I have been asked by Tony – hi Tony – what are my top 10 books that are must reads for entrepreneurs who really want to expand their horizons and develop their businesses?
Well 10 is really difficult actually Tony so as a starting point I have given an outline of 11 – plus I’ve put a longer list of must reads under it. It’s the best I can do. So hard to choose!!! Pen at the ready? If you need a reading list for 2016 then this is a good place to start.
Fun
1. Brew Dog – Business for Punks
Not just for real ale enthusiasts – irreverent with great lesson particularly in building a loyal tribe, great ideas on financing and a few good habits for prudent business building too. Love these guys – buy some shares to study their business model.
2. The Psychopaths Guide to Business – by Andy NcNab – actually surprisingly valid lessons on business – but quite funny – like making decisions based on facts not allowing emotions or empathy to sway your opinion –actually statistically ends up being a ‘better’ result – worthy and entertaining
Personal Development
3. The Art of Thinking Clearly
Make better decisions with his handbook on understanding how and why we make decisions
4. The Chimp Paradox – by DR Steve Peters
Just read it. Enormous insight in to how our brain works and how to optimise your performance.
Scaling Your Business
5. Ready Fire Aim
Actually this has reminded me I need to reread this. Great for start-ups, the £10m level and the £100m so should help you get through the three key phases of business growth
Essential – Life changers (Now these are the books that made as seismic shift in my way of thinking)
6. Rich Dad Poor Dad
Life changer for me and really outlined what kind of business I wanted to own, and what a busy fool I was acting as a consultant when actually I should have been building a business with a value and an income regardless of the hours I worked.
7. Will it make the boat go faster?
If you haven’t heard me recommend this book then you haven’t known me long because everyone knows this is the mantra for my business. A book by Ben Hunt Davies about focus on one goal and the importance of a team.
8. The E Myth
Thailand 2011 I read this book. Came home and started the thought process of the franchise model. All about the systems, processes and standardisation of your business to scale it.
Classic
9. Think and Grow Rich
Golden oldie and has 13 steps that the majority of successful – like really successful – entrepreneurs emulate to achieve billionaire type wealth. Classic but great.
10. Sir John Harvey Jones – All Together Now
It’s this book – or the series that I saw when I was 15 – that made me decide I wanted to do this. So you can blame the late great Sir John for me! Great lessons
11. 88 The Narrow Road – Felix Dennis
A few salutary lessons from the great late Mr. Dennis – worthy reading for any budding entrepreneur to see if you have what it takes to make it on the narrow road of entrepreneurialism.
Reading is an essential part of learning – I have sustained my 52 books last year, which included fiction – which are important to sustain creativity. Don’t make excuses – find time every day to read – or listen to audio books – and make it part of your routine. And don’t forget to keep them in your business library so you can refer back to them. I turn over corners, mark and annotate my books circling and summarizing key learnings. And I have just started to re-read which has given me real insight into what I have applied – and what I have plain forgotten to do.
And here’s an additional 10 to be getting on with once you’ve made your way through the list.
1. Reality Check – Guy Kawasaki
2. The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
3. Linchpin – Seth Godin
4. Happiness Delivered – Tony Hsieh
5. Chasing Daylight – Eugene O’Kelly
6. Swim with Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive – Harvey Mackay
7. Achieve the impossible – Greg Whyte
8. The Magic of Thinking Big – David J Schwartz
9. The Goal – Eli Goldratt
10. Good to Great/Built to Last – Jim Collins
So happy reading Tony. Trust this helps!