As you know, I have a top list of what I consider the best business books, all of which I have read myself and find genuinely useful on the subject. But after looking at the business book rankings published by popular media, I came to the conclusion that they don’t include the best business books, just the most popular ones. Judging by some of the titles in those rankings, I’m certain that whoever put them together has neither read those books nor knows much about business, because otherwise some of them wouldn’t be there (a symptom of the informational decline of the 21st century).
So I decided to ask entrepreneurs and business owners on the street, ordinary people like you and me, which business books they considered the best they had read, or at least which books had parts that made something click in their heads. As you’d expect, the list includes some popular titles, but they also mentioned a few business books I didn’t even know about. In them you’ll find leadership, management and decision-making skills. Let’s get to it.
The business books that everyday entrepreneurs liked
1. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
This book is a practical guide to building a successful company based on continuous learning, iteration and innovation.
2. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
This book will help you find new opportunities for growth and business development by identifying untapped spaces in the market.
3. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
This book explains how companies can innovate and create new markets, challenging established firms and transforming the way industries operate.
4. Good to Great by Jim Collins
This book explores the strategies that leading companies use to stay at the top over the long term.
5. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
This book isn’t strictly about business, but it can help you unlock your creativity and find new solutions and approaches to business challenges.
6. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This classic teaches interpersonal and leadership skills, including how to be a good communicator, how to resolve conflicts and how to inspire others to follow you.
7. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
This book explores how habits can shape our lives and how we can change them to improve our productivity and success in business.
8. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
This book presents effective leadership and management techniques you can apply to motivate your team and improve productivity in your company.
9. Conscious Business by Fred Kofman
This book teaches you how to build a company centred on values and ethics, one that not only achieves financial success but also has a positive impact on the world.
See also: 7 classic business books everyone should read
10. The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler and Barry Carter
This book uses the skills and strategies of poker players to help you handle uncertainty and risk in business.
And these are the business books that some of these entrepreneurs and business owners told me had helped them make better business decisions, and had even opened their minds on some specific point.
If you’re looking for the best books for changing your habits, this would be my personal recommendation: The 5 best books on habits.
See also: My ranking of the best financial education books
Featured image: Betsy Weber, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
