No doubt, entrepreneurs are great readers. As a result, authors publish hundreds of best selling business books that have become best sellers of all time. Reading them all is practically impossible, but great business books last the test of time.
Besides, these business books stay relevant even after years of publication. Entrepreneurs take on reading business books of best sellers simply to level up their games.
Whereas picking the best out of the various books can be a daunting task. This list has no particular order but simply helps entrepreneurs pick the bestsellers’ all-time best books.
The majority of the best business books in this bestsellers category are according to reliable book reviews. Here is a list of the all-time best 50 must-read business books in the bestsellers category for entrepreneurs in 2021.
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50 Must-Read Best-selling Business Books for Entrepreneurs of all time
1. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss
This book makes this list because it captures the best business pieces of advice, startup tips, and life experiences.
Besides, the book draws a lot from the all-star guest of Tim’s podcast. The guest list features Malcolm Gladwell, Edward Norton, Ray Dialo, and many more.
According to the book review, the author is “a multi-New York Times bestselling author of the 4-hour Workweek”.
Tim learned from all these great people from all works of life featured on The Tim Ferris Show. Presently, the show has over 100 million downloads.
Tim Ferris is an American author, a public speaker, an investor, and a podcaster. He is also an author of one of the all-time best business books for you.
Besides, the book is an insight into everything Tim Ferris learned from interviewing over 300 world’s most recognizable figures.
He shares some of his biggest lessons from top performers on his show through this book.
2. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Remember that Malcolm Gladwell is one of the authors that had been on Tim Ferris’s show. Outliers ask the question: why are people successful? In this book, the multi-bestselling author,
Malcolm Gladwell focuses on successful people and reveals how they achieved their goals. It is an evaluation of how these individuals achieve an unprecedented level of success.
Besides, Malcolm also makes a case for opportunity and timing as an essential part of success. He argues that success boils down to opportunity and the utilization of time on practising one’s craft.
In other words, this book also presents the necessary components to discover meaningful work. This compilation of best business books in the bestsellers category is a must-read for every entrepreneur.
3. Company of One: Why staying small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
In the Company of One, Jarvis explains what it means to become a company of one practically. In other words, the book expounds on how to run and manage several small-scale businesses successfully.
Besides, the business world is full of advice encouraging entrepreneurs to get investor funding and a billion revenue. However, this book advises focusing on building a strategically purposeful one-person business that lasts.
This book presents a realistic view for entrepreneurs to build a self-funded, profitable, and enjoyable business.
“Company of one is a treasure trove of business tips, ideas, and suggestions on how to start the business of your dream and then un-think the typical business model to reach your ultimate goal of staying small.”
– Rita Lorraine Hubbard
4. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
This book, originally written in 2001 by Jim Collins, remains relevant today. It is a timeless piece.
Good to great is a management book that describes a company’s transition from being just right to a great company. It also adds the reason behind most company’s failure to make that transition.
Good to Great business book is a bestseller with over four million copies in print. If you ever want to build a business of your own, this book is a must-read.
More so, this is a great choice among the best seller business books of all time for entrepreneurs.
5. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
This book, “Deep Work” presents principles to help you eliminate distractions on a demanding task. it is particularly helpful in a world where it is easy to lose focus and deviate.
“Deep work… a professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.”
Cal Newport
6. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Start with why it is a product of a TEDTalk by the author, Simon Sinek. The book answers why some organizations are more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others.
The leadership book shows that leaders with the most significant influence worldwide think alike and are different from everybody else.
It presents a motivational approach to anyone who seeks to stand tall and get inspiration. For anyone looking for motivation and inspiration for a groundbreaking idea, this book is a must-read.
7. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horrowitz, the author, is an American businessman, investor, and blogger. Besides, his book is one of the all-time best business books available for reading.
For several years, he gave compelling business advice on his blog and shared experiences about successful startups. In this book, Horrowitz compiled most of his original write-ups into a grand narrative.
More so, the book is on how to peregrinate through difficulties when starting and growing a business.
8. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
Another bestseller from Cal Newport who questions the narrative should follow Passion when choosing a career path. This book, among many all-time great books for 2021, can help you achieve great things.
Furthermore, he claims that a person’s natural talent and refined skill should determine a career path, not their Passion.
9. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As if Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
Voss is a former FBI hostage negotiator with vast negotiating experience from facing off against armed robbers and terrorists.
In Never Split the Difference, he shares his experience and skills that brought success.
Furthermore, he favours the implementation of negotiation strategies into business to succeed as an entrepreneur.
10. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to build the future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
Peter Thiel is the co-founder of PayPal, the founder’s fund, and the first investor in Facebook. Thiel believes we live in an age of technological stagnation because of the blindness of shiny objects and new gadgets.
There is more to innovation than what is in the world now. According to him, the critical point is learning to think for yourself and creating a unique idea.
Zero to One is a layout on how to train yourself to be an innovator. Besides, Thiel shows how we will find distinct ways to make new things.
Why won’t you consider your option among the best business books for your 2020 bestsellers category?
11. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
How do companies create successful products that people love?
Why do some products become popular while others get little or no attention?
What makes people engage in certain products out of habits? Hooked, as a book, answers the preceding questions. In Hooked, Eyal explains The Hook Model, four-step process successful companies follow in creating products.
In other words, it expounds on the process that glues consumers and brings them without expensive advertising.
12. Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
In Traction, authors Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares argue that business success depends on consistency.
And that that consistency must be in ways to acquire new customers for your product or service.
Besides, this all-time business book is vital for any startup looking to stay ahead of the curve and build a user-based business.
With insights from over 40 successful startup founders’ interviews, Traction is a tool for startups to generate incredible customer growth.
13. The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
The Personal MBA has a design to help entrepreneurs learn the act of business on their terms.
Josh Kaufman frowns against the formally taught Masters in Business Administration program. He argues that MBA programs are a waste of money and time.
The Personal MBA educates the reader about taking business actions on your terms at a low price. As a result, this book presents an alternative to the traditional Masters in Business Administration program.
14. Choose Yourself! Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream by James Altucher
James Altucher faces the reality of the world we live in, where there are no guarantees for anything. For a start, Choose Yourself opines that there is no certainty or whatsoever.
So, Altucher wants you to believe in yourself as that is the key to uncovering potentials in this world. The message of this book is straightforward: if you want a changed life, change you.
It provides tools to take full control of your life.
15. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Dad Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! By Robert T. Kiyosaki
Rich Dad Poor Dad is a self-acclaimed #1 best personal business and finance book of all time.
Kiyosaki advocates that financial independence is only attainable through investment in assets, real estate, and starting up and owning a business.
Besides, he states investing in things that generate income helps to grow rich and sustain wealth.
16. What If It Does Work out? Turn your Passion into cash, make an impact in the world, and live the life you were born to by Susie Moore
The book motivates you to begin that side hustle for which you have always had Passion.
Besides, you can navigate through the fear of failure and doubt to start a business.
Besides, readers must realize the value of all-time best business books among the bestsellers of the year.
“Having a sense of meaning and purpose is key to a thriving lie. Susie Moore not only helps you discover your own purpose but offers a practical guide to making it the driving force in your life and work.”
– Arianna Huffington.
17. The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win by Jeff Haden
The Motivation Myth is a guide on how to find and maintain the motivation to achieve incredible things. Meanwhile, you should include this book among the best selling business books of all time.
18. Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg
Here is another excellent book to help increase your productivity. It offers new ways to be productive.
In summary, Smarter Faster Better provides tools to aid your decision-making process. So, when you check out the bestselling business books of all time on your shelf, you should find this book.
Charles Duhigg’s goal-setting methods shift importance to achieving small goals that eventually lead to the bigger ones.
19. The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage by Daymond John
Do you take inspiration from stories about how great entrepreneurs rose from small beginnings to fame?
Then, The Power of Broke is a must-read for you as you start a business from scratch.
Daymond John shares how starting a business broke forces you to be creative and use limited resources diligently.
It is a great lesson to use what you have at your disposal to achieve extraordinary results. The truth is, that is the actual test of excellence.
20. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
I first stumbled on this book with a friend during a night study session. So, all I could do was take a quick scan to see the whole idea of the book.
Since then, the book has challenged me exceptionally. In this business book, Duhigg explores the science between habit creation and reformation.
He explains the reason behind habit creation and how good habit creates positive results. Also, the book gives a platform to help create success-driven habits that birth excellence.
21. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point explores the personality behind viral trends in business, marketing, and human behaviour.
In other words, individual personalities push ideas to the tipping point.
