are a cheap, quick and easy way of improving your knowledge.
But there’s a problem…
How do you select the best books to read on your chosen topic? You don’t want to waste your time and money on bad books. You want to buy those that will be beneficial…
…books that will help you to achieve your goals.
Most people rely on book reviews. However, there’s a downside to this logic. In most cases, you have no idea who wrote the review.
Would you not prefer book recommendations from successful businessmen and entrepreneurs? People that have taken action and applied the knowledge they acquired from the books. People who know from experience that the information is valuable.
Well, that’s exactly what you will find below on this page. A list of must-read business books recommended by top businessmen and entrepreneurs.
Read the Right Book at the Right Time
Something I learned from Darren Hardy (CEO, Success Magazine) was to concentrate on just one area of your life or one skill that you want to improve.
That skill once developed and executed excellently would have the greatest impact on your career/life. It would help you accomplish your current most important goal.
Once identified, you should research the best resources to help you improve and further develop that skill, and then buy:
- The best 5 books on that topic
- The best 3 audio programs on that topic
- A ticket for 1 seminar on that topic
Once you have consumed the information from your purchases, make notes and then pick out those that are most useful.
Here’s why:
You won’t be able to do everything at once.
It’s important that you take what you’ve learned and reduce it down to the best three ideas. From those ideas, pick just one and implement it immediately.
Doing must follow learning.
Knowing what to do is not the same as doing what you know. You must implement what you learn, or to put it another way:
Once you are confident that you have familiarised yourself with this new skill, move onto the next idea.
Now, simply repeat this process until you have attained your goal. Once that’s done, move onto your next goal.
Following this goal-setting, skill-seeking, action taking cycle will help you to achieve great things.
Invest in Yourself
High-achievers have several things in common. One of these is that they’re continuously striving to better themselves. They devote a lot of time and effort into personal development.
Personal development is a process that involves assessing your skills and qualities, contemplating what you want to achieve in life and then settings goals to help you get there. To achieve these goals, you need to increase self-awareness and knowledge and improve personal skills.
You improve skills through practice whereas you attain knowledge via various sources of information, i.e. text, audio, visual.
You can acquire information from the internet, books, audiobooks, videos, online courses, seminars, lectures, etc. Often it’s free but if you want the best information on a certain topic presented in an order, that’s easy to follow, it’s more likely that you’ll have to pay for it.
I’m a firm believer that we should all be striving towards continuous improvement and that is why you should invest in personal development.
If you think about it, personal development materials and coaches are essentially free. If they help you improve and as a result of that earn more money then they effectively pay for themselves.
In fact, according to Brian Tracy, an investment in personal development more than pays for itself:
If you want things to change for the better, you have to change. The best way to achieve this change?
Invest in yourself.
Must-Read Books for Entrepreneurs
If you’d like to jump straight to books in a certain category, please use the following contents box:
- Inspirational Books
- Entrepreneurship Books
- Strategy Books
- Branding Books
- Marketing Books
- Sales Books
- Writing Books
- Financial Management Books
- Management & Leadership Books
- Psychology Books
- Self-Help Books
- Productivity Books
- I Don’t Have Time to Read
Inspirational Books
Most of us can do with a little inspiration every now and then to keep us moving forward. The stories of those that have had great achievements are a great place to start.
Anyone Can Do It by Duncan Bannatyne
From an ice cream van to Dragons’ Den – the autobiography of self-made multi-millionaire Duncan Bannatyne.
At 30, Duncan had no money. He saw a story of someone who had made himself a millionaire, and decided to do the same. Five years later he had done it, at the time of publication, he was worth £168 million.
Instant Motivation: The surprising truth behind what really drives top performance by Chantal Burns
This book will change how you think about what drives you to succeed. Compelling evidence combined with inspiring stories and insights will unlock a powerful new mindset that will instantly boost your performance and open your eyes to what it really takes to excel.
It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden
This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom – all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads.
It’s Not What You Think by Chris Evans
The number one Sunday Times bestseller – the witty and energetically written autobiography of Chris Evans.
The story of how one council estate lad made good, really very good, and survived – just about – to tell the tale…
Memoirs Of A Fruitcake by Chris Evans
Sunday Times Celebrity Book of the Year 2010.
This carries on Chris’ story right where he left off in his first book, It’s Not What You Think. He was rich, famous, and now the owner of his own radio station and media company. What could possibly go wrong?
Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
The number 1 international bestselling autobiography of entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
Losing My Virginity is one of my favourite autobiographies. It’s a fun account of how Richard started his first business and grew it into the multinational corporation we know today. Plus all of the excitement in between…
Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson
In Screw It, Let’s Do It, Richard shares the secrets of his success and the invaluable lessons he has learned over the course of his remarkable career. He also looks to the future and shares his plans for taking his business and his ideas to the next level.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight
“A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like … It’s an amazing tale” ~ Bill Gates
A great read, you will not be disappointed.
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography is the definitive portrait of the greatest innovator of his generation.
Bestselling author Walter Isaacson provides an extraordinary account of Jobs’ professional and personal life.
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho
This is one of my favourite fiction books.
The story follows Santiago, a young shepherd, on a journey to realise his “Personal Legend”. It’s a beautiful parable that’s inspired people all over the world to live their dreams.
The Art of Being Brilliant: Transform Your Life by Doing What Works For You by Andy Cope
Being brilliant, successful and happy isn’t about dramatic change, it’s about finding out what really works for you and doing more of it! The authors lay down their six common-sense principles that will ensure you focus on what you’re good at and become super brilliant both at work and at home.
The Motivation Manifesto: 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power by Brendon Burchard
The Motivation Manifesto is a pulsing, articulate, ferocious call to claim our personal power. World-renowned high performance trainer Brendon Burchard reveals that the main motive of humankind is the pursuit of greater Personal Freedom.
The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage by Ryan Holiday
If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way, it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.
What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography by Alan Sugar
Alan Sugar was born in 1947 and brought up on a council estate in Hackney. As a kid he watched his dad struggle to support the family. It had a huge impact on him, fuelling a drive to succeed that was to earn him a personal fortune.
Like the man himself, this autobiography is forthright, funny and sometimes controversial.