To help readers tap into some of the greatest business minds, we’ve brought together ten of the best books for entrepreneurs that continue to inspire and educate future generations of business leaders.
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The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
Michael E. Gerber
For the first-time founder
In the E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber addresses the most common misconceptions around starting a business. An essential starting point for new founders.
One of Gerber’s central strategies is to organise a small business in a similar way to a franchise– fine tuning a concept that could be easily duplicated and easily run itself.
The author stresses the importance of working on your business, not in it, and offers readers a frank account of the entrepreneurial world’s harsh reality.
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Bill Gates: A Biography
Michael B. Becraft
Lessons from the top
Michael B. Becraft’s account of Bill Gates’ rise to the top covers the Microsoft founder’s college drop-out days to the transformation of personal computing and philanthropy that define his career.
The biography is considered an unbiased account with balanced criticism of Gates’ failings, sometimes questioning his management style, and covers his personal rivalry with Apple’s Steve Jobs.
As one of the most influential business leaders of the 21st Century, Bill Gates: A biography covers essential aspects of intellectual property, innovation and success.
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Lean In: Women Work and the Will to Lead
Sheryl Sandberg
The tech guru
When elected in 2012 to sit on Facebook’s board of directors, Sheryl Sandberg was the first woman to serve the social media giant at executive level.
She was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the same year, and is reported to be worth over $1.5bn.
Lean In tackles the lack of female figures in positions of business leadership. The book recounts anecdotes from successful and influential women to highlight the case for feminism in business.
Although criticised by The Guardian as an “infantilising and reactionary guide for ambitious women”, Lean In sold over 140,000 copies in its first week and continues to be a best-seller.
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How To Get Rich
Felix Dennis
The money-making manual
In How To Get Rich, maverick publisher Felix Dennis offers a lesson in “the surprisingly simple art of collecting money which already has your name on it”.
The book explores Dennis’ strong conviction that making money is a skill learnt through application and motivation. Its author reflects on his unlikely success as an entrepreneur to give a ruthless account of what it takes to make a business venture as profitable and enduring as possible.
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Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
Yvon Chouinard
For the adventurous entrepreneur
More than anyone else on our list, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard brought his sense of adventure and moral responsibility into the heart of his business.
Through his pioneering use of organic cotton and recycled materials, he built Patagonia into a popular outdoor clothing brand that retained its expertise but offered everyday consumers something they wanted to wear.
Let My People Go Surfing is Chouinard’s own account of Patagonia’s journey. It covers, as the title suggests, his unexpected rise as head of a global company, and details his blueprint for sustainable business that connects with consumers and promotes positive global change.
Read on to discover the final five of our best books for entrepreneurs
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