10 Books I Believe Will Help You Grow a Lasting Business After reading over 100 books this year, I've selected these as the ones I believe will give your business a boost.
By Steve Eakin Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Chances are, every core problem that you're going to face in your business has been dealt with by someone before. "There's nothing new under the sun," as people say. But, in truth, that can actually be a good thing.
Related: 17 Business Books Everyone Will Be Reading in 2018
The reason? Someone's solved "your" problem already, and that solution could help you a lot if the solver only showed you how he or she did it.
So, while a personal, one-on-one interaction may not be available, you can still get this person's invaluable perspective. Because it's probably all written down in a book somewhere. The lessons learned, the trials overcome, the roadblocks you're going to hit are all there for you to discover before it happens to you personally.
And a cool bonus is that not all good business books are about business! They may have underlying themes that you can apply, or are biographies and autobiographies of people who have tackled your problem before you.
In no particular order, here are the ten best books to help you build and grow a lasting business.
1. Rich20Something by Daniel DiPiazza
Rich20Something is DiPiazza's debut work and an absolutely incredible "how-to" on ditching your boring job to build a modern lifestyle business. It highlights the magic of authenticity and opportunity, and will show you how to trade your unique skills for an incredible income.
Related: 28 Top Business Books to Get Ahead In 2018
2. The Power Of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers
If you want to communicate effectively, you need to know how to tell a good story. People are naturally drawn to good story. The Power Of Myth is Moyers interviewing Campbell and taking a deep dive into why certain mythical structures have stood the test of time.
In running a business, you need to sell your own story. This can get you sales, app downloads, website traffic and more. You just have to start with a good story.
3. Deep Work by Cal Newport
We have a tendency to let shallow, meaningless work dominate our days. Deep Work is a terrific book that will guide you into the world of "deep work," where you can make major progress in a short time frame. I think that it will blow your mind.
4. On Writing by Stephen King
This dude can write. He's published about 100 books, which is more than most craftsmen (and women) can dream of producing in a lifetime, and he's still going strong.
On Writing is a look into why King writes, but more importantly, how he writes.
If you want to hone your craft, whatever it may be, like a true master, King will show you how.
5. The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg
In The Power Of Habit Duhigg gives us an incredible journey into how much habit dominates our lives. It can be a force for good, or bad in our lives -- and if you want your business to grow, you really need to understand it.
6. Zombie Loyalists by Peter Shankman
In this incredibly loud world that we live in, it's hard for companies to cut through it all and connect with their audience. If you manage to do that, you still have to overcome the hurdle of keeping them loyal.
Zombie Loyalists is Shankman's blueprint for how to be authentic and keep your audience as loyal as a pack of, well, zombies.
7. Deskbound by Kelly Starrett
It's been proven a thousand times over that good health helps your productivity and success. What most people don't realize is just how awful it is for the human body to sit all day.
Unfortunately, in modern business, we do lots and lots of sitting. And it's killing us.
Deskbound helps you undo years of damage rather quickly, and gives you the tools you need to remain as healthy as you are productive.
8. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is a simple, fun story about being who you really are and going on an adventure. It's a reminder about the importance of taking a risk every now and again, and how to handle yourself if things don't work out as you planned.
9. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the face for the "crime" of being a woman in Pakistan and loving learning. Now try to complain about something not going so well for you. Yeah, perspective helps.
I Am Malala is the story of one of the bravest human beings of our time (and most honored; Yousafzai is a Nobel laureate). Her book is about the passion for learning, the passion for growth and the passion for speaking out against injustice -- no matter what the consequences.
10. Money: Master The Game by Tony Robbins
A huge part of success is mastering your finances. In Money: Master The Game, Robbins sits down with some of the most successful investors out there and lays out for all of them the exact blueprint that made their fortunes. If you want to manage your money, and help it grow, this is how.
The bottom line is, the more you read, the better prepared you'll be for building your business. It doesn't matter if it's a tech startup or an app, retail, hospitality or manufacturing. You're always best off if you're prepared.
And when your choices are to learn from those who have solved the problem you're about to face, or to face them on your own, the decision is simple.
Related: 10 Books Tim Ferriss Thinks Every Entrepreneur Should Read
So, go take advantage of your personal coach ... between the bookends.
