8 Practical Books To Succeed In Business in 2023

I will now endeavour to evidence the learning curve short cut that these books can create. 

I appreciate that I will need to do so, as there’s no shortage of good business book suggestions out there on page 1 of Google...

A quick search of page 1 will bring up these much longer lists of great business books, but whilst I’m a big fan of lifelong learning, I’m a bigger fan of turning knowledge in action and getting results.

All the above are in fact great lists of some excellent books and many of the books overlap.

However, a list that long of anything leads to information overwhelm and analysis paralysis which I’ve documented before in my own book on personal and business success and on video previously.

The 8 books listed here will help you succeed in business in the simplest way. It is an optimised list for people looking to start a business, or those needing to transform their business, in the most efficient way.

They are relevant to every type of business owner. These succeed in business books on this short list are not esoteric. They were not written purely for the corporate world and venture capital backed endeavours that already have enough resources to spend and fail their way through mistakes.

Whilst I do advocate a Silicon Valley style, universe denting approach, many of the books designed to reinforce and extend that philosophy, have a significantly reduced impact on a business in their early formative years, when the owner is still working in the business and trying to see any sustainable level of success.

Those strategic thinking type texts expect you to already have the fundamentals of business, leadership and personal productivity well under control (and typically in the hands of your employees). You've no doubt already read the books on this list if that's already the case for you...

A business is in fact a system which runs without the owner being involved. If you are the centre piece of your business, I recommend you work consistently on building a system you can remove yourself from. These books will help with that.

Unlike many books on how to succeed in business, you won’t have to think laterally to apply the key points to your particular business or idea.

They are actionable and direct with enough depth and experience from successful business people turned authors to really help you get your head around what it actually takes to get results and finally succeed in business.

Does Reading Make You Succeed In Business?

I know that business people are the ‘doers’ of the world.

They get stuff done by learning on the job and from making mistakes.

We also tend to be very busy people, so are naturally always looking for a better, faster way to get results.

However, if you fail to read, you will fail to succeed.

It is that simple.

Warren Buffet, one of the top 3 richest people on the planet on any given day, points out that anyone can succeed by simply doing the required reading. But they won’t.

And you probably shouldn’t bet against him because he’s the most successful gambler – I mean Investor, to have ever lived.

What does Buffett attribute his incredible success to? Well he simply reads for a large chunk of the day. 5 hours typically.

He’s obviously reading the right things that are relevant to him and not the latest J.K Rowling Fiction however.

And luckily, I have some tips, tricks and cheats to turn the knowledge you need to succeed in business (which is all contained within the list of the 8 best books to succeed in business listed here), into results.

Because “The more you learn, the more earn”. But there is a caveat to that- You have to put what you learn into action.

Books Recommended By Successful Entrepreneurs

Here are some other super bookworms you might know, along with their more successful book stats…

At various points in their life, these wealthy individuals have reported to read;

Bill Gates- 1 book per week,

Elon Musk 2 books per day,

Mark Zuckerberg 1 book every 2 weeks,

Oprah Winfrey- has a book of the month club

(These impressive statistics were taken from the Huffington Post)

For any ambitious entrepreneur, 1 book a month is a good place to start.

It has served me very well for years and it’s an achievable and sustainable success habit to get into.

If you want to read a book a month, with the least effort and planning, it’s best to just work through your goal in reverse.

To consistently get through one succeed in business book a month, you only need to read 10 pages of a good book each day.

It’s roughly 30 minutes of reading for an average paced reader.

It’s a habit I’ve employed for years, which I personally do in bed, before I go to sleep each night.

It forces you to not be on your phone (which would contribute to poor sleep) and allows your body to wind down.

It also allows your brain to chew over the content and ideas sub-consciously whilst you sleep. For me, it tends to mean I wake up with my brain firing with new ideas.

Why Not Give This Success Habit A Try?

I wrote about the 10 pages a day habit in my own summary of succeed in business books called “How To Succeed Today. A Simple Summary” which distills down a lot of success habits I’ve learned and adapted from books I’ve read into pretty much just a key sentence each.

