25 useful business books for beginners

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

For those who want to become a successful entrepreneur, but do not yet have the necessary skills and experience.

1. “Rework. Business without prejudice ", Jason Fried and David Hensson

About the authors: Jason Fraid and David Heinemeier are successful entrepreneurs. Founders of 37signals, a software development company. 3.5 million people use their apps.

About the book. Describes how to start your business from scratch. Thanks to it, you will be able to structure your knowledge in the field of the business industry, or you will discover a new, yet unexplored world.

The book will not only inspire you to create a new project and find a team, but will also broaden your horizons. He will also tell you how a business can grow from a hobby into a profitable business.

2. “Purpose. Continuous improvement process ", Eliyahu Goldratt

About the author: Eliyahu Goldratt is a physicist, creator of the theory of constraints and control methods. Recognized guru in business management, author of several best-selling books.

About the book. Written in the genre of a business novel, where practical recommendations are woven into a fictional plot. The main character is the director of the plant, who devotes all his strength to production, but constantly loses customers. Business fails, and the hero meets a physicist who helps him to look at the situation in a different way and realize his goals.

3. “Delivering happiness. From Zero to Billion: A First-Hand Story of Building an Outstanding Company ", Tony Shay

About the author: Tony Shay is a well-known American businessman and internet entrepreneur. Director of the profitable trading platform Zappos.com.

About the book. A vivid life story of Tony Shay himself, who became an entrepreneur already in childhood. The guy bred worms and sold them to friends. Every year his entrepreneurial skills have evolved. As a result, Shay grew up and created his own corporation, which Amazon bought for $ 1.2 billion.

This book is about how to start a successful business project, take into account all the deadlines and not screw it up.

4. “The first 90 days. Success Strategies for Emerging Leaders at All Levels ", Michael Watkins

About the author: Michael Watkins is a professor at Harvard Business School and author of several books on the history and development of leadership.

About the book. Suitable for beginners in management. It will help you understand how the enterprise is organized, who and what is engaged in it, what are the relations between employees.

The author will tell you how to learn how to achieve your goals, form a team and earn the respect of your colleagues. It will also lead to the understanding that the company's financial losses are most often associated precisely with the wrong relationships in the team and the unsuccessful choice of the leader. And he will also explain how to avoid all this.

5. “Director General. 17 rules of positive management in Russian ", Vladimir Mozhenkov

About the author: Vladimir Mozhenkov is the general director and co-owner of the Audi Center Taganka car dealership, teacher and business speaker. Successfully introduced the Audi brand to the Russian market. Teaches you to be a leader and take matters into your own hands.

About the book. In the 90s, Vladimir Mozhenkov's business almost collapsed, and in 2006 he brought Audi to the top in the Russian market. In this book, he lists 17 genes that every leader should possess. It also clearly explains how to deal with customers and competitors, prioritize and build strategies.

6. “The person is decisive. How to build an organization of the future, where everyone makes decisions”, Dennis Bakke

About the author: Dennis Bakke is the founder and former president of the global energy company AES. Now leads the largest network of charter schools in the United States, Imagine Schools.

About the book. At Harvard Business School, Dennis Bakke realized that decision making helps you grow. Usually only the leaders of the companies have the right to vote.

But you can move your business far ahead by allowing a smaller team to make important decisions. Bakke applied this method to two of his startups and hit the jackpot.

7. "Discovering the organizations of the future", Frederic Laloux

About the author: Frederic Laloux is a former McKinsey & Company partner and MBA holder. He now advises leaders who are ready to transition to new organizational models.

About the book. In the first part of the book, the author reflects on the crisis in the current hierarchical management structure. In the second part, he talks about specific examples of the work of organizations in a new order: when responsibilities are distributed evenly, in contrast to the classical structure like a pyramid.

In the third part, the author talks about concrete actions that will help companies come to a new management model. To do this, he answers specific questions. For example, how to conduct meetings in a way that is productive and uplifting for the participants.

8. “Don't work with m * duck. And what if they are around you”, Robert Sutton

About the author: Robert Sutton is an American professor of leadership and leadership behavior. He teaches management and engineering at Stanford University.

About the book. Here we are talking about ways to contact destructive people. The author gives a very clear definition of the latter. Most of the text is devoted to how to reduce the number of others in the company.

All recommendations are reduced to one rule formulated in the title. The author gives practical advice on how to avoid idiots in your business: do not allow such people to recruit new employees, treat them like incompetent employees and do not allow yourself to be rude to others.

