The 32 Must-Read Entrepreneur Books of All Time

Are you looking for advice on boosting your small business and improving your life?

We’ve compiled a list of the best books by renowned business leaders, novelists, and successfulentrepreneurs, packed with practical advice on becoming an industry innovator and finding your passion through meaningful work. With these business books, you too can build your own business and thrive.

If you decide to grab one of these page-turners, we encourage you to find a local bookstore that offers delivery or curbside pickup. CheckIndieBoundif you truly don’t have local options, or consider purchasing fromBookshop, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores.

32 must-read entrepreneur books

1. The Power of Broke
2. Behold the Dreamers
3. The Virgin Way
4. Steve Jobs
5. Year of Yes
6. Beating the Odds
7. Female Innovators at Work
8. In the Company of Women
9. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
10. The Last Black Unicorn
11. Girl Code
12. David and Goliath
13. The 4-Hour Workweek
14. All Marketers Are Liars
15. Purple Cow
16. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
17. Rework
18. Trust Me, I'm Lying
19. The Lean Startup
20. The Startup Owner's Manual
21. Crush It!
22. The Tipping Point
23. Good to Great
24. Getting to Yes
25. The Power of Visual Storytelling
26. Hooked
27. Ogilvy on Advertising
28. How to Win Friends and Influence People
29. The Art of the Start
30. Start With Why
31. Rich Dad Poor Dad
32. Zero to One

1. The Power of Broke

Author:Daymond John

Daymond John is an influential voice for founders who don’t have a ton of money to get their small business started. In his bestsellingThe Power of Broke, he discusses how being broke and on a tight budget can motivate you to achieve great things—as long as you’re hungry for success.

2. Behold the Dreamers

Author:Imbolo Mbue

Behold the Dreamersinspires with its timeless plea for courage. Set during the 2008 financial crisis, thisNew York Timesbestselling novel is told through the eyes of a young Cameroonian woman and shines a light on the immigrant experience with a wit and compassion that’s lacking in today’s political conversation. The story feels more relevant than ever, as equality movements redefine what it means to be an immigrant living in the United States.

3. The Virgin Way

Author:Richard Branson

Richard Branson was just 16 years old when he dropped out of school and started working for himself. Nearly 50 years later, his Virgin Group is an international brand. This is the playbook for leadership, showing how family, fun, passion, and listening are key to creating a successful, worldwide team of employees.

4. Steve Jobs

Author:Walter Isaacson

Anyone involved in business has heard at least a few stories about Apple founder Steve Jobs. Walter Isaacson’s riveting biography of the Silicon Valley icon will inspire you to build and create products that people want, to test the boundaries of innovation, and to become an entrepreneurial success with abusiness planto change the world.

5. Year of Yes

Author:Shonda Rhimes

Leading Hollywood producer Shonda Rhimes, best known for her hit seriesGrey’s AnatomyandScandal,lets readers in on her personal industry experiences inYear of Yes. Rhimes shares her journey from a shy and nervous introvert who turned down endless opportunities, to a confidentpublic speakerand authoritative figure who said yes to everything that came her way. This book is for those who want to bust out of their shells and bring their voices into the world.

6. Beating the Odds

Author:Eddie Brown

Philanthropist and business magnate Eddie Brown walks you through how he built and maintained Brown Capital Management through hard times like 9/11 and the 2008 recession. In his autobiography,Beating the Odds, Brown offers a fascinating look at being born in the rural South to a 13-year-old mother who died shortly after his birth. Brown tells how, despite endless hardships, he created his own life path—graduating college, joining the Army, and becoming an engineer at IBM—and eventually built his billion-dollar company.

7. Female Innovators at Work

Author: Danielle Newnham

Female Innovators At Workis a must-read for all current and aspiring leaders ofwomen-owned businesses. Danielle Newnham’s book is full of inspiring interviews and case studies from female CEOs, founders, and inventors from various different areas of tech, as they share their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned on their journeys through entrepreneurship.

