--- description: 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... title: These 10 Books Can Teach You the Basics of Business image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bbcd98aef0b418b/69885dd8e53aba33fe4deeb6/man-reading-book-page.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Careers & Workplace](/tag/careers-workplace/) ## Careers & Workplace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These 10 Books Can Teach You the Basics of Business by [BusinessCollective](/author/startupcollective/) ## BusinessCollective Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2015 9:00 PM CUT  Getty Images by [BusinessCollective](/author/startupcollective/) ## BusinessCollective Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 7, 2015 9:00 PM CUT  ## **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](http://www.weareboogie.com/ "undefined") **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](http://kulikulifoods.com/ "undefined") **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](http://www.sparkreaction.com/ "undefined") **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](http://socialflyny.com/press/ "undefined") **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](http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/19/health/la-he-online-support-20100419-17http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/19/health/la-he-online-support-20100419-17http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/19/health/la-he-online-support-20100419-17 "undefined") **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](https://angel.co/passage/activity#press "undefined") **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](http://www.furiouscorp.com/ "undefined") **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](http://www.julestaggart.com/ "undefined") **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](http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/11/5-wedding-experts-share-tricks-of-trade/slideshow/4/ "undefined") _BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North America’s most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners._ _This_ [_article_](https://businesscollective.com/10-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_BusinessCollective_](http://businesscollective.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3984227/business-basics-books/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3984227/business-basics-books/"},"headline":"These 10 Books Can Teach You the Basics of Business","datePublished":"2015-08-07T21:00:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:10.473Z","description":"Question: What is one great book to read on the basics of running a business? 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