When you are just getting started in entrepreneurship, it can be hard to know where to turn for advice.
Luckily, there are many great books on the subject that will help guide you in your journey.
I have compiled a list of the 20 best books for beginner entrepreneurs so that you don’t have to waste time figuring out which ones might be right for you!
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Table of Contents
The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte
A life-changing book that will help you ignite your dream life.
Danielle LaPorte’s The Fire Starter Sessions is a collection of interviews with successful women who have found their passion and are living their dreams, as well as a guide to help you find your own fire.
In this book, you’ll learn how to:
- Find out what makes you come alive (and then go do it!).
- Get clear on the vision for your ideal life—and get really excited about it!
- Create an action plan for making the next year of your life truly amazing.
- Choose the right people to support you in reaching your goals.
- Deal with negative people and situations so they don’t derail you.
- Stay focused on what matters.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to start their own business.
It’s especially good for people who want to start a small business and don’t have much money to invest in it.
The author, Chris Guillebeau, has started his own business and gives advice on how he did it.
He also interviews other entrepreneurs about how they started their businesses with very little money.
Finding Your Way in a Wild New World by Martha Beck
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In this revolutionary book, Martha Beck shows us how to find our way in a world where we are constantly being told what to do.
She offers practical advice for navigating the new terrain of work and relationships, from deciding whether or not to have children to choosing a career path that is right for you.
The key is learning how to listen to your own inner compass—and then learn how to trust it.
In Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, Martha Beck shares her own story of finding her way by listening closely and trusting herself at each step along the way.
Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions – A book written by Guy Kawasaki that describes the art of enchantment.
It is a must-read for anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur or simply improve their life.
Enchantment is about how to change people’s hearts, minds, and actions through the use of stories and emotions.
The author uses many examples from his own life as well as other entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Walt Disney.
This book will teach you how to make your company stand out from the competition while making your customers love you!
12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran
The road map helps entrepreneurs of all levels make confident decisions, work quickly to get their product to market, and launch it to a crowd that is eager to buy.
You will be guided through three stages to reach your first $1 million in this one-year plan:
Step -1 (0-4 months): A step-by-step plan will guide you through finding a winning product idea, targeting customers who will buy the product, securing funding, and selling your first product within four months.
Step – 2 (5-8 months): As soon as you open a business, you will learn how to advertise cheaply and effectively to get at least 25 sales a day, which will prove you are running an effective business.
Step -3 (9-12 months): It is time to establish a series of products that will enable you to sell at least 100 times per day and get closer to the million-dollar mark every day.
Ryan Daniel Moran has helped new and experienced entrepreneurs launch scalable and sustainable online businesses through his training sessions at Capitalism.com.
How to Become A 3D Printing Entrepreneur by Yoni Binstock
This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur in the world of 3d printing.
It’s for people who want to start their own business or grow an existing one.
It’s also for those who are looking for new ways to make money and create wealth.
The author, Yoni Binstock, has been involved with 3d printing since 2010 and has been a part of many different projects over the years.
He has helped design printers, software, materials, and more.
He also runs his own company called Shapeways where he helps other designers sell their products online through 3d printing.
In this book, he shares some of his expertise and knowledge with people to help them start their own businesses or grow an existing one.
Startup Law and Fundraising for Entrepreneurs and Startup Advisors by Paul A. Swegle
This book is a guide to startup law and fundraising for entrepreneurs, startup advisors, investors, attorneys, accountants, business planners, and other professionals who work with startups.
The author has been involved in the startup community for over 20 years as …
- An entrepreneur (he started his first company at age 15),
- Attorney (he was a partner at one of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious law firms) and
- Investor (he was the founder of one of the largest angel groups in California).
He has helped hundreds of startups raise money from angels, venture capitalists, and others.
His experience will help you avoid many mistakes that can doom your efforts to raise money or make it more difficult.
Farmers Markets by William Hood English
Farmers Markets is a complete, up-to-date resource for farmers and consumers who want to know more about buying fresh locally grown produce.
It includes information on the history of farmers markets, how they work, and what you can expect at one.
There is also advice on how to start your own market.
The book features detailed information on dozens of specific crops and their growing seasons.
You’ll find recipes for cooking with local produce as well as tips on storage and preservation methods that will help you make the most of your seasonal bounty all year long.
Entrepreneurship by OpenStax by Michael Laverty, Chris Littel
Entrepreneurship is a textbook for an introductory course in entrepreneurship.
It has been developed to support the principles, concepts, and methodologies taught in the course.
The book is designed to help students develop their own business ideas and learn how to implement them effectively.
OpenStax’s mission is to improve student access to quality learning materials at affordable prices.
This textbook will be available free of charge under an open license that allows others to adapt it freely as long as they credit OpenStax and its contributors.
Apparel Entrepreneurship by Ana Kristiansson, Klas Kristiansson
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to start or run their own clothing business.
With the help of this book, you will learn how to make your company profitable and sustainable.
