The Best Books For Entrepreneurs

In: Books| Marketing By: Brian Armstrong

4 Oct 2009

Sometimes I post up reviews of books I’ve enjoyed.

But I think it’d be interesting to get a collective approach from all the readers of this blog. What books on business have had the greatest impact on you? Which book do you find yourself recommending to other entrepreneurs the most?

A bunch of suggestions have already been added to BuyersVote.com. What would you add or subtract? You can check out the list here to add your two cents.

In case you’ve never used BuyersVote.com before, here is a quick review of how it works (it’s really simple):

If you like an item, vote it up (+1)
If you don’t like an item, vote it down (-1)
If you have a better idea, add it at the bottom

You’ll have to login to vote (sorry, that is the only way I could find to keep voting fair), but you can use your Google account or one you already have so there is no registration process.

This isn’t really related, but another category that I put together recently on BuyersVote is for the best halloween costume ideas of 2009.

As you can see, some of them are good, some are bad (maybe even offensive). But this is the beauty of crowd sourced data. Good ideas get pushed to the top and bad ideas get pushed down (with enough participants).

I actually have an ulterior motive for this category: I’m hoping to get on the first page of Google for keywords related to Halloween costume ideas this season! There will obviously be quite a bit of traffic over the next month for those keywords and, if it works, some new people will be introduced to BuyersVote that wouldn’t have otherwise seen it. This is a nice little marketing technique that you might want to try: target a highly specific seasonal keyword. If you can get on the first page of Google for it, you might be able to ride a nice wave of traffic that few other people are competing for.

Until next time, keep breaking free!
Brian Armstrong

7 Responses

Simona Rich

October 4th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

By far the best book I read about business is Rich Dad Poor Dad by R. Kiyosaki. It made me realise that masses have no idea how to manage and make money. That’s the book that inspired me to become self employed. I read almost all other books by this author too, and the other great book of the series is Cashflow Quadrant.

I read The E-Myth Revisited but it failed to do any good for my business. I got lost in all the plans and systems and decided to just focus on areas that would bring me most profit instead of analyzing everything and filling in forms.

GTD was a good book because it taught me how to reduce stress by getting the to do lists out of my head and onto the paper.

I have also benefited from many marketing books. Marketing, in my opinion, is the most necessary component of any business. Dan Kennedy is the person who is hugely responsible for my ability to become self-employed.

More on the spiritual side, I took Bob Proctor’s courses and read some of his books. He taught me the importance of paying yourself first, tithing and thinking positively. This hugely influenced who I am today and what I do.

I cannot forget to mention the “Think And Grow Rich” book, but this is also more on the methaphysical side so some people will not believe that this book can make anyone financially free.

So here’s my take on the business books. I will be probably the only one leaving a comment here since Brian asked to leave it on his other website, but hey:)

Brian Armstrong

October 5th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

Thanks Simona, I agree Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Cashflow Quadrant were both great. I added them to the list. Even though he focuses on real estate there is a lot of overlap. Thanks!

Gordie | LifestyleDesign4U.com

October 5th, 2009 at 2:10 am

I reckon, “The Answer” by John Assaraf and Murray Smith is bloody brilliant for entrepreneurs. It has theory and practical instruction. It was an eye-opener for me about how the human brain works and has inspired several blog posts on my blog about goal-setting, planning and vision boards to date.

I second those books the Simona Rich said. In the Rich Dad series, the one with probably the most solid content is “Guide to Investing”. Once I’ve built my business I will want to start creating passive income. That is the book to help me do it.

Brian Armstrong

October 5th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Interesting, hadn’t heard of that one. Thanks Gordie!

JONNY | thelifething.com

October 9th, 2009 at 2:48 am

Hi, found your website through one of your guest posts. Looks interesting so I have subscribed.

Brian Armstrong

October 11th, 2009 at 3:18 pm

Thanks and welcome Jonny!

College Town Menus (CTM)

November 4th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I agree, Rich Dad Poor Dad is a great book. I always thought my dad was a little more logical with money than others, but during this recession, I’ve seen him act more emotional with it and see how he is by far the “Poor Dad” in this example. Whenever I talk about the love of entrepreneurship, he always talks it down saying that there is no stability in it and it’s better to work for a large company. This company has certainly helped me differentiate some of his lectures from my gut feeling.

Another great book is You Call the Shots by Cameron Johnson. I met Cameron at an entrepreneurial event a bit ago, read his book and loved it! He has some great stories how he started 12 successful companies before he was 21 and dropped out of school to follow his dreams.

I also added your book Brian!

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The Best Books For Entrepreneurs

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