13 Best Books on Business Ownership You Should Read

Have you ever wished you could ask Michael Jordan how to shoot a jump shot? Or, ask Tony Hawk how to do a kickflip? Getting advice from the greats is one of the best ways to advance in your field. 

But small business owners can’t just call Warren Buffet and ask him for management tips. You can, however, read books about business ownership to learn how famous entrepreneurs achieved success.

In this post, we’ll review the best books on business ownership that our team has read. These books are written by established business leaders who offer advice on everything from starting a business to handling tax season. Let’s review why you should buy each one and where you can find them online.

1. The Modern Small Business Playbook

Author: Thryv’s Marketing Team

Thryv’s ebook, The Modern Small Business Playbook, is an excellent resource for small business owners. It explains why your business needs to adopt business software – like a CRM, shared inbox, and marketing automation – then shows you how to use these tools to grow your business over time. It’s a free resource you can download here, and it’s packed with statistics, examples, and strategies designed specifically for small business owners. 

2. Admen, Mad Men, and the Real World of Advertising

Author: Dave Marinaccio 

Dave Marinaccio founded LMO Advertising and authored Admen, Mad Men, and the Real World of Advertising. I love this book. If you’ve never studied a marketing class or don’t know the foundations of advertising, this book is a great place to start. It’s conversational and lighthearted, and there are plenty of illustrations that make it an easy read. Plus, Marinaccio’s stories are fascinating. He shares real accounts from his career that provide meaningful lessons to small business owners.

3. Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You’re Not a Rich White Guy

Author: Kathryn Finney

Kathryn Finney founded the Genius Guild, an investment firm that backs high-growth companies and promotes healthy communities. Her book explains how to build a business from scratch, including how to write a business plan and how to secure investors for your company. This book is for people who feel underestimated and need a roadmap to plot their success. It’s an interesting read, and Finney does a great job of relating business concepts to everyday life. 

4. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

Author: Eric Ries

Eric Ries is a former software engineer who moved to Silicon Valley to start his own social media network. The Lean Startup shares lessons he learned while trying to create an innovative product in a competitive field. This book is divided into three sections: Vision, Steer, and Accelerate. Each section has actionable tips that help you shift your mindset as a small business owner. The Lean Startup challenges you to think bigger and continuously improve your company over time. 

5. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant

Author: W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

In this book, authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne present the idea of blue and red oceans. Red oceans represent existing industries, and blue oceans represent industries that have yet to be created. Kim and Mauborgne argue that blue oceans offer the biggest opportunity to beat your competition. By creating something new and different, there are no other businesses to compete with, allowing you to own a space in an entirely new market. If you want to read a sample, this blog post from the Havard Business Review provides a taste of what this book is like. 

6. The E-Myth Revisited

Author: Micheal E. Gerber

Micheal E. Gerber’s book, The E-Myth Revisited, speaks directly to small business owners. It challenges the idea that most people don’t start a business to pursue entrepreneurship. They do it for other reasons, like family, salary, work environment, etc. It’s an easy-to-read book that’s ideal for new business owners and is available for free here.

7. Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter

Author: Curtis Jackson

Whether you like his music or not, you can’t deny that Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has had a very interesting career. His book is all about embracing change – whether it’s pivoting your entire career or handling unexpected roadblocks in life. Jackson comes across as very honest and transparent, producing a conversational read that provides several important lessons about overcoming obstacles in business and in life. 

8. The Good Jobs Strategy: How the Smartest Companies Invest in Employees to Lower Costs and Boost Profits

Author: Zeynep Ton 

Zeynep Ton is an MIT professor whose work has been published in journals such as Organization Science, Production and Operations Management, and the Harvard Business Review. Her book uses 15 years of research to demonstrate the importance of investing in your employees. She discusses different management strategies and resources that improve business productivity. At just under 200 pages, this book is a fairly quick read, and you can browse through a few sample chapters here.  

9. Small Time Operator: How to Start Your Own Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, And Stay Out of Trouble!

Author: Bernard B. Kamoroff

The author of this book owns a pinball sales and repair shop. He wrote it to provide an overview of all the little things you might overlook when starting a small business. From permits and licenses to doing your taxes, this book has plenty of great information and speaks directly to small business owners. I recommend it if you’re new to owning a business because it’s not something you have to read all at once. It has easy-to-navigate sections, so you can refer to key topics as they become relevant to your business. Keep this book handy at your desk, office, or worksite, and use it as needed to inform business decisions.

10. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Author: Timothy Ferris

Timothy Ferris is a New York Times bestselling author who’s written multiple books about productivity and work-life balance. This book shares tips for small business owners and case studies from real people who have doubled their income. There are also templates for business conversations, emails, and even hiring a private chef. If you’re frustrated with your current career, this book can inspire you to take the plunge into business ownership.  

11. Think and Grow Rich

Author: Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill published Think and Grow Rich in 1937, and it’s still one of the most popular books on business ownership today. It focuses on staying motivated and setting clear goals for business success. Publishers have also revised and updated the book for today’s readers. It’s easy to understand, and you can find a sample of the first two chapters here. I recommend this book to new business owners and leaders who might need inspiration to grow their businesses.

12. The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom: Build Wealth, Retire Early, and Live the Life of Your Dreams

Author: Paris Woods

This book is intended to help Black women build their financial independence. It discusses earning generational wealth, avoiding financial traps, and finding ways to retire early without dramatically changing your career. At 180 pages, it’s a relatively quick read, and Paris Woods shares several honest truths about the realities of overcoming financial obstacles being a woman of color. 

13. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Author: Phil Knight

Shoe Dog is a famous autobiography that breaks down the career of Phil Knight, creator of Nike. He talks about how he started the company and grew it into the retail giant it is today. If you’re unfamiliar with Nike’s story, (*Spoiler Alert*) Phil Knight started it with a $50 loan he borrowed from his father. Through savvy business decisions and revolutionary marketing strategies, he transformed Nike from a small business into a multi-billion dollar company. It’s a great book if you dream about rising to the top of your industry. 

Do Business By the Book

Every business owner asks for advice at some point. These books provide valuable insights to help you start and grow a business over time. Start with one book to get the ball rolling, and save this list so you can return to it over time. By keeping yourself informed and constantly learning new things, you’ll continue to innovate your business and work your way to success.