I love to read. I’m always reading at least 3 books at the same time, plus blogs, magazines, articles…you name it. So I thought I’d put together a list of some of my FAVORITE non-fiction books. Some are business related, some are about money mindset, others are purely inspirational. Some probably appeal more to women than men. But all have taught me something that I’ve used to improve my life or business in some way. I hope you enjoy them too!
BUSINESS:
(These books talk about business, marketing, or psychology in some way!)
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It Michael E. Gerber – The first business book I ever loved. If you have employees, this is a must-read. All about creating systems.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business Charles Duhigg – I’m fascinated by the psychology of habits and you’ll see that reflected in my book selections. Understanding why we do things (and how to change those habits) is so important.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity David Allen – GTD is a movement in and of itself. The book walks you through organizing your life, your to-do list, and your projects. Incredibly effective.
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard Chip Heath – Another psychology based book, focused on how we process and handle change.
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Steven D. Levitt – It’s a classic and it’s great. Enough said.
Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell – This book set the groundwork for the concept of practicing a skill for 10,000 hours. Once you’ve put in 10,000 hours, you can call yourself an expert. What are you an expert in?
Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller – Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century Napoleon Hill – Another classic. Read it often and you’ll always find something new.
Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable Seth Godin – This book is a short, easy read about branding your business. You’d remember a purple cow if you saw it right?
Guerilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business Jay Conrad Levinson- Great marketing strategies for lower budgets and small biz.
Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation Sally Hogshead – The tools you need in order to fascinate your clients and prospects. More psychology. 🙂
Inbound Marketing, Revised and Updated: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online Brian Halligan – Probably a little dated at this point, due to the growth in social media and online marketing in the past few years…but still an excellent read on bringing leads in via your website. (I take that back, just saw that this is the revised and updated version!)
Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling Michael Port – Aimed at consultants and service providers, this shows tons of marketing ideas and concepts to keep yourself booked!
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us Seth Godin – Some businesses need a tribe. This is about what it takes to create one.
Now, Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham – The book is okay, but the test is AMAZING. The book is just recapping the test results. Book comes with a code inside to take the strengths finder test online. Amazingly accurate for me! This is also great to read and apply to your employees.
Duct Tape Marketing Revised and Updated: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide John Jantsch – Great marketing concepts for small biz.
The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself John Jantsch – All about creating a referral culture in your business. Great ideas for insurance agents!
Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams Jeff Walker – If you have an online business, this is a HUGE must-read. Immediately made me money.
Profit First: A Simple System to Transform Any Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine. Mike Michalowicz – And once you make money, you have to be able to hold on to it. This is the best book I’ve ever read on managing business money in a systematic way.
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling Frank Bettger – This is an old book, all about a man selling life insurance. It’s a classic and the principles still apply.
INSPIRATION FOR CREATIVES:
(These books will make you feel like you can take on the world.)
The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms Danielle LaPorte – If you have no clue what you want to do, but know you want to do something – read this.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead Brené Brown – In order to do anything, we have to put ourselves out there and be vulnerable. This book explains why it’s hard and how to overcome it.
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich Timothy Ferriss – One of my favorites that got me started in online business. Amazing book (even if I’m certain the author works more than 4 hours per week)
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are Brene Brown – If you’ve struggled with feeling like you’re not enough or nothing is ever perfect enough…read this!
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun Gretchen Rubin – We all need to focus on happiness. 🙂
The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul Danielle LaPorte – I would recommend this one to any woman who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. Focuses on how we want to “feel” and not just what we want to “do.”
PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin’ Body, and the Life You Deserve! Chalene Johnson – There is a lot to this book…health, fitness, productivity, and goal setting. Chalene is a fitness expert with an amazing social media following and has tons of great advice.
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives Gretchen Rubin – I warned you that I like books about habits. This is another one with more of a personal focus than a business.
Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead Tosha Silver- When you’re looking for a little divine inspiration.
Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want Martha Beck- This book is like having your own personal life coach at home. The exercises alone are amazing.
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion Elle Luna – Another book for when you’re looking for your next project, idea, or passion.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear Elizabeth Gilbert – Inspiration for creative people and why ideas matter.
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Steven Pressfield – This is the book I reach for when I have writer’s block.
MINDSET:
(These books are all about training your brain and changing your mindset. Many relate to money too.)
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level PhD Hendricks Gay- Ever heard of an Upper Limit Problem? It’s when things are going a little too good and you sabotage yourself. We all do it! This book shows you what to do about them.
Embrace Your Magnificence: Get Out of Your Own Way and Live a Richer, Fuller, More Abundant Life Fabienne Fredrickson – Fabienne is an amazing coach and this book proves it. Love her work.
The Secret Rhonda Byrne – A classic in the Law of Attraction.
The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be Jack Canfield – So much great mindset stuff in this book, total game changer.
Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose Gabrielle Bernstein – Small tips and tools to shift your mindset and keep you aligned.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth T. Harv Eker – This book is all about mindset and why yours is stopping you from making money.
The Science of Getting Rich Wallace D. Wattles – Another old classic. Great to re-read every so often, because you’ll ALWAYS learn something new.
Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life Denise Duffield-Thomas – Ok, so the title may be slightly controversial but the content is excellent! I’ve worked with Denise and totally recommend her book for women business owners!
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness Jeff Olson – This book will show you the tiny tweaks you can make in order to triple your results.
The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles Marianne Williamson – Another great mindset book, all about money.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) Don Miguel Ruiz – This is an excellent book that is guaranteed to make you a better human being.