There is something to be said for learning from the best, and when it comes to successful entrepreneurs, there are plenty out there prepared to share their knowledge and wisdom with the new aspiring generation. It would also seem pointless to reinvent the wheel, and the groundwork has been recorded in many books for you to learn from. So, whether you are already taking control of your life and becoming your own boss or whether it’s just an idea you have at the moment here are 10 books every aspiring entrepreneur should read this year.
1. The Man Who Wanted to Be Happy – Laurent Gounelle
The title of this book certainly resonates with anyone who wants to be their own boss. One of the prime reasons given for becoming your own boss and having entrepreneurial qualities is to make your life happy. This is actually a novel and an international bestseller which means it has sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. It can be found on many retailers, including Amazon and is a fascinating insight into how we manifest our hopes and dreams. If you are hoping to make your life happier, then you need to be able to understand the steps involved in breaking free from anything that is preventing that goal at the moment.
2. Design the Life You Love – Ayse Birsel
A more traditional non-fiction offering comes next, and in this book, you will be given many strategies and tools that enable you to design the life you want to live. It goes through the process of understanding how, whilst we can’t have everything, we want there is more to be had out of life if you get creative. Using techniques like holistic thinking and optimism, there are four simple steps from taking the current situation apart, creating your new point of view, calling my putting it back together again and then finally giving it form.
3. A More Beautiful Question – Warren Berger
If you speak to 100 visionaries, you will get 100 different answers as to how to go about creating and obtaining the life that you want. It is the opinion of innovation expert and journalist Warren Berger that the prime focus needs to be on the issue of questioning. By using questions imaginatively, you can solve problems and create the fantastic opportunities and game-changing ideas that you have been looking for.
4. The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek
Using theories often found in games, Simon Sinek has created a handbook that shows you how to build long term value and make growth no matter what your business is or what you are trying to achieve. This book can be found on Amazon and other major book retailers.
5. Disciplined Entrepreneurship – Bill Aulet
In another school of thinking, entrepreneurs are the result of the successful nature of their products. It is the belief of the author that entrepreneurs are not born, and neither can they be taught, but rather it is all about the innovation of the product you are offering. This handy guidebook breaks down a 24-step process that gives you everything you need to develop your next big product.
6. 7 Habits for Highly Effective People – Stephen Corey
When it comes to finding the method that will work for you, it is all about finding something that resonates. This book offers a principle centred approach which gives step by step guidance for creating a life of integrity, honesty, fairness and human dignity which he believes will enable anyone to succeed and make and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
7. Running Lean – Ash Maurya
You will often hear the term Lean banded about when it comes to entrepreneurialism, and that is the basis of this book. Lean working means not wasting time with inefficient and complicated processes but simplifying the procedure to create systematic ways to quickly check our ideas and bring about success.
8. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek
Another valuable insight offering from Simon Sinek, in this book, he looks at how successful leaders such as Steve Jobs and others think and discovers commonality. It comes down to the fact that they understand the importance of the question of why? The author goes on to explain what it is we need to do and how we create the framework to ensure the business moves from strength to strength.
9. The Hard Things About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
While the title of this book may seem something of an oxymoron, Horowitz is actually highly regarded in Silicon Valley and is a successful entrepreneur with a wealth of experience to bring to the table. He is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and offers practical advice for how to start and run a business—focusing specifically on the challenging problems that he feels business schools just don’t like to get into.
10. The Startup Owner’s Manual – Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
Who knew it could be this simple! There is a manual for start-up businesses! Well, of course, there is, it is merely another potential thought strand that you can follow offering a lot of excellent advice. It was put together in a reference book style and gives you plenty of how-to tips and tricks that will guide you through all of the processes needed to finally take the plunge and start your business.