Starting a business is not so easy, neither is nurturing an already existing company. That’s why there’s always tried and true advice out there to help the business-minded navigate their way to sustainable success. These following books have been voted on by the public as some of the most popular and trusted books in the past year, as evidenced by the bestseller lists.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Years after its publication, this book by Timothy Ferris has become a classic amongst entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the global and internet-based economy. Ferris outlines the possibility of a mobile lifestyle where one can build a company by outsourcing a lot of the tasks and basically call the shots from anywhere in the world. Why do you have to be in an office when all your work is done remotely and automatically? Having started a vitamin supplement business, Ferris discusses how one can increase productivity and efficiency by outsourcing most of the menial tasks of running a business and focusing on leadership.
Now, Build a Great Business!: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Profits in Any Market
The key term in this book is organizational growth. The authors, Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy, detail seven steps for attracting customers and recruiting business leaders. This book is targeted to the business owner who wants to effectively and efficiently grow his/her company.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This gem is less of a how-to book and more of a self-improvement book that specifically applies to building leadership skills and habits. What are these life changing habits? Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win/Win, Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood, Synergize, and Sharpen the Saw. You’ll have to read the book to get the true essence of author Steven Covey’s manifestos.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
You’ve probably seen author Tony Hsieh everywhere – from Oprah to the pages of Forbes, the owner of Zappos has been spewing entrepreneurial advice for years. And no wonder, Zappos.com, the online shoe and apparel store, has been one of the most successful businesses to debut in the past decade. Hsieh prides the success of Zappos on builidng a great team. In essence, having a happy team leads to happy customers which leads to better profits. The serierl entrepreneur believes that happiness should constitute the framework for corporate culture and a business owner’s passions.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
This book studies over 1400 companies and examines 11 of those companies including Wells Fargo, Gillette and Walgreens to see how they went from good to great. They found that there was no silver bullets – just a corporate culture that rewarded and valued employees. Although this book is targeted to CEOs and managers, everyone can learn how and why certain companies thrive on team players and loyalty.
The Tipping Point
Author Malcolm Gladwell has made a name for himself with his examinations of phenomena, with The Tipping Point being the first book to introduce his unconventional analysis of the world. Although not a traditional business book,The Tipping Point highlights patterns that would be useful for the high-minded capitalist and detail-oriented strategist.
“The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life,” writes Malcolm Gladwell, “is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.”
