Sometimes reading a book is not enough. You need to find the books written for you. And there are hundreds of books dedicated to the craft and art of business. From “How to start a Business?” to “The Best Business Ideas,” you can find any book related to business. More importantly, aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to start their own small businesses can benefit a lot from reading business books.
You ask me, why?
Simple. Business requires knowledge and experience to succeed or even have a chance at success. While you can gather all the knowledge you want, experience does not come easy. It takes time and sometimes much more than that, such as failure and losses. And this is where business books can show up as a blessing in your entrepreneurial life. You can learn about several businesses and their founders. Educate yourself on how they made it to the small and big leagues. Know about the failures and hindrances they had to cope with to succeed. And a lot more benefits, some of which you can see below.
Benefits of Reading Business Books
The foremost benefit of reading business books is they can help you become a better entrepreneur. However, there are tons of more benefits to reading books. The most important ones are here:
Teaches about Actionable Techniques and Strategies
As you read more business books, you'll come across new ideas and strategies for your career. Each book will provide you with a unique perspective and "lessons learned" from real-life situations. You'll learn practical techniques that you can put to use right away in your business. In addition, rather than having to learn everything the hard way, you'll be able to learn from other's mistakes and avoid their pitfalls.
Increases Vocabulary
The more you read, the more words you will encounter. You'll be able to articulate your points, goals, and beliefs more effectively if you have a larger vocabulary. These enhanced communication skills will benefit you in a variety of business settings, including networking, presenting, and pitching your ideas.
Enhances Ability to Focus on Goals
Reading about business strategies can help you stay focused on the subject. That means your brain will be processing ideas even if you're not doing anything else. You'll be more open to inspiration and more likely to come up with your own next brilliant idea when you're in this frame of mind.
Must Read Business Books
So, we are through with the benefits of reading business books. But here comes the most important part. How to find the best business books to read. Now, you can either start with online reviews about the books and seek recommendations from friends and colleagues. Both ways work effectively, but here I want to make things a little easier for you. Therefore, I have listed some of the must read business books that every small business owner and aspiring entrepreneur should read. Let’s see them one by one.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Do I have to say that it is one of my favorite books? In Rich Dad, Poor Dad, its author, Robert Kiyosaki, compares his working-class father to his childhood friend's rich parents to demonstrate how, among other things, investing and calculated risk-taking allow the rich to stay rich. However, the book also imparts valuable business and leadership lessons.
Strategize to Win
The popular author Carla Harris' Strategize to Win imparts an invaluable resource for new entrepreneurs because it speaks to anyone considering a career change. She teaches you how to attract the opportunities you want by first clearly defining your goals and what you have to offer, then building relationships and making necessary changes.
Start With Why
Simon Sinek is a profound motivational speaker and author of the widely loved book, “Start with why.” It is a business book where he emphasizes good leadership. He elaborated how good leadership is about motivating people to want to do something rather than telling them what to do. That is the central idea of Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why. To understand better you can refer to his popular quote:
"We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us."
Essentialism
There are numerous ways to make more money, but time is a finite resource. As an entrepreneur, you must guard your time, treating each waking hour as if it were money. Greg McKeown's Essentialism is about saving your energy for the things that really matter, about being intentional with how you spend your time in a world full of distractions.
Mindset
Our own limiting self-beliefs are frequently what holds us back in life and at work. Mindset, by Carol Dweck, investigates the human capacity for growth. It claims that assuming your talent and intelligence are fixed limits your potential. Instead, adopting what Dweck refers to as a "growth mindset"—the understanding that your skills and knowledge are malleable and can be expanded over time—unlocks new doors.
Conclusion
There are many more best business books to read. However, I shared the five most important ones which everyone should read in their life. The lessons have been instrumental in shaping my career goals and journey and I hope it does the same for you. Besdies, if you want to become an entrepreneur than you can also see some must read books on entrepreneurship.