One of the best ways I learnt about business and investing in my life has been by reading books. It still blows my mind that you can spend $30 and get a lifetime of lessons and insights from the very best people in any field in the world. It’s genuinely the greatest investment you will ever make. I remember when I got married almost 27 years ago and we only had $100 in the bank, if I found a great book, I’d buy it without hesitating because we knew it was the fastest way to gain the knowledge to become successful. So here is a list of my favourite business books over the years.
1. Grit by Angela Duckworth
If there was only one book, I could tell my kids to read to help them through life, it would be this one. I can’t think of an attribute that is more important in life than grit. For all the natural talents a person can have, this book highlights that more than anything having grit is the true determinant of success in life.
2. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
This is one of the best business books I’ve ever read and is a fantastic insight into the fundamental tenants that make Bezos and Amazon tick. The book goes into great detail about his mindset and philosophy with regard to Amazon. Once you read it, you will have a newfound appreciation for why they will likely continue to dominate for decades. So many lessons for entrepreneurs and investors.
3. Warren Buffett Speaks by Janet Lowe
One of the easiest books you’ll ever read. The author compiles quote after quote from Warren Buffet over the years to tell the story of how he invests. Buffett’s simple stories and wit build on each other and provide you with a great understanding of his investment philosophy. I love this book and genuinely believe that if you read just this book alone it will provide you with the fundamental tenants for investment from which to understand long-term investment philosophy.
4. Good to Great by Jim Collins
One of the questions I ask guests on my podcast is what their favourite business book is. Good to Great would be the most common answer, and for good reason. The book compares and identifies the critical differences and attributes of companies that are good, to those that are truly great, over the long term. There’s a strong focus on leadership including the hedgehog and the fox concept which is fantastic.
5. Atomic Habits by James Clear
When I read Atomic Habits the first time it was a game-changer. It helped me better understand how to use routine to create sustainable habits. It helped me across all aspects of life from business perspective through to better habits and improving my exercise regime.
6. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
A timeless business classic. It’s probably the most challenging on this list to read because it demands your full engagement but nonetheless it’s a foundational book to read for anyone who wants to be successful. So many deep insights about management and perspective that I still use every day. These lessons can be applied by anyone to become better at what they do, from business leaders to investors or even parents. In today’s busy world of distractions, time management and prioritisation of tasks are massively underrated and rarely done very well. This book is a game-changer.
7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
There is nothing better than getting into the mind of a genius, and no one does it better than Walter Isaacson. In this biography Isaacson captures so many brilliant insights into Steve Jobs and how he built Apple. The first time I read it, I had pages of notes only a quarter of the way through. I had to stop writing because I wanted to enjoy the book. The book is the product of interviews over 2 years including over forty with Jobs and more than 100 family members. Any biography by Isaacson is a must-read.
8. Zero to One by Blake Masters and Peter Thiel
Zero to One is based on learnings from Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and the legendary venture capitalist who is known for being the first money into Facebook. This book gives you perspectives into the mindset and thinking required to change the world. It looks at how people create something totally new. Most successful businesses take something we already know and expand on it, but Zero to One is about those few exceptional businesses that create an entirely new industry and change the future.
9. You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen
These last couple of books I first bought and read when I was 18 and working as a labourer for my Dad. You Can Negotiate Anything is to read with lots of great stories teaching people how critical it is to understand the power they have in any situation and that negotiation strategies are useful in all aspects of life. Almost everything in life is some form of negotiation.
10. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Another age-old business classic first written in 1960. The title is terrible, but the content is profound. For a blue-collar 18-year-old kid from Geraldton, it was life-changing. It helped me see how wealthy people operate and at the same time, it helped me understand that they are all simply people. The reason that is so profound is because then you realise that everyone has hopes and dreams as well as fears and concerns. If you can help people achieve their goals or alleviate their fears, you’ll become successful.
Summary
I highly recommend all of these books. Each of them has taught me many important lessons over the course of the years. There are many other great ones that aren’t on this list too, but these are the ones that have been most influential on me at different points in time. If you have any books that have had a similar impact on you, I would love to hear about them.