Trying to Start a Business and Feeling Lost? 10 Books to Guide You Forward. When you're in the startup phase, you can get overwhelmed quickly. Get out of that loop by tapping into the knowledge of these 10 inspirational authors.
By Peter Daisyme Edited by Ryan Droste
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Forget about pandemics, recessions and supply chain snags. You want to start a business, just like millions of others have since 2020. Here's the problem, though: You've hit some roadblocks that seem insurmountable.
Never fear. With the help of some been-there, done-that tips, you can get your startup moving again. And the 10 authors below are ready to be your mentors as you restart your money-making engine.
Related: Top 5 Life Decisions to Make Before Starting a Business
1. Shannon Susko — Metronomics
Trust your processes. That's the rule of Shannon Susko, a bestselling author and leadership coach who founded the Metronomics movement. She'll teach you how to see all your systems as one organism so you can achieve high performance across your workforce.
If your goal is to operate a well-oiled enterprise with workflows that happen like clockwork, this is the read for you. Get ready to not just get your organization moving but get it growing, too. All it takes is a willingness to rethink the way that all your strategies can work in tandem.
2. Garrett Salpeter — The NeuFit Method
Entrepreneurs aren't known for taking care of themselves. They burn the midnight oil. They eat fatty foods. They eschew exercise. And they end up physically and mentally depleted. Sound familiar? Meet Garrett Salpeter and The NeuFit Method.
Though this book is aimed at helping readers overcome pain and discomfort by tapping into their neurological system, it's a powerful reminder for (mostly) healthy individuals. Salpeter lays out an innovative framework for enhancing your body's natural abilities. It's a refreshing look at how you can optimize your mental and physical strength to power through even the tough days.
3. Carolyn Lowe — Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts
Are you on the right track or did you get on the wrong train altogether? Carolyn Lowe can help you find the answer to your most pressing questions. In Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts, Lowe eloquently shares her years of expertise as a digital marketing guru.
With this book as your guide, you'll get a better grasp on the principles to keep — and the ones that will just bring your operation to a standstill. Even if you think you've done everything you could to gain traction, spend a weekend with Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts. It's a valuable eye-opener.
Related: 4 Common Entrepreneurial Mistakes Destroying Your Business
4. Monique Maley — Turbulence
You probably smiled when you saw the title of this book. That's understandable. Every entrepreneur has hit a moment of major disruption and uncertainty akin to the feeling of turbulence when flying. Throughout the pages of Turbulence, Monique Maley shows how you may have more control of the business problems you're experiencing than you thought.
From learning how to develop truly good communication skills to finding out how to enter the coveted upper-right corner of Maley's Confidence Matrix, Turbulence is exactly the playbook you need to upskill your leadership abilities. As a side note, you may want to read it alongside your executive team for a major productivity bump.
5. Fabrice Testa — Super-Entrepreneurship Decoded
If your entrepreneurial ideas have ever been called "weird" or "crazy" by others, you may just have the makings of a Superpreneur. However, you'll need to check out Super-Entrepreneurship Decoded to help you understand how to tap into those superpowers.
Author, innovator and tech-preneur Fabrice Testa lays out a Superpreneur Blueprint that you can follow to achieve success. Plus, Testa finally pulls back the curtain on the secret to changing the world without going broke in the process. You could be a few chapters from achieving more than you dreamed possible.
6. Sangram Vajre and Bryan Brown - MOVE
Who? What? When? Where? They're the questions you need to ask if you're planning to take your startup seriously. As Sangram Vajre and Bryan Brown explain throughout MOVE, the answers to those questions will unlock everything you need to know to propel your business's momentum and get your product or service to market.
Seems almost too easy, you say? If it were, every entrepreneur would have a go-to-market success story. Take time to absorb the MOVE concepts that have worked for Vajre and Brown and earned them peer praise from the CEO of Hubspot and other bestselling authors.
7. Chris Ronzio — The Business Playbook
No athletic coach would dream of taking a team into a game without a playbook. Yet many entrepreneurs rush headlong into business building without any sort of guide. Even if you have a general sense of where you're going, pick up The Business Playbook. There, Chris Ronzio will walk you through a process that he's used to transform other startups and existing companies.
Streamline your training. Earn the engagement of your team members. Create a dynamic corporate culture that attracts top talent. With The Business Playbook, you'll quickly identify and remedy gaps in your processes, improve your delegation, and create and uphold winning policies.
Related: The Missing Playbook to Making Your Business Crisis-Proof
8. Karrie Brady — Don't Settle for a Seat
Far too often, women entrepreneurs are expected to play by the rules set by their male counterparts. Yet Karrie Brady's quick to ask the bold question, "What if that's not where women belong?" In Don't Settle For a Seat, she encourages women founders to make their own playbooks instead of following others' models.
Don't Settle for a Seat makes for motivational, educational reading for any entrepreneur who has a sensation of swimming upstream. Expect to challenge the basic notions you've taken for granted. Instead, open your mind to doing business your way — and making it work all the way to the bank.
9. Zach Windahl — Launch With God
Does the spiritual have a place in entrepreneurship? Zach Windahl believes that spiritual young entrepreneurs need to stop compartmentalizing their beliefs from their businesses. Rather, he thinks they should consider a Launch with God.
From uncovering your God-given role on earth to aligning that purpose with your company's innovation, Windahl walks you through the steps necessary to dovetail your spiritual and secular lives. This book is for any business owner who feels unfulfilled and doesn't know why. It's also a reminder that corporations can have a great and positive influence on humanity — as long as their leaders stay human, humble and open-minded.
10. Mark Briggs — The Butterfly Impact
Yes, it's possible to have work-life balance. But you probably haven't experienced it if you've been initiating the systems of other entrepreneurs. The Butterfly Impact, written by Mark Briggs, explores compelling ways for you to feel 100% satisfied with all aspects of your life. Briggs skillfully weaves his own ups and downs with stories of well-known founders to create a page-turner.
Just when you thought you had to choose between your career and your family, The Butterfly Impact lays out a plan for you to have it all. Get ready to "change the way you change" with Briggs' compassionate, yet always down-to-earth, assistance.
Stop feeling stuck and start moving forward again. Block off your calendar for the coming weeks and pick up some great reads. Your business and its employees will thank you.
