Business is hard, no question about it. Starting and scaling a business requires a lot of dedication and discipline. But it’s also a rewarding experience if you take the right measures.
Reading books on business can help you gain the insight and advice that you need to succeed in this field. There are numerous books out there that can give you the tips, tricks, and advice needed to find success as an entrepreneur or company leader.
These 11 books about starting and scaling businesses will give you all the information you need to get it on with your own venture. They are my personal favourites. I’ll start with the must reads which cover the most.
I’ll be sharing links to summaries below each (if I finished them that is) and also a link to Amazon. The Amazon links are affiliates so if you ever feel like buying one I’d be forever grateful if you use them. I’ll earn a humble share of every sale (to be precise, for every 5 books sold I can buy a coffee :p, works for me).
Without further ado, let’s find out how to build a startup.
The Lean Startup
This is probably the most important book on the list. While you can learn a few techniques from other books, The Lean Startup is the foundation for all entrepreneurship.
The Lean Startup teaches you how to test your business idea to see if it’s viable or not. You’ll learn how to focus on finding the customers who need your product and what they want, as well as how to find out if they’ll buy your product.
I’ve written a book summary of The Lean Startup right here.
Or you can fast-forward and order it on Amazon right here.
Hacking Growth
Everyone is talking about growth. It’s the new black, so to speak. Everybody wants more of it. But with everyone looking to grow fast and grow big, how can you stand out? Of course, it helps if you have a billion-dollar idea. But even then, not every business will get lucky enough to be acquired by Google for that amount of money (as happened with HotelTonight).
If you don’t have that kind of luck or those kinds of ideas, what can you do? You can read Hacking Growth.
I’ve written a summary of Hacking Growth right here.
Or you can order it right here away and start digging deeper immediately.
The 4-Hour Workweek
The 4-Hour Workweek is one of the most popular books in business. It teaches readers how to create a system for managing their businesses and their lives that allows them to work less and earn more.
It’s a great choice for anyone who wants to start their own business and wishes to avoid certain pitfalls.
It is a great option if you’re not interested in doing the same thing for the rest of your life. It can help you avoid the 9-to-5 trap that many people fall into. It’s also a great read for people who already have a business and are looking for ways to improve their productivity.
If you want to be able to spend more time with your family, travel the world, or just be more relaxed, The 4-Hour Workweek can help.
Read a book summary of “The 4-Hour Workweek” right here.
Buy The 4-Hour Workweek on Amazon
Zero to One
Zero to One, written by Peter Thiel (PayPal mafia), talks about the importance of creating a brand and a product or service that is truly unique. It discusses the fact that many companies try to make a product that competes with other products on the market. This can lead to a race to the bottom where products are all similar and have very little value to consumers.
If you want to create something truly unique and valuable, you need to look at the bigger picture and think about how your product or service impacts society as a whole.
Zero to One will challenge you to think about what other businesses are doing and how you can do something better. It will inspire you with examples of companies that have done just that.
For anyone who wants to create a business that will last, Zero to One will help you do exactly that.
Read a Summary of Zero to One right here.
You can find Zero to One on Amazon right here.
Sprint
Sprint breaks down how you can gather new ideas, build them and test them in just 5 days. It gives you the exact framework to build an MVP and test if it is worth investing more time and money into. A must-read if you’re looking for frameworks to help you do just that.
Read a Book Summary of Sprint by Jake Knapp right here
Buy Sprint on Amazon right here.
How to Be the Startup Hero
This is a great choice for anyone who is planning to start a company or who already has one. It covers a lot of important topics in the business world including fundraising, marketing, hiring, and more. It’s an excellent guide for anyone who is looking for help to get started. It’s also great for people who are currently running businesses and are looking for ways to improve their strategies.
Good To Great
Good To Great is one of those books every entrepreneur should read. It’s not specific to businesses, but it talks about the qualities that business leaders need to succeed.
It talks about the importance of having the right people in the right positions and the importance of creating a corporate culture that fosters creativity and innovation.
If you’re looking to scale your business, you need to make sure that you have good people in positions of power. You also need to have a culture that allows people to feel free to come up with new ideas and try new things.
Good To Great will help you create the right environment and make sure that you’re hiring the right people.
Read a Book Summary of “Good to Great” right here.
And you know the drill, you can find “Good to Great” on Amazon right here.
The Entrepreneurs Guide To Marketing
The Entrepreneurs Guide To Marketing talks about the importance of marketing in the business world. It’s something that some people overlook, but it’s an important part of having a successful company. It’s also something that many entrepreneurs don’t know how to do well.
This book will discuss strategies for marketing your product or service to the right people. It will also help you create a brand and a product that people want to buy.
It’s a great choice for anyone who is trying to start a business or who is currently running one. It will give you a lot of advice and strategies that you can use to get the word out about your product or service and make it successful.
You can find the book right here.
Start-up Confidential
Start-up Confidential is a must-read for anyone interested in starting a business. It includes a breakdown of important topics such as how to fund your company, how to hire the best talent, how to manage your team, and many other valuable insights. It will give you a clear, concise picture of what it takes to build a successful company.
You can find it on Amazon right here.
The Startup Equation
The Startup Equation is all about the steps that you need to take in order to turn your business idea into a reality. It’s essential to know what this process looks like in full because the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to succeed.
It will guide you through the whole startup equation, from coming up with the idea all the way through to making your company a success. There are tips and advice on every stage of the journey, so you know exactly what you need to do.
Running Lean
Running Lean focuses on how to be efficient when running your business. It’s important that you don’t waste time or money on unnecessary things when you first start out. In order to keep your business running smoothly and on track, you need to be frugal with your resources.
This book will help you to run a lean company by teaching you how to cut costs and save money so you can spend it on things that matter, like marketing and expanding your business. It’s a good read if you’re running a start-up or just have a few extra costs that you need to cut back on.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-forming Products
Hooked dives into the world of product design and development. It helps you to figure out what people actually want and will buy over and over again. It’s a great read for entrepreneurs looking to build a passive income or for business owners who want to find new ways to bring in revenue.
Read a summary of “Hooked” right here
View “Hooked” right here on Amazon
Conclusion
As you can see, there are tons of different books out there that can help you scale your business. These are just a few of the best ones that you can choose from. If you’re looking to start a business or scale one that you already have, these books will help you do just that.