One of the tips I share is that I underline all the key points in any book as I read.

I’m strategic with the words so I can re-read the book coherently, typically within 15- 30 minutes depending on how new the ideas are to me at the time and of course, the length of the book.

This is what I did with all the books I read as I grew my first business.

I didn’t do it from day one because I started out like most entrepreneurs- not having a clue what I was doing and falling into the industry I started in.

I still own my first business which is a gardening company and I achieved some pretty unusual results which are detailed in my summary book also.

I’ve included just 8 books, to be read in order because that’s a years-worth of reading if you only do the minimum which is 10 pages a day.

I didn’t personally read them in that order, (because hind-sight is a wonderful thing) but I sure wish I had as the impact could have been even greater, hence optimising the list for others.

I didn’t read the E Myth revisited until l I was 3 years into business and as I mentioned, it should be read before you even have a business idea. It’s now sold over 2 million copies (only 1 million when I got it).

Having finally read "The E Myth Revisited" after 3 stress filled years in business, I then went on from near ruin (following a burglary and a law suit) to hit a significant milestone which lots of people aspire to, but most people never achieve.

It's mentioned briefly in my book. That was 7.5 years in total after starting a business from scratch with nothing but a credit card and no idea what I was doing. That time frame gives you a year to turn the great insights in each of these books into action and is easily achievable. You can totally smash it of course, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. 

A more important milestone in my opinion, which isn't explicitly mentioned in my book, was achieved 3 years after reading Tim Ferriss’s book. I achieved the 4 hour work week in my first business which enables me to write articles such as this now.

By using the 10 pages a day method, you will comfortably read all 8 books within a year. By reading them in the best order, I hope this helps you achieve your goals a lot faster than me. I hope it stops you wasting lots of money and time like I did. 

None of the links you click to the books on this page will earn me any money. I've added the links so you can get the books quickly. I’m not known to the authors or publishers and they are all my own tatty copies of books featured in this article. 

I believe that these 8 books will help more people starting a business, or who are in a business, progress more efficiently and simply than any other particular texts will to begin with. That is part of my mission and I'd love it if you keep up to date on your progress using the comment boxes at the bottom of my website pages.

I hope these books help you change your life like they have mine.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below and feel free to recommend any books you love below too. I’ll be sure to read them and consider adding them in to my other articles.

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Or Jump Straight To...

I know that in order to thrive in business, you first have to have the right mindset.

Too many people lose their life savings and years of their lives through never obtaining the correct mindset to succeed, either at the start or even after years in business. It means that they are forced to give up on their original dreams as a minimum and often times, put their health secondary to their wealth.

That’s why I take the time to write articles such as this and offer the resources I do to other entrepreneurs. I’ve walked the path along the mountain side, exposed to the elements and experienced the landslides.

Somehow I managed to surf them but it’s risky and your journey to success will be more enjoyable when there's a rope to pull yourself along on and there’s an experienced guide out front telling you that it’s safe to walk that cliff edge when you might otherwise turn back if you were on your own.

Success Book Summaries

I’m a big believer in success book summaries, (which I should be, because I wrote one), but they shouldn’t replace the key business changing books of the world like those presented here.

If you’re still not sure if any particular book is worth your time, then there’s a business book reading cheat, which I employ myself. It helps me shortlist books I read and will enable you to learn all the key points from all the books listed above within just 1 week if that’s your preference.

How to do that is shown within my members area

In there you'll also find how to activate my daily video mentoring which gives you the key points out of over 50 books (at present) and delivers one to you every day so you can put your learning into action, in a simple, efficient way.

Members get access to free courses and are kept up to date with all article releases like this one. They are constantly being added to and they are all designed to help you succeed in business and your personal life.

You can also get free bonuses like my best selling book. Watch this video to learn more.

That first book is designed to save you a few years of your life so I’ve now made it available for free for my members.

Time is more valuable than money. Enjoy your journey to success, whatever that is for you. The journey has more value than the destination. I know you probably don't believe that, just like I didn't. 

Please let me know your thoughts on this article in the comments section below if you have enjoyed reading it. 

To Your Success