85+ Must-Read Books for Entrepreneurs (Intro)

I’ve always been a voracious reader of books. However, prior to starting my own company, I used to spend most of my time reading novels. When I started my digital marketing firm in 2015, that all changed.

I started binge-reading dozens of business books to prepare myself in the appropriate frame of mind just before I was ready to resign my 9-to-5 job and embark on an exciting entrepreneurial journey.

Several of the books listed below provided me with much-needed encouragement, while others assisted me in navigating the hurdles of business. Finally, these books aided my professional and personal development, and now I’m suggesting them to you. I hope they have the same impact on you and assist you in becoming a better person.

Table of Contents

1. Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
2. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
3. Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
4. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
5. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
6. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
7. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
8. Atomic Habits by James Clear
9. Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
10. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
11. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
12. Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
13. All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin
14. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
15. Quiet by Susan Cain
16. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
17. Hooked by Nir Eyal with Ryan Hoover
18. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
19. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
20. Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau
21. Originals by Adam Grant
22. #AskGaryVee by Gary Vaynerchuk
23. Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove
24. Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
25. Deep Work by Cal Newport
26. Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini
27. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson
28. Getting Things Done by David Allen
29. Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
30. Zero to One by Peter Thiel
31. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
32. Thrive by Arianna Huffington
33. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
34. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
35. Drive by Daniel H. Pink
36. Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
37. Company of One by Paul Jarvis
38. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
39. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
40. Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne
41. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
42. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
43. Linchpin by Seth Godin
44. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
45. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
46. Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin
47. Purple Cow by Seth Godin
48. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
49. Jack: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch
50. Made In Japan by Akio Morita
51. The 22 Immutable Laws Of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries
52. Screw It, Let’s Do It by Richard Branson
53. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
54. Good to Great by James C. Collins
55. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
56. Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
57. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
58. Console Wars by Blake J. Harris
59. Masters of Doom by David Kushner
60. Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca and William Novak
61. Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger
62. Leapfrog by Nathalie Molina Niño
63. We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin
64. Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday
65. Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday
66. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier
67. The Winning Way by Harsha Bhogle and Anita Bhogle
68. iWoz by Steve Wozniak
69. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
70. The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
71. Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
72. Grit by Angela Duckworth
73. The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli
74. So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
75. The Big Short by Michael Lewis
76. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
77. Give and Take by Adam Grant
78. The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
79. Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
80. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
81. This is Marketing by Seth Godin
82. Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
83. Factfulness by Hans Rosling
84. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
85. 18 Minutes by Peter Bregman
86. Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Conclusion

Is there anything I’ve forgotten about your favorite business books? I’m certain I have. What business books would you suggest to entrepreneurs looking for motivation? Please share your favorite novels in the comments box below because I’d love to hear them.

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