Learning from the experiences of others is essential in business and there are many insightful books which are of great benefit to entrepreneurs.  In this blog post, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to share with you my top 5 books every entrepreneur should read.

‘The Go-Giver’

My ultimate recommendation is ‘The Go-Giver’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann.  It’s a beautifully-written parable, which I’m thrilled to be making into a movie with Bob and John.  ‘The Go-Giver’ tells the story of a go-getter called Joe who does a lot of going but not a lot of getting.  He can’t understand why success eludes him - until he learns that giving is the key to stratospheric success.  If you never read another business book in your life, treat yourself to this one.  It’s a very special book.

‘Endless Referrals’

My second choice is also by Bob Burg and is called ‘Endless Referrals’.  The essence of selling and the Endless Referrals System is that - all things being equal - people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust.  Using the same principles as ‘The Go-Giver’, Bob explains how building networks, looking after other people’s interests, adding value and serving more people ensure an endless supply of quality names to contact to offer your product or service.  It’s an invaluable book.

‘Making Money Is Killing Your Business’

Great title, isn’t it?  ‘Making Money Is Killing Your Business’ is by Chuck Blakeman and the tagline is worth noting too: ‘How To Build A Business You’ll Love and Have A Life Too’.  In this book, Chuck outlines how to move from focusing on trying to make money to building a business in just three to five years that runs itself.  This book also replaces the traditional concept of retirement with using your business to quickly build your ideal lifestyle.  A must-read!

‘Fire In The Belly’

This next book is by one of the best communicators I’ve ever met.  His name is Yanky Fachler and this book is called ‘Fire In The Belly’.  It’s an exploration of the entrepreneurial mindset and outlines how - while mastering business skills is very important - fire in the belly is the fuel that drives your enterprise.  Yanky explores why passion and total commitment are essential for success.  It’s a great read.

‘Emotional Intelligence’

My fifth choice is a new Irish book: ‘Emotional Intelligence’ by Daire Coffey and Deirdre Murray. Packed with practical strategies, this book demonstrates that emotional intelligence is imperative for leadership.  It shows why two people with the same IQ can go on to achieve very different levels of success in life.  There’s another kind of ‘smart’ i.e. non-cognitive competencies that are essential for all business leaders.

Bonus Choice: ‘Wikinomics’

Since social media is my business, I couldn’t finish this blog post without addressing how the internet has changed the way we communicate and do business.  In ‘Wikinomics’, Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams explain how the knowledge, resources and computing power of billions of people are self-organising into a massive new collective force.  Interconnected and orchestrated through blogs, wikis, chat rooms, peer-to-peer networks and personal broadcasting, the internet is being reinvented to provide the first ever global platform for collaboration.   This book investigates how small businesses can achieve success in this emerging, networked economy.

I hope you find useful insights in my top 5 recommended books.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them, so please do post a comment below and feel free to add your own top tips on great business books.

Best wishes, 

Fiona