Do you know how many books you’ve read during high school? It’s roughly 30 books. All the books you’ve read from primary school to university have served its purpose – to prepare you for employment. To prepare yourself for entrepreneurship, here is a list of recommended books that focus on what you need to succeed.

Why Do You Need to Read Books?

Over 80% of the rich people read books on education, career-related, or self-improvement. If these highly successful people who know the ins and outs of their businesses continue to read, then it follows that if you want to achieve their success, one of the things that need to be done is to read.

The biggest mistake of people who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur is to look for or think about the next big thing. Don’t get me wrong, people with entrepreneurial mindsets are constantly on the lookout for opportunities, but learning to think and act like an entrepreneur is far more important. You don’t study your lessons while taking an exam.

Attitude Versus Aptitude

When I compiled this list of recommended books to read, I listed all the books in alphabetical order with the intention of dividing it equally into two groups – books that prepare you to be an entrepreneur and other books to read as an entrepreneur. Imagine how surprised I was when after dividing, exactly 80% or 25 books fell under preparation, while the rest of the books are more related to skills.

Zig Ziglar said, “Success is 80% attitude, 20% aptitude.” True enough, most of the books here focus on attitude. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to understand how an entrepreneur thinks, and the habits of successful people.

Grow yourself and be prepared. The books here serve as a foundation for you to launch a successful startup.

Books to Prepare You for Entrepreneurship

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

 

The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World by Chris Gillebeau

 

Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Anthony Robbins

 

Click Millionaires: Work Less, Live More with an Internet Business You Love by Scott Fox

 

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

 

Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell

 

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

 

The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs by Kevin Johnson

 

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway: Dynamic Techniques for Turning Fear, Indecision, and Anger into Power, Action and Love by Susan Jeffers

 

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t by Jim Collins

 

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

 

 

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

 

The Law of Success: In Sixteen Lessons by Napoleon Hill

 

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

 

The New One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Johnson Spencer

 

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

 

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach their Kids About Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki

 

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

 

The Seasons of Life by Jim Rohn

 

See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar

 

The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha

 

Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Stone

 

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

 

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson

 

Books to Grow Your Business

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher

 

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

 

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

 

The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy

 

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel Pink

 

Summary

All the books are sorted alphabetically in their respective categories. There is no one book that is far more important than the others. If you think 30 books is a lot, there are actually much more books that have not been listed. People come from diverse backgrounds and situations. On which books you should start with is a matter of preference.

There are two things you need to remember when reading books. First, most personal development books are to be read one chapter at a time. At the end of each chapter, apply what you learned to form a habit. Second, you don’t have to read all these books before taking on an opportunity. Too much analysis leads to paralysis.

Formal education has prepared you to be an employee. Whether you go into entrepreneurship or not, personal development will equip you with the mindset and skills to take your career to a whole new level. Acquire the entrepreneurial mindset and open your mind to opportunities you never knew existed before.

What stops people from starting? It is the fear of failure. Granted that any enterprise comes with a risk, you can reduce the risk by learning from great minds. There is only one person who believes you can succeed, and that is you. How do you acquire that belief? Pick from the list and start the habit of reading.

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