One of the best descriptions of small business owners came from a speaker at an expo in DC: “People who work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week for someone else.” Even if you’re working a mere 50 hours, that doesn’t leave you much time for reading but the longer days of sunlight and the pool or beach are beckoning.
So put down your phone, close the laptop, and treat yourself to a book. If you need a rationalization, consider it business support time, because it is. The reads below can help you get motivated, learn a new marketing tactic or improve your productivity, maybe even all of the above.
Not all of the books are specific to small business but people I know and entrepreneurs like myself have found them helpful. Most, if not all, are available used (which means you may be able to buy from another small business). If you have a suggestion to share, please do!
So here’s your nine, listed in no particular order:
- You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. I love this book and go back to re-read a bit of it when I’m having a difficult day. Like the title says, it helps you reaffirm your value. It also encourages you to take risks and stick to your goals (despite the inevitable setbacks), and avoid what Sincero calls the Big Snooze.
- The One-Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Ken Blanchard, et al. Lisa Carey, a small business coach in Northern Virginia, recommends this book for those who have people working for them but still take on too many tasks (monkeys) themselves. By doing so, Blanchard says in Harvard Business Review, “You become a hassled manager and don’t feel very good about yourself. And you have workers who look to satisfy their needs elsewhere, because they feel underutilized and unappreciated.” So dodge the monkeys and pick up a copy.
3. The Lead Machine: The Small Business Guide to Small Business Marketing by Rich Brooks. If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll find yourself wishing you had found this book earlier but I think you’ll still find it helpful. 
As a big fan of SBDC and Ray Sidney-Smith (a walking encyclopedia on many of these subjects), I can’t say it’s everything entrepreneurs need to know about things like SEO and digital marketing, but it does address a ton of questions.
4. New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg. Numerous sales experts have penned great books on selling and business development but who has time to read them all? I chose this one because it offers practical, specific suggestions on the mechanics of prospecting. If you are putting off calls that could help your business or not getting any results from them, check out the tough love section on why folks fail at phone calls.
5. Speaking of tough love, check out The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It recommended by Eric Lentz, an Ohio-based software application developer. Author Michael Gerber “points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.” Who doesn’t need that?
6. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin. New York City photographer Pat Bates suggested this rather easy read (147 pages) by the famous marketing guru who has published other thought-provoking bestsellers. This one focuses on leadership and making change through building a tribe of people who share your passion. Godin tackles the common misperceptions and doubts people have about their leadership potential.
While the book drew some criticism for lacking substance and being repetitious, it also made it onto some “must read” lists, including Huffington Post’s 5 Books Every Changemaker Should Read.
7. She Means Business: Turn Your Ideas into Reality and Become a Wildly Successful Entrepreneur by Carrie Green. As founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association and winner of Great Britain’s Entrepreneurs’ Champion of the Year award, Green definitely qualifies as a go-getter. Largely aimed at motivating those who are just starting out, the book chronicles Green’s entrepreneurial journey and what she has learned. Thanks to Australian marketing strategist Hayley Robertson for suggesting this one.
8. Predictable Success Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track- And Keeping It There. Rita Foss, co-founder of Ironistic, a digital marketing company in Alexandria, recommended this book that delves into the seven stages that organizations experience. Praised as clear and engaging, this is on a Forbes must read list for “any business trying to grow, or a business that has lost its way.”
9. Social Media ROI: Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in Your Organization by Olivier Blanchard. Bethesda video producer Pete Couste (who also heads the Independent Practitioners Section of the Public Relations Society of America) said he has found this book really helpful in measuring results.
The book drew high praise from a socialmedia.comreviewer, who liked the fact that the book not only addresses measurement how-tos, but also talks about integrating social media into a company’s processes and overcoming common objections to building a comprehensive SM program.
While it may feel that summer is slipping away, keep in mind that the first day of fall will not arrive for almost two months. To be precise, the autumnal equinox starts at 9:54 pm on Sept. 22 when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. That’s as scientific as I get – the Farmer’s Almanac people can explain it better. Bottom line – you still have time for a summer read. Enjoy.
