Most of the books I read are non-fiction books. These are book that I read because I want to learn something, whether that is managing my finances, starting a business or be a better communicator. Well here is a list of 3 of my favourite business books that will change the way you look at starting and growing a business and which can help you tremendously in your career!

How to win friends and influence people

This book is not about business but it can open up so many doors form a business perspective. Dale Carnegie goes through the techniques that will allow you to become a better communicator and make more friends. How does making friends help you grow your business or develop your career? Well professional networks are one of the biggest assets that you can have. Being able to relate with people, whether in your job or in your life in general will bring about so many opportunities that you have no idea. This book will teach you how to create a circle of people that you can rely on and trust.  If you learn to convince people to your way of thinking, to get people to agree with you, to make friends and get buy-in from people. These are all fundamental skills in business and in life which can help you boost your career.

The 4-Hour-Workweek

This book by Time Ferris will get you to rethink your outlook on time and productivity. If you own a business or work in a job, chances are that you are not working in the most optimal and efficient way possible. This book will teach you how to automate your work life  which will enable you to have more free time to dedicate to things you love doing. If you are one of those people that keep saying that don’t have enough time then this book is for you! The author also talks about the importance of outsourcing those tasks that may not be worth your time. These tare the tasks that you can pay someone to do for you, like a Virtual Assistant. Outsourcing will free up your time to do things that are more valuable, rather than tedious admin work, and will allow you to focus on those things that you are good at.

The E-Myth

I am sure you have heard the statistics saying that  80% of new businesses fail and it’s exactly this phenomenon that the author Gerber looks into. He claims that being good at technical skills doesn’t necessarily equate being good at running a business. That because when running a business you will not just be doing a niche technical role, you will be a CEO, CFO COO and CMO all in one. To run a small business you need to have a variety of different skills that go beyond being good at a specific craft. Think about this example: “If all you know is how to make great coffee, then your first café is very likely to fail – after all you have no clue how to hire, outsource tasks, manage people and grow a business!”. This book is a must-read for those people that are looking to start a small business or those people that have one and need guidance on how to grow it.

Final Words

Hope these provide an interesting read! I learnt a lot from these books and I hope you can get as much value from them. PRO TIP if you are strapped for time, try Audible to listen to the audiobook version of these books so that you can learn something during your commute as a change from your usual music playlist!

If you liked this article also check out my own website: The Financial Chronicles for more articles on student life, career and student finances!.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. 

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