The Entrepreneur's Ultimate List of 8 Must-Read Books

You've probably heard all the worn-out expressions:

Readers are leaders.

You've got to be reading more!

Man, you really have to read this book.

Let me recommend a book to you.

You mean you haven't read this book yet?

Entrepreneurs and business leaders know that they need to be reading. And, yes, most of us probably should be reading more than we do. But here's the question that we need to answer: What books to do we read?

Selecting and absorbing the right books is the first thing we have to do. As it turns out, that's not easy to do. Given the vast number of self-published books, there aren't any specific numbers on how many books are published each year, let alone business books intended for entrepreneurs. We can safely say, however, that every year there are hundreds of thousands of English language books published: Amazon's "entrepreneurship" bookstore provides a list of 37,976 books, which would require a few lifetimes to read them all.

My shortlist is a bit briefer. Here are eight of the very best books on entrepreneurship I've read. Any book's status as very best is, admittedly, an individualistic judgment call. But I know that these have helped me -- and thousands of other entrepreneurs. So, from one developing entrepreneur to another, here they are:

1. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What To Do About It by Michael Gerber
The "E-myth" of the title, or "entrepreneurial myth," goes like this: Someone who starts a business is probably qualified to manage and grow that business. In reality, most people who start a business don't have a clue what they're doing. They become frustrated. They fail.

Gerber points out that most entrepreneurs are actually technicians -- people who know how to make stuff or fix stuff. But when it comes to building a business, the "entrepreneur" part fails. And so does the small business. The E-Myth Revisited uses the structure of a story to set forth powerful business-building information -- how to work in your business, not on it, how to hire the right people and how to build a strong foundation for a business that will ultimately thrive.

2. Zero To One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is eminently qualified to write a book on startups. He co-founded PayPal, Palantir, Mithril Capital Management and Valar Ventures. Zero to One explains that breakthrough businesses can and should be built. A true breakthrough business doesn't just add more of the same, but builds something truly new; that's the "zero to one" that an entrepreneur should pursue.

Thiel explains how it's done.

3. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland
Every business needs a methodology for getting stuff done, for successful collaboration and scalable management techniques. Scrum is the answer; it describes a simple methodology for breaking down problems into manageable chunks, getting those chunks completed in a timely way and reviewing the work that has been completed.

Scrum is offered as a "how-to" book, but there's a lot of great data and tantalizing storytelling here which makes it the perfect business book.

4. Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington
If there's one thing that entrepreneurs need more of, it's sleep. Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post Media Group, explains that sleep is part of the third metric of success, which includes: total well-being, wisdom, intuition, wonder and compassion.

Too often, entrepreneurs are focused on acquiring money or building power. Thrive is a call to focus on the things that really matter. This book will help any entrepreneur develop a balanced view of building a business, and ensure that she doesn't burn out along the way.

5. The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
The One Thing explains how entrepreneurs can dial back the busy clutter in their lives in order to focus on their business. Creating a laser-like focus on a business goal doesn't mean denying yourself family, friends or a full life. Instead, it means articulating your vision for success and your method of attaining it. Keller draws on his own success and experience to explain exactly how to do this.

6. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
Entrepreneurs aren't beyond being helped by motivational shticks. Eat That Frog! is certainly motivational, but it's also extremely tactical -- providing a numbered list of actual methods for getting stuff done. It's settled fact that you'll emerge from reading this book with a renewed sense of passion and vigor for your business, and the ability to absolutely nail it.

7. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone
It behooves every entrepreneur to accomplish enormous amounts of stuff. The vast majority of people don't accomplish enormous amounts of stuff. Why not? Lack of action. Cardone's premise is that the only successful level of action is 10x -- massive action.

This book explains how you can throw more energy, focus, determination, willpower and resolve into your calling and, ultimately, your success.

8. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Many entrepreneurs succumb to the myth that they can somehow do everything. Unfortunately, this is neither realistic nor healthy. Furthermore, it's not the way to build a successful business.

McKeown's point is this: "Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it's about how to get the right things done. It doesn't mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential."

5 Serious Business Books to Read Over the Holidays

With the holiday season upon us, there is no better time to relax, unwind and pick up a good book. If you are looking for some book suggestions that aren't just entertaining, but that can actually teach you a thing or two, here are some of the best  business books to consider reading over the holidays. These books can give you some valuable lessons that you can utilize as you start 2017 off on the right foot.

1. Tools of Titans
This book by Tim Ferris a great read if you are looking for a book with straightforward tips that you can start utilizing. This book is also filled with different insights on habit forming and what habits today's most successful titans have. This book is a great read and extraordinarily comprehensive.

