Top 16 Best Books About Starting A Business Updated 04 /2024

It's not easy to start a business. Because more than one in five new businesses fail in the first year, you want to make sure you've done everything you can to set yourself up for success. When it comes to small business survival, you need to do a lot of research, but you also need to spend some time learning from people who have already been through it.

Talk to other entrepreneurs you know, check out some blogs, and also spend some time reading some business books. Here is a list of the best books for people who want to start a business.

Best Overall: Will It Fly?

If you're interested in how to make money online, Pat Flynn is a big name. He's also a thought leader when it comes to the entrepreneurial way of life. In "Will It Fly?" he gives practical, real-world advice on how to test business ideas before you start so that you can make sure they're possible, realistic, and profitable.

In this book, you'll learn how to make sure your business idea is a good fit for your goals, look at details about your idea that you may not have thought of, assess the market for your business, test your idea, and decide whether to move forward with your idea or send it back to the drawing board.

I think this is a good choice for anyone who thinks they might have a good idea for a business but wants to make sure it's a good one before they spend a lot of time and money on it.

Best for Branding: Crushing It!

A well-known brand can be the difference between having a good business and a great one. Before you even start your business, you should start working on building your brand. This way, when your business is up and running, you can start connecting with your customers and making sales.

Gary Vaynerchuk knows that strong branding is important, and he's become an important figure in the world of business. In "Crushing It!" he explains why having a well-defined brand is important and how to do good branding.

The book is a how-to guide for setting up your business brand in a way that resonates with the people you want to attract while still being true to who you are. If you plan to use social media to market your business, you'll want to read Vaynerchuk's advice on how to use it to its fullest.

Best for Managing Finances: Profit First

It can be hard for new business owners to figure out how to start and run a business financially. When your business starts making money you need to know how to invest in it for growth and what to do with the money that comes in.

The book "Profit First" talks about a lot of these things. His book is meant to help you make more money in your business, no matter where you are in its life cycle. It also helps you keep your cash flow positive so you don't have to deal with the money problems that new businesses often have.

He comes up with a simple formula for managing the money side of running a business. Even if you're not an accountant, you can still use it to figure out how to do it. It's a good book to read if you want to build a strong foundation for managing your cash flow from the start of your business.

Best for Female Entrepreneurs: Women Who Launch

When women start their own businesses, they often have to deal with things like getting money. It can be very discouraging, but "Women Who Launch" gives you the motivation and inspiration you need to keep going.

Wagman-Geller talks about a lot of women who have been able to get over the obstacles and start their own businesses. Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, and Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, are both featured in the book. The underlying theme is the same, though. The book is a celebration of women who took charge of their careers so that they could leave a lasting mark on business.

Best for Startups: Zero to One

Launching a startup is very different from setting up a small business on your own. For example, you may have employees or investors to pay or your start-up costs may be a lot more.

It's a lot to keep track of, and the businesses that can't do it well are usually the ones that have to close down. "Zero to One" gives advice on how to avoid that.

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel talks about what it takes to run a successful business in today's world. One of the things he talks about is how to use creative innovation to get a foothold in the market without causing chaos that could threaten your business's long-term viability.

Runner-Up, Best for Startups: The $100 Startup

Start any business before you figure out how much money you'll need for start-up costs. If you don't have a lot of money to work with, don't worry. There is still a chance to become an entrepreneur.

A book called "The $100 Startup" is written by Chris Guillebeau. In it, he looks at 50 examples of people who started businesses with very little money and made money. He breaks down each one to figure out what made them successful (hint: it wasn't having a lot of money to invest in their businesses).

This book talks about how to use your skills and what you're good at to start a profitable business. To start your own business, but haven't been able to get the money to do so. This book is for you.

Best for Productivity: Atomic Habits

In business, time is one of the most important things you have. When you start a business, make every second count. If you're having a hard time getting things done and moving forward in your business, "Atomic Habits" can help.

Author James Clear talks about how we form habits and why it's important to know how to change old habits or make new ones. His main point is that you should make small changes over time to see big results.

"Atomic Habits" is more of a self-improvement book than a business book, but it's still useful because it can help you think about your daily routine and how you act. By carefully changing your habits, you can become more productive and take the steps that will help your business grow.

Best on Leadership: Leaders Eat Last

There are times when starting a business can be a one-man show, but not always. If you want to work for yourself as a freelancer, for example, you may not think about hiring people. People who start businesses with teams or think they'll need to build one at some point will find it useful to know what makes a good leader.

That's what Simon Sinek talks about in his book "Leaders Eat Last."

Specifically, he talks about how leaders can build trust in their teams and why that's important for motivating people and improving performance.

The book is written in a casual, conversational tone that's a new way to think about how to be a good leader. Overall, it's a very relatable book about why it's important to be able to work together, and you'll learn how to improve your leadership skills.

Final Verdict

First, you should read "Will it Fly?" on Amazon to see if your business idea can work. To start a business, only read this book. Even though it would be ideal to do some more research, you should focus on the financial and marketing aspects of your business if you can, because those are the two things that will help your business grow. "Profit First" by Mike Michalowicz is the best book for this. It's about making money first.

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