Regardless of how many degrees and certifications one acquires, there are always new things to learn. The world’s most successful people, across all industries, agree on one thing: learning is a continuous process that is necessary for consistent growth and progression. For entrepreneurs and startup founders, learning new information is obligatory to starting up-to-date with the market and new technologies. What better way to learn than with books written by successful people, for successful people? According to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and Meta today, “Books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in it in a deeper way than most media today.”
Check out the top six business books in 2021 that all entrepreneurs should put on their must-read list:
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
This book has been on the New York Times best-seller list for more than two decades. It’s a classic, and every successful person has a copy in their collection. It offers an in-depth examination of the seven behaviors that all individuals seeking to lead more satisfying lives should cultivate. Author Stephen R. Covey proposes a comprehensive, integrated, principle-centered approach to tackling personal and professional challenges. He provides a step-by-step approach for living by principles of justice, honesty, service, and human dignity—principles that give us the stability to adjust to change and the capacity to capitalize on the possibilities that change manifest. Covey walks you through this transformation, which influences how you see and behave in areas like productivity, time management, positive thinking, growing your “proactive muscles” (acting on initiative rather than reacting), and much more. This is a book to keep on your desk and return to as needed. While some concepts can be complex, each reading of this text will beget new knowledge and lessons.
2. Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
Awaken the Giant Within is a staple in the personal development field. The book offers a deep dive into the philosophy behind success. In this book, Robbins demonstrates his life coach approaches in a way that encourages the reader to achieve self-actualization. Robbins, a recognized authority in the psychology of change, offers a step-by-step method that teaches the essentials of self-mastery, allowing you to uncover your real purpose, take control of your life, and harness the forces that determine your destiny. This is undoubtedly one of those books that can transform your life. Robbins begins the book with the three stages to success and then offers methods for the reader to radically change their life. The book incorporates philosophy, behavioral methods, activity, results, and lifestyle topics. This book will compel any reader to look in the mirror and evaluate their life.
3. Startup Kudos by Rami Alame
When it comes to startups, learning from other entrepreneurs’ experience can help you immensely along your entrepreneurial journey. This book is all about giving you a head-start with your business. It features Alame’s personal experiences as a founder, as well as anecdotes from of hundreds of businesses he has counseled as a startup lawyer and serial entrepreneur. This book walks through every stage of creating your company with examples, recommendations, and solutions for multiple facets of the process way. It will also introduce you to a group of entrepreneurs known as “The Akylles Gang.” The plot focuses on an entrepreneur’s path from employee to serial founder and entrepreneur. It covers each stage and explore how you can build and improve your journey. This book is the complete package for startup founders and entrepreneurs to learn about business, marketing, finance, investment, raising funds, management, legal, relationships, and much more.
4. Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
This book is designed to give you an insight into the minds of thought leaders, athletes, celebrities, media mavericks, and movers. Ferriss distributed a questionnaire to hundreds of successful people; this book is a compilation of thoughts for those who responded. It distills essential behaviors and gives guidance from some of the world’s most brilliant individuals, providing us a glimpse inside the brains of those who have attained success. Ferriss provides answers to a long list of important questions that all entrepreneurs ask themselves at the start of their journey. The book is thought-provoking and mentally challenging, filled with valuable and interesting lessons. Whether you are taking a risk, searching for stress relief, or wanting to improve your physical and mental performance, this book has got the answers you are looking for.
5. Talent is Never Enough by John Maxwell
This is an excellent book about what it takes to be genuinely successful. Maxwell defines some of the most critical components for individual and corporate success, making for an extremely accessible read. This book questions whether skill and talent are indeed the keys to success and demonstrates how talent is influenced by belief, passion, initiative, focus, preparation, practice, and teamwork. Maxwell captivates the reader with his passion for his subject matter and insightful observations. The book is clearly well-planned and targeted.
6. Business Adventures by John Brooks
This book offers lessons from those who have seen it all in the form of twelve business anecdotes, most of which take place in the 1950s and 1960s. These stories touch on a variety of topics, including the iconic Ford Edsel disaster, the birth of Xerox, and a particularly volatile market in May 1962, among others. When not just one billionaire, but two, recommend a book, you should be intrigued. Both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates regard this book as one of the greatest ever published, the latter having acquired his copy from the former. Brooks is a gifted writer who implores you do the leg work, deducing the lessons from each tale for yourself. Even if the stories are a little antiquated, the takeaways are surprisingly applicable for the contemporary business world.
