Starting your business is a journey, and as a new entrepreneur, you should learn as much as you can to help support you on the way. An invaluable source on your trip can be the best book for starting a business that is an excellent investment, as this investment will pay off for many years to come. The right ones can act as a map when you are just starting, as they will give you the insights that you need to get from your present to your goal. These books will also help you to build a thriving business along the way.
Best Books to Start Your Business
Books are considered the most accessible and affordable way to learn. Whether you are an artisan who is looking to sell the work or an aspiring tech entrepreneur, there are some of the most insightful books that you have to read before you launch.
1. Will It Fly? by Thomas K. McKnight
The aspiring founders who are to make a leap into entrepreneurship always wonder whether their new business idea will be a success or not. Everybody is afraid that the concept should not fall flat. McKnight offers a checklist of 44 items drawn from his vast experience in business launches to help you to evaluate your business ideas.
His book of business will guide you through everything from your attitude evaluation to the different business strategies. He also advises you to have a clear idea about what your chances of success are.
2. Lucky Or Smart? by Bo Peabody
In his late twenties, Bo Peabody was an Internet millionaire who co-founded five different companies in respective industries. He asks and then addresses a question in his book whether he was smart to have achieved this feat or lucky. In this book, he makes his readers understand how intelligence and luck work together.
Peabody tells that he was at least smart enough to know when things were getting lucky for him and teaches us in-depth on how we also can cultivate the same perception and then take advantage of it.
3. The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte
Suppose you are confused about taking a step into entrepreneurship. In that case, Danelle LaPorte’s business plan book is designed to offer you a little nudge that you require getting right on with it, and launching your own business.
This book is chock-full of personal anecdotes and motivational goodies that feature 16 startup sessions that will be able to shake the action out of you. This book is a self-help and pleasurable read that one should consider if you want something fired up for your journey.
4. Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss
This book is the one that most of the people in business circles call the consultant’s bible. Alan Weiss has earned the tag of ‘Rock Star of Consulting’ with this book. This is one of the best books on starting a business if you are selling yourself into the C-suite.
This book has all the fundamentals from setting up the office to writing different proposals and delegating labour. There are various pricing strategies, and useful networking ideas are also given in this book.
5. The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson
This book reveals the personal story of Wilkerson about how different circumstances forced her to work from home, and that is enlightening and inspiring also. If you want to start a home-based business or an online business, then this start your own business book is for you.
There are different topics tackled in this book like how to find the target market, build your brand and develop effective marketing strategies with follow-charts and tables that are easy to understand. This is a good book for the online marketers, service providers and consultants.
6. The Business Start-Up Kit by Steven D. Strauss
Steven D. Strauss is a small business columnist for USAToday.com and is one of the foremost authorities on small businesses which is fully aware of his role. This is one of the best small business books that offer a compendium of valuable information that benefits any starter who wants to succeed in his business.
He also explains what benefits and what doesn't benefit in startups and gives excellent tips and guidance on choosing the right business, looking at the competition and why passion is essential for a new business person.
7. Start Your Own Business by Rieva Leonsky
Rieva Lesonsky is one of the Editors of Entrepreneur magazine, who is in the best place to know what it takes to start a business. This how to start a business book is in a quest to live up to its premise. The tagline of the book says that this is the only startup book that you will need.
This is the fourth edition of this great book, and it has sold more than 200,000 copies and is considered as the definitive business startup book for the people who are planning to become an entrepreneur.
8. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
This startup classic by Guy Kawasaki is an excellent replacement for any textbook that you would be using in an entrepreneurship class in order to prepare yourself to become a business owner. It is considered among the best books for starting a business as it offers inside information on different topics.
The Art of the Start covers all stages of the business startup process from raising money to motivating your staff. There is tons of useful information like how different investors will view you etc. that is helpful for the ones looking for external financing.
9. Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
If you silently work for a corporation and wish that you can start your own business and become your own boss, then this book is what you want. If you are to create a new place and have recently left your corporate job, still this book has a lot for you.
Pamela Slim clearly explain what you want to know about starting a business and also teaches you how to get clients. She also offers you valuable motivation and guidance that will reenergize your commitment so that you can escape the corporate cubicle for a good reason.
10. The Business Planning Guide by David H. Bangs Jr.
This is one of the sobering guide books that offer you a reassuring voice of experience when you are to venture into a new business. Bangs Jr. is a former banker and entrepreneur who provide expert guidance on the basis of his vast knowledge on different aspects of launching a business.
He also helps you to analyze your business strengths, weaknesses, different opportunities and the market conditions. There are people who consider this book to be an essential map and compass for anybody who is starting on the entrepreneurial journey for the first time.
11. Startup from the Ground Up by Cynthia Kocialski
Kocialski is considered as a talented writer, and this book is quite a handy resource for anyone who has a new business idea but is not sure about where to begin. This book gives all the useful information to help to transform your idea to a business.
With this book, you will be learning how to take the concept of your service or product and then translate into a viable business model. It will also help you how to seek funding, recruiting and hiring an effective team. For a successful business, one should grab this book and read everything that the author has to say.
12. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The Lean Startup is a convenient book for the ones who want to start a business based on technology or software. Eric Ries shares some insightful stories and case studies from his experiences with the software startups.
Ries also teaches different principles of lean manufacturing and focuses on continuous innovation to create a business that is radically successful. This book will be precious to you if you don't have the experience to design and measure business processes.
Conclusion
Learning how to start or build your business by trial or error can be very costly; therefore, you have to be prepared. You can learn everything that you want to know by reading the ones who have experienced the entrepreneurial path. There is no single book contains all the information required to launch a successful business, so a collection of the best business books from top writers can help you glean vital wisdom and inspiration before you take the first step.