Last updated - May 5, 2023
Owning a business offers financial freedom as well as the liberty to pursue a person’s passion and this is the reason for the growing desire among people to be entrepreneurs rather than go for a nine-to-five job. But being an entrepreneur is not easy either as it can be filled with personal and financial struggles till you establish yourself in your field.
Inspirational and motivational content can go a long way in helping struggling entrepreneurs through their low days and this is the reason why we have compiled a list of inspirational books written by entrepreneurs who have had similar days in their early days. Not only do they offer relatable stories but also useful insights that the authors learned through their trials.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Every aspiring entrepreneur someday or another gets the thought of not having the required skills or money for starting a business. If you are one such a Businessman then this book is for you. In this book, the author focuses on fifty individuals who built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment. In the story of all the fifty individuals, almost all these people lacked special skills, but they discovered their personal passions and started earning money from that. The Author highlights the activities carried out by these people in their initial days and the mistakes they made on their journey while setting up a successful business.
The 7-Day Startup by Dan Norris
We all have had a conversation with someone about having a startup. If you too have done then you are a wantrepreneur, and this book is perfect for you.
The 7 Day Startup by Dan Norris explains how he built a successful small business startup from scratch in 7 days. After reading this book you will learn about choosing a proper business name, building a website in one day under $100, and proven ways to market business quickly.
Elon Musk: Inventing the Future by Ashlee Vance
Elon Musk is a revolutionary entrepreneur of the 21st century. Musk is the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. This book has been wonderfully written about Musk’s life which was full of struggles whether it was a family affair or a professional one. He has witnessed a long list of hardships in his life but he never scummed to those.
He was thrown out of Paypal, had multiple failures with SpaceX, and many more came into his life. He took lessons from his failures and never stopped there. Now, we all know who Mr. Elon Musk is, but this book will get you the entire background story of Musk. You will get to know about the rollercoaster ride of Musk’s life and how he reached where he is today.
Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk
Twelve and a Half is a wise and practical book. In this book, the author explores the 12 human ingredients that have led to his success and happiness and provide exercises to help his readers develop these traits themselves.
This iconoclastic book will help you refine your ingredients and improve your leadership capabilities. When implemented in the proper situation, these ingredients can help leaders land promotions, retain core employees, move faster than competitors, win the loyalty of customers, and build successful organizations that last.
Innovators Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
Clayton Christensen wrote a book on the idea of the snake and ladder game that we all had played as a kid. Clayton took a similar idea exploring that every aspiring entrepreneur must be aware of the fact that successful individuals can face failures while climbing the ladder of prosperity. and showed how most outstanding companies which do everything right, have the chance of losing market leadership. Thus, Innovators Dilemma, a book cited by people like Steve Jobs, is a must-read to avoid committing similar mistakes made by successful people as much as possible.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Lean Startup by Eric Ries is a perfect book for understanding the concepts of strategizing. That’s because strategies are very important for an entrepreneur to succeed as he cannot experiment with everything on a trial-and-error basis and should make every move with a plan.
The author guides the entrepreneurs through his proposed lean startup strategy and helps them to avoid waste of time by suggesting the best ways to formulate strategies. The processes explained in this book have also been adopted by organizations like Dropbox, Wealthfront, and General Electric.
Zero To One by Peter Thiel
Understanding the need for the availability of well-organized notes passing an examination. Paypal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel along with Blake Masters wrote the book Zero to One to help entrepreneurs with an updated version of online notes taken by Masters for the class on startups taught by Thiel at Stanford University in the Spring of 2012.
The Entrepreneur Mind by Kevin D. Johnson
This book is a collection of 100 business lessons across strategy, finance, education, marketing, sales, motivation, and leadership. In addition, there are some impactful tips, some hard-to-swallow advice, and some ideas that will change your perspective on running a business.
This book doesn’t sugarcoat being an entrepreneur. Written by the president of Johnson Media Inc, Kevin D. Johnson, who has experience working with brands like Porsche, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft, these tips are gathered from personal experience. Thus, if you are an aspiring entrepreneur, this book will surely resonate with you.
Traction by Gino Wickman
Reading the book ‘Traction’, you’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company with more focus, growth, and enjoyment. The book teaches us how you shouldn’t let common problems run you and your business. It advises you to get a grip and gain control of the Entrepreneurial Operating System or EOS.
Based on years of real-world implementation, the EOS is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Written by the co-founder of Nike, Shoe Dog offers fascinating insights into the early days of the iconic brand and how Phil went from selling shoes out of his car to creating one of the most popular and successful footwear brands in the world. Phil takes a look back at the memorable incidents and struggles along his journey including legal battles, financial struggles as well as personal setbacks. Shoe Dog can be an inspiring read for any aspiring entrepreneur in growing their brand from scratch.
Stories are a powerful medium for humans as they give both inspiration and information gained from experience. The titles we have given can give you that and help you through those low days as a growing entrepreneur. Know any book that helped you as a business owner? Let us know in the comments.
