13 Books Every Emerging Entrepreneur Should Read
We take pride in calling ourselves lifelong learners here at Team Hey Marvelous, so we thought we’d share some of our favorite business books. These are books that have benefited us both professionally and personally as entrepreneurs over the past couple of years. Maybe you’ll want to add a few (or all of them) to your holiday wishlist this year!
1. The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level - Gay Hendricks When things start to go well in our lives, why do we always find a way to bring fear and worry back in? Reading this book made us dig down and ask ourselves some difficult, uncomfortable questions. Gay writes about how each one of us has “Upper Limit Problems” and teaches us how to accept abundance into our lives.
2. Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur - Derek Sivers Derek Sivers built his multi-million dollar company, CD Baby, by asking one simple question every time he faced a decision. Does this help the customer? The powerful simplicity in Derek’s message is staggering. It’s a fast and an easy read (perfect as an audiobook too; read by the author) -- one we dig back into every few months.
3. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brené Brown (or anything by Brené Brown) You are no doubt familiar with the work of Brené Brown (and if not, stop what you’re doing and read anything and everything she’s written). She brought vulnerability and shame into the light so we could name what we were feeling. If you are the kind of person who worries about what someone may think of you and your new business, this book will help you to overcome that constant fear of judgement.
4. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill Don’t let the book cover turn you off -- this book is a classic for good reason. First published in 1937, it is still considered one of the must-reads for anyone interested in starting and growing a business. This book is well researched, motivational, and filled with timeless wisdom.
5. The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling - Stephen Cope Give yourself the gift of reading a chapter each night before bed and see what unfolds for you in the coming weeks. If there was just one book we’d recommend completing prior to the new year - it would be this book. Just read it (and have a journal and favorite pen close by).
6. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles - Steven Pressfield Do you see your teaching and work as a craft? This time-honored classic gives the artist, writer, or entrepreneur in all of us some brilliant tactical advice for when the going gets tough. For anyone that has ever tried to do something new and brave, there comes a time where we start to run out of motivation. Steven impresses upon us the importance of self-realization and how to deal with resistance when it comes up in our creative ventures. (This one also makes for a great audiobook to keep on your phone.)
7. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear - Elizabeth Gilbert This is a must for anyone wanting to embrace her creative side, but may be a bit nervous about what others may think. We believe that it's our birthright to be creative and innovative - Elizabeth empowered us with this notion. How can you not be inspired by these words? “Do whatever brings you to life...Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
8. People Over Profit - Dale Partridge Like so many of the books on this list, the concepts, and lessons from this book can be applied both in your business and personal relationships. This book is full of stories, of real businesses who embrace the idea that people matter above all else. Serving our students and clients should, first and foremost, be the motivation for every business. As a wellness entrepreneur, you are probably already living by these values, but this book further validates a concept that feels intuitive for so many of us in this sector.
9. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action - Simon Sinek We have gifted this book out to our clients on a number of occasions when they’ve needed a little bit of motivational business wisdom. If you are struggling with the purpose of your work or teaching, this book can really help to bring you clarity. Learning from leaders who have done it before, Simon shares a framework that begins with simply asking questions, for how to inspire others, lead movements, and grow your tribe. (He’s got a great Ted Talk too.)
10. Playing Big: A Practical Guide for Brilliant Women Like You - Tara Mohr Tara’s writing speaks to many of us that want to "play big" in our careers and businesses, but have emotional blocks or an inner critic holding us back. This book is incredibly practical because it includes killer exercises (the inner mentor exercise is a game-changer). If you'd like a peek into Tara's work, check out this keynote talk.
11. The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? - Seth Godin This list wouldn’t be complete without a book or two by Seth Godin. If you’re an entrepreneur, you should make your way through every single one of his books (and subscribe to his daily email). We love The Icarus Deception best of all. This book explains authenticity perfectly, while barely actually mentioning the word itself. As a wellness entrepreneur, so much of your value comes from your craft, and to be a master, practice and habit are key. Your healing work can’t be rushed and that’s completely okay - that’s where the value starts.
12. The $100 Startup: Fire Your Boss, Do What You Love and Work Better To Live More - Chris Guillebeau This is the handbook for becoming a successful solopreneur (aka #girlboss or #boyboss). If you are ready to dive in and launch your business, this book will teach you how to gain those small wins every day. Through inspiring stories and snapshots of others who have launched businesses, the big lesson is to always test, test, test, reiterate, and test again. If you haven’t mastered this concept, you need to, especially to succeed online as an entrepreneur in this fast-moving industry of health and wellness.
13. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World - Adam Grant You and your style of teaching and healing are unique - it’s people like you that are going to change the world. Unlike what most people think, this book debunks the concept that creativity weakens with age. Wisdom and creativity go hand and hand. Adam is a master storyteller who also shares practical advice for how to engage in creative and groundbreaking work in the world. It's like a roadmap for being brave.
Has one of these books made a major impact in your life? Have a book you’d like to see added to this list? Let us know by sharing it in our community’s free Soulful MBA Facebook Group.
