We all know that personal and professional development is integral to success, but when you run your own business, training is an expense and a time taker, that is sometimes shunned for income-producing activities. This is often to the detriment of our personal and business growth.
Investing in ourselves and continuing to learn and develop is vital to our success, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Here is a rundown of some of the best business and personal growth books out there that will cost you less than a tenner and provide you with a world of insight.
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Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
I know, I know, you’ve read this right? But it has to be included because it really is a must-read for anyone who owns a business. Many have credited this book with changing their mindset towards success.
It may be old, and the language may be outdated, but the principles within it will never date. Napoleon Hill researched over 500 self-made millionaires to discover the secret of success and also the causes of failure. It was the first book of its kind to really get to grips with the mindset and the impact it has on how well we do. Rather than focusing on money and getting rich, Hill identifies the psychological barriers we must break down in order to achieve our goals.
It will never get old!
Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
So this is another oldie but goodie, and undeniably a must-read for any entrepreneur. It’s a dive into the type of financial education that you don’t get at school, and really hammers home the problems with the way we work and how to break free from it. Robert Kiyosaki highlights the factors at play that keep us in jobs we dislike, following the same pattern of working, in order to make enough to make us rich, when actually it’s more about what you do with your money than how much you make.
It gives great insight into how to break free from the system that enslaves us in the 9 to 5 in order to start creating the life we want no matter what salary we earn.
Tools of Titans – Tim Ferris
In true Tim Ferris style, he has taken the words and advice of hundreds of the best in the world in their field and collated them in a way that shows trends and common themes around their life and attitudes. He then gives tactics and routines used by the successful that the reader can action and take advantage of, in a way that is easy to understand and implement.
Unshakable – Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins is ‘the man’ when it comes to personal development and breakthroughs, but let’s not forget, this man is also a billionaire businessman with plenty of knowledge in this field too. In his most recent book, he packages up some of the best advice on finance and investments, from fifty of the world’s most influential financial minds, to help you achieve your financial goals and work your way towards financial freedom.
Like all of Tony Robbins’ books, Unshakable is clearly laid out, easy to read and packed full of information without any fillers. It’s a great read for entrepreneurs just starting out, seasoned business owners, or basically anyone looking to get a grip on their finances.
The Chimp Paradox – Prof Steve Peters
This book really takes everything back to basics by looking at how the way we react to things impacts how we live our lives. Written by psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters, this is a totally different perspective to most books we recommend here, and absolutely fascinating.
It takes a look at negative and impulsive behaviour and how it is that which stops us achieving what we want to. It offers theory though, simplified for the non-psychiatrist but most importantly, Steve Peters shares his mind management programme as a way to help exercise control, and increase both confidence and focus. It has been used successfully by elite athletes and top business people and can very easily be implemented by anyone with this easy-to-read book.
Invisible Power – Ken Manning, Robin Charbit and Sandra Krot
Invisible Power is another great book with the human mind at its focus. I’ve said in many of my videos that it’s all about perspective and this book helps you to understand that looking at events and experiences from different perspectives allows your mind to perceive and experience them in vastly different ways. So how will you choose to use your greatest asset?
Dare to Lead – Brene Brown
A common theme among these great books is researching the habits of the best in the world. This book follows this tact with research on 150 of the world’s top CEOs. This really comes as no surprise as Brene Brown is a well-regarded researcher and TED Talk champion, but this book is different in that rather than looking at success, it focuses on what makes people great leaders.
Brown concludes that in order to be a great leader in our time, we need to be brave, authentic and empathetically open. She offers four skill sets that are teachable and shows us how we can put them into practice.
The Dip – Seth Godin
Much of the advice we hear as entrepreneurs has to do with never giving up. In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard that what sets successful people apart from their peers is that they keep going against the odds and never quit.
Best selling author Seth Godin uses this principle but takes it one step further by arguing that actually, the successful are so, not because they never give up, but because they know when to give up. Godin believes that the most successful people actually quit a lot and success comes from knowing when something is worth pursuing and pushing for, and when it is actually best to call it a day. This is a fascinating insight and easy reading at the same time.
Mass Persuasion Method – Bushra Azhar
Bushra Azhar found her following on social media through her Facebook groups and online course on mass persuasion techniques. As a businesswoman in Saudi Arabia, she has gone against the grain and developed quite a cult following, resulting in this book. She practices what she preaches with her persuasion techniques, all grounded in psychology by taking this book to the top of the best sellers list.
It’s a practical guide on how to use language to make people buy. Bushra is knowledgeable but also a great writer, making her book relatable, readable and funny whilst being packed full of usable information and insight.
Be A Free Range Human – Marianne Cantwell
This book is a must for anyone starting out in business, or currently in that stage of breaking free from their career and taking the plunge. Cantwell’s book cleverly likens us to livestock with the use of the term ‘free-range’ for people running the businesses they want and ‘career cage’ when talking about how we get stuck in the rat race, in a job that doesn’t feel authentically us.
The book is full of practical advice about how to start a work-life that gives us everything we want, rather than living for the weekend. It’s written in a chatty style that takes nothing away from the content but makes it enjoyable to read.
We would love to hear about business and self-development books that you recommend. Please comment below with your favourites.
