Every successful person you know, entrepreneur, actor, sportsperson swears by the benefits of reading. The culture we grow up in does little justice to how important it is to introduce good books to us as we grow up. Reading opens up a whole new world to us which is especially important for an entrepreneur to know. If you are an aspiring, growing or a successful entrepreneur, these books will help you grow as a person and a leader.
Books for Entrepreneurs
1. Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
No, hear me out. This is not some teenage emo book. Its actually about Big data and what the internet tells us about human thinking and behavior. The book is written in a manner that it is difficult to put it down.
Many times you fill find your mind blown and mouth wide open as you read some statistics and conclusions mentioned in the book. It’s a prime example of how engaging, funny and interesting non-fiction books can be. So many of your prejudices will present themselves to you as you read the examples and the stories.
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
I am pretty sure you have already heard about this book a thousand time. There is a reason why this book is recommended by so many people. It lives up the expectation and goes so much beyond.
It honestly took me some time to actually sit and enjoy the book. I would give up reading about a few pages but when I actually did read it in September 2021, I don’t say this often about a book but IT CHANGED MY LIFE! Quite literally.
The book discusses how our habits are formed, how we can break bad habits and adopt new ones. It talks about the importance of small(atomic) habits.
For the longest time, I would think that I am not hard-working or motivated or passionate enough but when I read this book I discovered that it wasn’t really a fault in me. I just had to make of couple of small changes in my life and in my surrounding. Just take my word for it and give this book a try. Come thank me later.
3. Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie
Blake Mycoskie, the founder and CEO(or Chief Shoe Giver) at TOMS narrrates his story of how he stumbled upon kids in Argentina who did not have shoes to wear and how he pioneered the one-for-one model of shoe buying and giving.
He walks us through his journey in an appealing way and this book could be a fun little introductory handbook to entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. Its a very small, well-written, engaging and fun read that walks you through the nuances of building a company from the scratch. He talks extensively about what the title suggests, starting something that matters and starting it quick.
Read about Social Entrepreneurship in Nepal where we talk more about Blake Mycoskie and TOMS
4. HBR’s 10 Must reads
Harvard being the pioneer in learning, education and entrepreneurship, is yet again ahead in the list with its Must Reads. The Must reads books consists of articles published in Harvard Business Review. So, if you don’t have enough time to read the information and knowledge studded articles of HBR, you can choose the topic that you want to learn about in the business world and I am pretty sure there is a must read book for that. If there is not, you can find individual articles on the topic widely accessible in the web.
I have personally read the must reads on entrepreneurship and women and Leadership. Strategy, leadership, for CEOs, Negotiation and Innovation is in my reading list next. You will not find each article useful, so feel free to skim through the topics and read the ones that interest you.
5. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Lean Startup is a revolutionizing way of starting a business. This is the book whose lessons I believe every entrepreneur should absorb and apply. The book introduces the method of continuously reiterating and changing speedily in a startup to fail fast and get better quickly. I haven’t read a better guide to improve the odds of a startup’s success in the last 5 years since I started reading books on entrepreneurship and innovation.
If you don’t want to read this book, (which I would suggest you to), there is an HBR article written by Steve Blank titled “Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything” on the subject which touches upon the topic quite marvelously.
Invest in a kindle
An amazon kindle is a life-changing device to help you read more and read better. It has built-in dictionary and wikipedia. It has revolutionized notes-taking and reading in general. I can’t emphasize how much my kindle has helped me improve my reading habits. It is not only sustainable and economical but it is also quite accessible. You can literally carry hundreds of books with you everywhere.
Don’t fall into the “purist” agenda of “Oh, I need to feel a book in my hand, I need the smell of the pages in my fingers”, You will realize how jackshit of a thought that was once you buy and use a kindle.
Thank you for reading. If you want me to write about how to read more and better books, leave a comment or write to me.
Next Up
How do NGOs in Nepal run?
Read how NGOs in Nepal function, where do they get money from, how much does the government help or hinder.
We talk with three major NGOs in the country to understand everything there is about running an NGO in Nepal.