This book covers all aspects of starting and running a clothing business: from product design and production, through marketing and sales.
You will also find information on how to hire employees, manage finances, plan for growth, and much more!
Business for the Soul by Chris Bouchard
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Business for the Soul is a book that will change your perspective on business and life.
It’s about living a meaningful life, working with passion, and finding balance in all areas of your life.
The book is a great read for those who want to start their own business.
It is an easy read and has some really good information that I have not seen anywhere else.
Chris Bouchard is an entrepreneur who has built several successful businesses and sold them to Fortune 500 companies.
He has been featured in Inc Magazine, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and many others.
In this book, he shares his personal experiences as well as those of other entrepreneurs from around the world who have found success by following their passions instead of money or status.
You’ll learn how to build a business that makes you happy while making a difference in the world at the same time!
Winning at Entrepreneurship by Rod Robertson
The author of this book, Rod Robertson is the founder and CEO of a successful business.
He has over 20 years of experience in the field of entrepreneurship.
His first company was established when he was just 21 years old. Since then, he has built up several companies that have done well for him and his clients.
This book is all about how you can succeed as an entrepreneur too! It will teach you everything from how to set up your business to how to run it efficiently so that it can grow quickly and profitably.
If you are looking for ways to improve your life through entrepreneurship, then Winning at Entrepreneurship by Rod Robertson is for you!
How to Start, Run & Grow a Successful Restaurant Business: A Lean Startup Guide
Now is the time to start your restaurant legacy!
All of the national chains and independent restaurants started by a single person as well as unique an idea.
A small idea can become a big business. Did you ever imagine someone with a milkshake machine would become a hamburger empire?
Who would have thought a pizza made in a garage would start today’s pizza wars?
Would a guy with a pressure cooker be the pioneer of fried chicken?
Owning a business has always been part of the American dream. In America, starting a restaurant is the biggest opportunity for entrepreneurs.
You will gain an understanding of why your concept and theme are important in this book. What should be included in a business plan.
The basics of starting a restaurant, growing it, and becoming successful. It provides step-by-step instructions for the entire process.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
This is a book that I wrote about how to build and run startups in an age of uncertainty. – Eric Ries
It’s based on the lean startup methodology, which has been used by entrepreneurs for over two decades.
The Lean Startup approach fosters business agility, speed, and resilience.
This book describes what it means to be a lean startup, using many examples from my own experiences as well as those of other successful startups.
Summary Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
” Summary Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel” is a book that will help you understand how to build a successful company.
It will teach you how to think about innovation and what it takes for your startup business to succeed.
The book has been written in an easy and fun way so that even if you are not a tech geek, you can still understand everything.
The author explains his ideas with examples from real life and shares his thoughts on what makes companies successful.
This book is full of practical advice that will help you run your own business better and make it more profitable.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek is an internationally recognized thought leader on business, leadership, and innovation.
His Start With Why approach has inspired leaders in every field to be more innovative and inspire those around them.
In this book, he explains how great leaders inspire action by inspiring the hearts of their people.
He argues that inspirational leaders don’t give a hoot about what people think they want; instead, they focus on what inspires people to take action.
They start with the “WHY” because it’s the strongest form of leadership.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
The 4-Hour Workweek is a lifestyle design book written by Timothy Ferriss.
The book was published in 2007 and became a New York Times bestseller.
In this book, Tim reveals his “New Rich” philosophy, which teaches readers how they can use the Internet to create passive income streams that will allow them to live anywhere in the world and work for themselves.
He also explains how to eliminate 50% of your work within 48 hours using his “latté factor” technique.
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
The book “Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore” is a must-read for anyone who wants to start a business or take their existing business to the next level.
It’s all about understanding and catering to your target market!
The book provides an excellent framework and guidance on how to do that, with examples from companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Intel, Cisco Systems, Sony, and more.
This is one of those books you’ll read once and then keep coming back to over the years as a reference guide!
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
The Effective Executive is a book by management consultant and author Peter F. Drucker, first published in 1967.
It was the culmination of many years of research into the practices of executives that led to his development of “management by objectives” (MBO).
In this book, he describes how managers can be effective through their own efforts.
He also outlines what he calls “the theory of action”, which includes four basic elements:
- Choosing what one wants to get done;
- Deciding how one will do it;
- Setting priorities and
- Taking responsibility for outcomes.
This book has been called the best business book ever written because it is based on sound principles that are timeless and applicable to all businesses in every era.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
The Hard Thing About Hard Things is a book about building and running a startup.
It’s written for people who want to start or run a technology company, but it can also be read by anyone with an interest in startups or businesses.
Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most successful venture capital firms in Silicon Valley.
He was CEO and co-founder of Opsware (formerly Loudcloud), which was acquired by HP for $1.6 billion dollars in 2007.
In addition to being an entrepreneur, he has been an executive at Netscape Communications (acquired by AOL) and SAP AG (NYSE: SAP).
He holds BAs from Columbia University and Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar.