Top Books to Transform an Entrepreneur s Life danmartell.com
Top Books to Transform an Entrepreneur s Life Here s the truth... Second to people, books have had the greatest impact on my life. It all started with a trip to the bookstore. I was 23 years old, had started two failed companies, and was about to start on my 3rd. I was so worried of failing. I decided to look for guidance. But I wasn t a reader. Up until that point in my life, I had never read a book. I m serious... It actually took me 5 years to get out of high school because I wasn t a great student. Then it all changed when I saw a book called Love is The Killer App. It was by a guy named Tim Sanders and he worked at Yahoo. Since I was a tech nerd, it resonated with me. I figured if I didn t learn anything, at least their would be some good stories about a company I admired. So I bought it... the audio book version :) (Still counts, right?) Once I started I couldn t stop. I binge-listened to that book over the next 2 days. It literally transformed my life. TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 2
Over the years I ve read over 1,000+ books. Reading is what shapes my thinking, my actions and are responsible for my outcomes. That s why I wanted to create this list. I get entrepreneurs asking me all the time to recommend books... but the truth is, I can t do it justice without understanding the challenge they re having. So that s why I created this list. It s the books that have stood out for me over the years. They might not be the most popular but they moved me to take action and had a dramatic impact in my businesses. So here you go. How Should You Read Them? Certain books can be listened to, in those cases I make a suggestion next to the author s name. Other should be read with a highlighter. The key to reading is retention. Here s the dirty truth. Most books could be summarized into 20 pages. What makes a great book a GREAT book is it s ability to suck us in and persuade us to take action. It s about a transformation. To connect with a book you need to underline, highlight and share what you ve learned with others. It ll help you go back and reference key strategies, quotes and suggestions made by the author to help you improve your business and life. TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 3
Do the work. Collect your highlights and review them. That way, it gets ingrained in your mind and will help guide your decisions. What Should You Do With What You Learn? The key to getting benefit from reading is integrating the knowledge into your life. If all you do is read to be inspired but do nothing with it then you might as well have spent that time serving a customer. But... If you read a book, and make a firm commitment to extract and implement 3 new strategies you learned, then you ve integrated the learning. After a while, it compounds and you will grow. Trust me, it s a beautiful thing. It also helps build your confidence because the world stops seeming so mysterious to you. Dan Martell TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 4
Personal Development Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Awaken the Giant Within: How To Take Immediate Control Of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical And Financial by Tony Robbins Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker As a Man Thinketh by James Allen The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 5
Productivity The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 6
Motivation The Magic Of Thinking Big by David Schwartz Leadership The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You by Brendon Burchard The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 7
Marketing Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) by Robert B. Cialdini PhD Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind Paperback by Al Ries & Jack Trout Getting Everything You Can Out of All You ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out- Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 8
Business Building & Systems Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don t by Jim Collins Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don t by Verne Harnish The E Myth: Why Most Businesses Don t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 9
Hiring & Managing People Who by Geoff Smart Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time Hardcover by Jeff Sutherland TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 10
Getting More Sales & Persuasion The Ultimate Sales Machine By Chet Holmes Jeffrey Gitomer s Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles for sales greatness: How to make sales FOREVER by Jeffrey Gitomer TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 11
Inspiring Business Stories & Biographies Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Ashlee Vance TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 12
Building Business Relationships Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 13
Using Story To Compel Others The Hero s Journey By Joseph Campbell Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story by Peter Guber Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 14
Finding & Breaking Through Creative Blocks Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon The War of Art by Steven Pressfield TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 15
Cool Science & Behaviour Psychology The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 16
Building a Software Company The Lean Startup: How Today s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses Kindle Edition by Eric Ries Don t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Voices That Matter) by Steve Krug The Innovator s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 17
Personal Development Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial by Tony Robbins Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker As a Man Thinketh by James Allen The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy Productivity The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress- Free Productivity by David Allen The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan Motivation The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You by Brendon Burchard The Magic Of Thinking Big by David Schwartz The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Leadership The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell Marketing Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) by Robert B. Cialdini PhD Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind Paperback by Al Ries & Jack Trout Getting Everything You Can Out of All You ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out- Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham Business Building & Systems Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don t by Jim Collins Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don t by Verne Harnish The E Myth: Why Most Businesses Don t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande Hiring & Managing People Who by Geoff Smart Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time Hardcover by Jeff Sutherland Getting More Sales & Persuasion The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes Jeffrey Gitomer s Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles for sales greatness: How to make sales FOREVER by Jeffrey Gitomer Inspiring Business Stories & Biographies Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Ashlee Vance Building Business Relationships Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Using Story To Compel Others The Hero s Journey by Joseph Campbell Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story by Peter Guber Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek Finding & Breaking Through Creative Blocks Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Cool Science & Behaviour Psychology The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari Building a Software Company The Lean Startup: How Today s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses Kindle Edition by Eric Ries Don t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Voices That Matter) by Steve Krug The Innovator s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters TOP BOOKS TO TRANSFORM AN ENTREPRENEUR S LIFE 18