Taking the leap to start your own business takes passion, the belief that you can, and a whole lot of grit. But long-term success also takes some good advice from founders who've been there. Our CEO and Founder Brit Morin launched Selfmade, a 10-week virtual business course for women, to connect founders on the brink of starting or growing a business with the top female entrepreneurs, creatives, and investors in the country.
This week, as part of National Small Business Week, we're rounding up some of our favorite books, many written by our Selfmade coaches, to help you get ahead and reach your entrepreneurial dreams. Sometimes it takes just one nugget of advice to move you in the right direction. Read on for just that!
Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One By Emily Heyward
Heyward, a former Selfmade coach, is the Co-founder and Chief Branding Officer of Red Antler, a marketing and branding firm that has helped brands like Casper, Allbirds, Sweetgreen, and Everlane build a loyal following. Here, she takes you behind the scenes of how they did it and how you can reach more customers today.
The Money Manual: A Practical Money Guide to Help You Succeed On Your Financial Journey By Tonya B. Rapley
Money keeping you from really going for it? Rapley mentored our Selfmade students on how to get over their money fears. Learn her tricks of the trade on how to manage your money wisely as you embark on your creative journey.
It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage By Arlan Hamilton
Before Arlan Hamilton was a Silicon Valley VC she was on government assistance with no college degree. In this book, she argues that a privileged background, an influential network, and a fancy college degree are not prerequisites for success and inspires us all to defy other people's expectations.
Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success By Rebecca Minkoff
Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff built an empire by navigating the unspoken rules of business. Learn how she was able to become a successful and fearless designer and business owner without losing her creative edge.
LifePass: Drop Your Limits, Rise Your Potential - A Groundbreaking Approach to Goal Setting By Payal Kadakia
Pre-order this 2022 goal-setting manual and inspiring book from the founder of ClassPass, which is now a billion-dollar business.
Zero to One: Notes on Start-Ups, or How to Build the Future By Peter Thiel
The founder of PayPal who took the company public in 2002 and has invested in companies like LinkedIn, Yelp, SpaceX and Airbnb shares his wisdom on entering the startup world.
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses By Eric Ries
Many startups fail because they mismanage their funds or grow too big, too fast. This book offers a scientific approach for creating and managing a successful startup by being smart and efficient with your capital.
Break the Good Girl Myth: How to Dismantle Outdated Rules, Unleash Your Power, and Design a More Purposeful Life By Majo Molfino
Since the beginning of time, women have been taught to be "good" instead of powerful. Molfino flips the script and helps you build creative confidence while breaking free from disempowering myths that hold all of us back.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action By Simon Sinek
More than 56 million people have watched Sinek's TED Talk based on Start With Why, and after reading this book, you'll see why.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers By Ben Horowitz
One of Silicon Valley's most respected entrepreneurs offers essential advice on building and running a startup.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance By Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth interviewed dozens of overachievers and gathered insights from scientific research to conclude that it doesn't take a genius to grow a successful business—just a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance.
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers By Tim Ferriss
New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek,Ferriss interviewed more than 200 successful people, including celebs and athletes, on his namesake podcast to distill tools and tactics for what it means to be successful today.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
This wildly successful book by Daniel Kahneman, psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, explains the two systems that drive the way we think — from fast, intuitive, and emotional to slower, more deliberative, and more logical — and how we can tap into each to drive success.
Creative Confidence By Tom Kelley and David Kelley
IDEO founder David Kelley and his business partner/brother Tom Kelley show us that creativity lies within all of us. Learn how to tap into your creative potential in work and your personal life with simple principles and strategies that allow everyone to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems.
The Emotional Entrepreneur By Scout Sobel
Addressing the mental health aspects of running a business, Sobel shares 25 lessons to help Millennial and Gen Z entrepreneurs through the emotional challenges of launching, running, and scaling a business, such as fear, risk, uncertainty, and anxiety.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande
Love a to-do list? Then you'll love this book. Best-selling author Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist.
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box By The Arbinger Institute
This international bestseller exposes the surprising ways we ignore our true motivations and unwittingly sabotage our efforts toward happiness. Sound familiar? Then buy this book. ;)
Slicing Pie Handbook: Perfectly Fair Equity Splits for Bootstrapped Startups By Mike Moyer
Bad equity deals are pretty common. The Slicing Pie Handbook helps bootstrapped (and perhaps naive) startups make perfectly fair equity splits.
Originals By Adam Grant
Teach Me Something New guest Adam Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt... things all entrepreneurs face.
Think and Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill
This classic business tome was reintroduced for the 21st century (it was originally published in 1937!) and looks at what makes a winning idea. The new version looks at contemporary millionaires and billionaires with a fresh eye and voice while illustrating Hill's principles for success.
Have a business idea you want to get off the ground? Our Selfmade Fall session starts soon! Enroll here.
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
