Is now the time for you to join the ranks of other innovators who’ve decided to jump into the entrepreneurship pool? If so, you’re fortunate. Plenty of entrepreneurs who have traveled the same path are eager to share their lessons learned. And that means you’ll have a head start in the startup game.
Yet all the information in the world might not keep your spark from flickering. It can be tough to stay inspired when you’re knee-deep in the weeds of running a business. That’s when it’s a relief to turn to books for help.
The following handful of spirit-boosting works will re-engage your brain and your heart. Don’t be surprised if they fuel ideas that may become the seeds of your next big venture.
Plenty of entrepreneurs who have traveled the same path are eager to share their lessons learned.
1. Elijah Stacy – A Small If
Despite facing a terminal medical condition, Elijah Stacy has launched a nonprofit and published his riveting story in what he calls A Small If. Here, Stacy lays out the secrets he’s learned about being adaptable to changing circumstances, especially with the odds against him.
In addition to being inspired by Stacy’s resilience, you’ll be introduced to his motivating lessons that drive his unwavering positivity. These include determining how to control what you can, living a life true to your character, and putting others’ needs first. This book will leave you with the encouragement you’ve needed to take tough steps.
2. Shannon Susko – Metronomics
Are you an avid consumer of business books on a wide range of topics? You’ve probably experienced what Shannon Susko describes in Metronomics: A sense of understanding what you need to do, but not how to do it. Consequently, you may have grand ideas but a lack of roadmap to bring them to fruition.
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With Susko’s assistance, you finally can learn how to make everything you understand about building a business fit together. Metronomics comes on the heels of her other works, including the popular 3HAG WAY that discusses “HAGs” or “highly achievable goals.” It’s time to start envisioning a different way forward for your company, bringing together all the greatest corporate principles, and earning the wins your team deserves.
3. Darshan Mehta – Getting to Aha!
Have you ever felt like you can’t understand your customers, even though you’re surrounded by more data than ever? Getting to Aha! may be easier than you think. Let Darshan Mehta guide you through the hottest trends happening today so you can better understand buyers.
One of Mehta’s most ingenious beliefs is that three movements are affecting the consumer horizon: The Era of Experiences, the Era of Blending, and the Era of (Not) Thinking. By understanding how each Era affects and shapes your target customers, you can start to improve your conversions—and brand-shopper loyalty levels, too. If you’re lacking some “Ahas!” in your office, you can’t go wrong by flipping through Mehta’s chapters.
4. John Butler – Health Insurance Sucks
As the head of a company, you know your employees depend on you to bring them insurance packages. At the same time, you know what John Butler has said loudly and clearly with his title: Health Insurance Sucks. So is there any way you can reduce your business costs while still bringing your staff members the coverage they deserve… and maybe more?
You’ll find the answers to those and other nagging benefits questions throughout this surprisingly breezy book. The bottom line is that you don’t have to take what’s being offered. You have much more freedom than you might imagine. All you need is to find out the “little known truths” about the healthcare industry, which Butler is pleased to share.
5. Dr. Dennis O’Neil and Greg Hiebert – Changing Altitude
On the heels of Greg Hiebert’s bestselling You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have, he paired up with Dr. Dennis O’Neil to release Changing Altitude. You’ll appreciate their coaching advice, which is designed for the first-timer within the entrepreneur world but contains nuggets of wisdom for seasoned leaders, too.
Being at the head of an organization can sap your energy and enthusiasm. Leverage what you hear from O’Neil and Hiebert to reclaim your excitement and understand how to share it with those around you. From their eight influence strategies to the signature Comprehensive Change Model, you’ll put down Changing Altitude ready to tackle your next summit.
Starting a brand from scratch can feel like a lonely job—but you have more support than you might realize from those who’ve “been there, done that.” Ready to recapture the elation that led you to put on the founder’s hat? Start with a trip to the digital bookstore.