8. In the Company of Women

Author:Grace Bonney

In the Company of Womenshares and highlights inspiring advice and life stories from women entrepreneurs across various industries, careers, backgrounds, races, and places, showing how visibility is the key to success for women leaders today. If you want to gain new perspectives and soak up some inspiration, this is one of the best books for entrepreneurs available today.

Related:18 Best Podcasts By Women Entrepreneurs

9. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Author:Angela Duckworth

Many of us know persistence and effort are key to success. Those who “make it” aren’t always the ones with the best ideas or resources. They’re the ones who work and improve every day—no matter what. This is whatGritis about. In thisNew York Timesbestseller, Angela Duckworth teachesbusiness ownershow to cultivate the grit they’ll need to run a successful business, as well as how to inspire it in the people around them.

10.The Last Black Unicorn

Author:Tiffany Haddish

In this autobiography, actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish shares her rags-to-riches story.The Last Black Unicornis a powerful and personal tale of how you can come from nothing and make it to the top by following your dreams and being true to who you are. If you want to have a good laugh and a dose of inspiration, this is your must-read book of the year.

11. Girl Code

Author:Cara Alwill Leyba

One of the many tough parts of being a female entrepreneur can be dealing with other women. But when women show up for and support each other, amazing things happen. In this powerful book for female entrepreneurs, Cara Alwill Leyba shares the secrets to building confidence and empowering other women.Girl Codehelps you connect with why you do what you do in your life and business, handle jealousy, burn out, and self care, and find out what success means to you.

12. David and Goliath

Author:Malcolm Gladwell

Each of Malcolm Gladwell’s books are riveting. InDavid and Goliath, Gladwell examines how we think about challenges and disadvantages while offering a new look at what it means to be discriminated against, lose a parent, attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of life setbacks. Learn about the success of the Impressionists, the history of the full-court press, and why you should avoid elite colleges like Harvard and Brown.

13. The 4-Hour Workweek

Author:Timothy Ferriss

If you follow the Shopify blog, you’re aware of entrepreneurTimothy Ferriss. In this book, Ferriss describes how he went from working 80 hours a week and earning $40,000 a year to earning $40,000 a month working only four hours a week.

14. All Marketers Are Liars

Author:Seth Godin

Great marketers don’t talk about features or benefits: they tell stories. InAll Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin shines some new light on this industry, discussing how marketers think and create stores—as well as lies and frauds—that have an impact on the lives of many, for better or for worse. His book will also teach youhow to build a brandand craft your story.

15. Purple Cow

Author:Seth Godin

Purple Cow, another book by Seth Godin, showcases one of the key principles of marketing strategy: be remarkable. Godin discusses how the old way of building a business—making safe, average products then advertising them on TV—is long gone. Instead, he argues here, you need to stop advertising, start innovating, and build remarkable products.

16. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Author:Ben Horowitz

霍洛维茨这个名字似乎很熟悉?Ben Horowitzis one half of Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most respected VCs in Silicon Valley. Here, Horowitz offers essential advice on founding and running an online business, as well as practical wisdom for navigating the many challenges business schools don’t cover.

17. Rework

Authors:Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

InRework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson convincingly show that most of what we regard as obstacles—hiring staff, dealing with paperwork, decision making, time management, renting an office—are simply excuses to not get started. With its direct language and simple-is-better technique,Reworkis the best playbook for anyone who’s dreamed of running a successful business of their own.

18. Trust Me, I’m Lying

Author:Ryan Holiday

Do you want to know how the media really works? Ryan Holiday claims to know. As a media manipulator, he uses blogging to control and distort the news, as much as any one person can.Trust Me, I’m Lyingshows you how he does it. But be careful—the information provided here is dangerous.

19. The Lean Startup

Author:Eric Ries

Rather than spend dozens of hours creating an exhaustivebusiness plan,The Lean Startupoffers companies of all sizes a new way to test their vision, adjust, and adapt—fast. Eric Ries provides a scientific approach to creating a successful startup—whether founded in a Fortune 100 boardroom or a garage, like Amazon—in a time when small businesses need to innovate to thrive.

20. The Startup Owner’s Manual

Authors:Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

The Startup Owner’s Manual是一本608页的,循序渐进的引导部吗siness idea and turn it into a successful startup. If you like charts, graphs, diagrams, and unlocking the secrets to building a successful, scalable company, this is thebusiness bookfor you.

