Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs

 

TOP 10 BOOKS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

 

#1 - The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

 

If I could keep only one book in my collection, this would be it! I

loved the original book and the expanded and updated version is

even better - I'm currently on my third time through the book. It's

a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller

and once you pick it up you'll understand why!

 

The main theme of the book is help you make more money, work fewer

hours, and enjoy more freedom. In The 4-Hour Workweek Tim Ferriss

gives you the exact steps, templates, and tools that you need to

live that lifestyle.

 

As entrepreneurs we don't often get much of a work-life balance -

we're usually burning the candle at both ends to get our businesses

off the ground but this book shows you how to be more productive

and have more time to enjoy your life.

 

Tim also writes in a language that's not only very convincing but

also extremely easy to relate to - it's like you're having coffee

with a long-time friend and he's giving you some advice.

 

#2 - Radicals & Visionaries by Thaddeus Wawro

 

I love reading inspirational entrepreneur stories - I find that I

can learn as much, if not more, from someone's experiences as I can

by reading a "how to" book. Seeing how others failed repeatedly and

eventually succeeded is also motivating and helps you keep going.

 

Radicals and Visionaries looks as some of the most famous

entrepreneurs in recent history (Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Bill

Gates, etc.) and explains at how they got started, what struggles

they had to overcome, and what eventually led to their success.

 

Each profile is only a few pages long and includes information

about the entrepreneur, a motivational quote by them, and a true

story about them that is usually pretty inspirational. If you're

having a hard day and are looking for something to pick you up,

this is the book for you.

 

Almost all of the entrepreneurs profiled struggled through early

failures before reaching success and reading their profiles is very

motivating - it helps you focus on the bigger picture and keep

going until you break through.

 

#3 - Keep ANY Promise by Karim Ismail

 

Do find that you set goals but don't follow through on them? Is

your business getting in the way of the personal time you spend

with friends and family? Are you frustrated and ready for a change?

 

Keep Any Promise is an amazing book that gives you the tools to

help you identify important life and business goals for yourself.

It then gives you the steps you need to take to follow through so

that you actually accomplish what you say you're going to do.

 

If The 4 Hour Work Week gives you the motivation and ideas to live

the ultimate entrepreneurial lifestyle, Keep Any Promise provides

you with the means to get there.

 

Each chapter is divided into two sections: a story of someone

trying to keep a promise they made and then the tools they used to

complete it. I didn't find the stories that motivating but the

tools are invaluable!

 

#4 - Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

 

You can't create a list of top business books without including

this classic by Napoleon Hill. It's been over 70 years since it was

first published and it's still a bestselling paperback book.

 

Originally written in 1937, Think and Grow Rich contains timeless

business advice from Andrew Carnegie who is considered to be the

second richest man in history, behind only John D. Rockefeller.

Carnegie's fortune in today's dollars would be worth $300 billion.

 

Think and Grow Rich studied Andrew Carnegie's habits and developed

15 laws of success which anybody can use to achieve success. The

book is also very easy to read and is motivating as well as being

instructional.

 

I know some people who make it an annual ritual to read this book

and each time they do, they take something new away from it.

 

#5 - How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

 

Also written in 1937, this book is another timeless classic. It has

sold over 15 million copies globally and the advice it gives is

still highly relevant today.

 

Whether you are dealing with customers, suppliers, investors,

employees, the media, bankers, or board members, you are dealing

with people. How To Win Friends And Influence People is the

ultimate guide to help you improve your people skills.

 

The book has six major sections and the author breaks each section

down with core principles that are simple to digest. To help bring

his point home he tells a number of stories that are easy to relate

to and make you think.

 

Some of the sections include: Fundamental techniques in handling

people, Six ways to make people like you, Be a leader: how to

change people without giving offense or arousing resentment, and

Seven rules for making your home life happier.