In this book, Gladwell discusses what these personalities do to find the tipping point. It also suggests strategies on how to replicate their success.
22. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
If there is anyone sure person to learn business relationships from, it is Dale Carnegie.
In this book, Dale provides readers with tested strategies to relate with people and manage relationships.
It further discussed how to get people to agree with your idea, a vital skill in entrepreneurship.
It’s a guide on leadership and ways of becoming a better manager.
In other words, this is a great choice among business books for the bestsellers library category.
23. Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
The Purple Cow is a metaphor for something outstanding.
Godin shares strategies on how to make your business remarkable. So, if you wish to stock up the best selling business books of all time, include Purple Cow.
In summary, he believes creating something remarkable is the critical strategy for an outstanding business.
24. Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations by William Ury
William Ury is the co-founder of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and a specialist in negotiation.
Getting Past No presents numerous techniques to use in negotiation. The author has a strong reputation in one of the top colleges in the world.
It’s an excellent deal for mastering the art of selling and closing a successful deal.
25. The Secret to Success: When You Want to Succeed as Bad as You Want to Breathe by Eric Thomas
This business book is an autobiography that depicts the rise from grass to the grace of the author.
The Secret to Success includes advice for people who want an improvement in their life situation.
Besides, it presents a motivational front mirroring the author’s rise to where he is today.
26. The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs by Kevin D. Johnson
Kevin D. Johnson laces this book with the notion that an entrepreneur’s mind is different from others.
If you hope to reach the highest level as an entrepreneur, you need to think with the entrepreneur mindset.
On this basis, he presented 100 characteristics of what he considered essential for entrepreneurs to learn to become successful.
27. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling.
This business book discusses the Four Disciplines of Execution for translating your strategy into action. Besides, the authors recommend procedures your business can adopt to accomplish these disciplines.
You can explore this book as one of the best business books among the bestsellers to read in 2020.
28. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 emphasizes the importance of EQ as a necessary asset for developing a formidable character.
In more straightforward terms, the business book lays out step-by-step procedures to improve your EQ.
Another fascinating thing about the book is the opportunity to take online assessments to track your EQ development.
While reading the book, you can follow a challenge over developing your EQ in reading.
29. The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer
Erin Meyer in The Culture Map seeks to help entrepreneurs solve the issue of culture-inappropriateness in business dealings.
The book also raises awareness of cultural problems one could encounter in business outside the locale of familiarity.
The Culture Map is one of the best business books that fall into the bestsellers category in 2020.
30. Small Business, Big Vision: Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right by Adam and Matthew Toren
Small business, Big Vision, is an essential book for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors.
This book is for entrepreneurs looking to go big without risking a lot of capital on market tactics.
31. The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
The whole book idea centres on building a big vision, focusing, and then taking steps towards achieving your dream.
Don’t deprive yourself of highly-rated business books among the bestsellers of 2020.
32. Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future by Leonard A. Schlesinger, and Charles F. Kiefer
Just as the title says, Just Start is the book that gives you the encouragement or inertia to begin the business.
It takes a different approach from conventional business advice that demands in-depth planning and focused market research.
Alternatively, the book urges readers to start and not be too cautious about a perfect starting condition.
The book expounds on life examples from entrepreneurs that embarked on business journeys without formal planning. It’s merely banking your success or loss on the experiences in the course of action.
33. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
Phil Knight, the founder of the famous Nike brand, authored this business book.
This business book tells his story of creating the iconic brand with $50 borrowed from his father.
What a remarkable story!
There are great options for the best business books among the bestsellers available in 2020. Again, the story provides great inspiration for entrepreneurs or anyone looking to go into business.
34. Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results (Volume 1) by Stephen Guise
If you struggle to meet your life goals, this book is for you. You will learn from Mini Habits how to grow by taking one step at a time.
The message from this book is to start by aiming at what is in front of you. By the time you achieve that, then you can go for the higher one and progress.
Guise charges readers to improve their mini habits to reinforce their more significant habits.
35. 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead Is You by Rebecca Halstead
Rebecca Halstead, a former United States Army, shares her leadership experience and lessons learned in the field.
24/7 is a leadership character-building book for would-be leaders in the world of business.
36. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone
Cardone believes the key to success in this business book is setting massive goals and taking massive actions towards them.
