10 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

Everyone likes a little competition, right? I know I do . . . Competition has always been a catalyst for me. I like to analyze folks in the Entrepreneurial space and see what they are doing and then think to myself  “Hmm...what can I learn from them?” and then “Hmmm… how can I make that thing they do even better?”  

In an ever-changing world, I think it’s critically important to read and learn from a wide variety of authors in the Entrepreneurial space. Reading the #werk of others can inform how you want to do business and arguably more important . . .  how you DON’T want to do business. Either way, you are learning and gaining different perspectives. 

As an avid reader, it was a breeze to generate a list of 10 books to share with you. You should see my bookshelf at home! 

You can also view some of the books mentioned below on my Instagram @bigleabrands in the “Library” or “Book Club” Insta Story Highlight. Shoot me a DM if you’ve read any of them! AND be sure to join me for my Monthly book club. Last month we read “Everything Is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo and this month, we are reading “In the Company of Women” by Grace Bonney.  Show me you are reading the April selection by using the hashtag #MonicasMonthlyBookClub 

Happy reading! 

1. Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo 

From the host of the award-winning MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast, an indispensable handbook for becoming the creative force of your own life. While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward."

2.  How To Raise Money For The Arts Or For Anything! by Ken Davenport 

Do you have a show you want to get off the ground, but you don't have a clue as to how you're going to get the money? Or maybe you're working on a show right now, and you still don't have the cash you need? (I've been there - makes you sweat, doesn't it?) And does the mere thought of asking people for money make you nervous? I've been writing my blog about producing for over six years now and I get tons of emails with all sorts of questions about how to produce theater. But by a landslide, the most common question I get is, "How do I raise money for my show?" So I thought it was about time I answered it. But raising money isn't a simple subject that can be dealt with in a blog post. It has taken me over ten years of experience raising millions of dollars for my Broadway and Off-Broadway shows to come up with a strategy that works. Hard to sum that up in a few hundred words! So I sat down and wrote a 100+ page comprehensive how-to guide on the subject of raising money for the theater - the only one of its kind!

3. High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard 

Twenty years ago, author Brendon Burchard became obsessed with answering three questions:

1. Why do some individuals and teams succeed more quickly than others and sustain that success over the long term?

2. Of those who pull it off, why are some miserable and others consistently happy on their journey?

3. What motivates people to reach for higher levels of success in the first place, and what practices help them improve the most

After extensive original research and a decade as the world’s leading high performance coach, Burchard found the answers. It turns out that just six deliberate habits give you the edge. Anyone can practice these habits and, when they do, extraordinary things happen in their lives, relationships, and careers.

4. Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity by Scott Galloway

"Few are better positioned to illuminate the vagaries of this transformation than Galloway, a tech entrepreneur, author and professor at New York University’s Stern School. In brisk prose and catchy illustrations, he vividly demonstrates how the largest technology companies turned the crisis of the pandemic into the market-share-grabbing opportunity of a lifetime." --The New York Times

5. The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul by Danielle LaPorte 

With The Desire Map, Danielle LaPorte brings you a holistic life-planning tool that will revolutionize the way you go after what you want in life. Unapologetically passionate and with plenty of warm wit, LaPorte turns the concept of ambition inside out and offers an inspired, refreshingly practical workbook for using the Desire Map process...

6. In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs by Grace Bonney

Over 100 exceptional and influential women describe how they embraced their creative spirit, overcame adversity, and sparked a global movement of entrepreneurship. Media titans and ceramicists, hoteliers and tattoo artists, comedians and architects—taken together, these profiles paint a beautiful picture of what happens when we pursue our passions and dreams.

7. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth 

In this instant New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.” “Inspiration for non-geniuses everywhere” (People).

8. Boss Up! By Lindsay Teague Moreno 

In Boss Up! Lindsay helps you gain the confidence to know that having ambition doesn’t make you a bad mother or wife. That it’s okay to have a desire for something more than endless sippy cups, clean-ups, Band-Aids, and groundings. That no matter your education or experience, you can tap into your passions and create businesses that give you increased flexibility, fulfillment, and financial security. 

9. Talking to Strangers By Malcom Gladwell 

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers—and why they often go wrong.

10. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking and timeless bestsellers of all time...