5 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Read Books

5 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Read Books

Be it a children’s fable, a book of poems for the hopeless romantics, or a how-to guide, a book is one companion you cannot do without, whatever stage of life you are in. But is it any good for an entrepreneur? The simple answer is – yes.

Whether you are planning to start a new business or are already managing one, reading can be a great habit. If you haven’t inculcated it yet, it’s high time to do so. Also, don’t let time constraints hinder you from reading. It will only do you good.

Why is reading a good habit for entrepreneurs? Here are 5 reasons for this.

Reason 1: It enhances conversational skills: Well, Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’ remains a bestseller still today! Whether it’s in the personal or professional space, communication is of paramount importance for success.

And when it comes to entrepreneurship, a little communication error can lead to big trouble.

‘Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High’ by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler is another good example of how a book can enhance your conversational skills and help you win over challenging situations.

Reason 2: It helps understand leadership: Are leaders born? Or, are they made? What makes a great leader? What differentiates a good leader from a great one? A book can give you the answers you seek. And help you identify and hone our leadership capabilities.

‘Strengths Based Leadership’ by Tom Rath is an excellent choice in this regard.

Based on a broad survey of great leaders and their followers, this book is quite an eye-opener. Another good read is ‘Leaders Eat Last’ by Simon Sinek. Here he takes up the question of the way leaders achieve what they seek.

Reason 3: It offers business insights: Whether you need to craft an organizational blueprint, guide the people in your team or handle the numbers, the right books can help you attain the knowledge you want to effectively manage every aspect of your business.

A good example is the bestseller ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins.

In it, he elucidates what distinguishes a good company from a great one. And how a good one can become great by following the right methods such as identifying their best qualities, confronting harsh business realities, building and maintaining pace.

Reason 4: It facilitates work-life balance: When you start a business on your own, your entire focus is on it. And often your personal life suffers. This imbalance created by the pressures of work and life compelled Arianna Huffington to write ‘Thrive’.

In it, she redefines success, with the third metric of well-being, along with power and money.

Co-founder and President of Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington was the epitome of success, if you consider it from the perspectives of power and wealth. But her physical and mental self were suffering. That’s when she discovered the third metric of success – well-being.

Reason 5: It keeps you on track: ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ by Michael E. Gerber is a soul-stirrer for entrepreneurs. In it, he identifies the biggest myth of entrepreneurship – that it is something heroic, a superhuman effort to overcome obstacles and attain success.

It’s a reality check; it takes you through the stages of a business, from its birth to success.

Another superb book is ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ by Tim Ferriss. If you don’t take the title quite literally, you can sure gain knowledge about how to work smart instead of how to work hard. And achieve success with this method too.

Just take your pick and learn from the people who have been there, done that.

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Cody Faldyn

Cody is a blogger, social media specialist, graphic designer, and the Marketing Evangelist behind The Entrepreneurs Library. With a long time passion for personal growth, Cody helped create a website and podcast with the intent to educate aspiring entrepreneurs on the latest and greatest books on business growth and personal development.