Here are the absolute 5 best business books for small business owners, helping you succeed in business, says James Richardson.

During a recent meeting, I was asked for the title and author of my favourite business book. What a tough question! Instead of answering the question, I agreed to write a blogpost which would provide not one but 5 Best Business Books for Small Business Owners.

See if you agree with my selection…

Every business owner can improve their business knowledge. Whether it’s Marketing or IT, Finance or Managing your staff, it’s only normal to have a weaker area that needs development.

But the really smart business owners don’t bury their heads in the sand. They face their weaknesses, learning what has worked for others. What better way to do that than reading what successful entrepreneurs, who have “Been There, Done That”, have to say.

Below are my favourite 5 Business Books for small businesses. These top choices have been selected because they focus on the needs of small business owners (rather than the corporate giants who have very different needs) and the authors are proven entrepreneurs themselves.

I hope my 5 choices both inform and inspire but, more importantly, make sure you receive YOUR BONUS and download your FREE Business Guide: “How To Make Your Limited Company Bigger, Better and Stronger” NOW.

 

1.       Tell to Win (by Peter Guber)

Stories are absolutely essential in persuading others to back your idea. Peter Guber explains that there are set of principles that anyone can use to achieve their goals. For those of you that currently use Powerpoint slides to woo your potential customers, this book is a must have book which will help you to design and deliver your own story in a much more powerful way. Here’s a link to Peter Guber’s own website

2.       From Vision to Exit (by Guy Rigby)

This book acts as an entrepreneur’s guide to all things business related, from the very first steps, right through to when you decide to exit and sell up. It contains loads of case studies of well-known small businesses and includes plenty of tips from other business owners.  It covers strategy , finance, management, marketing, business planning and exit in just the right level of detail for the time-pressed business owner. If you’re interested, here’s a link to Guy Rigby’s website

3.       Built to Sell: Turn Your Business into One You Can Sell (by John Warrillow)

Probably my no.1 choice, this book is not just for business owners wanting to sell their business. In fact, I would recommend it to start-ups. Most businesses fail to reach their maximum value because the company’s success (or failure) is so heavily dependent on you, the owner. This book sets out the ways in which you can create a valuable, sellable company that can grow without you. Here’s a link to the Book’s website

4.       Small Giants  (by Bo Burlingham)

I’ve been a fan of Bo Burlingham for some time now (as the brains behind Inc – a US magazine that focuses on high growth small businesses ). In Small Giants, he focuses on a collection of small privately held companies that have been highly successful in their chosen sectors and unpicks what they all share in common and the secret behind their “mojo”. Whilst the companies vary in size, with the biggest having a turnover close to $300 million (so not so small!), they offer great inspiration to business owners. If this sounds like your kind of book, click here .

5.       The E-Myth Revisited (by Michael Gerber) No Must Read Business Books for Small Business Owners list would be complete without Michael Gerber’s bestseller that provides the key ingredients to developing a prosperous small business venture. Whilst the book is now close to 20 years’ old, its plain speaking approach and insightful ideas are still good value. Here’s a link to Michael Gerber’s site .

Plus here’s your bonus…. Our FREE business book

Learn Award Winning strategies to make your Limited Company in our book “How To Make Your Limited Company Bigger, Better & Stronger” which provides 56 tips specifically selected to help small business owners. You can obtain your FREE copy of our Business Guide by clicking here where you’ll discover exciting new ideas to save tax and grow your business.

It covers a range of topics that business owners have to face. It explains how to raise finance, how to design your own KPIs, stress free ways to get paid by customers, how to attract excellent staff, as well as answering the questions that directors – just like you –  most often ask us. Being a small business owner is no easy feat. It’s a job that constantly changes and runs into new problems.

Make sure you are 100% prepared by reading our shortlist and then download our FREE Business Guide: “How To Make Your Limited Company Bigger, Better and Stronger” .

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