What are the must-read books for entrepreneurs? What books should you read as an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is defined as "a person who organizes and manages any enterprise or business venture and takes substantial responsibility for the inherent risks and outcomes". The word comes from the French entrepreneur, which means "to undertake".
This designation is often used for someone willing to take on a new business venture, project, or enterprise, create value by providing a product or service, and take full responsibility for the outcome.
And what books should you read to be a successful entrepreneur? Here we recommend the 30 best books for entrepreneurs in 2024.
1. THE ENTREPRENEUR MIND
Best Entrepreneur Books: The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs by Kevin D. Johnson
To achieve unimaginable business success and financial wealth—to reach the upper echelons of entrepreneurs, where you’ll find Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sara Blakely of Spanx, Mark Pincus of Zynga, Kevin Plank of Under Armour, and many others—you have to change the way you think.
In other words, you must develop the Entrepreneur Mind, a way of thinking that comes from learning the vital lessons of the best entrepreneurs.
In a praiseworthy effort to distill some of the most important lessons of entrepreneurship, Kevin D. Johnson, president of multimillion-dollar company Johnson Media Inc. and a serial entrepreneur for several years, shares the essential beliefs, characteristics, and habits of elite entrepreneurs.
Through the conviction of his own personal experiences, which include a life-changing visit to Harvard Business School, and the compelling stories of modern-day business tycoons, Johnson transforms an oftentimes complex topic into a lucid and accessible one.
In this riveting book written for new and veteran entrepreneurs, Johnson identifies one hundred key lessons that every entrepreneur must learn in seven areas: Strategy, Education, People, Finance, Marketing and Sales, Leadership, and Motivation.
Lessons include how to think big, who makes the best business partners, what captivates investors when to abandon a business idea, where to avoid opening a business bank account, and why too much formal education can hinder your entrepreneurial growth.
Smart and insightful, The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs is the ultimate primer on how to think like an entrepreneur.
2. The $100 Startup
Best Entrepreneur Books: The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau
I read this relatively easy book "The $100 Startup" today, and I used the method I learned from yesterday's reading, I quickly understood the theme and concept of this book with the second-level inspection reading.
This is the best book for young entrepreneurs about how small entrepreneurs discover ideas, find projects, and promote and sell their products in the market through commercialization.
The author tells readers through his own experience and the successful experience of some small entrepreneurs that in the current era of the network economy, every corner of our lives exudes the breath of innovation and business.
Each of us can benefit from products that solve other people's problems and expand the potential consumer base through a networked approach, supplemented by the necessary commercialization.
Regarding credibility, I think this kind of small business model is completely achievable in the Internet age. The Internet economy makes our perspective no longer limited to the market we can see around us.
Every idea that seems to have little use in Products can be found among the hundreds of millions of individuals behind the Internet who are in desperate need of it.
At the same time, I also fully agree with the author's view that as a small entrepreneur, you can't just build your product to satisfy other people's preferences. A small entrepreneur's initial motivation must be accidental or a hobby.
The premise is that you are happy to be yourself, and then consider whether you can get benefits through commercial operation. This is a very typical feature of small entrepreneurs.
A small entrepreneur can't afford the debt consequences of failing a huge investment, so he doesn't need to invest too much money on the first try, more investment in time and effort.
For this type of entrepreneur, focus on the areas you love and find intersections in the areas that others need and are willing to pay for so that you can do what you love while creating value for others and creating benefits for yourself, The pursuit of freedom is another characteristic of small entrepreneurs.
For me: I don't have a very good product idea yet, and I didn't think about where my hobbies intersect with other areas that other people are willing to pay for before reading this book, so it takes a lot of thought. The point that the author emphasizes very much is to do it by hand.
I doubt my reputation for execution, but I am a person who "believes and dares to go". When my current knowledge level and scope of vision are not enough, learning is the most productive way to accumulate productivity for the future.
3. Who Moved My Cheese?
I think that my father was willing to spend money to buy an inspirational book for me to be good and study hard every day.
I have forgotten how I felt after watching it at the time, but judging from what I know about the past me now, I guess I must have woken up at that time with a punch and a long song, crying and shouting, "I have found the direction of my life! "Stupid and fooled, I almost burst into tears.
I was really busy today and my teeth were itchy, so I took it out again to see how evil this book was. After turning a few pages, I didn't want to read it, and the writing was so boring (I don't know if it was a translation problem). Four mice with very different personalities stayed on the good road and had to find a maze to crawl into to find cheese.
This is an inspirational story of quick success, eager to tell me how to "correctly" face changes, and in the face of life, it deprives me of the joy of exploring life. It brings the bloody truth to an inexperienced child prematurely: without cheese, you'll starve in a maze, and no one will save you.
After reading this story, the child seems to have understood some truths that seem to run through life, and nods solemnly like an adult, keeping it in mind at all times.
Children are sophisticated, they are not afraid of changes, they are not afraid of danger, and they understand the truth better than adults. I understand life too early and understand the truth, but I don't know what reason to look forward to these concepts of growing up, the future, and life for children.
Some people may say that this is a society with fierce competition and race against time, and some people may say that "people should hurry up to live", but if you only know those big truths, what's the use of those insights?
When you are exhausted every day searching for all kinds of inspirational bestsellers with words like inspiration, truth, and experience, you miss many things that are worth seeing, listening to, and experiencing. I am such a victim. I am sophisticated, but I am not literate.
I am a full man, and I have the life insights of all the wise men in the world. I am an empty person, I have never had my own sense of life.
The world is not good, everyone is anxious and eager to succeed quickly. But I think: people should quickly experience life, rather than quickly understand the true meaning of life.
4. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Most people lack proper financial education. A life of financial freedom is worth pursuing, but not by taking a salary. Occupation is not important, what is important is continuous learning in the occupation, acquiring knowledge of accounting, investment, marketing, law, etc., using wages as the original capital accumulation, and gaining freedom through long-term efforts.
I bought this book about 10 years ago. But it seems to have only turned a few pages and did not look down.
So, I rummaged through the box and found the book to read. I can't stop watching it, I finished it in three days.
This book is like "Rich Dad Poor Dad", which further educated me:
- buying things to spend is increasing debt.
- You should increase your source of income.
- The smaller the percentage of wage income in total income, the better.
- Budget and control the use of your money.
- To find investment opportunities, let money beget money.
For a person who has never understood money, it is a revolution of thought. Since I was a child, my father taught me to study hard. Only by reading can I leave the countryside, and there is no need to bask in the sun. Then went to university. I told myself to stay in the city. I stayed in the city and found a unit.
I said to myself, we must improve the level of business. Business improves and then loses direction. In terms of seniority, there is still a little salary, and I can't afford a house and a car. And the wealth seems to be increasing. No one ever told me what investing was.
After reading this book, I bought several more. There was Buffett's, Peter Lynch's, Rogers'... The world before me suddenly changed. I even feel that I have lived a bit of a wrongful life in the past so many years. But it's not too late.
5. Zero to One
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
We often put all our energy into competition to defeat our opponents, for credits when we go to school, and for promotion when we work. You can't generate excess returns, and if you can't win quickly, it will bring endless depletion of value. Our value is not to beat the opponent at all.
If we focus on defeating the opponent, then where is the time to think of better ideas to develop? Therefore, if you can't defeat your opponent, you should join forces with your opponent. If you foresee fierce competition, then turn away, be independent, and build a world of monopoly.
The world is not completely fair, the world has secrets. If you fantasize about getting the most value out of hard work, you're not trying hard enough. Hard work without any consideration is not effort, real effort is trying to discover the secrets of the world and achieve your goals.
The excerpts are as follows:
- Boldness is better than mediocre and conservative
- A bad plan is better than no plan
- It is difficult to obtain excess profits in a competitive market, and a monopoly is possible
- Marketing is as important
as product. The purpose of a business is not to beat all Your opponents, if you're focused on beating your opponent, you won't have time to think of better ideas to develop.
In fact, most people in modern society should have heard of it: progress without a plan is called "evolution". Darwin wrote that life "evolves" on its own, even if it is not prepared. Every life is just the result of some random mutation of some organism, and the best version wins in the end.
We often think that competition is the essence of business, and even to defeat our opponents, we focus all our energy on competition, but if we cannot win the competition quickly, it will only lead to the consumption of value, not the creation of value. If you can't beat your opponent, you will join forces. For example, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk created Paypal.
Only look for the best, because the best generates more value. The world is disproportionate.
6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
In any case, the easiest person to change is yourself. Learning good habits is the beginning of success.
When everyone grows up, most of them will experience the process from dependence to independence, from independence to mutual dependence. Learning different behaviors can change the gate of destiny.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People tells us what to do and how to do it. The seven habits are:
[Habit 1: Be proactive]
Only when a person is responsible for himself can he be responsible for others; only when a person has his own principles and values can he be respected by others. Believe in yourself, go all out to do things, be passionate and energetic, and you will infect those around you. Everyone chooses to create their own life, which is also the most basic decision for everyone.
[Habit 2: Persistence]
Sometimes, the hardest thing for people is to stick to their original dreams.
[Habit 3: Important things first]
The most precious thing in the world is time. Time management skills determine your success or failure. What must be done on your own, what must be delegated to others, what must be thought out in advance, and what must not be considered? The better you are at judging and dealing with it decisively, the more efficient you will be and the more obvious your value will be.
[Habit 4: Win-win thinking]
Get rid of the military mentality of life and death, establish extensive cooperative relations, and use competition and cooperation to build a good ecological environment. The ancients said that to suffer is to take advantage.
[Habit 5: Know each other and know yourself]
Sincere communication of the mind can enhance understanding and friendship. Doing things is being human.
[Habit 6: Be Eclectic]
Bring together the wisdom of everyone, and use it for your own use. To achieve a lofty goal is often not achieved by oneself. Those who make good use of the strength of the team are the real smart people
[Habit 7: All-round development]
Life is so important, so don't take it too seriously.
7. Start With Why
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Read the best entrepreneur books for beginners relatively quickly, and I agree with the author's point of view. I was conscious of this point of view before, but it was still relatively vague. After reading this book, I felt that I really had to figure out why I did my job first.
Try to sublimate this reason to the height of belief, implement it into the work, and always use it as the reason and reason for the work. Do not deviate from, not be interfered with by other factors such as interests, and stick to this work belief to work.
The author has always written this book around the point of "why", citing many examples, and all of them are based on well-known companies in the world - Microsoft, Apple, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Honda, Toyota, Harley-Davidson, etc. justify his point of view.
Of course, I believe his point of view. However, it is still doubtful whether this method has a significant effect on practical work. Especially for consumers, it is hard to believe that they really understand the concepts and corporate culture of Starbucks, Apple, and other companies before buying their products.
Theories always have applicable conditions and are established under certain conditions. All in all, the views advocated in this book are very good. Two masons are doing the same job, one is bored at work every day, and the other is passionate about it.
The former is that he can't figure out what the job is for, and he can't find the reason and belief that he doesn't want to find a job, which leads him to build a house mechanically every day and do repetitive and tiring work.
And the latter has a beautiful dream in his heart, knows why he built a house and has a belief in his heart -- I am building a beautiful cathedral.
