If you’re thinking of setting up your own business, you might find yourself wondering where to begin. With so many different concepts to get your head around, it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed.
So, here are five of the best books on business advice to help you become a successful entrepreneur.
The Rule Breaker’s Book of Business: Win at work by doing things differently by Roger Mavity
As the title suggests, this book drives the idea that you don’t have to follow rules to become successful. In fact, it encourages quite the opposite: Roger Mavity believes that rule breaking and daring to think outside the box helps people achieve their full professional potential.
Split into three sections, Mavity’s book teaches you how to deal with money, the people around you, and yourself. The chapters are short and engaging, making this book an incredibly easy read. His approach to problem solving is valuable to anyone hoping to start their own business, as he tackles the issues people may face in their day-to-day working life.
The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups from Their Founding Entrepreneurs
The Startup Playbook looks closely at case studies involving some of today’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors. Advice and top tips from the likes of Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn) and Elon Musk (Paypal, Tesla) lie within the pages of this book.
Kidder’s carefully selected businesspeople have worked their way to the top across a number of different industries. This book poses two central questions to them: what are your most vital theses for creating successful, scaling startups, and what are the key practices, behaviours and ideas that power a startup’s growth in the first five years?
The answers to these vital questions make The Startup Playbook a must read for those looking to launch their own company.
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz
This book, written by three Google Ventures design partners, introduces the idea that absolutely anything can be tested within the space of one working week. This can be done by applying a unique problem solving process created by Jake Knapp, known as “the sprint” (hence the book title).
The sprint answers vital questions about business ideas, and has been used on many Google products, including Chrome and Google X. Knapp, along with Zeratsky and Kowitz, has seen the process succeed many times. Sprint is an essential companion for anyone needing practical help with answering crucial questions regarding their own company or business idea.
Discover the Entrepreneur Within: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting It Doneby Verinder K. Syal
Verinder Syal’s Discover the Entrepreneur Within should be every aspiring entrepreneur’s guide to getting things done. It is essential reading for any budding entrepreneur, whether they have a plan or not: as the title implies, Syal believes that an entrepreneurial spirit lies within us all.
His step-by-step guide will talk you through processes such as thinking up original ideas, focusing on targeted customers, and marketing the product or service. It also offers advice on raising funds, calculating capital and developing a business model.
Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers by Karen Berman and Joe Knight
For many people, the financial aspect of setting up a business is the most intimidating. Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs is a great read, helping you get your head around managing figures efficiently.
Karen Berman and Joe Knight are experts who have trained thousands of managers and employees around the world to deal with financial matters. Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs is easy to understand and distinctly free of jargon, drawing on real experiences to help readers gain insight into the financial workings of small businesses.
