As an entrepreneur, your net worth is only as good as your knowledge and skills.
We all know that applied knowledge is power and that the more skill(s) you have, the wealthier you become!
And if you don’t know yet, an average CEO reads 4 to 5 books a month. That’s 48 to 60 books a year and yet the average person only reads between 2 to 3 books a year and most of the time, these aren’t success-related or personal development books.
This page is a compilation of entrepreneur, business, personal finance, and development books that every tycoon should read as well as tools that help you consume the contents of these books fast and easily.
Audible
Welcome to Audible University a.k.a. “any place university”.
The great thing about Audible is it empowers you to learn by reading (listening) to books from everywhere.
Whether you’re inside the car, doing your business in the washroom, commuting to and from your work, office or meetings, Audible lets you consume information by listening to powerful books offline.
So instead of mindlessly listening to music while you’re stuck in traffic, take the opportunity to learn by listening to business and personal finance books on your commute.
Try Audible free for 30 days and enjoy 2 complimentary audiobooks upon signing up.
Kindle
Ebooks are the new paperbacks!
Kindle lets you store a humongous amount of titles on the go.
Kindle is perfect for those who still prefer to read instead of listening to books while on the go.
If you’re a frequent traveler and you prefer to flip through your pages instead of plugging in headsets or earphones when you’re on a plane, at home, or hotel; Kindle is the perfect tool that helps you gain access to thousands of personal finance and business books and store them in one device without the drag of bringing physical paperbacks especially when you’re traveling.
The Science of Getting Rich
If there’s a bible to getting rich, building wealth, or succeeding in business and in life, The Science of Getting Rich should be considered as such.
Written by Wallace D. Wattles and first published in 2010 by Town Publishing New York.
This book has started it all by sharing the true secrets of success in business, finance, health, relationships, or personal development.
Although this was written centuries ago, the teaching in this book is timeless and anyone looking for success in any aspect(s) of their lives should live by the teachings of this old book.
After reading this book, you’d realize that no matter how our world evolves, the secret to success stays the same and if applied should attract riches and success to the practitioner even in our modern-day.
Get a copy of The Science of Getting Rich here.
Think and Grow Rich
This is probably the only book that I read at least 4 times in a row.
I mean, literally, read this book in paperback as opposed to other books that I listened to multiple times on cd or audiobook.
Think and Grow Rich had such a powerful effect on me that I read this multiple times but that was before I learned about The Science of Getting Rich of course.
And even if you’ve read The Science of Getting Rich, Napoleon Hill has his unique approach to the process of Getting Rich, and no, the book isn’t based on the Science of Getting Rich.
Think and Grow Rich was born out of Napoleon Hill’s apprenticeship from Andrew Carnegie who tasked him to interview and study the lives of other successful people of their era.
The great thing about success is that it leaves a clue and Napoleon discovered that all successful people he studied shared the same pattern.
Get a copy of Think and Grow Rich here.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
This is probably the first personal finance and business book I’ve ever read which hooked me into the entrepreneurial world.
Rich Dad Poor Dad showed me what’s possible beyond the 9 to 5 world which everyone was programmed to in the school systems wherever in the world you may be.
This book has changed many of would be entrepreneurs’ lives by influencing their programming to think differently than what is taught in school or by our parents.
If you’re thinking of starting a business or if you’re tired of the 9 to 5 grind, Rich Dad Poor Dad is a must-read!
Grab a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad here.
The Four Hour Work Week
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich will make you rethink work and how you work.
Written by Tim Ferriss who have mastered time and location freedom by outsourcing work and basically all outsource-able aspects of his personal life after he found himself working 14 hour days running his then Health Supplement Company BrainQuicken after which he learned to manage remotely through outsourcing.
He also featured other New Rich who built online empires remotely by taking advantage of technology and remote “employees” to support location-free lifestyle businesses.
The teachings and examples in The Four Hour Work Week may appear to have been presented as get rich quick but keep in mind that it will take work to build a lifestyle or a passive income business.
Get a copy of The Four Hour Work Week here.
The Millionaire Fast Lane
For MJ de Marco, getting rich is all about getting into the “Millionaire Fast Lane”.
And the reason why most people will not get rich or become millionaires is because of the sheer fact that they are stuck in the slow lane of life.
If you want to get rich, you have to be willing to build your own millionaire fast lane. It’s going to take time, effort and a little bit of capital but working on your own millionaire fast lane is worth it.
What is The Millionaire Fast Lane?
Your own business system that will empower your wealth building!
Get The Millionaire Fast Lane here.
The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure
How did a drug addict who has hit rock bottom turn his life around to become a multi-millionaire?
Grant Cardon’s secret?
The 10X Rule!
Grant believes that success isn’t about being intelligent or talented. It’s about working hard persistently 10 times more than what the average person would.
That makes you an expert.
That makes you talented, richer and more successful!
Success isn’t about being the smartest, it’s about taking massive action that gets you closer toward your goal!
Reading this book reminds me of the long forgotten success quote that a lot of us takes lightly:
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
– Calvin Coolidge
The 10X Rule brings a new light to this quote and more. Literally it’s about performing 10 times more than whatever it is that you’re already are at right now.
Success is about showing up, every day to work on your business.
Most people don’t take their side-businesses seriously, they show up once a month to work on their business and wonder why they’re still stuck in their dead-end jobs.
Read this book if you want to learn what it really takes to ditch your 9-5 job and switch over to becoming an entrepreneur.
Don’t read this book if you’re afraid of hard work because you’ll be surprised to discover just what it takes to become successful.
Grab a copy of The 10X Rule here.
Crush It! / Crushing It!
Gary Vaynerchuck took his parents wine business from “barely making it” to a multi-million dollar entity.
