Q. What is the best business book to buy an entrepreneur on your holiday gift list this year?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. ‘The E-Myth Revisted’
This is a tried-and-true classic in my opinion that any entrepreneur can value from reading or re-reading. It’s especially great for those who are starting out, interested in launching a company and/or are at a sticking point and need some perspective.
– Darrah Brustein, Finance Whiz Kids | Equitable Payments
2. ‘The People Factor’
“The People Factor” by Van Moody is the ultimate guide for understanding how to maximize your relationships and how to get out of the toxic ones. Entrepreneurs do not have time for toxic relationships — they will eat you and your business alive. Van Moody grew an organization from 70 people to 7,000 in seven years. Now that is someone I want to be listening to!
– Raoul Davis, Ascendant Group
3. ‘Ready, Fire, Aim!’
“Ready, Fire, Aim!” is an amazing book for people who want to grow their business beyond the million-dollar mark. It talks about the best ways to test a product and offering before you branch out to new markets, and it really goes into expansion and growth.
– Nathalie Lussier, Nathalie Lussier Media Inc.
4. ‘Effortless Entrepreneur’
I would recommend “Effortless Entrepreneur” by Nick Friedman. He has delivered massive growth at his company over the past years. Nick teaches us how to focus and use all the resources at our disposal — two vital ingredients for entrepreneurial success. This is a must-read book for first-time entrepreneurs and an important companion to those already on their entrepreneurial journey.
– David Tomas, Cyberclick
5. ‘The Score Takes Care of Itself’
“The Score Takes Care of Itself,” by legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, is a candid book on culture and leadership. It’s an easy read and an especially relevant one for entrepreneurs in the Bay Area.
– Brett Farmiloe, Internet Marketing Company
6. ‘The 80/20 Principle’
This book teaches entrepreneurs to focus on the 20 percent of their business that produces 80 percent of the results. It includes case studies, and the whole book is about business applications of the 80/20 principle. It applies to every function of business, including marketing, operations, sales, product and more. It’s a great read for new or seasoned business owners.
– Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
7. ‘Delivering Happiness’
Inline image 3
Tony Hsieh’s story starts way before Zappos was doing $20 million per day in sales. This is a great read that teaches resilience, passion and putting it all on the line because you believe in not only the concept, but also the people you are partnered with. Plus, you get to learn how to cultivate a fun and productive work environment — something most young entrepreneurs want.
– Vinny Antonio, Victory Marketing Agency
8. Anything by Malcolm Gladwell
A New Yorker staff writer since 1996, Malcolm Gladwell has a unique ability to find the counterintuitive in what we all take to be the mundane. His books all feature business parables that are especially relevant for entrepreneurs because they tend to relate back to being disruptive, which is what all entrepreneurs are.
– Alex Frias, Track Marketing Group
9. ‘Best Management Quotations’
Treat yourself to this free e-book that’s been downloaded more than 24,000 times from our site and has a perfect rating. An easy, inspiring read is exactly what the holidays are about, no?
– Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
10. ‘The Alchemist’
The Alchemist is a short fable about a traveling shepherd. While he isn’t running a startup, he is facing obstacle after obstacle, and learns to persevere and the importance of following his “personal legend.” I always re-read this book whenever I’m feeling doubt about how things are going and it reminds me just how important it is to pursue my vision. It is a light but meaningful read.
– Sarah Schupp, UniversityParent
11. ‘Venture Deals’
This book was something we referenced to quite a bit when negotiating and revising our term sheet with investors. Anyone raising a seed or Series A round for a tech startup should read this book twice.
– Henry Balanon, Protean Payment
Image Credit: www.dualidentitydesign.com