Talking about this book, I thought it was very wordy at first, just watch TED. After careful study, I found that the author has covered the essence of it.
Repeating does not mean that it must be wordy, but the author wants to tell it in different aspects. You, the mighty power of "why". What makes you truly believe in this concept is worth a lifetime of practice.
Whether you believe it or not, anyway, I believed.
8. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
The author is Ben Horowitz, founding partner of A16Z, the most ferocious VC in Silicon Valley in recent years.
The whole book is very sincere. The author does not brag about how good the company he manages and how satisfied the employees are.
On the contrary, I spent a lot of space on how I dealt with crises (often caused by wrong decisions or changes in the market environment) in the process of starting a business. There are a lot of details and methodological thinking.
In fact, the author is indeed very qualified, in the 8 years since he started and eventually sold Loudcloud (Opsware) to HP for $1.65 billion, his company has lived through the era of the dot-com bust, a few months ago.
It can still raise tens of millions of dollars to less than a penny. The company is only tens or even days away from bankruptcy several times. The stock price fell from the highest of 6 dollars to 0.35 dollars and finally rose back to 14 dollars.
If a CEO is a profession, then this book should be a job description. There is no space for the halo of entrepreneurs here.
Almost all the various problems that a CEO may face and how to solve them accompany a company from its establishment to its final stage (listing, selling, bankruptcy) and how to solve it, especially from the bottom of my heart. Dissect what a CEO thinks, thinks, and recommends for action.
9. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
If you just want to hear people emphasize the importance of "diligence", then reading this book is better than going to middle school and listening to the brainwashing by the teachers who lead the senior year. The new thing that Angela Duckworth brought is that she broke the grit and told you not only what is effective, but also what is infinite.
She said that grit not only requires intensive passion but also commitment, which requires you to stick to a goal for a long time instead of changing goals frequently. Some people have a lot of unrelated parallel goals that eat away at your time and energy.
She also said that it's not enough that you have long-term goals, you also need to translate long-term goals into medium-term goals, and then translate mid-term goals into short-term goals.
This allows goals to guide your life. Some people only have long-term goals and no translation actions. This is just positive fantasizing. In the long run, they will inevitably live in disappointment because they fail to achieve their goals.
After you have a goal, the most important thing is to deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice is generally carried out like this.
- A clearly defined stretch goal.
- Full concentration and effort.
- Immediate and informative feedback.
- Repetition with reflection and refinement.
I think this concept of deliberate practice is very important and is the most common mistake Chinese people make. When I was studying, I saw many classmates working hard, but no matter how hard they tried, their grades would never improve.
I think the main reason is that they only achieved effort and repetition, but lacked defined goals, did not pay attention to feedback, and did not have refinement.
Going back to myself, after working for so many years, I can’t say that I don’t have to work hard or not, but I really lack reflection and refinement. Such experience, according to Angela, is to repeat one year's experience for ten years without progress.
Deliberate practice is not easy. Angela recommends developing the habit of training at regular locations and turning deliberate practice into an automatic action without requiring you to motivate yourself every time.
10. Blue Ocean Strategy
Best Entrepreneur Books: Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne
In fact, many of the sayings about the blue ocean strategy can be applied in many places. For example, who knows that creating a blue ocean is much better than being in a red ocean, and who does not know the strategic significance of creating a blue ocean.
However, the book uses a large number of cases to explain The strategic height of the blue ocean, in fact, in the book, there is no systematic explanation of how to create a blue ocean for an enterprise.
Most of the meaning of this book, I think, is to change your mind about how to get the most possible profit in the most unlikely places, and occupy the market that no one wants to occupy. This is also the case. This book does not teach you how to create a blue ocean.
Most of it is about how to change people's concepts, the thinking of superiors and subordinates, and even the "interpersonal" that Chinese people are good at. relationship” is also described at length.
The deepest impression of the book is the analysis of competitors and the estimation of its own strength, and then to find out the blue ocean, those charts, to see their strengths and weaknesses at a glance.
Most of the good books are just to trigger your thinking, especially management books. It is enough to trigger your thinking. You can't expect to pass a book.
The book can guide the enterprise, or take the case in the book to change the working state that you have always been in.
A book that can bring you systematic thinking and straighten out previously cluttered thoughts is enough. This is a good book.
11. The Lean Startup
Best Entrepreneur Books: The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
I have seen many unknown entrepreneurs. They are not willing to imitate successful foreign products. They hope that they can innovate and let foreigners go to copycats. They want to try to prove that they also can innovate.
Today, with the popularity of Steve Jobs, everyone seems to be trying to find their own innovative ability.
Innovation is easy, and everyone has an idea.
And it seems that if you have the money, you can turn an idea into an actual product by hiring a bunch of people.
But this is not the case. The probability of innovation failure is very high. Innovation seems to be an art rather than a science. It wasn't until batch after wave of startups in Silicon Valley succeeded or failed that some people began to notice that there were patterns.
This book shows how we can turn ideas into practice.
Traditional thinking tells us to make a plan and strictly implement it.
In fact, this approach is completely unsuitable for innovative attempts.
Its core idea is that entrepreneurship is full of unknowns, and the most important thing is to put ideas into the market as soon as possible, even though "fakes". Then constantly adjust and feedback.
Not building a perfect product, not strictly implementing a business plan.
There are too many self-perfect products that simply cannot be sold.
I can feel this myself. I thought that a product that I once thought would be so popular had been polished for a long time, and it took me a long time to carve out some details. As a result, people got it and told me directly that we don't need this thing.
12. How to Win Friends and Influence People
For a while, I always wanted to use various methods to prove that the other party was also at fault and responsible. On the long road to proof, I have experienced failure, because what I want to prove will arouse strong defense and even hatred by the other party. At this time, I was still confused.
