20 Books Every Entrepreneur Must Read

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What’s on your e-reader?

“No mans education is ever finished.” Every successful entrepreneur is likely reading (or has read) something to further their business acumen – whether it be a trade journal, an online magazine, e-book or hard copy. One key theme in entrepreneurship & small business is … “there are many things to learn.”

Knowledge will become one of your most valuable assets.

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, “Who you will become in the next five years is based on a) who you associate with and b) the books you read.” To that point, even in a time-crunched state we should make time to read more. Even if reading is not your cup of tea, purchase the audiobooks via iTunes.

Ultimately if I had to compile a ‘must-read’ book-list for startups it would consist of the following titles.

1. The Magic of Thinking Big

2. The Master Key to Riches

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

4. Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits

5. No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs (NO BS)

6. Who Moved My Cheese?

7. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

8. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

9. The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea

10. Rich Dad Poor Dad

11. Personality Plus

12. The E-Myth Revisited

13. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t

14. How To Win Friends and Influence People

15. Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words

16. Think and Grow Rich

17. The Go-Getter

18. The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide…

19. The Dip

20. Put Your Dream to the Test

What are your favorite business books? Share them in the comments section below.

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— Erica Nicole

Erica Nicole is the Founder and CEO of YFS Magazine: Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed. She is an accomplished serial entrepreneur, acclaimed small business expert, dynamic speaker, syndicated columnist, philanthropist and Christian thought leader. She has been featured in Forbes, Fox Business, The Huffington Post, Mashable, AOL.com, Examiner.com and many other national media outlets.

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  • http://twitter.com/jaclynmullen Jaclyn Mullen

    Great post! I am almost done reading a book that I HIGHLY recommend for any entrepreneur. It’s called “But Are You Making Any Money” by Marley Majcher. Trust me, it’s been very helpful for me in crafting my cash flow model. Next up on my list? “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

    • http://twitter.com/YFSMagazine YFS Magazine

      Jaclyn, Thanks for the recommendation! That sounds like a highly relevant title for SMB’s. I will check it out.

  • http://twitter.com/rishi_chowdhury Rishi Chowdhury

    Good list but The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is also a must for every entrepreneur! We wrote on our blog our 15 top books every entrepreneur should read. Has some that are the same and some different ones. Take a look – http://goo.gl/BprLS

    • http://twitter.com/YFSMagazine YFS Magazine

      Yes. One of my personal favorites.

  • http://www.briankeithmay.com Brian May

     Nice list. The tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell is also a good book for entrepreneurs. 

    • http://twitter.com/YFSEricaNicole Erica Nicole

      Great recommendation!

    • http://twitter.com/YFSEricaNicole Erica Nicole

      Great recommendation!

  • Tiffany

    Great List! “Caught Between a Dream and a Job” by Delatorro McNeal II is a great selection that started me on my journey to entrepreneurship. One of my favorite quotes from the book: “When presented with a major challenge, issue, or painful situation in life, you can one of two things: allow that situation to make you bitter or allow that situation to make you better.”

    • http://twitter.com/YFSEricaNicole Erica Nicole

      Tiffany – thanks for sharing! Sounds like a must-read.

  • http://twitter.com/SocialBeeJunkie Sharlene Santana

    Great list! I need to get on my grind and get to reading :-)

  • Kenny

    I would recommend for the book list “Crush it” by Gary vaynerchuk. 
    The five Major Pieces to the life puzzle by Jim Rohn
    The long tail by Chris Anderson
    Wikinomics by Don Tapscott

  • Kenny

    Quit your job or Die by Josh Tolley
    Awaken the Giant by Tony Robins

    • http://www.yfsentrepreneur.com YFS Magazine

      Those are great recommendations! We’ll look at them for our 2011 list. Thanks!

  • http://www.facebook.com/trevormauch Trevor Mauch

    Great list Erica!

    A few new ones on your list that I hadn’t heard of. Ordering them now :-)

    I was sitting in a mastermind room w/ about 20 other young entrepreneurs earlier this year… really successful guys and gals (from a 23 year old who just sold his company to google for $80mm, to the founder of Redbox, 4  inc 30 under 30 guys, a really great group)…

    … and we all named our single favorite book thats impacted us in business/life.

    I wrote a post up on my personal blog running down the list of books… there’s some books on there that aren’t mentioned on your list (and vice versa) so I just thought I’d share it so together the two lists are the ultimate list of “must reads” for young entrepreneurs.

    http://www.trevormauch.com/what-entrepreneurs-read/38/ 

    Enjoy :-)

    Great work Erica!  Really love the heck outta your site… I just found it yesterday through a buddy of mine.

    Keep up the great work and let me know how I can help w/ anything!

    - Trevor

  • http://www.facebook.com/motivational.listener The Motivational Listener

    What Got You Here What Get You There (Marshal Goldsmith)
    Made to Stick (Dan Heath and Chip Heath)
    Creativity Now (Jurgen Wolff)
    So Why Aren’t You Rich Yet (Darel Rutherford)
    How To Get Rich (Felix Dennis)
    The 80 Minute MBA (Richard Reeves)
    Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion (Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Cialdini)
    Key Person of Influence (Daniel Priestley)
    First Steps to Wealth (Dani Johnson)

  • afia ofori

    one of my business bibles is Napoleon Hill’s revision of Think and Grow Rich–Grow Rich With Peace of Mind. 

  • http://www.GirlsBestFriendandcoBlog.com/ GirlsBestFriendandCo

    I have read 3 of the 20. I am a huge fan of auto books. I highly recommend them. 

  • http://twitter.com/javivo Javier Duarte

    Steve Jobs’ Biography.

  • http://www.GirlsBestFriendandcoBlog.com/ GirlsBestFriendandCo

    I have read four of the ten, I have learned valuable lesson from the four. I have to search on Amazon for the other 16. 

  • http://twitter.com/GoogleExpertUK Susan Dolan

    A great list!
    Thanx – Sue

    http://www.seowebmarketing.co.uk

  • http://twitter.com/PGRDresses PrettyGirlsRockDress

    I need to read everything but I can’t seem to find the time. Currently The Martha Rules: http://www.amazon.com/The-Martha-Rules-Stewart/dp/1594864705

  • http://twitter.com/maxlynch Max Lynch

    I think Rework should be on there, along with 4 hour work week. Four hour work week is IMO a more practical “lean startup” book, and Rework will inspire you to do things differently.

    • http://www.facebook.com/john.d.kolinofsky John D Kolinofsky

      I second Max Lynch! This list is incomplete without Rework on there. I would also recommend Quitter by Jon Acuff.

  • http://www.incion.com/ profesional web design

    Nice list of books. Thanks for sharing.

  • Lynn Daue

    Such a great list! I’d also add The $100 Startup (Chris Guillebeau), Fascinate (Sally Hogshead), and Unconscious Branding (Douglas Van Praet).

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