10 Books You Should Read Before Starting a Small Business
Starting a small business is a dream for many blue-collar and white-collar workers. This is quite a piece of work, and the majority aren’t ready to accept the challenge this huge. But if you do, where should you start? Certainly, with education! Here are some of the best books on starting a small business you should start reading right now.
Contents
Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
This book is about creative thinking and an alternative approach to solving problems. Besides knowledge and hard work, you need to think differently if you want to succeed in the modern world. The first one to find a non-trivial solution to the problem wins. The authors suggest refining your mindset and applying non-standard approaches in a variety of situations. They illustrate the arguments with little-known facts about history, psychology, and economics.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Books on starting a small business usually provide a fresh angle on work, career growth, and office life. Timothy Ferriss does it by breaking stereotypes about 9 to 5 schedule. Readers will find fifty tested tips on how to spend less time working and get the maximum result, how to increase the income, how to travel and manage your business from anywhere, and to achieve the balance between personal life and work. These are brand new tools and techniques readers can put into practice.
Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn
One of the best small business books, it will be interesting for people with ideas they are hesitant to realize, for those who fear failure and don’t know where to start. Pat Flynn teaches to test an idea for viability, find customers, and maintain motivation for years. Using proven methods instead of intuition and research instead of puzzles will help you to give accurate answers to complex business questions. This book will protect you from many mistakes and help to find your unique advantage.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Chris Gilbo analyzes the experience of successful entrepreneurs who started a business with only $100 in their pocket. The author proves that it is possible to turn your ideas into income using real-life examples. This book is a guide for those who want to be independent of circumstances, who dream of creating a new future while having a decent income and a vibrant life.
Women Who Launch by Marlene Wagman-Geller
This is one of the most inspiring books on starting a small business. Unfortunately, women trying to start businesses still face more obstacles. They are often caused by prejudices and are very discouraging. Marlene Wagman-Geller motivates and inspires, telling the true stories of women who have successfully overcome all those obstacles. It is not just a collection of biographies, but the empowering narratives of activists, artists, and entrepreneurs who launched some of the most famous companies, brands, and organizations that change the world.
Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried
Instead of traditional recommendations you usually find in books on starting a small business (write a business plan, find an investor, study the competitors), the authors suggest to stop talking and start working. Step-by-step, they will teach you how to get started, will explain why you need less than you think, advise you how to become recognized, recommend who and when to hire, and how to handle everything.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
The book is based on Peter Thiel’s course of lectures for Stanford University students in 2012 called Computer Science 183: Startup. The author convinces that by doing what we already know, we move the world from 1 to 0. However, every time we create something new, we go from 0 to 1. It is a starting point for those who want to learn to think with startup categories and come up with original ideas rather than copying used templates.
Delivering Happiness. A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Starting a business always implies risks. These risks are justified and necessary when it comes not only to profit but also to relationships between people. Delivering Happiness is a book about big money, friendship and true love for people – family, employees, customers, and even competitors. Hsieh tells about his first attempts at business and how he managed to make a profit through creativity and ingenuity. He shares advice on startups, stories about his adventures in business, and his youth – the time when he didn’t want to do what he was expected to.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The Lean Startup is a must-read for every emergent entrepreneur. The main idea lies in the rapid testing of new product ideas for real consumers, as well as constant adjustment of the existing business model. Large-scale investments should start only when the idea is confirmed by facts and has proven effectiveness. The book features practical tips and techniques for effectively starting and managing a business at an early stage.
The 80/20 Principle and 92 Other Powerful Laws of Nature by Richard Koch
The author of this small business management book reminds readers that 80% of all our business and life results come from 20% of efforts. Richard Koch explains how the laws of biology, physics and nonlinear science (from Darwin’s evolution theory to game theory and chaos concepts) determine your chances of winning. He also shares advice on specific aspects of doing business, debunking some popular myths related to entrepreneurship.
After you finish this reading list or at least a couple of books on starting a small business you feel like reading, you can open Weblium and start creating a website for your future booming business.
