The 18 Best Business Books of All Time (That Actually Change How You Work)
Ask ten founders for the best business books and you’ll get ten different lists. Still, a handful of titles keep coming back, because they still work decades after they were written. We’ve assembled a short list of our picks, categorized by what we believe each book does well; that is, help you:
- think strategically about your business;
- build a successful company;
- sell to customers;
- lead people; or
- get a lot done.
Every title has a link to the full review so you can read the details before buying.
Strategy: how businesses really win
Zero to One — Peter Thiel’s contention that the path to true innovation involves creating something entirely new (moving from zero to one) rather than simply replicating existing concepts. In addition to being the shortest and most pointed book on monopoly strategy, this is also the best example of how cutthroat competition is often a self-inflicted wound.
The Innovator’s Dilemma — Clayton Christensen explains why great companies ultimately fail: they do everything “correctly” for their biggest customers and are then undermined by cheaper technology that initially underperforms. This is the book that changed the way entire industries discuss the concept of disruption.
Competitive Strategy — Michael Porter’s original five-forces framework for evaluating an industry and identifying a defensible place within it. It may be hard reading, but it remains the terminology that virtually every strategic thinker uses today.
Building and running a company
Rework — Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson’s quick take on how to run a business without much of the unnecessary theater typically associated with startups. While it was written specifically for entrepreneurs and small teams, it essentially gives you permission to disregard a large amount of poor advice.
The Personal MBA — Josh Kaufman’s one-book version of everything a business education would teach you, except for the price tag. If you’re just beginning to learn the basics, this is probably the best single resource available.
$100M Leads — Alex Hormozi’s very straightforward and actionable playbook for generating enough leads that you have more customers than you know how to serve. While Hormozi isn’t exactly famous for his prose, he has never been accused of lacking specificity when it comes to giving advice on generating leads.
Company stories worth stealing lessons from
The Everything Store — Brad Stone’s behind-the-scenes look at Jeff Bezos’ creation of Amazon. As perhaps the greatest example of long-term planning coupled with unwavering focus on serving customers, this is a business case study that will likely remain relevant even as other trends come and go.
Business Adventures — this collection of twelve Wall Street stories was named by both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as their favorite business book. These stories are compelling not because they are about market movements, but because they are fundamentally about people.
Chaos Monkeys — Antonio García Martínez’s brutal, humorous, and honest portrayal of startup life in Silicon Valley and advertising. While less instructional than many business books, Chaos Monkeys serves as a kind of reality check to remind readers of the actual world of entrepreneurship.
Selling, marketing, and word of mouth
Contagious — Jonah Berger’s exploration into why some products and ideas catch fire and others die quickly, along with a step-by-step process for helping create word-of-mouth buzz instead of waiting for it to happen.
All Marketers Are Liars — Seth Godin’s thesis that marketing is simply about telling a story that consumers already want to believe. It is short, concise, and still highly applicable.
Leading people
Multipliers — Liz Wiseman’s comparison between managers who make those around them smarter versus those who quietly suck the energy out of a group. Multipliers is one of the top business leadership books written in recent years.
How to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book on interacting with others. The book is old-fashioned in style, but its underlying principles are timeless – which is why it continues to be recommended as a first stop for almost everyone interested in improving their interactions with others.
The Effective Executive — Peter Drucker’s brief yet detailed book on how to manage yourself and prioritize correctly. The original productivity book for those who are responsible for others.
Mindset and the long game
Think and Grow Rich — Napoleon Hill’s Depression-era tome on desire, perseverance and faith. Some sections may seem outdated given contemporary conditions, however Think and Grow Rich is literally where nearly every piece of modern success literature began.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen Covey’s seven-step model for achieving personal and professional effectiveness. With tens of millions of copies sold, Covey’s habits continue to provide a solid foundation for personal development.
Deep Work — Cal Newport argues that developing ability to concentrate without distractions is becoming increasingly rare and therefore increasingly valuable — possibly the most important skill for anyone involved in knowledge work today.
Where to go next
Would you like to move further? We created three additional lists based off these initial recommendations: the best books to build wealth, the money-mindset books that transform how you see money, and the best books on discipline to help follow-through. Find the category where you are currently working, and start with a single book — not the whole shelf.
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