Contents
Running a business is hard. And you’ll likely run into a lot of firsts, especially in the early days. While there’s no one magical playbook to tell you how to handle a wide range of situations, there’s still a lot of really valuable content out there to help you grow as an entrepreneur.
That’s why we’ve rounded up the 12 best books on business ownership, covering everything from leadership and marketing to scaling your business. These books will help you navigate the highs and lows of running a business and give you the tools to level up, no matter where you are in your journey.
Before we get into the details of each book, here’s a quick overview. You can skip to the one that catches your eye, or stick around for the whole guide.
In each section, you’ll find:
Title |
Author |
Best for |
|
The Lean Startup |
Eric Ries |
Entrepreneurs who want to master rapid experimentation and build businesses that adapt and scale quickly. |
|
Start with Why |
Simon Sinek |
Business owners seeking to inspire teams and customers with a clear purpose. |
|
The Purple Cow |
Seth Godin |
Learning how to stand out in a crowded market with a remarkable product or service. |
|
The Diary of a CEO |
Steven Bartlett |
Entrepreneurs craving personal insights into the highs and lows of building a business from scratch. |
|
The Hard Thing About Hard Things |
Ben Horowitz |
Founders who need honest advice on tackling the tough parts of running a business. |
|
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts |
Brené Brown |
Leaders who want to get real about tough conversations and lead with courage and empathy. |
|
Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine |
Mike Michalowicz |
Business owners who want a simple, no-BS way to make sure they’re actually making a profit. |
|
$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff |
Alex Hormozi |
Businesses looking to attract tons of high-quality leads. |
|
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change |
Stephen R. Covey |
Business owners who want to build rock-solid habits that lead to long-term success. |
|
Coach Builder: How to Turn Your Expertise Into a Profitable Coaching Career |
Donald Miller |
Anyone ready to turn their knowledge into a successful, money-making coaching business. |
|
The Unicorn's Shadow: Combating the Dangerous Myths that Hold Back Startups, Founders, and Investors |
Ethan Mollick |
Entrepreneurs and investors tired of startup myths and looking for practical, research-backed advice. |
|
The Copywriter's Handbook |
Robert W. Bly |
Small business owners who want to sharpen their marketing with compelling and persuasive copy. |
If you’re looking for the best book on starting a business fast, The Lean Startup is for you.
Eric Ries breaks down how you can get your business off the ground by testing your ideas as quickly and cheaply as possible. Instead of pouring time and money into something that might flop, you can run small, real-world experiments, see what works, and then double down.
Eric’s method keeps you flexible and allows you to pivot when things don’t go as planned—because, let’s face it, they rarely do.
📖 Read if: You’re looking to build a business by testing ideas quickly and minimizing costly failures.
💬 Nguyen Linh Chi finds this book perfect for start-ups, valuing its practicality: “Best book for start-ups. This book does not contain many fancy you-have-a-passion-just-do-it examples like other startup books do. I appreciate the applicability of this book and recommend it to everyone.”
|
Running a lean startup? You'll need lean (and free!) tools to match. Check out our guide to the best free tools for startups. 🛠️ |
One of the best books for entrepreneurs and leaders, Sinek’s Start with Why digs into why having a clear sense of purpose is crucial for any business. The author explains that while most companies focus on what they do, the best ones lead with why they do it. When your “why” is strong, you inspire your team and attract loyal customers who believe in your mission.
If you've struggled to align your vision with the way you communicate, this book will give you a fresh perspective.
📖 Read if: You're looking to find your company's deeper purpose and use it to fuel growth.
💬 Reflecting on her experience with the book, Kristin highlights its value for leaders: “Start with Why has a simple and straightforward message that is, indeed, inspirational. I'd highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to be a better leader within their company or business. I know it took me way too long to discover Simon Sinek, but that guy definitely knows what he's talking about.”
Godin explains how to make your product or service so unique that people can’t help but notice and talk about it. So, if you want to break through the noise, this is one of the best books on business ownership.
📖 Read if: You want to build a business that’s unforgettable and remarkable.
💬 For Giordi, Purple Cow is an essential read: “One of the first books I purchased right out of high school, and probably one of the best. Godin's Purple Cow is the only book you really need to read for marketing. Honestly, you can apply it to everything. Whether it's your company or your resume, you want to be the purple cow.”
Steven, a multi-million dollar business owner and the host of the wildly popular Diary of a CEO podcast, brings the same unfiltered energy to his book.
His book, which shares the same name as his podcast, offers a no-holds-barred look at the real side of entrepreneurship, drawing from both his own experiences and those of his podcast guests. Steven lays it all out—from epic mistakes to deeply personal challenges, he reveals the side of entrepreneurship most would rather keep hidden. It’s raw, it’s gritty, and it’s for anyone who’s experienced the real highs and lows of running a business.
📖 Read if: You want real talk about the highs and lows of running a business, not just the success stories.
💬 Jenny praises the book for its focus on leadership and efficient business management: “Useful tools for leadership, perseverance, thinking and working smarter and running a successful company.”
Starting a business is one thing. Running it—well, that's a completely different story. The Hard Thing About Hard Things focuses on the tough parts of managing a business.
Ben Horowitz discusses the problems no one warns you about, like firing people, making difficult decisions, and handling failure. He’s upfront about how challenging it can be, sharing lessons from his own experience as a CEO.
