Top 20 Books to Read in 2020 to Help You Think Like an Entrepreneur
Nov 02, 2020
Asking if entrepreneurs are made or born is the wrong question.
The real question is, how you can make yourself more successful by thinking like an entrepreneur?
I’ve round up the top 20 books you need to read in 2020 to help you think like an entrepreneur and apply these principles in every area of your life.
I’ve even included links so you can buy the books that inspire you to take action right away!
To think like an entrepreneur you have to appreciate that most of us are life-long learners. To take an idea from deep within and then the necessary steps to figure out how to make that idea a real, tangible, product or service that benefits the world requires a lot of learning.
You are learning how to start and run a profitable business. You are learning marketing and sales skills. You are learning the power of networking and community building. You are learning the power of list-building and content marketing. Whew, and the biggest learning of all … you are learning about yourself and how far you can push yourself outside your comfort zone to make your entrepreneurial dream a reality.
I asked the members of my online entrepreneur community what book they believed every new entrepreneur absolutely had to read at the beginning of their journey … and they had a lot of opinions on the best business books new entrepreneurs should buy.
Read on for our list of top 20 business books to read this year to help you think like an entrepreneur.
1. Marketing Made Simple
A step-by-step storybrand guide for any business
Recommended by Cynthia M.
"This has great info on what needs to be on your website and in email campaigns. So clear and to the point!”
2. This is Marketing
You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See
Recommended by Sabrina C.
"We shouldn't be interested in mass-appeal, or being mainstream. The win is at the "edges". Finding the smallest tribe of people who will DELIGHT in what we have to offer, and become super fans”
3. Choose Yourself
Be Happy. Make Millions. Live the Dream.
Recommended by Sabrina C.
“The Idea of the Gatekeeper is gone. Things have moved from permission-based, to self-initiated. Which is great news for all of us who are impassioned to do what we do. We don't need to wait for someone to "choose us". We choose ourselves.”
4. The Slight Edge
Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness
Recommended by Josh L.
"The Slight Edge is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire."
5. Think and Grow Rich
Recommended by Tiffany D.
"This book will teach you the secrets that could bring you a fortune. It will show you not only what to do but how to do it. Once you learn and apply the simple, basic techniques revealed here, you will have mastered the secret of true and lasting success."
6. The 4-Hour Work Week
Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join The Rich
Recommended by Kerry-Ann C.
“I liked that it redefined the concept of freedom, in that it means different things or different people. The writing of it was also very conversational and as an audiobook, really good to listen to."
7. Purple Cow
Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Recommended by Tara E.
“It’s a quick, easy read (and entrepreneurs are often busy and overwhelmed), and the core message is to Be Remarkable, which is incredibly important in our current environment as we compete for attention."
8. Building a Storybrand
Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
Recommended by Angela D.
“Lay out your plan before you market your product and service. The templates were so helpful”
9. The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Recommended by Joy D.
"The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline."
10. Chasing the Insights
A Practical Guide to an Experimental Approach in Digital Marketing
Recommended by Vince W.
"This tool will also give you a way for you to change your focus. A way for you to stop stressing about the wins and instead, to provide you with real insight into what works, what doesn’t and how your customers think."
11. Questions Are The Answer
A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life
Recommended by Carolyn C.
“Ask better, more meaningful questions. Learn some incredible tools to dig down into what the challenge really is to understand what step to take next. Our goal is always to call forward, not out.”
12. Made to Stick
Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Don’t
Recommended by Vince W.
“Made to stick is about story telling and making your content memorable. This is a key I think all entrepreneurs need."
13. Start with Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Recommended by Krista D.
"It’s about branding and leadership, but mainly about making sure you never forget why you are doing what you’re doing. ‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it."
14. Get Rich Lucky B*tch!
Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First-Class Life
Recommended by Fanny L.
“Understanding that being rich is not something negative and that I can make it happen”
15. The 5 Second Rule
The Fastest Way to Change Your Life
Recommended by Cynthia D.
“Do it before the fear hits. Or feel the fear and do it anyway, don’t let it stop you."
16. The ONE Thing
The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
Recommended by Gale B.
"You'll learn to * cut through the clutter * achieve better results in less time * build momentum toward your goal* dial down the stress * overcome that overwhelmed feeling * revive your energy * stay on track * master what matters to you."
17. Profit First
Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine
Recommended by Viviana C.
"Following 4 simple principles can simplify accounting and make it easier to manage a profitable business by looking at bank account balances."
18. Give and Take
Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
Recommended by Cynthia D.
“He made an argument for how "givers" in professional circles can be very high-achieving through bringing value to their team and network! It's abundance-mindset with some studies to back it up. Oh, and I also appreciated the chapter on ‘how not to be a doormat’”
19. One Page Talent Management
Eliminating Complexity, Adding Value
Recommended by Rina L.
"A powerfully simple approach that significantly accelerates a company’s ability to develop better leaders faster."
20. Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and illustrations, while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within.
Recommended by Lindsay W.
"My gut, my brain, my heart, my emotions. It just popped into my heart. It makes me cry every time I read it now. I've been to all the places in that book through my entrepreneurship journey."
There you have it!
Our official list of top 20 books every new entrepreneur should read in 2020.
As you can see, they range from practical skills like bookkeeping, accounting, marketing and copywriting to growing your mindset around money, bravery, creativity and generosity.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or already rocking a 6 figure business ... any one of these books will help you think like an entrepreneur and invite success and abundance into all areas of your life.
Want another kick of inspiration before you go? Watch my YouTube video, 4 Steps to Ditching Self-Doubt.
Until next time, I'll see you online!
Lindsay 😘