How?
By Crushing it! on Social Media and incidentally built his own personal brand.
Gary Vee is an expert in personal branding but this book(s) aren’t only about social media or personal branding, it’s about committing into building your own personal brand and literally crushing it!
The key to Gary Vee’s success is hard work, not your average hard work; it’s like applying the 10X Rule to social media marketing.
It’s about being everywhere, literally.
- YouTube
- What’s App
These books teach you how to Crush It on Social Media to build your personal brand which could lead to brand deals, expert or influencer status, speaking engagement, advertising and many more.
The Art of War
Aside from The Science of Getting Rich, Sun Tzu’s Art of War is my all time favorite.
I revisit this book every couple of years.
You might be asking as to why on earth should an entrepreneur read a book about battlefield strategies.
If you don’t know yet…
A war strategist makes a great entrepreneur.
As old as the book itself, the lessons taught in the Art of War are timeless tactical intelligence strategies that can make you a better business person an leader.
The Richest Man in Babylon
The Richest Man in Babylon is another classic yet is packed with timeless money lessons everyone should learn about.
This book teaches more of the traditional financial planning route of saving a portion of one’s income for you and yourself alone.
It elaborates on the old adage of “pay yourself first“. You may cringe on this idea when you’re all pumped up after reading the Millionaire Fast Lane or the 10X Rule but come to think of it, what happens when everything else
Of course, I’m not trying to be negative but one of the best things I’ve learned in my financial advisory career is that you still have to keep a portion of your income for when you can no longer work for your business or career because let’s face it, no matter how you avoid it, there would come a time when you’re no longer able to actively work for income, be it in business or a job.
Because it’s useless to build a profitable business if you don’t set aside a portion of this income for when you’re no longer able to work actively to manage the business.
What I suggest you do is to apply the knowledge you’ll find it this book with the knowledge you’ll gain from the recommended books.
The Richest Man in Babylon is a great and practical financial planning book that every person should read before they even embark on a job, career or business after school.
Grab a copy of The Richest Man in Babylon here.
Who Moved My Cheese?
Success requires the ability to deal with resistance to change.
It’s human nature to resist change because we can get comfortable with where we are, and this is the main reason why many people gets caught up unprepared for life’s unexpected twists.
It isn’t an old news that more and more jobs are being replaced by robots and computers.
Last year (2018), we witnessed that about half of our bank’s branches switched to unmanned self-served banking stations with only two tellers on the floor to guide people through the new system.
These are bank branches that used to have 6 to 10 tellers.
Most employees are NOT prepared when things like this happens.
The number one lesson that you’re going to learn from this book is depicted in two words:
Don’t Settle!
Moreover, it teaches you to be flexible and be ready for change because nothing is really permanent. Things and technology
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Wouldn’t you agree that successful people are effective people?
These are people who seemed to have everything going their way or at least it seems.
Highly effective people are successful not because everything is going their way but because they have acquired the habits to deal with life’s events, even failures.
They say that it takes at least 21 days to develop a habit and in this book Steven Covey unravels the 7 habits highly effective people acquired and practice.
Get the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People here.
How To Win Friends and Influence People
I grew up in a place where there were lots of Filipino-Chinese business people and one of the things I learned is that these Chinese tycoons only do business with people they trust.
This has been my personal mantra up to this point! I only do business with people I trust.
And if you take a look at the marketplace, virtually everyone will only buy from people they trust and like.
If you understand this, you know how important it is to learn how to win friends and influence people.
People, don’t buy products or services. They buy brands and brands represent trust.
How To Win Friends and Influence People teaches you just about that, how to build trust and influence to help you sell more.
Get How To Win Friends and Influence People here.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Speaking of trust, there’s a psychology of persuasion and if you want to influence people into taking your most wanted action.
Influence by Robert Cialdini is a must read!
This book explains the psychology behind what makes people say “yes”.
And if you are in the sales business, which all entrepreneurs are. This book is a must-have on your shelf and should be revisited periodically.
The Road Less Traveled
Life is difficult. Everyone knows that but for most of us, life becomes even more difficult because attempting to avoid solving or confronting our problems which result in greater pain which hinders us from spiritual and mental health growth.
In this book, Dr. M. Scott Peck, who is a psychiatrist helps us face our difficulties and challenges through changes that enables us to reach higher level of self-understanding.
Get the Road Less Traveled here.
The Greatest Salesman in The World
I was first exposed to Og Mandino’s work when I read The Spellbinder’s Gift around2003.
The Greatest Salesman in The World was written in first-person view, much like reading poetry… a story which is similar to The Spellbinder’s Gift.
Og Mandino is a great story teller.
Reading any of his books makes you feel like you’re reading fiction but you’re not because you’re learning real-world lessons that make you a better person, salesman or not.
The Greatest Salesman in the World is presented in scrolls. I suggest that you read this book over and over again to form a habit and make the teachings part of your subconscious.
Get the Greatest Salesman in the World here.
The Compound Effect
Do you feel that your efforts in building up your business are going nowhere yet you see people boasting of overnight “successes” on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube like it was nothing?
First, you have to understand that building a business takes time and energy and yes, it doesn’t happen overnight!
The Compound Effect is written by Darren Hardy, the publisher of Success Magazine and being the publisher of “Success” focused magazine.
You can bet that Darren has seen all sorts of success and how they came to be.
As I mentioned, success leaves a clue and if you’re working closely in this field, talking, interviewing and mingling with other successful people, you see the pattern.
In this book, Darren teaches you how to jump-start your income, your life and success by learning the strategy of reaping massive rewards from seemingly insignificant actions, by taking responsibility and measuring your progress.
Grab a copy of The Compound Effect here.
