Each one of us has their own top (10) books that we have read and would recommend to others. Often, I get asked by my students or even people, I meet on daily basis to recommend them a good business book – something that would excite them, motivate and make them work harder, yet smarter!
With shelves full of books at Waterstones and 1000’s listings on Amazon, I must admit I struggle at times to pick a good book myself. With this in mind, I thought I would dedicated today’s blog to business books – ones, that I read and would really recommend to you…
1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyasaki – if you’re thinking of setting up your own business, this book, will simply become your bible!
2. Oversubscribed: How to get people lining up to do business with you by Daniel Priestley – a recent addition to my collection, simple and straightforward. You need to be in charge. After reading this book, I have ordered other books by Priestly – all of them a good read.
3. A book about Innocent: our story and some things we have learnt by Innocent – love this books as much I love their drinks, fun and humours book about 4 blokes who went there and done it. Some great tips for entrepreneurs on how to interview people, run sample tests, how to pitch, sell and… of course, do the best and quirkiest marketing before selling yourself to Coca Cola.
4. SuperBusiness: How I started SuperJam from my Gran’s kitchen by Fraser Doherty – a story of a young Scot who transferred a hobby into a well-known global company. I have been following Fraser for some time now and I must admit, he rocks, whilst his jams are (j)amazing!
5. Screw it, let’s do it: lessons in life and business by Sir Richard Branson – I have read all of Branson’ book, yet this one is my favourite. I have adapted some of his lessons into my business and on number of occasions, have said, screw it and let’s do it. Thank you Sir!
6. What you see is what you get – my autobiography – by Lord Alan Sugar – recently became (yet again!) a top bestseller thanks to Joseph Valence, last year’ winner of The Apprentice, when he quoted Lord Sugar’ book in the last stages of the interviews. We all like to learn from the best and this is it – Lord Sugar shared with the reader his story, how he started and shares some tips and hints.
7. The Business of Sharing: Making it the New Sharing Economy by Alex Stephany – with likes of Uber, Deliveroo, Airbnb and Zipcar to name a few dominating our markets and saving us loads of money, Stephany in his books explores, finds, interviews and test latest apps from the world of sharing! A nice and easy read – also he lists a lot of apps that you may want to download onto your smartphones to save you money.
8. The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to help you achieve success, confidence and happiness by Prof Steve Peters – I noticed changes to the way I think and make decision straight after I finished reading each chapter. I have gone back and read some of the sections again and again. I also bought the book as a Christmas gift to all my staff and friends.
9. How they Started: How 30 Good Ideas Become Great Businesses by David Lester – deep down, each entrepreneur wants to create the next Coca Cola, Uber or even IKEA. This book tells a story of 30 brands and how they all started – by reading it, you will discover the secret of Dyson, Innocent (although I preferred their own book – see point 3), Sage or Cobra.
10. Business Model Generation: A Handbook for visionaries, game changes and challengers by Alexander Osterwalder – if you’re looking to create a business, you will need a model to follow, Osterwalder walks you through a simple business model. By the end of it, you will end up with a good plan.
