There’s a famous quote attributed to Harry S. Truman that says: not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.
In today’s age of AI, high-speed internet and tech start-ups, it can be easy to forget just how valuable books are.
But the right book can be the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of wisdom. Many of which can help you achieve financial success.
Today, we’ll be curating the most beneficial books for business owners.
Some are classics, some are new, and others are entirely out of the blue – read on!
#1 Rich Dad, Poor Dad By Robert Kiyosaki
What it’s about:
Rich Dad, Poor Dad tells the story of Rober Kiyosaki’s life and how he learned financial literacy from his two different dads: one rich, one poor.
The poor dad is his actual father who works as a specialist and makes significant money, but ultimately never learns financial literacy.
You’ll hear that term a lot in this book: financial literacy is the book’s main narrative.
Robert’s rich dad owns his own business. He mentors Robert on investing and the psychology of money and managing people.
How it will help you:
Rich Dad, Poor Dad is valuable for its unconventional approach in acquiring and growing wealth.
It is also a great first step in learning about financial literacy for your personal life.
Relevancy as a business owner:
7/10.
Robert Kiyosaki never owns a business. He instead acquires his wealth from investing. Still, the lessons are transferable to running a business and managing a team.
#2 Sell Like Crazy By Sabri Suby
What it’s about:
Sell Like Crazy is a modern marketing guide by a rising star in the Australian business world – Sabri Subi. He’s even on Shark Tank!
Sabri uses long form copywriting to drastically increase the sales of his client’s email marketing, digital ads and traditional advertising.
He’s a larger than life character and the book is worth reading just for the outrageous copywriting alone.
How it will help you:
Sell Like Crazy will teach you how to write compelling and unique copywriting.
It will also teach you how to land clients with marketing funnels, lead magnets, landing pages, and a whole host of elite marketing strategies.
Relevancy as a business owner:
9/10.
Sell Like Crazy gives you the tools to clearly and concisely communicate your value proposition to clients. Plus, it can get you on par with any digital marketing agency in terms of ad knowledge!
#3 Atomic Habits By James Clear
Atomic Habits is another recently trending book: it’s quickly become a best seller across Australia.
It’s all about how to build a habit, how to stick to it, and how to scale it to massive success.
Atomic Habits is written very pithily and with many real-world case examples.
How it will help you:
Although Atomic Habits is mostly geared towards building habits in your personal life, it is still immensely useful for a business owner.
You can use its lessons to help you become more productive at work through the power of workplace habits. You can even implement it at scale for the whole of your team!
James Clear is a well known keynote speaker, so his lessons can easily apply to Aussie business owners.
Relevancy as a business owner:
8/10.
Atomic Habits is a relatively short read. It will give you the knowledge and power to become more productive in your personal and business life.
#4 Think & Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill
Think And Grow Rich is all about three things:
- Planning your ultimate dream in excruciating detail
- Visualizing it on a daily basis
- Manifesting it into a reality
How it will help you:
Although Think And Grow Rich has attracted a fair amount of criticism for its focus on manifesting, it has a very solid foundation for business owners.
The book helps you to plan your financial goals specificity; something that is very rarely done.
For example: it’s not enough to say: I want to be rich.
A better – and much more likely to happen – example would be: I want to sell my pizza business for 1.7 million dollars and retire at age 37.
Relevancy as a business owner:
7/10.
It’s a great starting point for business owners who want to really make their dreams a reality.
#5 Meditations, By Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is certainly a bit left of field: it’s not technically a book on business, but a book of philosophy.
The book follows the journal entries of an ancient Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, as he rules Rome and struggles with the same personal problems as we do.
How it will help you:
Stoicism is immensely valuable to business owners.
It is the philosophy of not becoming attached to material things and not becoming emotional when things go wrong.
In business, things often go wrong despite your best efforts.
Meditations will help ground you and remind you that the worst case scenario is often manageable.
Relevancy as a business owner:
5/10.
This is much more of a subjective read.
The value in this book is not so much immediate and applicable to your business; instead, the lessons will be carried with you for the rest of your life.
Now That You Know What To Read, Here’s Who To Consult
Accumulating all that knowledge is definitely a worthy endeavor. But you still need to act on that knowledge in order to grow our business.
And taking that first step – or hundredth! – can still be scary, regardless of how much you’ve read.
So, let an accountant from The A Firm help you make it. We’ll help you avoid the financial pitfalls of the business world and scale your profits to new heights!