I believe there are a handful of books that every creative entrepreneur should have on their bookshelf. It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate for continually pouring back into yourself and your business through quality education. And one of my favorite ways to do that is by picking up a good business or personal development book.

I love reading because it’s so incredibly accessible. I mean, where else can you connect with life-changing teachings or powerful world views without leaving the comfort of your home?

Reading is such an easy way to pour back into yourself without spending thousands of dollars or taking any big risks to uplevel your thinking or your business.

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of 1:1 mentoring and branding clients as well as with my group coaching program students and I’ve found there are some amazing resources out there that can help us grow our business on our own terms, simply by diving into a good book curled up on the couch in your favorite yoga pants. (And maybe a dog or two snuggled up by your side!)

So today, I want to share the five business books that I recommend every creative entrepreneur should read.

These books are applicable whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or new to your business. But I do believe these five books are transformative for those just getting started.

If you find yourself in a season where you are navigating your big dreams as a side hustle while putting in the 9-5 corporate job, then these books will absolutely help set you on the fast track to taking your dreams full time and giving you the systems and tools you need to succeed.

So without further ado, these are my picks for the five business books that every creative should have on their bookshelf.

#1 Do Over by Jon Acuff

The first book I recommend is called Do Over by Jon Acuff.

I love this book because the entire premise of Acuff’s writing is to help us reframe how we view failure or what hitting a bump in our career really means. He walks through how you can reclaim those struggles and turn them into something positive. How you can turn them into a Do Over.

I read this book years ago when I was traveling for work. I remember first diving into it at the airport and finishing it by the time my plane landed at it’s final destination. I absolutely loved it because it was the exact dose of optimism and practical tools to shift a negative mindset to one of possibility. And that was exactly what I needed.

If you ever find yourself wrestling with a drastic change in your career like maybe you and your business partner are going separate ways. Or you’ve been laid off from your job. Or maybe you’ve hit a ceiling in your business and are as far as you can go on your own. Well if that’s the case, this is a fantastic book to help you redefine what success can mean for you.

Acuff shows you all the possibility that can come even when seasons feel really rough.

I’m a big fan of all of Acuff’s books, but if you are just getting started in your business journey, then this book is what you need.

#2 Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Now the second book every creative entrepreneur must have on their bookshelf I actually recommend to my own branding clients and specifically to my design students inside The Brand Strategy School.

It’s a book that if I had the means, I would give every single person I know a copy. And that is Start with Why by Simon Sinek.

This is a book that I will continually sing praises about because it was not only transformative in my own business, but it’s also a foundational component of how I guide my clients through my signature brand development process.

Inside this book, Sinek dives into the reason why the brands we love, have loyalty to, and will work with time and time again succeed because they operate from a clearly defined place of why.

It’s not so much what they do or how they do it. But it’s more about why they do it that draws us to them, builds loyalty, and deepens connection that turns us from passive consumers to lifelong brand cheerleaders.

This is why I’m so passionate about challenging my own branding clients to dig deep into the why behind their work before we even start talking about beautiful color palettes or font pairings.

Because if we can understand why we do what we do, we have a real chance to craft a brand that resonates with our ideal clients authentically.

#3 Essentialism by Greg McKeown

The third book I definitely think needs to have a home on your bookshelf is Essentialism by Greg McKeown.

Actually, this is a book that my entire team is diving into on their own and I’ve loved it because it has sparked some amazing conversations recently about how we can pour into our highest points of contribution within our lives and within the work we do.

The premise of this book is how we can eliminate spending our energy in unnecessary pursuits. By refining where we’re spending our time and energy we can actually maximize our input into what McKeown calls “our highest point of contribution.”

If we can understand how we can be spending our time more strategically and intentionally in order to give us an opportunity to shine where we are most able and most equipped. Then we can eliminate a lot of unnecessary steps and wasted time within our day to day.

When reading Essentialism, I was really challenged to take some big steps to change the way I was living and the way I structured my business. So instead of spending all my energy going out in a million competing directions, I could focus my energy into one clear direction and as a result see bigger wins.

If you are visionary and feel your energy being spent in many different directions, then I want to encourage you to dive into Essentialism sooner rather than later! I can promise you it will transform the way you are experiencing profitability and productivity within your life.

#4 Traction by Gino Wickman

The fourth book I can’t say enough good things about is Traction by Gino Wickman.

You’ve heard me talk about this book in my roundup of the 5 best business books I read in 2018 and that’s with good reason. Diving into Traction gave me the confidence I needed to really take how I worked with my team to the next level.

This is a must read even if you are a solopreneur and rocking it by yourself. This book prepares you for some actionable steps to supercharge your team as you begin to add people to it or grow within your business.

I enjoyed Traction because it’s written so practically. You don’t have to spend hours dissecting what Wickman is saying or how to actually apply it to your business. Instead, Wickman makes it crystal clear what steps you need to take and in what order so you can begin to expect the results you need in your business.

Now let me just say, a practical book with action steps that lead to results is hands down my kind of book.

#5 Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

The last book I recommend you grab a copy of is Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.

Again this is another book I talked a lot about last year because it’s such a powerful way to build an overarching message within your brand that inspires more connection with your ideal clients and helps you see results because of that.

You don’t have to be a professional copywriter or brand strategist in order to reap the benefits of this book because Miller makes it so incredibly easy to follow the framework of his StoryBrand process so you can redesign your website, tailor your messaging and start organically connecting with your ideal clients on a consistent basis.

It’s an easy read and just like Traction, very action minded. It’s one of those books where it won’t just fill your head with strong theory, but will instead provide you with the exact action steps to take so you can apply this concept into your business.

The top five business books you must have on your bookshelf

So there you have it friends.

Those are the five business books that I really do think need to have a home on your bookshelf. I absolutely could have kept going here, but I want you to focus on the best types of content that can help you hit your goals in 2019.

If you dive into these books and need some help implementing what you’ve learned into your business, then I’d love to chat with you about making 2019 the year we make your big bright goals a reality. I’m accepting limited 1:1 mentoring spots for 2019 and I’d love to chat with you to see if my signature approach to investing in your business through 1:1 guidance could be a good fit.

Or, are you looking for something where you’re walking alongside my signature guided process with a group of like-minded entrepreneurs? Then my group coaching program, the Heartfelt Brand Society, is a perfect fit for you.

You can hop on over here to get all the details and be the first to know when our next group coaching session is announced.

P.S. To follow along with the women currently inside the Heartfelt Brand Society, hop on over to Instagram and follow the hashtag #heartfeltbrandsociety to stay up to date on all the fun as we gather here in Waco in the days ahead for our group retreat and as we share more behind the scenes of what it’s like to walk through this amazing journey side by side.

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