Disclaimer: All links below to books are Affiliate Links. That means I make a small commission on each sale. And hey, that’s kinda cool! I believe strongly in each of the books I recommend and why not keep a small chunk of the sales transaction for spreading the word? Enjoy!

1. The Lean Startup; By Eric Ries

Eric Ries has written a book for all of entrepreneurs trying to change the world. He takes principals traditionally taught to Operations Management students and applies them to the world of startups. Instead of ‘continuous improvement,’ Eric shows us how we can incorporate ‘continuous innovation’ into the process of a startup. His idea is to focus on developing “Minimal Viable Products” as prototypes. Through this approach, innovators can test their assumptions through market validation and use real customer feedback to move forward more quickly.

This is quite contrary to the popular method currently employed by many startups. It has been long thought that in order to innovate you must pour thousands of dollars into building the platform of your dreams, writing a business plan, and hoping the market you are trying to “disrupt” takes to the idea. Eric Ries and the Lean startup methodology makes entrepreneurs smarter, leaner and more successful. This book should be the starting point for any entrepreneur at any level.

2. Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vay-ner-chuck, author of Crush It! and The Thank You Economy, spells out for you how to make some money – and possibly a fortune like he did with WineLibrary.Tv (do you notice a similarity between his site and mine?) – by capitalizing on starting an Internet business around your passion. He teaches you how to build an Internet empire by focusing on your passion, then  building your personal brand, and ultimately making a living off of the      internet by just being you and providing awesome content. He also talks about finding the  right  medium to reach your audience, whether it be a video blog, text blog, audio blog, or a combination of any  of the three.

Crush It! really helped me go through with Start It Up TV. Gary basically outlines exactly how to recreate his business for different industries – I am following it pretty much step by step. If you’re interested in starting a blog/Internet business around your passion, you have to read  this book! Totally worth it. To the right is an Affiliate Link to the book.                      

3. The 4-Hour Workweek; By Tim Ferris

While in school, it is almost impossible to balance a social life, academic life, and sleep. Try throwing in managing a full time business and you’re thinking, “there isn’t enough Adderall    in the world to keep  me focused on all this.” Well, solution: Stop taking more pills and start focusing on creating a muse.  As Tim Ferris explains, a “muse” is a low-maintenance business that generates significant income.

People everyday talk about their success stories with 4HWW. Just Youtube it. Anyways, Tim’s framework is   simple: Definition, Elimination, Automation, Liberation. Through this process, he explains in simple terms how to use    each of these phases to create a muse generates passive income  and allows you to be financially and geographically independent. He also provides TONS of resources and tools to help you  along your way to liberation. Tag along with Tim (and hopefully soon me…)  in joining the the “New Rich”  (you’ll know what I’m talking about after the first ten pages…).       

4. How To Win Friends And Influence People; By Dale Carnegie

There is something truly unique and mystifying about this book. Perhaps it’s the fact that it was written in 1936 and is still one of the most influential and inspirational books on success (it has sold over 15 million copies). Maybe it’s the fact that once you’re done reading the book – and I’m sure you’ll read it at least 10 times in one month – you sit dumbfounded at how simple, yet powerful his suggestions are. Regardless, this is one of the first business books I ever read. My friend Jon gave it to me as a birthday gift about six years ago and I have to tell you, it is a gift that pays in dividends and changed my life.

• Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
• Part Two: Six Ways to Make People Like You
• Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
• Part Four: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment        
  

I don’t know one single person who is a master at any of these topics. Read this book, and though you may not master these skills, you will begin to live a more successful, richer and happier life. I can’t recommend this book enough. Seriously.

5. E-Myth Mastery; By Michael E. Gerber

Want to get absolutely inspired to start a world class company? Read this book. Hey, want to learn how to build a world class company? Read this book. Want to know the difference between a technician, manager and entrepreneur – and how to balance all three of these for proper business management? Read this book.

I think you get it, read this book. Michael Gerber provides a 7-step framework for building what he calls a world class company. The book is written in a way that is somewhat story like and yet still very informative. He uses Sarah, an owner of a pie business called All About Pies as his main character and walks her (aka you) through the steps of building a world class business. Through the book he  mentors Sarah (you) through many of the hardships, problems and fears an entrepreneur faces. Read this book and you’ll have a much better idea of how to build something of real value. Oh, and he gives you plenty of exercises to complete while on your journey reading the book.

6. Never Eat Alone; By Keith Ferrazzi

If you can get over the fact that this guy loves himself more than his own mother, the book is pretty valuable and rich in content. Never Eat Alone is a great book to read if you want to learn how to build your personal brand or network like a pro on steroids. As a college student, you need to take advantage of your most valuable network: your college. Whether you need to reach out to fellow students to work for you as interns, find a mentor to help guide you through the creation process, or spread some serious word of mouth marketing, Never Eat Alone can help stimulate a mindset that will help you now and in the future.

As Dale Carnegie said himself (yeah, #3 guy), “You can be more successful in two months by becoming really interested in other people’s success than you can in two years trying to get other people  interested in your own success.” Let Keith Ferrazzi walk you through how to become successful by being interested in other people.                        

7. Good to Great; By Jim Collins

This book is pretty freaking interesting. I read it two summers ago while I was in California visiting my cousins. Yes, I was in California for the first time ever and I read the entire book while I was there – That’s how interesting.Jim Collins and a team of researchers wanted to answer one question: How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companiesachieve enduring greatness? Simplified answer: The Hedgehog Concept. You make a three circle venn diagram where you place in one circle things you are deeply passionate about. In the second circle, you write things that you can be the best in the world at. In the last circle, you write what drives your economic engine. It’s the middle part of the diagram, the part  that is shared by all three circles, that gives you the answer to Jim’s question. You find something you are utterly passionate about; the thing you can be the best in the world at; the thing that drives you economic engine; and you run with it. It’s a fun book filled with big time companies as examples and comparisons. Check it outtt!       

8. Work the System; By Sam Carpenter

This book was suggested by Robert Granholm, a guy whose blog I read all the time – a guy whose opinion I value. Rob has a blog where he examines the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris and talks about his experiences trying to create his muse. Rob used Work the System to help him document his business and bring more automation into it.

Sam Carpenter wants you to work less and make more, right? So it makes sense that he shows you how to view your business – your entire life – as a series of connected processes. Everything you do there is an underlying process behind it. A lot of our day is filled with the same routine tasks that we perform all everyday. However, look at your business. A lot of what your business does everyday is a series of processes  that are all related in some linear way. First this, then this, okay now this, voila! Finished product, happy customer, big paychecks. Let Sam walk you through how you can identify the processes in your business, how to document them (and possibly eliminate them or outsource them), and free up your time from working IN your business to working ON your business.