Our team at Influence Digest did some research to give you the best startup books to improve your knowledge and understanding in the world of entrepreneurship.
Each one of these books will equip you with unique tools to create and scale a profitable business.
30 Best Startup Books For Entrepreneurs
Mastery – Robert Greene
Entrepreneurial Skill: Mastering a Single Craft
To be truly successful as an entrepreneur, you must master a single craft. You must work so diligently at mastering a skill that it becomes part of your nature. Mastery gives a brief understanding of the lives of famous historical figures such as Mozart, Charles Darwin, Freddie Roach and how they specialized in their talents.
The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
Entrepreneurial Skill: Habit Forming
At the end of the day, our lives are only an amalgamation of our habits. This book illustrates the science and steps of habit creation and reformation. As an entrepreneur, it is imperative to ensure the habits you create are the ones that will propel you and your business to higher levels of success.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini
Entrepreneurial Skill: How to Sell
Regardless of what business you are in, as an entrepreneur, you need to know how to sell. This book explains the universal principles application of the art of persuasion. The research and evidence presented in this book make it credible and authentic.
How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Entrepreneurial Skill: How to network & build relationships
This book is considered as one of the best self-help books ever written and published. Timeless author Dale Carnegie explains the concept of how being a great listener can allow you to make friends, build relationships and even win arguments.
Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
Entrepreneurial Skill: How to hone in on your creativity
This book dives into the life of one of the most extraordinary entrepreneurs that ever lived. Steve Jobs. From his early childhood to his final days, you will learn what it took to built Apple from the ground up.
The Everything Store – Brad Stone
Entrepreneurial Skill: E-Commerce
A very wealthy businessman, Jeff Bezo’s decided to drop his corporate life to sell books online. This is the story of a man who jumped into the brand new e-commerce industry and took it by storm.
12 Rules For Life: An Antitode to Chaos – Jordan Peterson
Entrepreneurial Skill: Perceiving reality
This newly released book by one the modern era’s most renowned thinkers will have you on your toes from start to finish. Peterson dives into the uncomfortable areas that you may not want to hear but will benefit from deeply.
Tools of Titans – Tim Ferriss
Entrepreneurial Skill: Tactics, routines, and habits
Tools of Titans is a book that showcases the tactics, routines, and habits of billionaires, business tycoons, and world-class performers. The author of the book, Tim Ferriss, spent years interviewing these successful individuals to gain and stockpile this valuable information.
The First 90 Days – Michael Watkins
Entrepreneurial Skill: Transitioning
If you are an entrepreneur about to embark on a new journey, this book is for you. In this guide, Michael Watkins provides proven strategies and techniques to adapt and move into a new role of leadership and responsibility, effectively.
How Successful People Grow – John Maxwell
Entrepreneurial Skill: Personal Growth
In this book, John Maxwell illustrates an answer to the most common question asked by the entrepreneurs: Are there any tried and tested principles which can help a person grow? In this book, Maxwell dives into proven methods that will help you fundamentally grow as both, an entrepreneur, and an individual.
Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy
Entrepreneurial Skill: Productivity
This book addresses the most common problem found in North American society, procrastination. The techniques and tactics discussed in this book by Brian Tracy helps entrepreneurs to increase productivity and decrease procrastination.
Tuff Juice – Caron Butler
Entrepreneurial Skill: Toughness
Tuff Juice shares with the readers the journey of Caron Butler from the streets of Racine to the role as a successful and renowned NBA player. In this book, you will learn certain realities of life and what it takes to defeat the odds stacked against you.
48 Laws of Power – Robert Greene
Entrepreneurial Skill: Developing a skillset to handle any social situation
There are some universal laws that are timeless and apply everywhere across the world. Whether it is the workplace, a relationship, or even just on the street, this book is designed to equip you with 48 laws that the most successful individuals in history used to attain power, wealth, and status.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving F*ck – Mark Manson
Entrepreneurial Skill: Positivity
Whether you have lost your job, your start-up is unable to scale, or you simply are lacking confidence, this book is designed to help you surpass all these mental barriers and keep a positive attitude.