In fact, proving these things right or wrong is a mistake in itself. Winning or losing will hurt both sides. Instead of blindly blaming others for their faults, it is better to give the other party the most sincere understanding and praise and put yourself in the other party's position to think about the problem.
If I were in the position of the other party, would these thoughts and actions be more serious than mine? I am not a perfect person, and I will inevitably make mistakes, so why should I blame others?
When someone else's bad behavior affects you, it only shows that your own perspective on the problem is different from that of the other party. For example, someone else's phone call in the middle of the night disturbs you, and it is your own reasons that make you have bad thoughts.
It is your inner perspective of looking at the problem, thinking that the phone call in the middle of the night is very rude and that the call itself is a kind of provocation to yourself. All the problems are in the heart within oneself, the heart that needs to be cared for and grown by oneself. Looking at the problem from multiple angles, it will be easy to understand why others have these thoughts and behaviors.
You can't imitate others, all you can do is yourself. A happy self, being yourself, and showing your strengths a lot is a happy life. When you love yourself and your different emotions (anger, sadness, happiness, worry, anxiety, depression, disappointment, etc.) and your own noble and dirty thoughts, you realize that you can understand others.
No one's thoughts are all noble, and there have been all kinds of people who have thought bad about human nature and have thought about people very well. However, as long as you accept yourself, you can live a very happy life!
In the end, blaming others is about self-gratification and shirk. Being accused by others means that the accused person is still very important in the hearts of the accusers, hehe!
13. Building A Story Brand
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
Looking at the title, I thought it was about how to add story theme elements to the brand. In fact, it was about how to use the method of writing stories to convey information.
Brands should treat their customers as the protagonists/heroes of the story (rather than themselves), identify their needs (survive and thrive), and the problems they face to achieve their goals (including external, internal, and, metaphysical. Problems can also be personified).
Although I think the last section should be completely deleted, this is still a good book!
The author uses the idea of writing a script to teach how to write product promotion information.
- Information: Briefly introduce how we help customers thrive.
- What to offer? How to make your life better? How to get the product?
- Ditch the jargon and go straight to "thrive"
- Internal: Frustrated and philosophical: "We deserve it!"
- What do you lose by not doing business with us
- Talk about why we can make your life better
- Vilify the 3 problems
- Have feelings and deeper meaning in all needs
- Tell them why they should be afraid
- Excavate common problems in the industry
- Always let the guest be the protagonist, and be the guide by yourself
- Use the urgency to press the head.
- Participate in customer transformation!
14. Rework
"Rework" is indeed a good book, and indeed a good book that is easy to miss. If you just read it in general, you will feel that many chapters are contradictory.
For example, it is said that you can't hire good people, and then it is said that you should not give up talents because of geographical limitations. Not only do they talk about not being disturbed when working, but they also talk about communicating with users and participating in user services.
That's all true, although I suspect that most of these scattered and isolated articles came out as blogs and then came together. But read it carefully, and there is no contradiction. The emphasis throughout the book is on how to build and maintain a simple, high-performing small team. How to use limited manpower to achieve more meaningful goals.
For example, in human resources, on the one hand, the author emphasizes that the standard for finding and hiring talents is not the reputation of this person, but whether the company really needs this person. On the other hand, it is emphasized that once employees are hired, it is necessary to provide a convenient and efficient working environment as much as possible.
On the one hand, it is necessary to define closed working hours to ensure work efficiency, and on the other hand, it is necessary to arrange a good time to understand customers. On the one hand, it is necessary to make products that can meet the needs of customers;
When readers organize the content carefully, they will find that the content in the book is very consistent and compact, just like the software products produced by this excellent company, simple and efficient.
This is a guide to entrepreneurship in the information age. Of course, there are various paths to success in this world, and this book is about one of them that is worthy of reference and study by smart minds in the IT industry. Although this is a fast-food book, it's nutritious and worth chewing slowly.
Finally, I want to give this book four stars, because there are too many illustrations and it's too stupid...Is this cheating on the page?
15. SPIN Selling
This book reveals the essential difference between small businesses and big businesses. Most of the original sales methods and skills were developed by small businesses, and they are often stretched in big businesses.
Starting from a large number of research examples, Rackham has extracted a spin sales model specifically for big business and replaced the original open-ended and closed-ended questions with four questioning methods: background questions, difficult questions, implied questions, and demand-benefit questions.
The way of asking questions, and spin sales model is also mainly developed around these four questions. There is no difference between these four kinds of questions. What is needed is that the sales staff can use them flexibly according to different sales objects.
By asking these four kinds of questions, the customer can feel the customer's problem and feel that the problem is very serious. And then put forward a solution to the problem for the customer to achieve the purpose of sales.
If you work in sales, this book is a must-read!
16. Essentialism
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
The most precious resource is time. No more time to waste commuting and saving all kinds of expenses.
If an investment is obvious to professional and quality of life improvement, then don't care too much about money. Buy a good phone for your family and yourself, because you stare at it for at least 2 hours a day. Don't wait for discounts to buy things, especially those related to your own health and education. As for hobbies, just keep them relaxed, don't expand into new fields, and avoid investing more energy.
The only two themes in your life are family and career. Many people think that there will be children's education, popularity, heterosexuality, network expansion, self-charm, etc. that need to be paid attention to. But from the basic point of this book, you can do just one. Do your own thing.
When you are truly confident in your position, the persistence, self-confidence, and expressiveness you show can give your children the best influence, give your family the greatest peace of mind, give you the greatest capital for network expansion and social interaction, and even give You build confidence in all areas of your life.
