Whether you’re looking for a poolside read or something to leaf through before bed, hunkering down with a book on entrepreneurship can help you find the answers you need.
Ask any entrepreneur, and they’ll tell you there’s no instruction manual for starting a business. Instead, success will come partly from your willingness to seek as much helpful information as possible. Books are a great way to reach this goal, providing a mix of practical advice and inspiration for pushing past roadblocks in your way.
To help get your literary juices flowing, we asked the Small Business BC team to choose five inspiring books for entrepreneurs. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive into the list.
The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries
Against a backdrop of rising costs and squeezed margins, The Lean Startup offers a blueprint to help entrepreneurs avoid wastefulness while efficiently building products that speak to the needs of their target market. This book provides clear direction on creating your minimum viable product (MVP), which is often an early struggle for business owners. This book is a great place to start if you want to create a scalable and sustainable business.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
More famous for her daytime job as Chief Operating Officer at Meta, Sheryl Sandberg’s semi-biographical book features a treasure trove of insight into women in leadership roles and their challenges. It delves into areas like the confidence gap, work-life balance, and the importance of mentors in supporting women’s entrepreneurial dreams.
The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen
You’re probably familiar with the term disruptor in the business world. In this book, Clayton Christensen explains how companies can fail without adapting and embracing disruptive innovation. This book is also a goldmine of information on how to identify market opportunities, challenge industry norms, and how to think beyond traditional business models. It may spark some inspiration for operating in a changing economy.
Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
To succeed in business, you must understand how consumers behave and think. Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman is an expert in this field, and this book takes a deep dive into the two systems that drive our thinking – the fast, intuitive system and the slow, deliberate system. Kahneman gives practical insights into how entrepreneurs can use this information to navigate complex situations, mitigate risks, and optimize the business decision-making process.
The Four Steps to the Epiphany, by Steve Blank
This fascinating title will help you to build a framework to help you understand customers, validate your business hypotheses, and continuously iterate and refine your products and services. It excels in product-market fit, customer acquisition, and sustainably scaling your business. It’s an excellent and engrossing read for entrepreneurs looking to take a hands-on role in building and scaling their businesses.
Small Business BC is Here to Help
SBBC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Whatever your idea of success is, we’re here to provide holistic support and resources at every step of the journey. Check out our range of business webinars, on-demand E-Learning Education, our Talk to an Expert Advisories, or browse our business articles.
