4 Must-Read Books for Entrepreneurs

It saddens me when people say that they do not have time to read. I get that everybody lives a busy life. But do not tell me that you do not have 30 minutes a day to read a book when the average American watches 5 hours of tv a day!

Don’t get me wrong, TV is great. I myself spend a lot of my free time watching it. However, this does not mean that I do not enjoy reading. Books offer readers a very rich experience because your imagination is a lot less limited than with other mediums. At the same time, you are often given much more details in terms of setting. Books are also consumed at your own pace and you can easily go back to read something that truly interests you.

Unlike my university days, I no longer read books because I have to. I do it because I enjoy learning about subjects that personally interest me. This interest is driven by both intellectual and financial motives.

That being said, I spend a lot of time reading business books. I personally enjoy reading about marketing and sales. Here are 4 books that I believe entrepreneurs need to read. Trust me, they will help you and your business!

Jab, Jab, Jab, RIGHT HOOK. – Gary Vaynerchuk

This book is for all you entrepreneurs out there who need a crash course in how social media works. Gary does a fantastic job going over the different social platforms in the market and giving examples of real marketing campaigns. It is so refreshing to read a marketing book that goes straight to the point by telling you what you should and shouldn’t do.

My key takeaways:
– Every platform is different, learn the lingo for each one. Do not post the same thing on each platform.
– Building a social media presence is not easy. You need to spend time to get good at it.
– Don’t be scared to try out unconventional social networks.

Human to Human : H2H. – Bryan Kramer

Not only is this book awesome, it is less than 50 pages long! I promise you that this one-hour investment of your time will bring great returns. H2H shows that to be effective you need to be yourself. Putting on a stereotypical “business mode” act does not help. It often just bores people to death. People want real interactions.

My key takeaways:
– Don’t be afraid if you make mistakes. A mistake here and there will help humanize you and make you relatable.
– Try to help, not to sell. Social media makes it very easy for companies to publicly show their customers that they care.
– Make a conscious effort to improve your social communications. Success online is earned not granted.

Permission Marketing – Seth Godin

Although I have chosen a single book, anything written by Seth Godin is a worthwhile read. I personally also recommend All Marketers Are Liars and Purple Cow.

Permission Marketing describes how mass marketing advertising is becoming less and less effective. You need to start focusing on building strong relationships with your potential and current clients to generate more revenue.

My key takeaways:
– An initial interruption is still necessary for permission marketing. Just make sure that each interruption leads to multiple contacts. Frequency is a must to gain clients.
– Focus on getting permission to sell. Once you have that permission, treat it as an asset.
– Build relationships with rewards, permission, and trust!

The Art of the Pitch – Peter Coughter

You can apply this book’s teachings to so many different situations. It makes you realize that you are constantly doing a presentation. People are constantly judging you based on what you say, how you say it, how you are dressed, your mannerisms…

Reading this book will provide you with the insights you need to improve your presentation skills and connect with your target audience.

My key takeaways:
– Be yourself! You are probably bad at being someone else.
– Know your audience and customize your pitch to them. Remember, knowing is half the battle.
– Practice makes perfect. You need to know your pitch inside out. Be comfortable with it but do not recite it. No more regurgitating the text you learned by heart last night.