HBSA

If you are an entrepreneur, you know that applied knowledge = results.

That little formula makes things easy for us.  If we want more results, all we need is more knowledge and application.  Simple.

Here is a list of the 100 Best Business Books Of All Time – these are must-reads if you want to succeed and develop more knowledge to apply.  It was Jim Rohn that said “Poor people have big TV’s.  Rich people have big libraries”.

I completely agree.

I also found a resource for you to get these (and many other books) for free.  Check it out:

http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

We’re not affiliated with either of these sites, but we like ‘em both.  For getting free books, here’s how the program works:

- You ship out books to people who want your books.

- People ship out their books that you want.

It has a point system set up, so you basically get points by sending out books, and you use points to get books that you want from other peeps.  So if you have some books that you don’t like or will never read, why not trade ‘em in for quality books that you WILL read and apply?  (BTW, it works for more than just business books )

You may be saying “100 books?!  Where do I start?”

I’ve read most of ‘em on this list.  Here’s where I’d start for each category:

Self Improvement: “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Suess (seriously, I read this to my children…and myself…every week).

Leadership: “The Leadership Moment” by Michael Useem (9 great examinations of leaders in crisis moments.  Very insightful).

Strategy: “Only The Paranoid Survive” by Andrew Grove (Grove was the former CEO of Intel, shares his strategy in leading Intel through some of the most turbulent business times in history)

Sales/Marketing: “The Forbidden Keys To Persuasion” by Blair Warren.  It’s not actually on the list, because it’s not in print.  You may be able to find it in digital format, and if you can, spend whatever you have to get it.  Last I heard, Blair ws MIA.  Priceless work, IMHO.  For the list, grab Harry Beckwith’s Selling The Invisible.  Great stuff as well.

Rules And Scorekeeping: “The Balanced Scorecard” by Robert Kaplan & Peter Norton.  Great read on developing the metrics to measure the success of a strategy.

Management: “The Essential Drucker” by Peter Drucker. Phenomenal.  If you’ve never read Peter Drucker, go punch yourself now.

Biographies: “Titan” by Ron Chernow.  In case you’ve never read anything by Chernow, he has the uncanny ability to make history interesting.  This bio is on John Rockefeller Sr., founder of the Standard Oil company.  Fascinating portrait of the richest man in the history of the modern world.

Entrepreneurship: “Guerilla Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levinson.  Classic on developing a business with nothing but an idea and shoestrings.   Some of the tactics have changed, but the principles remain the same.

Narratives: “The Smartest Guys In The Room” by Bethany McLean & Peter Elkind.  Details the rise and fall of Enron.  Seriously interesting stuff, and good word to all you would-be stock investing trillionaires.  Shows you how a company can blatantly lie about earnings and revs while suckin’ in investing dollars by the hundreds of millions.

Innovation & Creativity: “A Whack On The Side Of The Head” by Roger von Oech & George Willet.  Been showing peeps how to be creative since before I was born.

Big Ideas: “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman.  Brilliant (great stuff in there for parents too).

Takeaways: “What The CEO Wants You To Know” by Ram Charan.  Thoroughly explains the building blocks of business.  Everyone thinks their business and situation is special – a one-of-a-kind snowflake phenomena that is complex and difficult to understand.  Not true.  Every business succeeds or fails based on a very short list of critical factors.  Charan does a very good job of spelling this out.

Extra Credit (These didn’t make the list for some reason – maybe the list will get updated at some point)

“Think And Grow” Rich by Napoleon Hill.  If you haven’t read it, just read it.

“The Richest Man In Babylon” by George Clasen.  Amazing fiction that spells out the principles of building true, long-lasting wealth (regardless of how much or little you make).

“How To Be Rich” and “As I See It”, both by J. Paul Getty.  Insightful, humorous, and very informative.  These are two of my personal favorites.

So here you go – a wealth of knowledge, plus a way to get ‘em for practically nothing.  If you have a great book you’d like to recommend, simply post it up in the comments below.  Enjoy!