So, if the environment still allows, don't wait any longer, start quickly, just do this one thing, let all other arrangements revolve around it, and give up your life, taste, and friends (especially getting caught in all kinds of people around you) In comparison.
The frame you set for yourself, insist on zero inventory in life and consider it if you really lack it. You'll find this is a great way to break free from anxiety and inefficiency.
17. Growing a Business
Best Entrepreneur Books: Growing a Business by Paul Hawken
Nearly everyone harbors a secret dream of starting or owning a business. In fact, a million businesses start in the United States every year.
Many of them fail, but enough succeed so that small businesses are now adding millions of jobs to the economy at the same time that the Fortune 500 companies are actually losing jobs.
Paul Hawken—entrepreneur and bestselling author—wrote Growing a Business for those who set out to make their dream a reality. He knows what he's talking about; he is his own best example of success.
In the early 1970s, while he was still in his twenties, he founded Erewhon, the largest distributor of natural foods. More recently, he founded and still runs Smith & Hawken, the premier mail-order garden tool company.
And he wrote a critically acclaimed book called The Next Economy about the future of the economy.
Using examples like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and the University National Bank of Palo Alto, California, Hawken shows that a successful business is an expression of an individual person.
The most successful business, your idea for a business, will grow from something that is deep within you, something that can't be stolen by anyone because it is so uniquely yours that anyone else who tried to execute your idea would fail.
He dispels the myth of the risk-taking entrepreneur. The purpose of business, he points out, is not to take risks but rather to get something done.
18. Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century by Napoleon Hill
I am the master of my own destiny, the helmsman of my own heart, I love myself, so I can give others greater love and more tolerance.
To a ray of light, I will never hesitate to rush forward, even if I hit my head with blood, I believe that the door to success is there waiting for me to knock. I must give all my strength, never hesitate, and always move forward.
Hill's book is rich in gold, and there are classics everywhere:
1. Desire is the source of wealth. The inspiration of this principle is that when we have a vision for something beautiful, we must not suppress our desires, but must Carefully nurture, nurture
2. Faith is a state of mind that can be continuously cultivated through repeated affirmations, which explains why religion has such a great influence
3. Desire.
- If you think you will lose, then you have failed.
- If you think you dare not, then you do not dare.
- If you want to win but are afraid of not being able to win, then it is almost certain that you will not be able to win.
- If you think you're going to lose, then you've already lost, and we'll see that when we look at the world,
- We have a desire before we can do it - it all depends on the state of mind.
- If you think you are superior, you must think you are superior.
- Only by first aiming high and believing in yourself can you win?
- The competition in the arena of life is not always about strength and speed. One day, those who believe in their abilities will win.
19. Drive
Best Entrepreneur Books: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Last week, a friend sent a book "Drive", which was highly praised. So read. It's not particularly shocking, but it's still an interesting book. This book says something about motivation, about being self-motivated.
This book describes three driving forces.
The first level of driving force comes from the urge to survive. Clothes, food, shelter and transportation, food, color, and sex are also human instincts. For most people, finding a first job is often based on first drives.
The second layer of driving force comes from external driving, motivation, KPI evaluation, carrot, and stick, which is also the driving method adopted by most companies; most people may find a suitable company within the scope of the second driving force for life, a decent job with a good salary, if you give a little incentive, just work harder, if the incentive is not enough, you can grind a foreign worker.
The third type is intrinsically driven and spontaneous. The third drive consists of three elements: autonomy, specialization, and purpose.
It’s important to emphasize what you mean by “purpose”: to transform what you are doing into fun, to be guided by the principle of maximizing interest rather than maximizing profit, and to see profit as a pleasant by-product of achievement.
Maybe entrepreneurs or people with an entrepreneurial mentality use the third drive to do things. Those who do things with this drive must be the most worthy of cooperation.
Some people are not suitable for starting a business, or because they are still in the first driving force or the second driving force, evaluate yourself correctly.
20. The Power of Habit
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
One of the ways to change habits mentioned in the book mentions the power of belief. In the book "The Simplest Problem Solving Handbook in History", there is a part about belief and knowledge discussion. Faith does not require much thinking, but knowledge requires it.
Habit, to some extent, is also "intuition" or "intelligence", which does not require thinking and is a major characteristic of habit. Because thinking wastes time, and forms an instinctive reaction.
Therefore, a reasonable knowledge pyramid should be data-information-knowledge-skill-habit-wisdom.
Wisdom is always the highest.
Deep mastery of skills means mastery, easy to form habits, without thinking, master state, flying flowers, and leaves, all can hurt people.
From this book, you can learn the skills of self-control and people-control, and to develop skills, practice is necessary, such as the 10,000 hours theory.
I do believe more and more in the power of hands now. Sometimes, I mistakenly think that part of the memory is gone.
In fact, it is an illusion. As long as I have practiced the skills to a certain extent, and hands, that part of the memory will be recovered, and it is not a simple recovery, but an upward spiral.
That's what it means for my drawing skills to improve even after years of not drawing. Because although I didn't do it, my observational power was there, and I had been practicing in my mind unknowingly.
That's the way to go.
However, there is one place in the book that is not very well explained: the transformation of those people is not without reason, the power of belief does not appear suddenly and works, but because these people encountered major setbacks in life, inspired Drives, because life is over if they don't change, so they change.
There are some people who, despite their setbacks, did not make a change, and then these people lived their lives in failure, but there are fewer examples of the latter, such as the example of gambling.
In the final analysis, it is the simultaneous effect of internal and external causes, not a universal truth.
In the case of the team, the key is not the coach's training method, but the coach's loss of his son, which made the team form a cohesive force.
