Top 5 Books for Small Businesses

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There is so much knowledge tucked away in business books. Successful men and women share their secrets for all to see, if you just take the time to read. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you should always be learning, looking for any insights and inspiration you can find. Through this, you can gain new ideas, learn new skills, identify where you are going wrong, learn from the mistakes and successes of others and find motivation and solutions from others’ experiences.

As the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature rolls into town again, we thought it would be a good opportunity to share our favourite business books.

  1. Traction by Gino Wickman

As a small business owner, it is easy to get frustrated especially when things don’t work out right. In this book, the author highlights three common frustrations that business owners face which include inadequate growth, not enough profits and personnel conflict. He then discusses Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a solution for success in running a profitable and frustration free business. Additionally, it will guide you in cultivating a team that is disciplined and accountable.

  1. Giants of Enterprise: Seven Business Innovators and the Empires They Built by Richard Tedlow

Taking the time to learn how others have succeeded can be invaluable in helping you develop ideas for your own business. In this book, Tedlow examines the lives
of seven great CEOs who built successful businesses, including George Eastman of Kodak, Andrew Carnegie and his steel empire, Thomas Watson of IBM, Charles Revson well known for television advertising, Henry Ford and his automobile and Robert N. Noyce, founder of Intel. He gives an in-depth overview of their lives and the strategies they used to succeed.

  1. Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port

Marketing a small business can be a tough task. This book will equip you with the strategies and skills you need to build your image, establish your company’s reputation and gain more clients for your businesses. Additionally, you will learn pricing strategies to help you attract high paying clients. It is one of the best books to read if you are struggling with sales and marketing.

  1. Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod

The author of this book is the owner of GapingVoid.com. When he was a copywriter he started drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. The creativity that many despised turned out to be the foundation of his successful website and career. In his book, he talks about creativity, where inspiration comes from and how to get new ideas. If you would love to use your own creativity to grow your business, this is a good book to read.

  1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Running a business is not easy. In this book, the author highlights some of the problems that business leaders face each day. He goes further to share some of the lessons he has learned over the years about dealing with the hard things. He particularly focuses on how to create a good working environment and take care of your products and profits, and more importantly, how to keep your mind in
check and stay calm even when you are not sure where you are.

Books contain so much knowledge but remember that you don’t grow simply by reading books. You have to go further to analyse what you’ve learned and assess how to implement these learnings into to your life and business. Simply put, don’t just read but rather read and take action!