Looking for a compelling business book to read this holiday season? Something that will give you a fresh perspective, a dose of inspiration and a couple of ah-ha moments to guide you into 2024. Look no further – we’ve curated a list of great business books for business owners!
To help us compile the list we reached out to some of our esteemed experts from the Owner Manager Program to share their top book recommendations specifically for business owners…
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.
Love Elon Musk or hate him, Walter Isaacson has crafted an extraordinary business book detailing the evolution of the organisations inspired by Musk. Whilst the antics of Musk make for entertainment, the story of how Tesla, Space-X and X teams tackle the challenges of launching a new business is instructive. How they negotiate the crises of innovation, finance, engineering and marketing to develop successful products and profitability is a lesson—and motivation—for any entrepreneur. Highly recommended.
Recommended by Sven Hansen | Founder, The Resilience Institute
The Private Equity Playbook by Adam Coffey
An easy to read and accessible guidebook for Business Owners who may be considering the PE route to grow or exit their business. The biggest mind-shift is to think of oneself less as a Business Owner and more as a Business Investor in order to navigate a path to greater financial freedom and success.
Recommended by Damien Rossi | Director, FOUND
Magic Words by Jonah Berger
In a world drowning with information being an effective communicator is a superpower. Backed by science, Magic Words – is exactly that. Words to use to increase impact, cut through and buy-in when communicating.
Recommended by Pippa Gardner | Director, PG Communications
When Machines Become Customers by Don Scheibenreif and Mark Raskino
“When Machines Become Customers” provokes crucial conversations for business leaders, offering insights into navigating the evolving landscape of machine customers. It is highly recommended for executives, technology leaders, and those seeking to understand and capitalise on this transformative trend.
Recommended by Michael Field | Partner, EvettField Partners
Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention by Johann Hari
A great book, a bit repetitive, but really interesting to see how technology has changed our brains and limits our ability to concentrate on the task at hand.
Recommended by Rob Douglas | Program Director, Australian Owner Manager
The Last Lecture: Lessons in Living by Randy Pausch
My go to book is – The Last Lecture. Is it technically a business book perhaps not. However, in the world of business ownership considering why you are doing what you are doing and considering the family in amongst all of that – I don’t believe you can go past this book to remind ourselves what it is all about and how short a story it can be.
Recommended by Alan Scott | Director, Asmosys
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
A must-read for business owners!
Recommended by Rob Ashley | Business Advisor
Leadership hacks by Scott Stein
The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything by Patrick Lencioni
Neil was already on vacay at the beach when we asked for his recommendations, but that didn’t stop him adding his top two books for business owners – straight from his deck chair!
Recommended by Neil Paulsen | Director, Paulsen & Associates
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