Owning a business is nothing like working a 9 to 5. Sure, both types of work require organization, routine, and structure, but owning a business means being your own boss. When you’re in charge of your own schedule, you have more freedom and flexibility, but you’re also responsible for your continued growth and training as a businessperson. When you work at someone else’s company, your boss or supervisor will point out your strengths as well as areas where you need improvement. It can be a lot harder to self-identify areas where you need to grow and learn, especially if you’re already an expert on your company’s industry. If you’re a new small business owner, you might not even know where to start. No one trains business owners on the art of business owning.
Fortunately, there are plenty of books on just that. It seems that everyone has advice on owning a business, but it’s best to listen to the experts—business executives and entrepreneurs who have taken the time to write down their greatest successes and failures. Tony Hsieh, retired CEO of Zappos, tells business owners to “Chase the vision, not the money. The money will end up following you.” But that vision isn’t just about the business itself. Without the effort and care of its owner and employees, a company is just a faceless entity. As a business owner, it’s important to consistently work on your own growth and business knowledge just as much as your company’s growth.
Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, says, “Reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding.” Businesspeople are students of life and of business, and because there are a wide variety of ways to grow a business and make it successful, it’s important to work your way through a selection of business books rather than choosing one textbook. It’s easy enough to look up sales and marketing terminology online, but books offer something that Internet articles cannot. Books can tell stories and give novice businesspeople a rundown on how to get from Step A to Step Z of running a business. Here are just a few of the top books in the business world, most of which are recommended by business newbies and experts alike.
- Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street by John Brooks
Business Adventures by John Brooks is highly regarded by both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as the number one book on business. John Brooks, a reporter for the New Yorker, tells the stories of twelve different companies and how they were defined by moments of fame. He also analyzes the stock market crash of 1962 and other defining business moments from the 1950s and 1960s that are still relevant today.
- Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel
There’s one teaching that most successful business owners will agree on—understanding people is essential to understanding business. There are many books that classify people into different personalities, including some that explain people in terms of their business personalities. Employees who are more sales-driven and employees who are people-driven likely fit into different personality types, for instance. Reading People explores personality quizzes like Myers-Briggs and Enneagram to gather the best data on personalities. Whichever book you choose, make sure it helps you understand people—both coworkers, employees, and clients—in a business setting.
- The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
If you don’t have the time or money to invest in a Master of Business Administration degree, this book will help teach you the basic terminology and ideas that all the business pros know. Chris Gadek, Head of Growth at AdQuick says, “A formal business education isn’t necessary to be truly successful in business. There are so many successful people who have already been through business school—and many who haven’t—and the amazing thing is, everyone wants to teach us what they know. In the competitive world of business, authors like Josh Kaufman are offering up their trade secrets, so why not take advantage of that?”
- Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
In Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull uses the creative team behind Pixar Animation to explore how Pixar turns creativity and ideas into profit. He explores how teamwork, leadership, and skilled management can turn good ideas into great ones. Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You says of Creativity, Inc., “Not all teams have the chance to work in an artistic environment like Pixar, but even large corporations can learn from their dynamic. What Ed Catmull tells us is that all businesses, even those with the wildest, most impossible ideas, can be successful with a dedicated team and strong leadership.”
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell explores how trends go viral in business and marketing. He answers the question, “What makes an idea or product stick when targeted towards a specific audience? And how do I make my business idea stick?” He explains environmental factors and “stickiness” factors that cause an idea to take hold for the public. Andrew Adamo, VP of Bullion Shark says, “We are in the age of social media, and I know so many people, especially young people, who are finding out about new products and services exclusively through their virality. New business owners don’t always realize just how key marketing is to help a business succeed. Social media is all about listening to what everyone else is saying, and Malcolm Gladwell has the science to back up why and how that works.”
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Serdar Ozenalp, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Ocoza says, “Business is all about people, but sometimes it’s not about figuring out someone else’s personality or selling your company. Sometimes it’s about selling yourself and making them like you.” Dale Carnegie’s book explores six ways to make people like you, twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and nine ways to change people without causing resentment. If you want people to like your business, you have to make them like you first—and this book is intended to help you make some important friends. Now that you’re embarking on your journey as a new business owner, you’re probably realizing that having friends and family members who support your vision is essential to keeping you motivated and enthusiastic.