Top 5 Must-read Books Before Launching a Business

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Before starting your business, read these masterpiece books that will provide you with a strong foundation of knowledge and motivation.

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Useful Books That Every Aspiring Entrepreneur Must Read

Starting a new business is no mean feat as there are many factors you should consider. It is essential to conduct proper research to ensure your start-up does not end up among in the “failed” pile within the first few years. Therefore, you need information on where to begin, the most likely pitfalls, and how to utilize your monetary and time resources effectively.

Although you may be tempted to register for seminars, training sessions, and courses that target startups, reading books is a more accessible and affordable way of getting the required information. Regardless of the area in which your business will specialize, the following books can provide useful insights before you proceed with your launch.

Eric Ries — The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses’

The book proposes a new management approach based on fresh thinking that does not focus on business plans. The methodology emphasizes innovation and provides entrepreneurs with a way to evaluate their vision continuously and adjust accordingly. The author stresses the need to use agile management to pursue better efficiencies and fast prototyping.

One of the most significant difficulties that startups experience is the management of cash flows. Ries’s book was developed to offer guidance for businesses as they go through various stages. It outlines multiple tips on how to effectively manage your budget to give you the liberty to innovate and succeed in your niche. If you want to reach your entrepreneurial goals, it is vital to adopt effective budget management practices.

Noam Wasserman — The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup

The author is an accomplished and celebrated professor in entrepreneurship. His book focuses on hints that would help the founders of startups avoid common mistakes that may have adverse effects on the existence of their businesses by taking some proactive steps.

Noam highlights the experiences of numerous founders and their failures and successes. By sharing the pitfalls most startups encounter, the author helps you acknowledge the significance of making smart decisions on roles, relationships, and rewards. Besides that, he challenges aspiring entrepreneurs to establish whether the source of their motivation is control or wealth to allow them to make appropriate choices that will ensure they accomplish their goals. The book is an incredible resource for managing your startup business properly with all its associated things.

Guy Kawasaki — The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

The author outlines insightful lessons for budding entrepreneurs that you will be able to follow easily. He emphasizes the necessity of focusing on critical aspects of the business at the early stages to avoid mistakes that may prevent your business from growing in the future.

Kawasaki highlights important gems of advice on varied topics such as social media, marketing, cloud computing, and crowdfunding. Besides, the book hails the democratization of the Internet and the availability of numerous tools you can leverage to support your startup. For instance, if you are venturing into the writing business, you can utilize an APA format generator to ensure proper referencing. Overall, the book emphasizes the concept of an entrepreneur as a state of mind rather than a job title.

Thomas K. McKnight — Will It Fly? How to Know if Your New Business Idea Has Wings … Before You Take the Leap

Before you invest your time and money into a business idea, it is practical to establish whether it is feasible and worth pursuing. McKnight has vast experience in helping numerous business startups to launch their operations, which influenced the development of the detailed checklist that will assist you in determining whether your idea is workable.

The author identifies 44 points to help you evaluate your business mindset, anticipated market size, the existence of established competitors, and even your exit strategy. The book will help you prepare and ensure the launch will not be stressful.

Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull — The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong

The book helps founders to determine when they reach a point of incompetence and how they can overcome it by recruiting experts. It examines why things go wrong in business and the significance of staffing for your startup. If you have decided to go into the rough waters of entrepreneurship, it is critical to understand the simple mistakes that can introduce failure at the onset.

The authors focus on the sources of inefficiencies and poor decision-making to enable you to recognize the early signs and avoid disasters that can ruin your business even before it has gained a foothold.

Conclusion

Starting and running a business is hard work. You will need to invest a lot of time, money, and effort before you can have a successful enterprise. The above list of books will help you examine your business acumen and establish areas in which you need to strengthen by following tested tips from accomplished authors.

Posted 18 March, 2019

janetravis

Content writer

Despite her young age, she has already shown herself as an avid writer and a voracious reader. With each swallowed book, her writing skills improve a notch higher than before. For the past several years she has been climbing the copywriting ladder relentlessly, and she has become one of the best in the field. If you have a challenging topic to cover, her answer would be, "Bring it on!"

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