 

#6 - Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump

 

This book holds a sentimental spot in my heart because it was the

first business book that I picked up. When I was a teenager I was

on a family trip to New York City and decided to read it to learn

about one of New York's most famous entrepreneurs.

 

The Art Of The Deal is an inside look at Donald Trump's business

career and shares information on how he got started as well as his

11 "Trump Cards" on the art of winning in a negotiation.

 

If you're looking for a little motivation and help in focusing on

the big picture then this book will do the trick!

 

It breaks down his first deals, gives background information behind

some of his more famous investments, and also gives you a look at a

typical week inside the life of Donald Trump.

 

#7 - Built to Last by Jim Collins

 

This is a great book that takes a look at what it takes to run a

successful company that can stand the test of time.

 

You might not be thinking about what your business will look like

in 10 years, let alone 50 years but I'm a big believer in modeling

success and Built to Last can give you the foundations of how to

build a great company, even if you want to stay small.

 

It analyzes the success factors of companies who: are the premier

institution in its industry, are widely admired by knowledgeable

businesspeople, made an indelible imprint on the world in which we

live, had multiple generations of chief executives, been through

multiple product (or service) life cycles, and was founded before

1950.

 

Some of the common characteristics of the successful companies

include:

 

Be about more than just profits

Preserve your core offerings while stimulating progress with new

products

Go after Big Hairy Audacious Goals to rally the company

Try a lot of stuff and keep what works

Hire from within

Believe that good enough never is

 

#8 - The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn

 

If you believe that providing great customer service wins you

repeat business and tons of referrals then you need to read this

book. It's only 114 pages and you can get through it in one sitting

- and then it's time to implement the lessons learned!

 

The Fred Factor tells a true story about a mailman named Fred who

loves his job so much that he consistently goes the extra mile to

make his homeowner clients happy.

 

Fred is loved by his customers because he is constantly looking for

opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives.

 

The author then goes on to share the main principles that we can

all follow to help us bring passion, energy, and creativity to our

life and work.

 

#9 - Hire the American Dream by Dave Melton and Tim McInTyre

 

If you've taken the step to build your business beyond yourself

you'll realize how important it is to get the right staff in place.

Your people will have the biggest impact on your ability to grow

and if you're looking at building a winning team I highly recommend

this book.

 

Hire the American Dream looks one of Domino Pizza's most successful

franchisees and how he set sales records in America's toughest

market: New York City.

 

He did it by hiring the right people, giving them responsibilities,

allowing them to prove themselves, and helping them see that there

was a career path laid out for them.

 

They had to start out on minimum-wage but could build a future for

themselves if they worked hard.

 

#10 - The Entrepreneurial Journey by Norm Trainor

 

The Entrepreneur Journey helps guide business owners through the

process of setting up a successful company. Some of the topics

include: Business management, Marketing, Relationships management,

and Resource management.

 

Most of the information is geared towards financial advisors. The

author, Norm Trainor, has worked with thousands of financial

advisors helping them find out how to grow and differentiate

yourself in a saturated market where service and relationships are

everything.

 

On the surface this might not sound like a very interesting book if

you're not a financial advisor... but there was one section that

really struck a chord with me and has stuck with me ever since I

read it.

 

If you want to read more these 10 books and my favorite takeaways

from each book you can visit:

http://www.evancarmichael.com/blog/my-favorite-books/

 

You can also check out my most recent famous entrepreneur video at: 

http://evancarmichael.com/Masters/

 

Enjoy and stay tuned for more great information in the weeks to

come!

 

As always, if you know someone who could benefit from the

thoughts in this newsletter feel free to forward it to them. 

 

Sincerely, Evan.

 

Ps. If you still didn't catch my YouTube video, allow me to 

introduce myself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FWM-I5Z-wU

 

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________________________________________
Evan Carmichael
http://www.EvanCarmichael.com
"Over 14 million entrepreneurs helped and counting!"

275 Macpherson Avenue, Suite 103
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1A4