There is one thing every great entrepreneur you admire has in common – DEDICATION TO LIFE LONG LEARNING.
Interestingly, those who have this habit of learning life are usually top earners. Some people say there is a relationship between what you learn and what you earn. Reading is one of the best ways to learn. It has been for years and will still be forever if I’m not wrong. What is so obvious is that readers lead and leaders read. Of many books I have read on entrepreneurship, these seven I find so vital for those running businesses.
1- ‘The Great Business Team’ by Howard M. Guttman
Howard’s book is so far the best book about team building that I have come across. It guides you on how to build a high-performing team. He shares a lot from his experience in consultancy.
“What distinguishes great teams is their process, and structure, for decision making. That process channels information, experience, and gut feel.” Howard M. Guttman
2- ‘Mastery’ by Robert Greene
If you have ever read any of Robert Greene’s books, you will probably agree with me he’s a writer you would want to read more from, simply because his lessons can easily apply to real life. This book, like the 33 Strategies of Wars and other books, is highly applicable too.
In this book, Greene talks about developing your skills and talents to complete mastery. I particularly like the way he brought in stories of prominent people who achieved MASTERY; the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Charles Darwin, et al.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”-Robert Greene
3- ‘The E Myth’ by Michael E. Gerber
The E Myth has an exciting point of view on what entrepreneurship is and what it is not. Michael explains what the building of business entails. If you own a small business or startup or are considering starting one, I recommend this book for the start.
“I believe it’s true that the difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next.” Michael E. Gerber
4- ‘How to master the art of selling’ by Tom Hopkins
Tom’s approach to sales mastery is quite interesting. He believes one must first master oneself before mastering sales, and that is a very important life philosophy.
Your business isn’t a business if it doesn’t make money and to make money, you must know how to sell. So I highly recommend this book to every entrepreneur out there.
“No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more. That means you´ll work harder for a while; that means you’ll work longer for a while. But you’ll be paid for your extra effort with enhanced earnings down the…” Tom Hopkins
5- ‘The Blue Ocean Strategy’ by W. Chan Kim
The Blue Ocean Strategy is about creating a new undisputed market within your business industry, hence making the competition irrelevant.
The book introduces the terms RED OCEAN and BLUE OCEAN. The red ocean refers to the industries that are currently in existence and the blue ocean refers to industries that are not yet in existence today, but have an untested market. Chan explains how big companies innovate and create these new industries for themselves.
“Value innovation is the cornerstone of the blue ocean strategy. We call it to value innovation because instead of focusing on beating the competition; you focus on making the competition irrelevant by creating a leap in value for buyers.” W. Chan Kim
6- ‘Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ by John C. Maxwell
This is just one of Maxwell’s many books on leadership. He explains the 21 laws of leadership. These laws are very vital for an entrepreneur who wants to build a big company as leadership becomes inevitable and you must know the reputable laws.
All the 21 laws in the book are so vital: the law of influence, the law of intuition, the law of inner cycle, the law of lid are few among them. I can testify that these laws have shaped my ability to lead amazingly.
“It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.” John C. Maxwell
7- ‘Risk is the new safe’ by Randy Gage
If you want a shift of perspective, a whole fresh approach to business and life, this is it. It is a book that teaches the best way to handle the fast-changing world of today through taking calculated risks and being tough.
“The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.” Randy Gage
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