This is actually because of setbacks. If the method is effective, the enemy team can also learn it.
21. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
This is a very strange book.
The practicality of the book is very strong, the cases are just right, the analysis is incisive, and the coverage is quite extensive - it includes almost all the cases in the psychology books I have read, such a book can already be called a masterpiece.
In particular, a discussion of how psychology is applied to marketing. But what is very inconsistent with this is that the logical framework of this book, that is, the process of organizing independent theories into a unified system, can be said to be a mess (perhaps also because of the current situation of many branches of psychology and lack of unity).
I think the book's flaws
Don't be fooled by the apparent seven-chapter division. I'm more concerned with what's behind the book. This book is missing some very important content, but the key is to ignore the commonality of many things:
- The need for a sense of security. It is repeatedly mentioned in the book that people make decisions based on authority and the public, which is for simplicity (the need for efficiency). But it's also a need for a sense of security (to make lower-risk decisions). We can not be too simple, but in any case, it is impossible to feel insecure. At the same time, security also requires us to stick to our past decisions and beliefs (commitment and consistency) and to compete for resources we may lose (scarcity). In fact, the reasons covered in these chapters are governed by the common cause of security. In fact, security plays a very important role in psychology.
- Trust advice because you trust the suggester. We trust authority, the public, and the like for one reason, and it is because we trust them that we trust their advice and their actions. This is a biased judgment.
- Take the false as the true (the disguise cannot be seen through). The book does not distinguish between fake favors and real favors, fake promises and real promises. Those tricks exploit our inability to see through the camouflage (giveaways as favors, voided agreements as promises).
- To generalize with partiality (fuzzy understanding). Two and three are all because we made the mistake of generalizing. Even the title and clothing are used as proof of identity, etc. because there is some generalization in our understanding. Seeing this, you should know how many things that are actually the same in nature are treated as different things in the book.
There is a lot of confusion in the book. For example, "occupying scarce resources" and "competing for scarce resources" are different. The former is for-profit and the latter is for satisfying psychological needs.
Therefore, it is wrong for the author to say that "we buy things for utility rather than possession". It should have both components, but we should usually pay more attention to the former (utility value).
In addition, some of the analysis is not reasonable -- I mean that some cases are not analyzed in this book and analyzed in other psychological works, and I think this book may not be reasonable in comparison.
For example, in the multivariate ignorance effect, an important reason is that individuals in the group will think that their responsibilities are reduced.
Therefore, in the author's instructions on how to seek advice, it is "possible" to instruct specific bystanders to rescue themselves. This helps to reduce uncertainty and increase personal responsibility.
22. Getting To Yes
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher
This book mainly talks about a principled negotiation method, which is different from the hard-line or moderate positional negotiation that we often see, and emphasizes focusing on the common interests of both parties.
There are four main negotiating steps: separating people and things; focusing on interests, not positions; creating options for the common good; and insisting on the use of objective criteria.
The author believes that when negotiating, it is necessary to separate people and things and to separate relationship interests and substantive interests. When negotiating, don't get hung up on your position, haggle over your position.
We want to create options for the common good, and at the same time identify your best alternative, in case you need it, not forgetting that the most important interests are basic human needs, such as security, financial interests, belonging, gaining acceptance from others, Being able to control their own lives, people are sometimes willing to make some compromises for these basic needs, and they need to focus on these basic needs when negotiating.
When the interests of the two parties are in conflict, it is generally easier for people to accept the standard rather than the position by insisting on using objective standards and solving problems with corresponding standards.
In short, the more clearly you understand the other party's interests, the better you can satisfy the other party at the least cost.
Therefore, it is necessary to do a lot of work before negotiating, understand the interests of the other party, and prepare the best alternatives, to reach a sensible agreement and achieve an efficient and friendly negotiation.
23. Crushing It!
Best Entrepreneur Books: Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk
The author repeatedly emphasizes the mentality, especially the importance of patience; and attaches great importance to the logic of the head platform to seize traffic.
Following each step to build a personal brand basically works, but many uncertainties lead to failure, and this book is just to teach you how to do it without making a big mistake.
Internet business. Content matters. Risky (what business is not risky?). Find your niche. Be an up host, open your own podcast, be a Youtuber, etc., provide content, build a personal brand, attract fans, then receive advertisements, sell goods, and finally, achieve financial independence while doing what you like happily.
PS: This book has numerous case studies and an inspiring conclusion at the end. There are very inspiring authors and very motivating content. Before preparing to do it, you can take a good look again, you can get a lot of inspiration!
24. The Four-Hour Work-Week
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
The ideal living state of most people may be similar, that is, freedom in time and space.
But most people don't live this kind of life now, but keep fantasizing about their retirement one day in the future... probably mainly because of the following three reasons:
- No money or think that the money is too little;
- No time;
- No courage to change;
then the corresponding solution is:
- No money - first of all, you should know that XX (such as international travel) can be done with very little money; secondly, learn to be financially independent,
- No time - this is the first time I've heard such a concept - separate income and time.
- Reduction of information intake
- Bold decentralization (including assignment and outsourcing, etc.);
- The popularization of the network makes the realization of a remote office, and a lot of space moving time is saved.
- No courage - try to think differently, live differently, and become brave and willing to change; I think besides practice, the key is how much you want to do something.
Of course, there is another kind of person who is neither of the above three, rich and does care about change but feels empty and bored for a lot of time, because they have no idea what kind of life they want to live.
After reading this book, I disagree:
- Most of the outsourcing mentioned in the book is based on the lower price/exchange rate difference between developed and developing countries, which does not seem to us very much. Be applicable;
- This book is not about cultivating real wisdom, but more of a quick technique; -- such as how to use the loopholes in the rules to win the Sanda champion, how to use some opportunities to create your own Li title instead of Developing true competence;
- The author's repeated concept of mini-retirement and delayed gratification is not the same thing.
