If you followed me for a while, you know that I absolutely LOVE to read. I read both for joy (hello Colleen Hoover fans!) and for learning. This is the roundup of all 5 books I recommend to read to anyone who is just starting their entrepreneurship journey.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
A former international hostage negotiator for the FBI offers a new, field-tested approach to high-stakes negotiations
Honestly, this book taught me how to negotiate – plain and simple. I easily negotiate now with my consulting work, with my coaching business and even with my husband (just don’t tell him hehe).
I always thought that the way to negotiate is by finding a compromise but this book helped me understand that there is no such thing as compromise – either party will always be unhappy with that outcome. What we need to find is the golden medium – an agreement where both parties are satisfied with the final result.
Negotiation is the ultimate business tool that you need to have and know how to do – so definitely check out the book if this is the skill that you want to advance.
That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph
The incredible untold story of how Netflix went from concept to company – all revealed by co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph
Truthfully, this is my favourite book ever. If there was one book I could read over and over again, it definitely would be this one. Yes, I love all the business insights that Marc shares in this book, I love all the examples of resilience, discipline, willpower and hard work needed to build such a successful business from the ground up. However, this is not why I love this book.
The biggest takeaway for me from this book is how Marc always prioritized his relationship with his wife. Every single Tuesday at 5 pm he had a hard cut-off. No matter what was happening in the company or their personal life, every single Tuesday he took his wife on a date at 5 pm. No kids, just two of them.
He always made sure that nothing got in the way of that. If there was a crisis, it’d better to be wrapped up by 5 pm or it had to wait the next day. If there was an urgent question that needed to be resolved, it better to be asked on his way to the parking lot.
From day 1 of building Netflix, Marc had committed not to be one of those entrepreneurs who were building their 7th startup and going through their 7th marriage as well.
To this day, his marriage is his biggest achievement. Sure, having over $100M in net worth and founding a generations-transforming platform is nice but his marriage and the relationships with his kids is the ultimate definition of success for him.
This book helped me understand that you can have it all – you don’t need to compromise your most important relationships in order to succeed. You need those relationships to succeed – and to be truly wealthy in all parts of your life
Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty
Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life.
You probably didn’t expect for the book about living a life as a monk to be featured in my top books to read for entrepreneurs list – but trust me on this one. I’ve read this book 3+ years ago but it still keeps coming back to my mind and I am sure that I will pick it back up soon again.
The key idea from this book for me was that each one of us has our own purpose (our own dharma). And what I am here to do on this planet is very different from what functions you are here to do. We all have different gifts and talents that are given to us to be of service to people. And so this is what we must do – serve.
As entrepreneurs, we often might get an *ick* when we are selling or promoting our offers and products. We often feel like we are trying to sell people the product and take their last penny from them. We feel this discomfort inside us. However, I want to challenge you to change your perspective from taking away something to giving something to your clients/customers.
Not a single person would willingly pay you money if they don’t see the value that you provide. Your value is how you serve people. My service comes in with helping people be more visible on social media space, so they can get more clients, so they can increase the quality of their lives. Your act of service may look different but it will be yours.
Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age by Jeff Goins
Jeff Goins dismantles the myth that being creative is a hindrance to success by revealing how an artistic temperament is a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
I just finished this book a month ago and I absolutely loved it. At first, I was on the fence to read because, well, I don’t really consider myself an artist. I just post my lil silly content on Instagram, get clients and students and help them make money on their Instagram. So, not really an artist here!
However, I am an artist. And you are an artist as well. An artist is anyone who creates anything in this world that brings any value. Are you reading this blog post here? Well, that’s an art too!
We often have this image of starving artists as the means of a true dedication to their art. However, this book draws a parallel between a thriving artist and a starving artist and shares the strategies and real-life stories of people who succeeded in their art (and they didn’t have to starve!).
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
“A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life… I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.” —PopSugar
I would 100% recommend this book to anyone on the fence about building their personal brand on social media because of the fear. And yes, any fear – fear of judgment, imposter syndrome, fear of failure etc.
The key idea of the book is that (bad news) fear will never go away. It will always be a part of our life, especially when we are looking to start a new project. Our brain doesn’t have previous experience to rely on that this new avenue we are exploring will be successful. So the brain tries to keep us safe and tells us we won’t make it. And realistically, the only thing that you can do here is to just do it scared.
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