5 Books For Every Entrepreneur In 2020

It is easy to talk about entrepreneurs and look at them with envy for pursuing their passion but what no one knows is the amount of sweat, blood and tears which go into making an entrepreneurial dream come true.  Entrepreneurs are expected to be highly competitive in the cutthroat market and at the same time continually strive to set an example for others to follow.  The sad truth however is that not all entrepreneurs succeed in their mission because some may give up midway through their entrepreneurial journey, or some might run out of cash while some are just not able to scale up their business.

Many successful entrepreneurs have documented their journey and their thoughts in autobiographies or novels for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking inspiration.  These books would manage to scale up your game, improve your business strategy, potential to connect with new people and most importantly would give you courage to persist on your journey.

Here are five books in 2020 which every entrepreneur should read

1) The Lean Startup by Eric Reiss

Published in 2011, this book is still relevant even in 2020 as Eric Reiss outlines a guide to help entrepreneurs to develop methods to manage their startups/businesses.  Entrepreneurs can set their strategies according to their needs and runway cash to optimise their business opportunities.  The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs, in companies of all sizes, a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it is too late.

2) Zero To One: Notes On Startups Or How To Build The Future by Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel is the co founder of PayPal and an entrepreneur as well as a venture capitalist.  Zero To One tries to teach entrepreneurs about how Peter Thiel thinks , his approach towards business and how one can shape the future of their startup.  WhilePeter Thiel was teaching a class at Stanford University, a student named Blake Masters took notes which led to the book Zero To One released by both Thiel and Masters.

3) The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Bob Dorf and Steve Blank

This book is touted to be the perfect guide for any entrepreneur to scale their business.  This book has detailed step by step instructions on building successful, scalable, profitable startups.  The Startup Owner’s Manual is so popular that it is taught in university courses at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia and many other universities.  The Startup Owner’s Manual follows the theory of customer development, agile, and lean engineering.

ALSO READ: Five Steps Entrepreneurs Can Follow To Identify New Business Opportunities

4) The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino

Although first published in 1968, this book is still a bestseller and widely read by entrepreneurs.  The book aims to serve as a guide to philosophy of salesmanship, and success through the story of Hafid, a poor camel boy who achieves a life of abundance. The Greatest Salesman In The World is written in the form of ten scrolls.

5) Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days by Jessica Livingston

This book is a collection of some really unique interviews done by Jessica Livingston with some of the greatest startup founders in Silicon Valley like Apple, PayPal, TiVo, Yahoo, and TripAdvisor.  This book aims to offer wisdom and insights straight from the mouths of some of the most influential entrepreneurs.

Let us know if there are any other books which deserve to be read in 2020.