User Review
( votes)It is really hard to find one effective secret of how to manage a successful business. Not all rules will work in your particular case. However, the best place where you can find the inspiration is from books.
When reading business books, you’ll find out more about running your business, learn how to be more productive and how to push up sales. In this insightful review, we’ll discuss the best business books of all time. Our goal is to compile a list of books for all entrepreneurs, designers, freelancers, photographers, and more. So get comfortable and read on!
Top Business Books for Entrepreneurs
If you want to improve your income or are searching for new ways of running a business, these books might come in handy. It is really hard to define the best entrepreneur books because there are lots of them. However, we tried to choose the best ones that have the highest rating among readers.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. This businesswoman has many years of experience working at the most prestigious company in the world. So she decided to write a book where she shares her experience of balancing being a professional businesswoman and a good wife and mother. Reading it, you’ll find out how to become a leader in your company, properly voice your opinion, how to find the right partners, and many other important things.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
The most effective management-related business book was written by Stanford researcher Jim Collins. The author shares superb advice on how to run a truly great company. This book has sold over 4 million copies, so it is definitely worth your attention.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek’s is the third most popular TED talk ever. He decided to write a book where he shares his experience on how to become a more innovative company. If you analyze the competitors, you will probably see that some companies are more innovative and more prosperous compared to others. So the author shows what a good leader should do to raise their company above others working in the same niche.
Some reviewers love this book, others hate it. However, it is definitely worth reading.
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Among all top business books to read, this one is definitely worth your attention. You’ll find out how to create a product that differs from others on the market and help you earn more. Moreover, you’ll also find a variety of superb tips on how to build the most effective marketing strategy.
The Best Books for Professionals
If you want to become a professional in your niche and to be more productive, these books can help you achieve this goal.
Focal Point by Brian Tracy
Some people can’t focus on one task whereas others can work on a few tasks simultaneously. In Focal Point, you’ll find a variety of recommendations that can help you become more organized and avoid procrastination.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
If you want to get rid of procrastination and think out of the box, you simply can’t pass by this book. The author shares a few practical pieces of advice on how to get inspired to start living better. All in all, you’ll find out how to build a more rewarding career.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel
Any leader knows how hard it is to work on a few projects simultaneously, isn’t it? If you agree, this book can be a life-changer for you. It will teach you how to be a goal-oriented person and focus on the really important things first. You’ll learn how to set goals and achieve them.
The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
Are you a solo-entrepreneur? Do you want to start a small business online? This book is a comprehensive guideline that will show how you can do it. Here, you’ll find a lot of effective tips on how to outsource some tasks, automate processes, find employees, etc. All in all, you’ll learn how to be more effective when running your business online.
The Big List of Business Books for Marketers
Want to be a successful marketer? You know that the success of any company mostly depends on marketing. These must-read business books might help you achieve your goal.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The author is a successful entrepreneur with many years of experience in running a business. Though not easy to read, the book is full of insightful advice on what marketing strategies are effective, how to deal with failures and what innovative ideas to use.
Statistically, the majority of startups fail, but you can take some measures to prevent it from happening. The book will show what you need to do to shorten the product development cycle, measure your progress and finally find out what the clients really want.
Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill
The name of the book is self-explanatory. Moreover, this is not just a list of recommendations on what to do to earn more. Here, you’ll find a detailed guideline. Following these tips, you’ll master the secret of lasting success.
Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi
The author is the founder of the prosperous Content Marketing Institute. In this book, he shares his experience in the area of marketing. In other words, it is a comprehensive guide to the main secrets of marketing. You’ll learn how to entertain clients, create informative stories, write content with humor, properly express your opinion, avoid sales speak, etc. All in all, it is a powerful tool for those who want to develop their business online.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
The main idea of this book is to help readers understand that marketing is not a battle of products, it is a battle of perceptions. You can create a high-quality product or deliver excellent services, but without marketing, you won’t have a good income. Here, you’ll find a variety of effective recommendations that will help you develop the right marketing strategy.