9. “And nerds do business 1 + 2. The amazing story of the founder of "Dodo Pizza" Fyodor Ovchinnikov: from failure to a million ", Maxim Kotin

About the author: Maxim Kotin is a Russian journalist, author of business bestsellers and laureate of the Business Book 2008 award in the Business Stories category.

About the book. The story of how a person without special education risked creating his own company. The first book tells about the failure of his early business, a bookstore in Syktyvkar, and the second about the success of the Dodo Pizza chain.

At the same time, Ovchinnikov openly shows data about his business - graphs of sales, income and losses. He shares his experience, and also gives specific advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: do not reinvent the wheel - it is enough to do the same as everyone else, but much better. Believe in the success of your business, build a good team, and so on.

10. “Fifth discipline. The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization ", Peter Senge

About the author: Peter Senge is an American scientist, theorist in the field of organizational learning practice.

About the book. Its goal is to develop systemic skills among senior managers. Consistency in the work of the organization is the very fifth discipline that the author writes about. The book will definitely become a universal reference that you can refer to as needed during work or study.

In addition to managers, the book will be of interest to students studying the educational programs "Management" and "Personnel Management", as it gives the theoretical and practical skills necessary to work in the relevant positions.

11. "How to become a businessman", Oleg Tinkov

About the author: Oleg Tinkov is an entrepreneur who has managed to create successful startups in five different industries. Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tinkoff Bank.

About the book. It will be useful both for entrepreneurs who have already started their business, and for those who have long dreamed of saying goodbye to a tight schedule and starting to write their first business plan.

The author gives step-by-step instructions, talking about his first investment and the first million in profits. In the book, he will explain how to promote yourself, motivate your team, and be friends with modern technology. And all this - by the example of personal experience and with a share of self-irony.

12. “Joy to work. Business model of the future ", Dennis Bakke

About the author: Dennis Bakke is the founder and former president of the market-leading energy company AES.

About the book. “The best job is a hobby” - how often we hear these words, but in practice they are not always realized. At the word office, many knees shake, and only negative emotions arise.

However, the author decided to break stereotypes and try to prove that even routine can be enjoyable. In the book, he proposes a new concept of corporate culture in which every employee's talent has a place. “The happier a person is in the workplace, the more effective his work will be,” is the main slogan of the book.

13. “45 tattoos of the manager. Rules of the Russian leader ", Maxim Batyrev (Combat)

About the author: Maxim Batyrev is a person who, like no one else, knows what it means to go all the way vertically. Having started as an ordinary employee, he has become the “most monetary” Russian top manager more than once. And his experience is really of maximum benefit to anyone who wants to be successful.

About the book. Like the name itself, it is immediately "imprinted" and stays with you, if not for life, then certainly for a long time. The author describes all aspects of management activities, taking into account Russian specifics and personal experience, which will be useful to any interested reader.

“Through hardships to the stars, but always interesting” - this is how one can characterize the book written by our compatriot.

14. “From good to great. Why some companies are making breakthroughs and others are not”, Jim Collins

About the author: Jim Collins is an analyst and business consultant with extensive experience in the study of the specifics of startups and the development of project activities. He worked in the world's best consulting companies that are part of the Big Four.

About the book. It is built on examples of the success of once unprofitable companies. Despite the scientific approach that the author is guided by in his work and in life, the book is written in understandable language and can be mastered without a glossary of terms.

Why is someone lucky and someone unable to succeed? Collins offers several theories on this subject and, as a bonus, describes tools to help deal with crisis situations.

15. “Blue Ocean Strategy. How to find or create a market free of other players”, Chan Kim and Rene Mauborgne

About the authors: Chuck Kim and Rene Mauborgne are researchers at the Blue Ocean Strategy Institute. In the course of their activity, more than one company was subjected to their analysis, which subsequently became successful.

About the book. It does not provide a Zero-to-Perfection workflow. It speaks of one important factor - competition, viewed from an unfamiliar side. Look at it in a different way, using the resources given to you to the fullest. The authors guarantee that living in the "blue ocean" is much easier.

16. “Durov's code. The real story of VKontakte and its creator ", Nikolay Kononov

About the author: Nikolay Kononov is a Russian writer and journalist, author of bestselling books about world market leaders.

About the book. The information space is constantly expanding. And the new economic miracle, from the point of view of entrepreneurship, turned out to be digital projects that have captured a significant niche of the business space.

This phenomenon is considered by the author on the example of the project of Pavel Durov. Here he also reveals the secrets of VKontakte's success.