All in all, this book has inspired me a lot. I want to try it out, but the specific ideas are still brewing.
25. The One Thing
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
What kind of experience is it to read this book?
- The cover is white and black on the ground, the design is simple and beautiful, and the book is equipped with several pictures to help understand the content. In addition, the layout is sparse and comfortable, and it looks very comfortable;
- When faced with various choices and trivial matters in life, we often feel at a loss and forget our original goals. The purpose of this book is to help you sort through the seemingly intricate obstacles at hand and help you live a more productive, orderly, and happier life.
In the book, "There is Only One Most Important Thing" is demonstrated with multiple examples, many guiding opinions are given, and many clear illustrations are inserted to make the readers understand more vividly.
The main content:
The whole book is divided into 3 major parts and 18 small chapters. The "most important thing is only one" is discussed with examples, and instructive Tips are put forward at the end of each chapter.
The dry goods are as follows:
If you chase two rabbits at the same time...you can't catch one. ——Russian proverb
1. Do only one thing
I found an interesting phenomenon by summarizing the relationship between my own success and failure and behavior: every time I have great success, it is time for me to focus on one thing.
Everyone's time and energy are limited, and if you try to cover everything, you'll be exhausted and you won't be able to do anything well. So, try to narrow down your goals and focus on one thing, and that is success.
2. The domino effect
The domino effect tells us: to knock down the dominoes, just nudge the first piece after building the dominoes.
So doing the most important thing is like knocking down the first domino, and then the rest of the problem will be solved.
Success is always achieved, one step at a time, one thing at a time.
3. A track record of success
The world's top companies are usually known for one of their products, or businesses, and rely primarily on their profitability.
For example, Google focuses on its search engine business, and Intel makes most of its revenue from the sale of its processors.
Behind all success stories, some successful people stick to their goals consistently.
A lie that misleads and hinders success.
Here are 6 lies that prevent us from being successful:
- Everything counts:
- Dealing with multiple things
- at the same time Living regularly
- Lack of willpower
- Trying to balance all aspects of life
- Big is bad
- Everything is important
In life, everything seems to be urgent and important, but Henry Devi Thoreau said: "It is not enough to be hardworking, and so are ants. It depends on why you are busy.
"Chad Kirk summed it up in "The 80/20 Rule": "The 80/20 Rule says that a small number of causes, inputs, and efforts often yield a large number of results, outputs, and rewards." received by giving.
Find 20% of 20%, and then find 20% of it, until you find the most important thing!.
26. The Alchemist
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I felt lucky to read this book when I was the most confused in my life. The first thing that struck me deeply – was when Santiago decided to travel the world to be a shepherd, his father agreed to the wrong choice.
After all, the shepherd had no future, and the future of traveling around the world was uncertain, but his father still did not stop him. When saying goodbye, Santiago saw the loss in his father's eyes, because he chose his father's ideal.
Imagine if you told your parents that you were going to be a hairdresser, a vegetable seller, or a shoe repairer... You'd be stuck with a bad label. Although you still have nothing to do in the end. We learn to deceive ourselves when we are young until we grow up and grow old, we have to teach the next generation to deceive ourselves.
Love, when it is not obtained, is the most solemn and greatest thing in life; later, when there is love, it will fade some colors but still wonderful things; later, it will become a dispensable thing. Santiago's love at first sight for the businessman's daughter is brutal when he discovers that a popcorn seller is more likely than him to win the woman of his dreams - the truth is, you can't satisfy her, others can.
But there is a woman in an oasis in front of him waiting for him - wishful thinking, not love, and making others unhappy with his own efforts, let go when it's time to let go. You can go as far as you can see. Santiago finally reached the pyramid and got the treasure, but looking back, he decided to give up many times, it was a chance - that is, God's omens made him re-energize and go to Egypt.
People are so easy to give up, a small failure can make people lose all the courage to continue. If you don't have the King of Salem jumping out from time to time to help you guide the maze on the road of your life, then you must be brave and not be easily discouraged. Failure is the mother of success, and it's not always that boring. Life is the biggest theme of this book.
Everyone wants to experience the magical journey of a shepherd boy, but as the old gypsy woman who interprets dreams said, most people can't find the treasure because they think the story of the treasure is a joke from the beginning. Only when you treat life honestly can you discover your touchstone. Others laugh at me as too crazy, I laugh at others who can't see through.
People who thought the treasure was a joke didn't make it to the end or even set out, only Santiago went to Egypt and found the treasure. With the help of God, he strengthened his faith step by step. Too many illusions in front of you can make people make wrong decisions. And where is our God? God is ourselves.
27. Titan
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
He never resorted to rude or coercive means to disobedient horses but took them seriously and comforted them gently with great patience. This composure and conserving stamina also reflect the way he manages his vast oil empire.
Rockefeller's self-restraint, greed for money, and concentration (especially in shirking unnecessary prestige), as well as diligence and hard work, finally made him. Don't waste time, don't ask for more, and do things steadily, you can do many things, and that's great. The rhythm of life is regular.
Make preparations for anything and everything, and once you think there is no problem, you will go ahead and do it to the end. Rather than focusing solely on his own company, Rockefeller viewed the entire oil industry as a vast and interconnected mechanism for strategic alliances and long-term planning. Things can be strong, you must learn to use the current situation, and sometimes you can create the situation yourself. Being punctual creates trust.
A lot of people fail to achieve great things, isn't it just because they don't focus their energy, they can't eliminate external distractions at the right time, and focus all their energy on what to do?
