- New Nouns
- Posts
- The 5 Books Entrepreneurs Must Read
The 5 Books Entrepreneurs Must Read
Have you read them all?
The 5 Books Entrepreneurs Must Read
I was speaking with a shiny new entrepreneur the other day, and book question came up. There are so many fantastic business books.
To be fair, there are also so many terrible ones.
These were the 5 books I recommended starting with.
OR (this is a 2-for-one)
 |  |
Call me biased, but I think EOS is a must at this point. If you’re a 10+ person team and don’t know how to build the alignment, accountability, and team health that will make your business actually evolve into the thing you dream of, read Traction.
If you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey, check out the (underrated) The Entrepreneurial Leap. It digs into the 6 traits you must have to be a successful entrepreneur and paints a very realistic picture of what the road ahead holds. If you have a 17-year-old niece who wants to run a business, give her E-Leap.
This book is packed with wisdom and is simply a must-read. If anything, just so you aren’t the only person in every room who hasn’t read it.
The quintessential lesson here: being an entrepreneur means the business itself is your product.
Just read it.
Everybody and their mother has their own way of handling finances. If you’ve never done it, the simple approach Mike outlines in this very entertaining book about bank accounts is a great place to start.
Frankly, even if you don’t own a business and just want to simplify your personal finances, he talks about that too.
Additional plug here: if you have a chance to see Mike deliver a keynote, take it. He’s a phenomenal speaker.
I honestly think all three of Sinek’s books (Start With Why, The Infinite Game, Leaders Eat Last) are close to mandatory reading. He has a way of putting things into words that you knew but didn’t know you knew.
Starting a business takes a lot of work, and, in my opinion, having clarity on your why is a must. Your purpose. The thing that keeps you going when it gets rough (because it will get rough). Your infinite game.
One of my favorite quotes from Seneca: “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
Figure out where you’re going first. Hell, figure out why you’re on a boat.
Then sail fast.
Like I said, starting a business is rough. Believe me. The stress, weight and focus on you like the single grain of sand keeping a dam from breaking.
But it’s a journey. Not a destination. There is no winner. There is no race.
There is only what happened yesterday.
What you did better today.
And what you’ve learned for tomorrow.
Have one you think belongs on this list? Reply.
One on the list you haven’t read? Reply and I’ll send you a copy.
be good
z
