Here is my essential reading list for entrepreneurs. The recommended books in this post are amongst the most popular self-improvement books of all time. They should really form part of your entrepreneurial library. To slightly amend an old saying – You are what you read (see what I’ve done there?)
Some recommended books for your library
Grace Slick put it a different way in the 60’s. With her band Jefferson Airplane she sang – “Feed your head’. Grace may have been referring to something quite different to her essential reading list. It’s good advice all the same. A famous entrepreneur also once said something like – “If you want to succeed just look at what failures are reading and don’t read that stuff”.
An Essential Reading List For All
Since man first put pen to paper wise men have been giving us the benefit of their wisdom. It’s no different in the world of business or self-improvement. The most successful people in all walks of life have essentially copied some or all of the steps taken by successful people before them. It’s just common sense to make an essential reading list for entrepreneurs.This will help you emulate those who have succeeded before you.
Back in the day Napoleon Hill was commissioned by the great Andrew Carnegie to talk to inventors and innovators like Thomas Edison. The idea was to find out what made them tick. Later Robert Kyosaki compared the mindsets of two different fathers. Later still Timothy Ferriss brought us up to date with the possibilities presented to us in this new digital age.
We can learn from the internal dialogue of the greats thanks to Shad Helmstetter. We can learn from Geoff Olsen how making slight incremental but regular changes can give us huge momentum. There is wisdom and value in these pages that we would be silly to ignore.
Without further ado here are some recommended books with links to buy them in either old style paper or as ebooks.
5 Essential Reads For Entrepreneurs
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
What To Say When You Talk To Your Self by Shad Helmstetter
The Four-hour workweek by Timothy Ferriss
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (also a film)
The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
That should get you started on your essential reading list for entreprenuers. The links will take you to a page where you can read more about these and other books for your list. The first couple most people have heard of and many will have read – at least once. The others are possibly less well known. All offer brilliant ideas and insights, which are of immense value to the entrepreneur.
Self improvement books are a huge industry and clearly some are more useful than others. The above selection represents what I consider to be – must have books – forming the core of a library you can start to build up. Give them a separate shelf in your office or work area.
Success Leaves A Trail
I personally think that you can take something of value from almost any book. These books and many others like them are focussed on the mindset needed for success. That applies not just to business but to creating wealth in your life however you define it.
Life has changed considerably since Napoleopn Hill’s days. We now have even more resources at our fingertips. There is really need to work in the traditional way any longer. We really can feed our heads with the right stuff and create that 4-hour workweek if we really want to. I do hope you enjoy my essential reading list for entrepreneurs.
