Stuck for inspiration on what business or self-help books to read?

In this post I’m sharing 5 of my absolute favourite books to help you in your journey to build a thriving business and a life you love.

Watch the video below, or if you prefer to read: scroll down!

I’ve read hundreds of business and personal development books, some were absolutely brilliant, others…. well, not so much! 

So to save you the hassle of having to figure out which books to read, here’s a roundup of my favourite ones.

Book #1: Start with Why by Simon Sinek

In this book Sinek talks about how to express ideas and spread your message in a way that draws people in. He beautifully explains why a company like Apple has built such a huge fanbase, and why Dell hasn’t – and what you can learn from that. 

One of his most famous quotes from this book is:

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” and this captures the book perfectly. 

I love this book so much because it’s encouraging you to think about your why, your purpose. The reason why you do what you do, to get really clear on that, and be able to talk about that in an authentic way. 

I honestly can’t recommend this book enough!  

Book #2: The $100 startup by Chris Guillebeau

In this book Guillebeau explains how to start your own business from scratch – with $100 or less. 

He talks about your business idea, how to position your services or products, marketing considerations, pricing and sales strategies – the whole lot. 

It’s a super practical book with tons of helpful tips, tools and strategies on how to start and grow your own business that you can apply immediately. 

Book #3: Atomic Habits byJames Clear

This book is a game-changer! It’s made a huge impact on how I set goals, and go about achieving them. 

If you’ve set goals or resolutions in the past, but have struggled to achieve them, you MUST read this book. 

In this book, James Clear, describes why most people fail to achieve their goals or build good habits, and he introduces a 4 step process to make it so much easier to develop good habits, drop bad ones, and achieve your goals.

This book isn’t about how to set better goals, but how to implement systems to help you achieve them. 

This is stuff they should teach children in school! 

Book #4: The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Building your own business isn’t always easy, and you might run into a lot of obstacles, and experience setbacks. 

My journey’s been FILLED with them. 

That’s why I included this gem of a book. 

Look, we’re all going to find things that stand in our path, whether those things are mental, emotional, or even just perceived. The Obstacle Is The Way will teach you how to overcome them. 

Not only that: it will teach you how to embrace those obstacles – how to turn every negative into a positive, and grow stronger and better with every obstacle that you face.

This book teaches you that instead of seeing an obstacle, hardship, or difficulty, as something bad, you can see it as something else. 

You can see it as something good! You can realise that something good is happening here. That something good is coming your way. 

Because obstacles can be catalysts for growth, and proper you forwards. 

As Holiday says it:

“Blessings and burdens are not mutually exclusive.”

Book #5: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown 

Oh… I love Brené Brown’s work. 

In this book, she talks about the concept of ‘wholehearted living’, which she describes as “engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.”

She says: 

“It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think: no matter what gets done, and how much is left undone, I am enough”. 

Daring Greatly is essentially about letting go of perfectionism, and feeling worthy of yourself regardless of what you do/don’t do, know or don’t know, in a world where everyone wants to appear strong, confident and like they know what they’re doing. 

If you feel like you’re not good enough, if you feel scared of showing your whole self, if you feel like a fraud, this book is a must-read. 

Honestly. It’s one of my favourite books. Full stop. 

Alright, those were 5 of my favourite business and self-help books. 

Next on my reading list is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Anyone who’s read this book tells me how good it is, so I can’t wait to get stuck in! 

Have you already read it? Let me know in the comments!

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