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If there’s one thing you’ll never hear me stop saying its that we should never stop learning. I honestly think this goes for everyone but if you want to start a business or are in business, gosh there is so much to learn. I make a point of trying to read 30 minutes every night. Keyword try, I am human and life does happen. Business is such a broad category and so much has been written on it. Seriously though, there are business books from the freaking 1930s that are still recommended widely. But to start, here are 5 business books I think are definitely worth reading (or listening to, I don’t judge).

I want to focus on business books that are important to get your mindset right. To encourage you, but also to take a step back and develop habits that will help you push through good and bad times, working smarter not harder, being enformed and working with and for a passion.

1. Crush It: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

This is one of my most recent reads. I must be living under a rock but embarrassingly I just heard of Gary Vee this year. But its okay guys I know who he is now and I love him.

I appreciate people who tell it to you straight and give you what you need to hear sans fluff. So this book is just that. It was written and 2009 and I swear for the most part you can’t tell.

Crush It talks about social media, how pivotal it has become and anybody (through hard work) can profit from their passion and brand themselves.

He gives tons of tips on starting a passion-based business and branding yourself. We can now create business and monetize ideas that once was only a hobby. I mean, we know that but think about it, that’s pretty cool.

2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

This might be the best book I’ve read all year. I highlighted everything, it’s ridiculous. I’ve honestly grown a little tired of the supper peppy talk when it comes to hustling and life.

Yes, it definitely has its place but reality can be pretty crappy sometimes. Mark Manson goes into how to view problems from a less pessimistic standpoint.

He talks about failure, suffering, victimhood, rejection, saying no – all things that are a part of life and definitely a part of the business. Bad, sub-optimal things happen to everyone, problems are entirely unavoidable but the way we deal with them makes all the difference. 

The Daily Stoic

So this isn’t your typical book book. It’s daily reading for each day of the year and oh my gosh it’s life-changing. I studied stoicism very briefly in college like I would hardly call it studying really but you get the point.

The principles of stoicism are so applicable to everyone and definitely come in handy when you’re in business. Similar to Mark Manson’s point of view, things happen in our lives and the only thing we can control is our emotions and responses.

We want to control so much but no matter how hard we sometimes try things can fall apart. We get stressed and angry when things go wrong but we fail to realize sometimes the importance of keeping a level head and realizing life happens and we can’t control everything.

Now, this doesn’t mean you become a robot with zero emotions. You can and should feel it’s more about managing our feelings and actions. It’s not an easy mindset switch but unexpected things will never stop happening so developing good mental habits can really help.

The $100 Startup

Okay, I’ll be honest this wasn’t one of my all-time favorite books but I am recommending it because it is inspirational. It’s an entire book packed with different stories of individuals who, you guessed it started a business with less than $100.

The point is you don’t need investors, millions of dollars, employees, or a tangible product to be in business. Tying in to Crush It you’re good at something and you can turn that something into a business without breaking the bank. 

The Four-Hour Work Week

This book started everything for me. I dreamed of having a business while in college and once I graduated I felt so lost. I had heard about this book for a while but finally, read it about two years ago. This book was the push that got me off my butt and taking action. It highlights the importance of efficiency over busy work.

It’s packed with resources for starting a business and paints a picture of what your life could be like if you were free from the pressures and stigmas of work. See, a lot of us think we want all this stuff (and maybe some of us do) but at the end of the day, if we think about it, we all just want freedom.

Freedom to enjoy life, go to places and do big things. Good news we don’t have to be anything close to a millionaire to live that kind of life. Working more effectively, smarter and not harder is so important. This book is full of resources, tips, and ideas. Honestly, if you are on the cusp of taking a big leap read this now.

What books have you read lately, what are your recommendations?