21. Crush It!

Author:Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk discovered the possibilities of sales through the internet earlier than many. InCrush It!,you’ll learn his actionable advice for turning your web presence into a personal brand—just like Vaynerchuk did when he grew his family’s wine business from a $4-million venture to a $60-million one.

22. The Tipping Point

Author:Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Pointis Malcolm Gladwell’s seminal book about how small changes can prompt big ones. In this bestseller, Gladwell explores and explains the “tipping point phenomenon,” which changed how people throughout the world think about selling products and sharing ideas. You’ve heard about it. Now it’s time to read it.

23. Good to Great

Author:Jim Collins

InGood to Great,吉姆·柯林斯概要文件大公司比如Intel, Coca-Cola, and Merck to discover how they took quantum leaps ahead of their competitors. To find out what makes a company great, Collins and his 21-person research team read and coded 6,000 articles, produced more than 2,000 pages of interview transcripts, and created 384 megabytes of computer data over the course of five years. Their findings are presented in this intriguing business book.

24. Getting to Yes

Author:Roger Fisher and William Ury

Getting to Yesis based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution. This book has been published continuously for 30 years, teaching business owners a step-by-step strategy for coming to mutual agreements in every sort of conflict. Not many business books can claim the same.

25. The Power of Visual Storytelling

Author:Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio

The Power of Visual Storytellingis one-of-a-kind guide to developing powerful marketing programs using visual storytelling. In this book, you’ll learn how to grow your business and strengthen your brand by leveraging photos, videos, infographics, presentations, and other rich media.

26. Hooked

Author:Nir Eyal

Looking for a product to sell and open to trying anything? Consult Nir Eyal’s Hook Model, a four-step process to build customer habits and learn how to create products that people can’t put down.

27. Ogilvy on Advertising

Author:David Ogilvy

Ogilvy on Advertisingis a classic book for entrepreneurs, written by David Ogilvy, one of the co-founders of Ogilvy & Mather who’s also been called the original Mad Man.

28. How to Win Friends and Influence People

Author:Dale Carnegie

Since 1936,How to Win Friends and Influence Peoplehas sold more than 15 million copies. This timeless Dale Carnegie bestseller is packed with actionable advice that has carried hundreds of thousands of successful people through their business and personal lives. It can teach you some new people skills and how to achieve maximum potential in a noisy and competitive age.

29. The Art of the Start

Author:Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki was one of the first marketers for Apple, where he cultivated the ability to put ideas into action. From raising money and hiring the right people to defining your position and building a brand to creating hype and fostering a community, this business book will guide you through the journey of starting a small business.

30. Start With Why

Author:Simon Sinek

Start With Whytakes you inside the minds of business leaders who’ve had the greatest influence on the world. Simon Sinek explores how they think, act, and communicate. Pulling from real-life experiences, he brings together a clear playbook for what it takes to lead and inspire. If you want to inspire others, or learnhow to find a mentorwho inspires you, this book will show you how.

31. Rich Dad Poor Dad

Author:Robert T. Kiyosaki

Rich Dad Poor Dadtells Robert Kiyosaki’s story of growing up with two dads: his biological father and his fathers’ best friend—his “rich dad.” Kiyosaki shares how both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing. He also explores the myth of earning a high income to become rich and shows how you can use money to work for you, rather than constantly working for money.

32. Zero to One

Author:Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, explores how to build a better future in his bestselling book,Zero to One.Thiel presents a positive look into the future of America’s tech world and offers a new way of thinking about innovation—learning how to ask the right questions that lead you to discover value in the most unexpected places.

What are the best entrepreneur books you’re reading?

When it comes to business books, you may find some topics more interesting or practical than others. Regardless, these classic books can educate you with all the tools you’ll need, inspire you with success stories, and teach important lessons through the failures of the biggest entrepreneurs from yesterday and today. Armed with these tips, you can set off on your own entrepreneurial journey and build a profitable business.

If you want to learn more about entrepreneurship, check out these topbusiness podcaststo explore more tips, tricks, challenges, and lessons.

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