Best Business Books 2020 for Executives
These must-read books for business leaders will definitely help you understand lots of psychological aspects. You’ll learn how to deal with your colleagues and competitors.
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
The choice of books about management is really huge today but it is hard to find one that will definitely provide you with a wide array of effective tips. This one ranks as the most successful management book ever published. Here, you’ll find effective strategies that will help increase productivity and save your time. The management techniques described in this book have already helped millions of people from all over the world to change their lives. Now, it is your turn to be more effective!
The Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar
The book will let you in on a secret of being an effective leader. You’ll learn how to build a perfect life you are passionate about. You’ll finally understand all the technical aspects of running a start-up. Running your business is not easy, but this manual will help you avoid all the difficulties.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Out of all the business books you must read, this one will definitely change your mindset. There’s a reason why the rich get richer: they understand the vital things. The author explains the difference between assets and liabilities. To have more money, you should purchase assets and leverage income that is generated from them. The book has already changed the lives of thousands of people. In all likelihood, it will influence your mindset too.
The E-Myth by Michael Gerber
The main goal of this book is to show that you need to work on growing your business instead of just being in it. To run a successful business, you need to have a manager, an entrepreneur and a technician. One person can’t perform all these functions. Only when you understand this rule will you be able to build a business that can work without you.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The first version of this book was published in 1936, and it still has millions of fans from all over the globe. It teaches you how to treat people right, how to be a good listener and make your friends, relatives or colleagues feel important. Remember, you can take absolutely any situation in your life and make it work to your benefit!
Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
The world of business is too tough. But your goal shouldn’t be to beat the competitors. The book helps readers understand that the majority of companies are red oceans, full of blood because of competition. But later, submarkets appeared in reaction to these red markets. If you want to differ from your competitors, your main goal is to create a blue ocean for yourself.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Sometimes, we are too demanding at work or at home. Instead of telling your employees how to do things, you should just give them tasks. Let them do it in any way they want and they will surprise you with the results. The main character of the book is an ordinary man who borrowed $50 to start a company, and now he earns $50 billion dollars annually.
Overview of the Most Interesting Books for Freelancers
When analyzing top books to read for business, we couldn’t pass by literature for freelancers.
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
The author is a well-known entrepreneur who managed to build a successful career. From this book, you’ll learn more about the daily routine of business owners, athletes, and celebrities. The author shares more than 200 stories of world-class performers. If you struggle with productivity, you can find many effective tips that really work.
Here Comes Everyone: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
Struggling with productivity? Can’t organize yourself? In this manual, you’ll find a variety of highly-effective tips on how to be more effective and how to do more tasks over a shorter period of time. You’ll understand that crowdsourcing is a game changer today and see how people manage businesses online.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
If you work as a freelancer, you probably know how hard it is to manage your income and expenditures. You don’t have a stable income and it is really hard to predict it. This book is considered to be a classic finance manual that will teach you how to control your expenses.
You’ll understand that you need to pay yourself first and try to live within your means. The author shares his experience of working as a freelancer. Moreover, the book has a good rating on Amazon, so it is definitely worth reading.
Best Books for Photographers
With more professional photographers competing for work, you know that you need to stay ahead of the pack. To achieve that goal, you should visit professional workshops and read more books. However, you should also understand that being a photographer is the same as being an entrepreneur. Here’s the list of books every entrepreneur should read that are also aimed at photographers.
Money by Rob Moore
Rob Moore is a popular business person in the UK who managed to build a successful career. In this book, he shares his way to success. Do you want to be financially independent? This inspiring book explains the main rules of the game. You’ll find out how to properly manage money, create a plan for an ambitious future and deal with failures. All in all, you’ll learn how to think and behave like a millionaire.
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
The main concept of this book can change the lives of millions of people. The thing is that you have to create a to-do list, and first, you should take care of the item you least want to do. If you do these tasks every morning, everything else will seem very easy. This principle can help in your working and personal life.