The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday
Entrepreneurial Skill: Reliance
Too often do we give up at the slightest inconvenience that comes our way. This book is designed to teach you that barriers and obstacles along the journey are actually necessary for growth
Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins
Entrepreneurial Skill: Controlling Your Mind
Are you in control of your life or not? In this book, famous author Tony Robbins takes you on a journey towards regaining control of your life mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially.
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
Entrepreneurial Skill: Finding a Purpose for a Challenge
Why is it that some organizations beat the odds while others fade into obscurity. Simon Sinek argues that it is not a matter of talent or skill, it is because the organizations that succeed have a genuine purpose to each challenge they take on.
The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau
Entrepreneurial Skill: Do More With Less
Regardless of your entrepreneurial endeavor, you can make it work. You don’t need massive investments, you don’t need every resource available but you need to be able to utilize what you have to it’s maximum capabilities.
The Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz
Entrepreneurial Skill: Thinking Big
Famous Canadian Entrepreneur, Robert Herjavec one said, “my biggest regret in my early days was that I did not think big enough.” This book is designed to help you visualize the big picture while also working on day-to-day tasks towards achieving your goals.
The Compound Effect – Darren Hardy
Entrepreneurial Skill: Compounding
It is the small things that you do every day that make the difference. As an entrepreneur, it is crucial to keep your eye on the small decisions you make every day. Over time these decisions will compound and produce astronomical results.
The Law of Success – Napoleon Hill
Entrepreneurial Skill: Growth Mindset
The philosophy on which personal success is built is discussed in this book. It is a self-help book in which Napoleon Hill sheds light on the essential principles and laws which guarantee success in life.
Losing my Virginity – Richard Branson
Entrepreneurial Skill: Creativity & Perseverance
Losing my Virginity is an autobiography of the legendary entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. This book features the amazing journey Branson took to achieve the life he desired.
Total Recall – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Entrepreneurial Skill: You Can Transform Into Anything You Want
This amazing biography describes the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. This book describes his journey from a lower middle class family in Austria to the bodybuilding champion of the world, to a successful real estate entrepreneur, to a Hollywood movie star, to a politician. Arnold’s story shows that you can be anything you want whenever you want.
The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale
Entrepreneurial Skill: Positive Thinking
Norman, an American minister and a renown author explains the importance of positive thinking in life. This book briefly explains the procedures that one can teach and program their mind to think positively in every situation, no matter how bad it may seem.
The Art of War – Sun Tzu
Entrepreneurial Skill: Strategic Thinking
The strategies revealed in this ancient Chinese book have lived on for centuries and are still relevant today. Sun Tzu explains how to strategically act in times of war. As an entrepreneur, there will be multiple battles that need to be fought. It is up to you to strategically position yourself to win.
The Lean Startup – Eric Ries
Entrepreneurial Skill: Innovation
There are certain Do’s and Do Not’s that entrepreneurs need to follow consistently. This book gives specific guidelines for entrepreneurs to follow that will help them avoid certain obstacles along the way and ultimately succeed at a faster rate.
Good to Great – Jim Collins
Entrepreneurial Skill: Consistency
Many businesses grow to a certain stage and then plateau. They stay stagnant. In this book, Jim Collins explains the difference between good companies and great ones. This is a must-read for entrepreneurs who are thinking big.
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
Entrepreneurial Skill: Hustle
Phil Knight, Nike founder, explains the events and story of the company’s progress from early days as a start-up to its evolution into one of the world’s biggest organizations to ever exist.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Entrepreneurial Skill: Turning Desire To Results
The Alchemist is a masterpiece and tells us the story of a shepherd boy and his journey of the search of the worldly treasure. This book teaches the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts and encourages to follow our dreams regardless of the cost.
Ego is the Enemy – Ryan Holiday
Entrepreneurial Skill: Humility
This book will make you reflect on your life and probe into your personality. The book explains that the worst enemy is hidden in ourselves as our “Ego”. Success sometimes blinds our ability to see faults and as a result, crumble from it. If we are able to banish our ego’s, growth would much more.
We hope you have enjoyed Influence Digest’s pick of the best startup books for entrepreneurs!
