The best books on entrepreneurship

Far from Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup, which best belongs in a startup exclusive book recommendation, we’re presenting 3 of the best books ever written for entrepreneurs. This list of the 3 of the best entrepreneurship books is full of exclusive items most businesspeople can reference or from which they can undoubtedly profit. And we don’t want you to miss out on them, so here we go!

Best entrepreneurship books

#1. The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs

‍Why you should read it:

We’re not the only ones recommending it. The "Best Entrepreneurship Books of All Time" list by BookAuthority came first that long ago. 

The benefit it gives is how we can change the way we think to make it a top-notch entrepreneur. Essentially, what’s advertised as part of this book’s discussion are “the essential beliefs, characteristics, and habits of elite entrepreneurs.” The author deals with all those topics with 100 key lessons across seven areas. Those seven big ones are as follows: “Strategy, Education, People, Finance, Marketing and Sales, Leadership, and Motivation.” 

From capturing investors' real attention to thinking more significant into the ideal partners and how formal education relates to what’s needed to make it as a businessperson, this celebrity discloses it all in his first book. This was also written back in 2013, in case you’re wondering. 

In Kevin’s words, his book is designed for those “who are thinking about starting a business and those who have been in business for decades.”

Who’s the author

Kevin D. Johnson’s Johnson is linked to Johnson Media Inc., a multimillion-dollar marketing and communications company that’s served many global companies of the caliber of Porsche and Coca-Cola. There’s a list of Fortune 100 businesses on there. 

Most big media news coverage channels from CNN to The New York Times have featured him this far, of course.  

As a serial entrepreneur, MIT’s Sloan School of Management’s got him a Leadership Fellow and lecturer. At the same time, he is also an advisor to the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.

Ok, so, which is next?

#2. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

How about we go for a title Forbes has also vouched as one of the greatest for business owners? It’s also made it to Amazon’s bestselling list for entrepreneurship and ranked even higher in terms of its best sellers in small businesses. But that’s no surprise. The NY Times placed this book as a mega-bestseller for two decades in a row. 

Now, bear in mind you’ll be taking a trip back to an original 1986 mentality for a bit with it somehow. The vital point is that assumptions never die. And the book deals a lot with those to correct how we come into building companies from scratch. There’s more to that, of course. And plenty of reasons why a publisher like HarperCollins would still be coming out with a new version, in audio, by 2004. 

This book particularly expands on how to apply the benefits of franchising to any business, whether you’re franchising or not. The main question it poses is: Are you working for your business, or are you working in it? And the implications to both as you get started. 

Predictable and productive is their actual promise for how the book can help entrepreneurs create a company. 

Care to take a look and let us know what you think? Here’s a word on its author before we go. 

What about the author?

Michael E. Gerber has been defined as “a true legend of entrepreneurship [and] Inc. Magazine called him ‘the World's #1 Small Business Guru.’” He’s also got a long list of published books to his name. It’s 19 industry-specific E-Myth Vertical books, to be precise, all of which he’s co-authored with industry experts where applicable. And all of them are business-oriented. 

Michael’s CV, though we doubt anyone dares ask for a copy this far, makes him a leader of a company full of “hundreds of thousands of small business owner clients,” all of whom he’s helped to “successfully transform their businesses into world-class operations.” 

On to our last book in our list of 3 of the best entrepreneurship books that ever existed. Were you expecting this unique sorting, by any chance? Send us your thoughts. We’re always eager to listen. 

So, number three now:

#3. Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist

Just like our other two book recommendations have been backed by highly respected literary and business sources, so, too, have we sought to find a third choice that’s equally endorsed by a different great indicator. So, we’re letting The Wall Street Journal’s Books to Read Before You Start a Business vouch for our recommendation on this one. 

All pro playfulness aside, this third book seeks to give you a varied choice in readings that round any startup experience quite well. With it, we hope to help how funding rounds go for your starting companies. 

How do venture capital deals happen? Here are the compiled essentials of VC term sheets, for example. The book indeed covers economic basics to control dynamics, and it’s an excellent buy in case you just wish to pass this on to your attorney. The idea is to help its readers get a fair deal by handling terminology as much as its exposed strategies for real VC deals. Get first-hand insight from two great authors who’ve dealt with hundreds of VC financings to learn how fundraising works.

And who are these two guys?

Well, in all honesty, there’s a second edition to this book that brings on a third party for its foreword. But, of course, Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson are the creators of this VC baby right here. 

Remember the 1986 reference we made back in book 2? Well, let's just say that’s close to how long Brad’s been an early-stage investor. He’s been the founder of a few VC firms. Funny detail here? He’s also a marathon runner and has about 25 of those under his belt by now. 

As for Jason, well, would it suffice to say he’s got more than “20 years of experience in the venture capital and technology industries in a multitude of investing, legal, and operational roles”? We hope it does.