These 10 Books Can Teach You the Basics of Business

Question: What is one great book to read on the basics of running a business?

How to Win Friends and Influence People

“I highly recommend reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This book has helped me become a better communicator, which makes me a better manager, public speaker, husband and friend.” — Jacques Bastien, Boogie

The Art of the Start

“The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki provides practical tips on how to take a business from an idea to a reality. It provides sample pitch decks and other valuable materials that every CEO can learn from.” — Lisa Curtis, Kuli Kuli

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

“I just was recently given Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman and immediately started reading it. It’s great! It talks about the “secrets” of strengthening the six key components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company, which will give you and your leadership team more focus, growth and enjoyment.” — Josh Ames, SparkReaction

High Output Management

“High Output Management by Andrew Grove is an amazing book which I found very useful for improving my productivity and that of my team. Especially for first-time entrepreneurs, this small, concise book covers all the basics of management. It’s highly recommended!”

Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You

“I highly recommend reading Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by John Warrillow. It is a quick read and will give you a great understanding of the steps that you need to take to build a sellable business. The author breaks down the process into simple and easy-to-process steps.” — Courtney Spritzer, SOCIALFLY

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

“Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh was the best book I read when starting my company wasn’t specifically about running a business but more on the importance of why and how we run our company. The book talks about the importance of company culture and customer service. I ask for everyone we hire to read this book and remember WHY we are running our business and the importance of helping our customers.” — Aimee Kandrac, WhatFriendsDo

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

“Too often we’re encouraged to run businesses based on incremental improvements over the competition. In Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, Blake Masters and Peter Thiel scold that notion and urge the reader to think bigger and shoot for the stars. Too many brilliant minds are trying to figure out how to make their social feed more relevant when they could be working on breakthrough tech. That’s a reminder we could all use!” — Alex Linebrink, Passage

The Power of Habit

“I have made The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg part of my onboarding kit for my entire team. It is shows that greatness is achievable simply through consistency and tenacity. Smarts and skill are not enough; you’ve got to be willing to do the work and be adaptable. ” — Ashley Swartz, Furious corp

The Small Business Lifecycle: The No-Fluff Guide to Navigating the Five Stages of Small Business Growth

“Growing your business isn’t just about doing the right things — it’s about doing the right things at the right time. In The Small Business Lifecycle: The No-Fluff Guide to Navigating the Five Stages of Small Business Growth, Charlie Gilkey talks about how to understand where you are currently in the business lifecycle and how to take action to propel your business forward.” — Jules Taggart, Jules Taggart Marketing Strategy

The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

“The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan poses a simple question: what’s the ONE thing you can do so that everything else becomes easier or unnecessary? It helps clarify your business and focus things down to the biggest change agents, and it encourages you to keep your eye on the top priorities. I read it on my Kindle and loved it so much that I bought the hardcover version to reference again and again.” — Rachel Hofstetter, Guesterly // PR School

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This article originally appeared on BusinessCollective