📖 Read if: You’re going through a rough patch with your business and need real advice on how to get through it.
💬 Mario provides his take on the book, highlighting its blend of psychological insight and actionable business advice: “Must read for any entrepreneur. Dives into the psychology of being a CEO and also full of practical business advice for managing a company during challenging times."
She believes that leading is about having honest conversations, showing empathy, and building trust with your team. She breaks the idea that leaders always have to be tough and shows how being open and real can actually make you a stronger and more effective leader. If you want to lead your team in a way that builds stronger connections, this book gives you the tools to do just that.
📖 Read if: You want to become a better communicator and build stronger relationships with your team.
💬 Here’s what Monica, one of the readers, shares about the book: “Read over a long period for a book club with work. Great real-life examples and simple, easy-to-follow solutions. Recommend for all professional leaders!”
Profit First flips the traditional business finance model on its head. Instead of paying expenses first and hoping there’s profit left over, Mike Michalowicz suggests you prioritize profit from the start.
The system is simple: every time you get money, set aside your profit first, then use what’s left to cover expenses. This approach forces you to manage your money better and ensures that your business is always profitable. If you’re looking for a book on business finances and accounting with practical tips, this read is for you!
📖 Read if: You’re tired of running a “break-even” business and want to start seeing real profits.
💬 Allyson shares her take on the book, emphasizing how practical it is: “I LOVED this book! Not only does the author outline a very simple and effective way to manage your business's finances, but he does so in a way that's easy to follow and fun to read.”
$100M Leads is about how to get more customers for your business, which is the biggest challenge for most companies. Alex Hormozi shares easy-to-understand tips on how to generate new leads without spending tons of money.
He talks about using smart strategies like digital marketing and direct outreach to help businesses grow fast. The goal is to create a system that consistently brings in new leads, so you don’t have to rely on expensive ads or random luck.
|
💡 Helpful resource: Looking for a better way to qualify leads? Check out our guide on lead qualification questions. |
📖 Read if: You struggle to get consistent leads.
💬 Matt Lillywhite loved this book for its practicality: “$100m Leads is (by far) one of the best books I’ve read on marketing. It doesn't contain any fluff. Instead, it's several hundred pages of practical advice.”
9. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Building effective habits is part of being a successful entrepreneur, and that’s exactly what the main idea of this book is. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is about building simple but powerful habits that can change how you think, work, and lead a team.
These habits focus on things like taking responsibility, setting goals, and working well with others. Covey’s approach has helped countless people feel more productive and successful.
📖 Read if: You’re looking to improve how you manage your time, relationships, and work.
💬 Here’s what one reader, Sat, had to say about this book on Goodreads: “If there's only one leadership book to read in your life, this book would be it. This is more than just a business book. It's a book that shapes a person to become greater in leadership, interpersonal skills, social intelligence, and emotional intelligence.”
If you’ve accumulated a lot of experience in a particular area, coaching can be a great business to start. And that’s exactly what The Coach Builder is all about!
Donald Miller breaks down the steps to building a profitable coaching business, from finding your niche and getting coaching clients to marketing yourself effectively.
📖 Read if: You’re ready to take the leap into coaching but need a clear plan.
💬 Here’s what Paul Colligan has to say about the book in his Amazon review:
"Been waiting for this book for a while. Got up early this morning to download the Kindle version, and ... wow.
Miller sums it up perfectly when he says on page 6 that the 'world does not need another book about the philosophy of coaching.' It doesn't. What we need, and what we now have, is a step-by-step guide to how to make a business out of coaching."
The Unicorn’s Shadow breaks down the myths of startup culture. Ethan Mollick explains that not every business needs to be a billion-dollar “unicorn” to succeed. Instead, he focuses on how smaller, realistic goals can lead to real success. With research and practical advice, Mollick helps you understand how to build a strong, sustainable business without all the hype.
📖 Read if: You’re tired of the “unicorn” startup stories and want real ways to succeed.
💬 Here’s what Abdullah has to say about the book: “Great short book dispelling a lot of common misconceptions and general fantasized expectations from both the public and investors, who sometimes create structured rules based on conventions while actively trying to be contrarian.”
The final book on our list of the best books on business ownership is The Copywriter’s Handbook. This is a super helpful guide for anyone who needs to write copy that actually sells. Robert Bly shows you how to write things like website copy, emails, and ads that get people to take action.
If you’re a small business owner or solopreneur who can’t afford to hire a copywriter, this book teaches you how to do it yourself.
📖 Read if: You need to write your own website or email copy and want better results.
💬 Here’s what Victoria thinks about this book: “I am baffled that a reader would rate this book less than 4-5 stars. It is packed with easily referenced information and in-depth, step-by-step guides to navigate the process of writing effective sales copy in various contexts.”
Congrats on making it to the end! Now comes the tricky part: figuring out which book to read first.
Go with the one that feels most relevant to where your business is right now. Maybe you need help scaling, or perhaps lead generation is your struggle. Or maybe you’re a solopreneur handling your own marketing. Grab a book that speaks to your biggest pain point or interest and start putting those ideas into action!
And if you’re looking to optimize your business and streamline operations—whether it’s running coaching sessions or jumping on discovery calls with leads—YouCanBookMe is a great meeting scheduling tool to add to your business tech stack. Try it at no cost today!