17. “Life is like a startup. Build your career according to the laws of Silicon Valley ", Reed Hoffman and Ben Kasnocha

About the authors: Reed Hoffman is a co-founder and CEO of LinkedIn, a venture capitalist and a brilliant investor. Ben Kasnocha founded his company at the age of 12, and at 18 was recognized as one of America's most promising young entrepreneurs.

About the book. It compares the opportunities and prospects of a startup and an individual. There is no fundamental difference in the performance mechanism between them. The authors also analyze examples of successful projects in Silicon Valley - these are well-known Google, PayPal, Yahoo.

The book provides the reader with working diagrams that can be applied in building their own career.

18. Time Drive. How to manage to live and work ", Gleb Arkhangelsky

About the author: Gleb Arkhangelsky is the main national time management expert, founder and head of the Time Management company.

About the book. Ideas, milestones and a project development plan are important elements of a successful startup. However, you cannot do without practical skills. And the book, in addition to basic concepts, gives real self-management skills, without which it is difficult to become a successful leader.

Everything is discussed here: working with time, increasing your own performance in the face of an increase in the volume of tasks and responsibility. The perfect guide to self-development.

19. "Business without a guru", Vlad Merck

About the author: Vlad Merck is an aspiring entrepreneur and blogger.

About the book. In this book, no one will guide you on the right path and change your mind by telling stories about your own business schemes. This is more of a mini-advisor and comrade, but not a mentor. This text can be called opposition to the rest of the business works.

The author believes that everything is in our hands. He in a friendly way shares his thoughts on the role of business in the modern world and his own views on the implementation of various projects. The book is written with a grain of irony and humor in an understandable and playful language.

20. “Make up your mind! The Charge to Create Great from the Founder of Twitter ", Stone Biz

About the author: Stone Biz is one of the founders and creative director of Twitter.

About the book. “Don't be afraid to take risks,” is the slogan of the author. Indeed, many global projects were created simply thanks to a second's inspiration. Their authors might not have expected such success.

Thus, any idea that has arisen in the head can become the most effective in terms of profit. An example is the creation of Twitter or Facebook.

21. "Strategy Needs Strategy Too", Martin Reeves, Sinha Janmejaya and Haanes Knuth

About the authors: Martin Reeves, Sinha Janmejaya and Haanes Knuth are partners at BCG and have written books on strategic management.

About the book. A beginner's and beginner's guide: how to achieve maximum business goals by choosing the right strategy in a diverse and unpredictable environment.

The book contains only evidence-based recommendations, strictly following which, as the authors assure, you can become a successful businessman.

22. “Business as a game. Rake of Russian business and unexpected decisions ", Sergey Abdulmanov, Dmitry Kibkalo and Dmitry Borisov

About the authors: Sergey Abdulmanov, Dmitry Kibkalo, Dmitry Borisov - heads of the Mosigra company. This chain of board games stores has become one of the largest in Russia.

About the book. The founders of the company "Mosigra" tell how they started their business and what rake they managed to step on. Healthy life advice and stories written in simple language.

No lengthy reflections - on every page on the advice. The book teaches you to create a business from scratch, bargain, assign salaries to friends and not count other people's money.

23. “To hell with everything! Take it and do it!”By Richard Branson

About the author: Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, a corporation that brings together companies from a wide variety of industries, from air travel to radio and television. The businessman's fortune is 5 billion US dollars.

About the book. The endless optimist Richard Branson does not sit still. All his life he created something and continues to do it, from time to time shocking the audience. This book is a manifesto for the joy of risk taking and the motivation to take action.

Branson argues that you just need to forget about your fears and your shortcomings: education, skills, self-confidence - to hell with it! You just need to start and everything will work out.

24. How to Work Four Hours a Week by Timothy Ferris

About the author: Timothy Ferris is an American businessman. Leads master classes for aspiring entrepreneurs. Author of several successful business books.

About the book. Timothy Ferris talks about a generation of "new rich" - people who forgot about the schedule from 8:00 to 17:00. And they devote less time to work, and more to travel and life itself.

The book motivates people to forget about savings and retirement in old age and start living in the present day. After all, you can manage your business from any country and at any time, without tormenting yourself with routine.

25. Clients for Life by Carl Sewell & Paul Brown

About the authors: Carl Sewell is the owner of a large US car dealer company, who managed to increase its income 25 times. American writer and screenwriter Paul Brown helped him write the bestseller.

About the book. A successful businessman gives the main instructions for entrepreneurs: how to get regular customers and increase sales many times over. He puts the main emphasis on conscientiousness and quality of work.

Using his business as an example, Sewell also explains how simple emotional connections and changes in the company work to improve communication with customers.