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books

Good Books for Entrepreneurs and Business Executives

Below are some good books I have read that should be helpful to entrepreneurs and business executives.  This list of books is certainly not meant to be exhaustive.  It may be updated from time to time as I come across good ones in my reading.  I hope you find this list to be helpful as you continue to learn more about being successful in business.  If you have any suggestions for books to be added to the list, please feel free to email them to me for consideration.  As always, enjoy reading and learning.

Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill

The author interviewed Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy businessmen and steel magnate, and wrote down his advice for those wishing to acquire wealth.  The book helps to develop a different mindset about money and time devoted to obtaining it and discusses several principles, such as the mastermind principle.

Grit:  The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth

The author examines what it takes to be successful.  Sometimes, as the author submits, it just takes a lot of pure grit, rather than talent, to get to where you want to go in life.

Outliers:  The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

Ever wondered how some people’s success stands out so much from other people’s success.  This book examines how people become successful using many examples and some surprising data along the way.  For example, the month someone is born can play a big role in sports and in school.

The First Billion is the Hardest:  Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America’s Energy Future, by T. Boone Pickens

The name T. Boone Pickens is famous in the oil business and business takeover lore.  He discusses investment successes and failures in an interesting way and reminds us to stick to our beliefs and not give up in investing or in life.

You Can Negotiate Anything:  How to Get What You Want, by Herb Cohen

Everything is negotiable.  At least, that is what this book argues while providing many examples and many tips and tricks to get what you want in a negotiation.

Factfulness:  Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, by Hans Rosling

This book helps the reader focus on actual facts rather than sometimes long-held beliefs about the way things are.  There is a positive spin to the book as the reader can realize things are usually not as bad as we think they are.

The Tipping Point:  How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell

The author examines the phenomenon of the tipping point – when an idea or behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and then spreads fast.  Examples include disease, crime rates, sales of products, and the dissemination of ideas.

Big Picture MBA:  What Every Business School Graduate Knows, by Prof. Peter Navarro

Professor Navarro summarizes what is learned in business school.  The course provides a good overview of many valuable concepts and skills for business people.

The Success Equation:  Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing, by Michael J. Mauboussin

Ever wondered how much of one’s success is skill and how much is luck?  This book examines contributions to success from both skill and luck and provides suggestions for improving our decision-making abilities in both business and life.

The Most Successful Small Business in the World, by Michael E. Gerber

This book provides ten guiding principles to grow a successful small business.  They can help you and your business reach their full potential, and perhaps become the most successful small business in the world.

Talking to Strangers:  What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, by Malcolm Gladwell

Communication is so important in business and in life.  This book examines communication,  misunderstandings, and biases in an interesting way using concrete examples.  It can help you talk to customers and business associates, most of whom start off as strangers.

Think Like a Freak:  The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, by Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Incentives play a major role in decision making in business and in life.  The authors of Freakonomics examine how incentives, including economic ones, affect behavior and challenge the reader to see the world differently.  They use examples from business, politics, and sports, among others.

The Confidence Game:  Why We Fall for It ... Every Time, by Maria Konnikova

As the saying goes, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  This book examines several methods of con artists in detail providing several interesting examples, and explains how people so often get duped.  Since many business owners are often the targets of scams, this book may help you more easily recognize scams and avoid being taken.

The 11 Laws of Likeability, by Michelle Tillis Lederman

Networking and establishing relationships with others is critical to success in most businesses.  Being well-liked leads to good business.  It is true that people do business with people they like.  This book provides useful guidance in business networking and communication.

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, by Dale Carnegie & Associates

This famous book should be required reading for anyone interested in business and especially marketing a product or service.  Even though it was originally written a long time ago, it is still relevant today and can help you in running a business in innumerable ways.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:  Time-Tested Methods for Conquering Worry, by Dale Carnegie

Worry is an unwelcome distraction.  This book provides several practical techniques to deal with worry in your life and to focus on what is important.  It can change your life for the better.

J. Brian King is an experienced business attorney with offices in both Augusta and Atlanta.  He can be reached at businessattorneylaw.com.