With a huge desire for wealth, after he got a huge amount of money, he is still eager to justify his name on the one hand, but on the other hand, he is not willing to squander his property easily, even in the case of the University of Chicago He also showed great pain and uneasiness, but since the starting point was for his own reputation in the world, whether it was for God or the washing of his own reputation, he was forced to continue on this path that made him miserable.
It is more about seeing myself, especially when looking for moral comfort that I can attack from the mistakes of others, I seem to see a huge shadow of myself, that is, blaming others for what is wrong, and at the same time using noble reasons for my own actions. For the correct name.
Rockefeller has a very special behavior, that is, to consider things from the big picture, and then subdivide them from the local until they can no longer be subdivided. This can be seen in his golf.
28. Principles
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in history and has grown into the fifth most important private company in the United States, according to Fortune magazine.
Dalio himself has been named to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way, Dalio discovered a set of unique principles that have led to Bridgewater's exceptionally effective culture, which he describes as “an idea meritocracy that strives to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical transparency.”
It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio—who grew up an ordinary kid in a middle-class Long Island neighborhood—that he believes are the reason behind his success.
In Principles, Dalio shares what he's learned throughout his remarkable career. He argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines.
The book's hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams.
He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea of meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions.
While the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, Principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they're seeking to achieve.
Here, from a man who has been called both “the Steve Jobs of investing” and “the philosopher king of the financial universe” (CIO magazine), is a rare opportunity to gain proven advice, unlike anything you'll find in the conventional business press.
29. Never Split the Difference
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
On a business trip, after reading this book on and off, I couldn’t help but want to hide my secrets and dare not share such a good negotiation method.
First Sword: Repeat the opponent's words. By repeating the last 2 or 3 words, you can unconsciously build a relationship of mutual trust, resulting in a lot of information.
Second Sword: The voice of a late-night radio host. Speak in a slow, falling tone to create a safe conversational atmosphere.
The third sword: marks the other party's emotions. Using empathy and expressing the other person's emotions in words can quickly close the distance.
Fourth Sword: Pulling the stab. Speak out the accusations that may be made against you first, and say that you are not human, to release the resentment and stinging pain in the other party's heart, and the situation will be a new one!
Fifth Sword: Let the other party say no. Saying "no" gives him a sense of control, makes him feel like he's in charge of the conversation, and makes the discussion more lively.
Sixth Sword: Guide the other party to say: You are right. Summarize the other person's situation in your own words, showing your great concern and understanding for him. When he says "You're right", you're on your way.
Seventh Sword: Use "what should I do" to create the illusion of the opponent's control, and actually lead him to start bidding with himself.
The eighth sword: Talk about the price, be precise to the single digit. The calculation of $1 can show that you have calculated to the extreme and made the greatest concession.
Ninth Sword: The "7, 38, 55" principle finds liars. Always remember that words can only account for 7% of the information, intonation 38%, and body and expression 55%.
So, try to interview! Negotiations are encountered everywhere in life, and even coaxing children to sleep is a difficult process, and the above methods seem to be able to resolve all differences, hurry up and learn!
30. Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
After being recommended by a friend, it took me a week to finally read this book. I've never been a big fan of autobiographical books, and this one has far exceeded my expectations. It even forced me to become a fan of Nike Road!
This thick autobiography is full of sincere and casual brushstrokes. The rarest thing is that you can find that he faces the road he has traveled with almost no glorification. A whole bunch of mistakes and failures are laid out in front of you, unpolished, for you to criticize.
It made me feel that this is not another success study, but a tutorial on facing failure correctly.
Competition is everywhere in life. The two flat concepts of winning and losing are like two extremes, the winner is the king and the loser is the loser. But no one wins all the time, more often, more losers, games, jobs, and entrepreneurship.
In the most turbulent decades of the American economy, when the brand culture has not yet begun to rise, the rise of Nike is really inseparable from the spirit of the Phil Knight team.
In fact, what they want to say is too simple. Victory is never just about winning, in real-world racing, the track never ends. You can pass someone at any time, or you can be overtaken by an unknown opponent the next second.
So how to do it?
Just run, don't stop, don't look back.
Even in the face of the strongest opponent, even if there is no chance of winning, at least if you have the attitude of fighting hard, you will not lose.
After all, there is still a long way to go.
Such a brand spirit, cool.
Conclusion
At various stages of enterprise development, entrepreneurs or company leaders will always encounter various difficulties, which are usually not effectively solved by delegation.
Taking a step back, even if it is authorization, requires entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs to have high comprehensive management literacy, to be able to listen to each other, effectively authorize, and make the enterprise always move towards the established goals.
I love reading the best entrepreneur books, it's one of the fastest ways to level up an entrepreneur.
I read at least two entrepreneur books a month to run my business better and make more informed decisions.
But there's a catch: there are hundreds of excellent must-read books for every entrepreneur for students that come out every year, and you can't possibly read them all.
So how do you make sure you make the most of your time and choose high-quality best entrepreneurship books that have a positive impact on you and your business?
Out of the hundreds of books for entrepreneurs, I've read during my entrepreneurial journey, the following 30 stand out to help entrepreneurs through all stages of their careers.
Don't be fooled by their year of publication, these top entrepreneur books have stood the test of time and the lessons they offer are still relevant today, just as they were when they were originally published.
If you aspire to join the ranks of successful entrepreneurs, reading is an invaluable skill.
Best books for aspiring entrepreneurs can guide us into new ways of thinking, help us through tough times in our careers, and teach us how to be successful businessmen and women.
If you're an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, above are the 30 best books on entrepreneurship in 2024 for your future reference.