Boost your Business Skills with the Best Entrepreneurship Books
Few people are busier than new entrepreneurs. If you’ve just founded a company, or are thinking about doing so, you’re probably spinning so many plates that you barely have time to breathe!

But you’re not on your own in this. The world’s best entrepreneurs have been there, done that, and luckily for you, written the book about it. To save you searching high and low for the very best entrepreneurship books, we’ve pulled together this list for you to get you started. Want to get a headstart on the other founders out there? Soak up the years of knowledge listed here.
Get your business off to the right start by reading the best entrepreneurship books
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferris
The 4-Hour Workweek
- 28 min reading time
- audio version available
Having once been a burnout entrepreneur boasting a successful business, Tim Ferris shares his story and the secrets of the “New Rich”, the people who are achieving a lot with as little work as possible. By ridding yourself of ‘time-thieves’, bundling tasks, and dividing responsibilities, you’ll be able to build an automated income and free up enough space in your life to let your dreams fly.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Getting Things Done
- 22 min reading time
To focus on tasks, we need to free up space in our minds. David Allen’s popular method for clearing out the clutter in our heads has been at the top of the entrepreneurship booklists for over a decade. By adopting Allen’s easy to implement, rigorous data management system, where you put all of your ‘to do’s’ into an external ‘collection bucket’, you’ll see your productivity shoot up.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Deep Work
- 9 min reading time
- audio version available
With buzzing notifications, social media feeds to scroll through, and emails flying in, the age of technology can be fantastically distracting. ‘Deep Work’ is an antidote for loss of concentration. With tips like ‘take an internet sabbath,’ Cal Newport shows us how to put our procrastination in a box and park it, so we can work well and focus on our tasks at hand.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build The Future by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Zero to One
- 22 min reading time
- audio version available
Co-founder of PayPal and the first outsider to invest in Facebook, Peter Thiel shares his knowledge on how to predict the future and make it a place where your business is booming. A good entrepreneur will find a niche market where they can outshine competitors and be brave enough to challenge established business conventions. For more guidance on how to make your startup skyrocket, check it out.
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi
Never Eat Alone
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Networking is fundamental for any business to flourish. Marketing expert Keith Ferrazzi shows us that generosity and loyalty are key to forming good contacts, and he builds confidence in his readers by providing a Networking Action Plan. For sterling advice on how to approach influential people and win their support, try one of the best entrepreneurial handbooks on the market.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Good to Great
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Learn how to make your startup great from the very beginning with insightful analysis from top business advisor, Jim Collins, and his research team. By studying the progress of companies that made the leap from mediocre to high-performing businesses over a five-year period, Collins points out the pitfalls and offers examples of how to make any business work wonderfully.
The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship For Weirdos, Misfits and World Dominators by Chris Brogan
The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth
- 13 min reading time
- audio version available
Unusual and fabulous thinkers can learn how to turn bonkers ideas into brilliant businesses with Chris Brogan’s guide. Entrepreneurs should not be afraid to be bizarre and bold if they want to break the mold of the current business status quo. Learn how to channel your creative inner “freak” into a roaring success with this great title.
The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Reis
The Lean Startup
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
Eric Reis gives practical advice on how to build sustainable business models. An advocate of lean manufacturing and agile development, Reis recommends continuous rapid prototyping and paying close attention to customer feedback data. If you’re a sparky entrepreneur or you’re into tech, then take these tips from one of the best books on entrepreneurship, an essential addition to any founder’s library.
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Purple Cow
- 13 min reading time
- audio version available
Super marketeers know how to make any good business stand out from the crowd. Don’t be a copycat by trying to emulate the style of market leaders, give birth to your own unique ‘purple cow’ and watch it guzzle up all competition! Fuel your creative thinking and learn how to make your product eye-catching with fiery marketer Seth Godin.
The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups from Their Founding Entrepreneurs by David S. Kidder
The Startup Playbook
- 10 min reading time
- audio version available
Straight from the top of the entrepreneurship bestsellers list, this guide shows you how to create a startup that’s guaranteed to swim. Snap up some golden advice from the founders of LinkedIn and Spanx, as well as many more of the big startup success stories.
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss
Tools of Titans
- 16 min reading time
- audio version available
Tim Ferriss is king of the entrepreneurial booklists, with his fierce eye for business and terrific tips to get you to the top. By interviewing leading heavyweights in health, business, and even comedy, Ferriss extracts key insights on how to be a startling success in any field.
Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Smarter Faster Better
- 12 min reading time
- audio version available
So, apparently, productivity is not about ticking items off to-do lists. Duhigg presents
business case studies and neuroscientific research to persuade us that his methods for increasing goal-orientated behavior will boost your focus, drive, and even your ability to gel with a team. If you’re curious about what ‘SMART’ and ‘stretch’ goals can do for you, don’t miss this top entrepreneurship book.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building A Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
- 22 min reading time
- audio version available
Discover the lessons Ben Horowitz learned in the course of founding a company, being its CEO and then selling it for $1.6 billion. This honest account of the struggles endured to create and lead a great business is a must-read for any ambitious entrepreneur looking for a map to guide them towards success.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Start with Why
- 22 min reading time
- audio version available
Every decision-making process should start with asking WHY. That’s the key message from Simon Sinek, an expert on how to motivate your employees and captivate your customers.
We’re in an age where the nature of business is rapidly changing, and a big space has opened up for motivated entrepreneurs to fill with successful startups. Blinkist searches for the latest pieces of golden advice from the best entrepreneurial books. By blinking bestsellers and curating over 2,000 titles in our library, we keep you up to date with the latest business trends, and help you to flourish into a knockout success.