There are zillions of books out there that claim to be THE last business book you will ever have to purchase. So we want to know, if you were stranded on a desert island (think Survivor meets the Apprentice) and could only bring one business book to start your business, what would it be and why?
Q: ENTREPRENEURS! HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BUSINESS NAME?
1.
Sorry – can't choose between Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.
Thanks to Rebecca Derrington!
2.
The only business book I have read and used every single day is The Greatest Salesman in The World by Og Mandino. It's an old one but a good one! Many business books are crammed with theories and case-studies and are both draining and time consuming to read. This little classic is tiny and gets you taking action straight away. Instead of just reading it once and putting it down and forgetting about it you read one short three page chapter twice a day. It's designed to seep into your sub-conscious and get you to change your habits and your attitude. If I was stranded on a deserted island I would write a book to show everyone how by following Og Mandino's advice I have changed my world.
Thanks to Dora Nikols!
3.
Loosing My Virginity by Richard Branson. By far the best business book I've ever read. In fact I've read it 4 times. Each time I read it, I always pick up some new ideas to bring to my business. It has helped me see that if a young 15 year old can launch a student magazine, then a record label, then an airline, there is strickly no excuse for the rest of us not to aim for the stars. Hey, even Richard Branson is aiming for the stars these days with Virgin Galactic space flights.
Thanks to Tony Tanevski!
4.
The best business book I've ever read is the Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. If you operate from this philosophy in business, people will conspire for your success as much you as conspire for theirs. The rest is just operational.
Thanks to Sally Castle!
5.
I think if I was stranded, I would not particularly be reading a business book. But if I was going to I would bring “The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success.”
Thanks to Jacob Young!
6.
Marketing for Dummies written by Carolyn Tate. Why ? Because she has a straight forward, easy to read, cost effective approach with fantastic low-cost marketing ideas. She writes as she speaks. I have attended one of her marketing workshops and have been hooked on marketing ever since. She just has a way of getting you think creatively and the best thing is that a lot of the strategies are extremely cost effective.
Thanks to Linda Taneja!
7.
Best book I ever read – because it made so much sense at the time. Click Here – by Rich Evans. Definitely a must read for people entering the world of eCommerce.
Thanks to Alija Fiebiger!
8.
What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School This is the most practical and factual business book I've ever read. I still re-read certain parts of it every few months to get another grounded and realistic view on certain business situations. It covers everything from negotiations to client management, and it's written in a very easy to read and down to earth tone. This is definitely one that applies to every entrepreneur, and never gets old. Great for a desert island!
Thanks to Jeremy Liddle!
9.
Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson – When it comes to business, this book should be required reading. It's all about building the foundations and creative ways for business owners to creatively market their business. It was one of the first books I bought on marketing and to this day is still a staple I go back to when I want to get creative. When it comes to business, marketing is the most important thing you need to learn and this book is “University” in a couple hundred pages.
Thanks to Ely Delaney!
10.
The Art of War is the ONLY book that matters.
Thanks to Karen Davis!
11.
The best business book that I have read, by far, is Jim Collins’s Good to Great. It boils down, with empirical evidence and not just anecdotes that any author can cherry pick, the traits that great companies have. My partners and I have adopted the lessons that we learned from this classic book in improving how we do business.
Thanks to Michael J. Zwick!
12.
Maverick by Ricardo Semler opened my eyes to the fact that there are alternative and effective ways of running an organization. Let employees choose their own salaries, working hours and holidays? It worked for Semco. Allow the workers to choose their bosses? That worked too. Not surprisingly, many managers feel threatened by Semler's version of industrial philosophy, and many people prefer to work under a traditional management structure. But Semler seems to have hit on the recipe for building organizations populated by self-motivated people who are willing to be held accountable. Maverick isn't just a ‘business book'. It's a great story of a company's transformation under extremely difficult economic circumstances. A nice pick-me-up for those dull days on the desert island.”
Thanks to Alistair McCaskill!
13.
I would definitely take The E-Myth, a wonderful book that helps you understand the trinity of business creation – entrepreneurialism, management and technical aptitude. I first read this when I was doing the Women in Business Mentoring Program through Westpac. It lead me to create my first website business, an online communication portfolio directory for media professionals called Communicationgame.com, borne out of my original need to source and research different experts when I was a magazine editor. It helped me for the second time when I created my subsequent and current business, It's In The Stars.
Thanks to Elizabeth Ball!
http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com
14.
The best business book is: Business Model Generation. Read it in early 2010, and it has made me re-focus and question the path we were going back then. Now we are going in a new, exciting direction…
Thanks to Gretha Oost!
15.
Who Moved My Cheese – is a great book – it fits with all the companies I have worked for and I have given this book to most of the people I have worked with – especially Managing Directors. You view your work colleagues in a different light and it gives them a perspective to say, yes, this is who I am in that book and they will either stay that way or change. I have extra copies on my book shelf to give away when I believe someone needs a new perspective.
Thanks to Deboraa Neaves!
16.
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Another great book you might want to check out is "Totally American" Harnessing the Dynamic Duo of Optimism and Resilience to Achieve Success. This is a great motivational book written by combat veteran Dan Smee & psychologist Shoba Sreenivasan that shows you how to tap into resilience and optimism to achieve success.