2. Ten Restaurants That Changed America
This book takes a detailed look at different businesses that both succeeded and failed and why they succeeded and failed. This is an easy and entertaining read that looks at the importance of capitalizing on changing trends in order to stay relevant in the market.

3. The Richest Man in Town
This book by Randal Jones, the founder of Worth magazine, details his "twelve commandments of wealth." It is super straightforward and talks about the different habits he has and how they have helped him create a great deal of success. If you want to hear first hand from a very wealthy individual what it takes in order to build that wealth, this the book for you.

4. Only the Paranoid Survive
This book is filled with amazing insights on the success of Intel and how this company became such a force in today's market. It also talks about the company's potential mishaps along the way. This book is so entertaining because it takes just as much time teaching from failures as it does from successes.

5. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
If you want a book that is more focused on management techniques, then this is the book for you. This book is raw and straightforward as it talks about all of the hard, dirty and non-glamorous parts of starting and running a business. The author, Ben Horowitz, is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and he takes a very brutally honest approach to detailing what it takes to run, sell and manage a company. His voice makes this book very fun to read and very applicable to other professional situations.

6 Entrepreneurs Share the Books They Always Recommend

A savvy entrepreneur understands that the ability to empathize with a variety of perspectives is invaluable when growing a business. One of the simplest and most effective way to do this is to read widely, across genres and from authors whose point of view is different than your own. Whether it is a novel or history book on your nightstand or an in-depth scientific study, these successful founders have some unexpected titles that they always recommend to everyone.

1. On having a positive attitude in the face of adversity

Book: Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World. I love children's books in general, and a lot of kid's books are really good reading for adults. This one in particular is not only a great story and narrative, but it's a great study of a relationship between father and his son.

Plus, the entrepreneurial, can-do attitude of Danny and his father has always been inspiring to me. While they are meticulous planners, ultimately it's the partnership and camaraderie between them that is more important than their scheme working out exactly as planned. I try to keep this in mind when things don't go the way we've anticipated.

2. On combating negative thinking

Book: Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine. In this book, he pulls together decades of research to show people how to shift their negative thinking into empowering ways of thinking, acting and feeling. After I read it, I was convinced that Shirzad was the real deal, and his approach and techniques really worked.

The gist of positive psychology is this: The more you train your brain to be positive, the happier you feel. For me, this has translated into taking time to quiet my brain every day to recharge and refocus.

3. On how emotions affect our work

Book: I recommend a book called Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. He's the first and only psychologist that won the Nobel prize for economics. The notion that people, emotions and relationships determine so much of the decisions we make and these are deeply rooted mechanisms is something that is becoming more understood and accepted. It's basically the fundamentals of business, because who do you do business with? You do business with people. This particular book gives you amazing insight as to how to better understand and work with people

4. On a learning from a diversity of opinions

Book: Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia. If you're an entrepreneur, I think that you can't only have one point of view. That book lets you explore the concept within different frameworks and how it would work for you. It uses relevant, current issues and examples. Even if you don't agree with the opinions, you are given enough information to make your own decision.

5. On the scope of technology

Book: Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It is a story of the U.S. effort to build the atomic bomb. It's a beautifully written book about the science and technology behind it. I don't think many people think of a non-fiction book as page turner, but it sucked me in.

There's incredible science described in a very understandable way, tension around the morality of building an atomic bomb, egos and personality conflicts, along with the fact that many of the scientists were Jews expunged from Nazi Europe creating the ultimate weapon to destroy Nazism. It's a good read. A lot of people haven't had great experiences with non-fiction, so I think it surprises them.

6. On the golden rule

Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It's a nice reminder and blueprint on how to be a good person. It's effectively saying that if you could pay more attention to other people's needs, it will benefit you.

Reading Books Makes You Smarter, Richer and Surprisingly Healthier

I love blogs. I love them so much that I built an entire online business off of one dinky blog. But there's no blog in the world that can ever compare to a book. You can't wrap a blog up and give it as a gift.

I've been on a particular Amazon binge recently, stocking up my shopping cart for the holidays. (Is it weird that I buy myself Christmas presents?) I've been getting so many heavy packages delivered to my door that it got me thinking: "Why am I choosing a book over the easy download?"

It's the object. The artifact. The fact that what I'm holding is a physical representation of years and years of toil and synthesis.

Reading a lot of books is prerequisite to being a great business owner, or great at anything. They're a cheap investment with a potentially infinite ROI. A world-class expert might work for 20+ years to figure something out, completely devoting her entire life to answering one particular question, which you get for the cost of lunch.