Furthermore, the 10X Rule teaches the importance of self-marketing and having a strong portfolio.
Which of these best business books in the bestsellers category will you choose for your 2020 library?
37. The Social History of the Machine Gun by John Ellis
The first edition of this book dates back to 1975, but the relevance is not lost.
Besides, the book demonstrates an ongoing fight between new original thinkers and those who resist change.
38. Virtuous Leadership by Alexandre Harvard
This business book demonstrates how virtue is essential to good leadership.
At the same time, it bases leadership on virtue and the ability to develop such needed integrity.
39. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
Originals business book aims at bringing out the creativity in you to battle conformity. Therefore, this book is a perfect choice among best seller business books of all time.
Adam Grant shows you how to become a non-conformist and achieve remarkable success.
Originals are one of the fascinating books as bestsellers for entrepreneurs in 2020.
40. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20: A Crash Course on Making Your Place in the World by Tina Seelig
Growing up is a journey of continuous learning. In comparison, this learning process of a generation ahead can rub off on the oncoming age.
This impact is the central idea of this book, which is applicable beyond business. Tina Seelig provides inspiring pieces of advice for all business enthusiasts in this business book.
41. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs represents an outstanding icon of success in tech products and is synonymous with Apple Inc. This business book uncovers the biography of the late Apple co-founder’s professional and personal life.
Therefore, you can expect to find highly challenging stories of success and failures in this book. Isaacson conducted a series of interviews with Steve Jobs and his acquaintance before his death.
As a result, this book is a compilation of such experiences of over 40 years.
42. The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
This business book covers a plan for paying off your debt and becoming financially independent. Moreover, entrepreneurs like to include this book among the best selling choice of business books of all time.
It also teaches how to manage money better, providing cases of individuals who have followed the book judiciously.
43. Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age, It’s a Financial Number by Chris Hogan
Chris Hogan looks at the perfect time for retirement from finance.
He argues that retirement should not be a factor of age when you stop working. Checking Retire Inspired will convince you to include it among the best selling business boos of all time.
Instead, see it as the point where you set aside sufficient finance to last you the rest of your life.
44. 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More by Perry Marshall
Perry Marshall refers to the 80/20 marketing principle as a law of nature. Also, it applies to many aspects of life.
Moreover, the 80/20 principle states that you can save 80% of your efforts by concentrating on 20% of your market.
Besides, this book provides a practical guide on the application of the 80/20 principle in business.
45. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by James Afremow
This business book has an athlete perspective that applies to your life as an entrepreneur. besides, it is one of those great best selling business books of all time.
In other words, it concentrates on improving your performance and reaching an excellent psychology level.
46. Developing the Leader within You by John C Maxwell.
John C. Maxwell is one of the most stunning authors with a leadership focus. Trust me, Developing the Leader within You is a good book for leadership lessons.
Another fantastic feature of this book is the answer it provides for leadership questions in our society. For instance, this book defines what a good leader is and the traits of leadership.
Also, it goes ahead to discuss the relationship between employees and leaders.
47. Crushing It: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can Too by Gary Vaynerchuk
This business book provides a guide for building your path to professional and financial success.
In other words, Crushing It can inspire you to do great things in business.
48. The Lean Startup: How today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Business by Eric Ries
The Lean Startup provides a new way of managing successful startups. Besides, it promotes innovative ways to validate a business idea or modify the business.
Moreover, these 50 business books play a vital role in your success story, and here is the bestsellers category.
49. Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALS Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
As an entrepreneur, developing your leadership skill is an essential factor in the success of your business.
The book, Extreme Ownership shows the leadership lessons from the authors on the battlefield.
Also, it practically tells how to apply these lessons to real-world situations, especially in business.
50. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
The influence dates back to 1984, an essential book for marketers and others to build marketing skills.
Besides, it discusses the principle of persuasion and how to use it in your favour.
Also, it teaches the mastery of business principles and identifying when these principles are working against you.
Final Words on Best Business Books [2020 Bestsellers]
On a final note, the 50 books above were the most outstanding bestsellers must-reads in 2020.
No matter what level your business is, reading is sure to continue improving for better results.
Meanwhile, don’t forget that Readers are Leaders!
Feel free to drop reviews and comments below about the books and how they have helped you.
I love the deep insights and the exposition. The whole 50 books are worth the mention especially Outliers. I love that book.