Best Books for Small Business Owners
Here are some of Ramon Ray’s favorite books on small business success. These books will help you with marketing, finances, operations and mindset.
Ramon Ray is unapologetically positive and high-energy. He’s a 5x serial entrepreneur who has sold 3 companies and authored 5 books, including “Celebrity CEO”. Ramon is an in-demand motivational speaker and thought leader on small business growth, marketing and personal branding.
1. Traction – Get a grip on your business, Gino Wickman
Traction covers the fundamentals and operating principles of scaling your business without burnout, stress, and anxiety about the future. You MUST have systems and processes in your business so your business can WORK FOR YOU! This is the small business book you want on your shelf for sure!
2. The Common Path to Uncommon Success, John Lee Dumas
The Common Path to Uncommon Success is a masterful guide on using content to generate leads and profit. This will unlock the next level of content and marketing for new entrepreneurs. John Lee Dumas is one of the premier content creators of all time. He bares his simple steps to a wildly successful business. See our full book review.
3. How I Built This, Guy Raz
Inspiring, encouraging, you’re not alone. How I Built This, shows the journey of other entrepreneurs and chronicles the journey of people just like YOU. This book shows you that you’re not alone in the hustle and grind to build your business.
4. Profit First, Mike Michalowicz
Profit First unlocks the secret to being highly profitable, which is what we all strive for in business. Read this for next-level clarity on
how to ensure your business is a PROFIT center to enable you to THRIVE and SOAR. Must-read blueprint of business success!
5. The eMyth, Michael Gerber
The eMyth is a classic, ultimate book about running a business. It’s a rite of passage for entrepreneurs about small business growth, this is a must read for every business owner and especially new business owners. Before you start your business, ALSO read this book.
6. Entre Leadership, Dave Ramsey
Leadership and leadership mastery is everything. In Entre Leadership Dave Ramsey gives a complete roadmap to how to become a
successful leader and build your business. Hiring, marketing, finances and more are all included in this book.
7. They Ask You Answer, Marcus Sheridan
Sales are so important, and knowing how to answer your customers’ questions is the big focus of They Ask You Answer. Don’t sell blind, sell the right way. If you answer questions of your customers you’ll be a “must” resources for them and they’ll flock to you for answers and your solutions to their challenges.
8. The Million Dollar One-Person Business, Elaine Pofeldt
The Million Dollar One Person Business teaches you how very small companies can make a big impact. Need more confidence, clarity, and
awareness about the TRUE value of your small business? This book is for you if you want to be inspired that very small companies can do big things.
9. This is Marketing, Seth Godin
Seth unpacks the core principles of what marketing is all about beyond the tactics of what people traditionally see marketing as. This Is Marketing will change your view on marketing forever. Marketing IS NOT about the tools it’s about first and foremost THINKING.
10. Turning the Fly Wheel, Jim Collins
The key to business success is not a single innovation or one plan. It is the act of turning the flywheel, slowly gaining momentum and eventually reaching a breakthrough. Building upon the flywheel concept introduced in his groundbreaking classic Good to Great, Jim Collins teaches readers how to create their own flywheel, how to accelerate the flywheel’s momentum, and how to stay on the flywheel in shifting markets and during times of turbulence.
11. The Widest Net, Pamela Slim
Do you think you know your ideal customer? Think again. Many businesses create an ideal consumer profile―aiming all their sales and marketing efforts towards this single type of person―and end up missing out on endless opportunities to sell their services or products.
Award-winning business coach, speaker and author Pamela Slim has helped thousands of entrepreneurs around the world start, sustain, and scale their businesses. In The Widest Net,she explains how to build strong diverse relationships, identify and connect with new partners, expand markets, generate leads, and find new customers in places you may never have considered.
12. The Self-Employed Life, Jeffrey Shaw
From the host of the wildly popular The Self-Employed Life Podcast comes a compelling guide for self-employed business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, on creating a purpose-driven, heart-centered lifestyle.
To be self-employed means more than employing oneself. It’s putting your entire self into your business with a willingness to grow personally and to take action towards building the successful life of your dreams.
13. Celebrity CEO, Start and build your Personal Brand, Ramon Ray
Every business owner can be a celebrity in their market. They can be an in-demand and sought-after source of solutions for their customers and future customers. To do this, first seek to build a community of fans, which you then can nurture to a sale. Seek to ask for a smile before you ask for a sale. Personal branding resources from Ramon