Even more thought-provoking, I realized, the physicality of the experience helps me remember. I have a hard time remembering which books I've read on Kindle or iPad, let alone their content. I can't remember a single blog post title I've read. Not one. So I started doing some digging to see if there was any evidence to support my experience of what we'll call, physical vs digital.  Here are my findings.

1. Print improves comprehension and retention.
In recent years there have been tons of studies comparing the pros and cons of reading something digitally or in print. In almost all studies the results show that "screen-based reading behavior is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one-time reading, non-linear reading and reading more selectively."

This leads to lower comprehension of the actual material read and also a decreased ability to retain the information. Learning the price of a shirt is not something we necessarily want or need to commit to long-term memory. The content of a book, however...a little different. In comparison studies show that "the ‘real' experience that physical media provides means it's better at becoming part of memory."

Now I feel validated! This is exactly my experience. Essentially what the research shows is that if you want to understand and retain information, you should pick up a book.

2. Print is better for your eye health and sleep cycle.
Another benefit of reading physical media instead of digital media is the effect it has on your health. In a study out of Harvard, scientists "found the body's natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from electronic devices."

Blue light has been proven to to suppress melatonin, which impacts your circadian clock and increases alertness when you should be winding down. Scientists note that "the use of light-emitting devices immediately before bedtime is a concern because of the extremely powerful effect that light has on the body's natural sleep/wake pattern and how that may play a role in perpetuating sleep deficiency."

Let's be real. As an entrepreneur, work never really ends. As a daily practice, we need to learn how to turn "off." Reading a physical book is a great mechanism to encourage that.

3. Print provides a sense of progress.
Some benefits of reading print media over digital are more emotional than scientific. Think about the last time you read an important book. Do you remember an acute sense of pride as you flipped the last page of the book?

One of the clear psychological benefits of physical media is the sense of progress we feel when flipping the pages back. When you read on paper you can sese with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing and shrinking on the right. You have the tactile sense of progress, which just feels awesome. It's an experience. A journey.

It's not just the sense of pride. A book provides a reminder of your intellectual journey, and gives you something to display in your office or home that represents your interests. What we keep on our bookshelves and coffee tables are representations of our personalities. We talk about them, we look at them, we reference them. They help others get to know us better and are often great conversation starters.

I was talking to my friend Nathan, the founder of Foundr Mag, recently, about how excited I am to have a physical book being published in the spring, because I just don't think that blog posts are all that memorable. Nathan one-upped me and told me that Foundr is creating a book for the very same reason! They're even running a kickstarter to fund it, in true startup fashion.

Foundr started as a digital magazine three years ago with the intent to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their startups. Over the years they've collected some amazing stories and tips from legendary founders.

It's encouraging to know I'm not the only one with a successful blog who wants to memorialize the physical book!

On Saturday, we should all celebrate Bookshop Day

Small presses, libraries and independents are all under threat. No one wants to hear their child ask: 'What's a bookshop?'

On Saturday it is Bookshop Day. My heart always sinks a little when I hear that a day has been set aside to celebrate something I love: it too often feels like being put on a list of exotic endangered species – and indeed libraries, small presses and bookshops are all disappearing fast.

When my first book was published, there were no ebooks, no Amazon and most high streets boasted a bookshop. Chains and independents thrived equally – partly because book prices were fixed, which made for a level playing field. But with the demise of the net book agreement, the book world began to change. Independent bookshops could no longer afford to compete. The chains pointed to the free market – until Amazon appeared on the scene, when they themselves began to fall to online competition.

Now, only a comparative handful of bookshops remain. And yet, they represent so much more than an opportunity to buy books. Like libraries, small bookshops are a part of a wider society. A good local bookshop is quirky, individual; reflecting the needs of the community. Sometimes it looks more like someone's home than a place of business – there's maybe even a cat – and with staff who care about books, not just shifting units.

But in the face of powerful online and supermarket opposition, small bookshops have had to work hard to survive. They have had to be creative: reading groups; storytime for children; even ice-cream stalls and bookshop bands. They are also often the most enthusiastic organisers of author visits and signings. Small bookshops show diversity and individualism in a world growing ever more corporate.

They stand for community in the face of business expansion. They represent a protest against the offshore companies that are reducing our high streets to a series of empty shop fronts. That's why we must do our best to support them, not just on Bookshop Day, but every day. Because in 10 years' time, no one wants to hear their child ask: "Mummy, what's a bookshop?"