For the past several years, I have read six books per quarter. During that time, I’ve read a ton of great books that have shaped my thinking and enlightened my management style as well as my life as an entrepreneur. Several employees have asked me for a book list of sorts, so I figured I’d toss it up on the blog, in case it’s of use to others. It was hard to narrow it down to 25, but here they are, in no particular order.

1. The Power of Positive Thinking — the all-time great by Norman Vincent Peale. The title says it all. This is a MUST read for all entrepreneurs. It changed me and the course of our business back in 2003.
2. Crossing the Chasm — a classic book by Geoffrey Moore (who is an advisor to our firm) that teaches how to take high-tech products to mainstream markets. I’ve read this book about a dozen times. Seriously.
3. The Richest Man in Babylon – rock-solid, enduring principles of investing and personal finance. There is serious wisdom packed into this little book.
4. Built To Last and Good to Great — okay, these are two books, but these Jim Collins masterpieces go hand in hand. Built to Last shows leaders how to create a company that deserves to be around for the ages. Good to Great teaches us the distinguishing traits of the best companies and their leaders.
5. The E-Myth — nobody has ever nailed life as a small business owner like Michael Gerber did in this classic. Business owners absolutely HAVE to read this book.
6. Magnetic Marketing — Dan Kennedy teaches entrepreneurs how to attract customers and effectively sell to them. He’s written a bunch of books, but this one is probably the best.
7. Duct Tape Marketing — another book on small business marketing. Practical, specific and cost-effective, the principles laid out by John Jantsch are awesome.
8. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdinni — Not only is he a professor at my alma matter (go Sun Devils!), but this book is KILLER if you want to understand why people buy… and how you should speak to him if you’re trying to sell.
9. Groundswell — the best book on social media. This book got our company to really start engaging in social media.
10. Made to Stick by Chip and Heath Beck — It’s about how to communicate ideas so that people remember. It’s great stuff for marketers, teachers, leaders, parents and anyone who wants to effectively convey their ideas.
11. One-Minute Manager — a simple, practical book that teaches all of us how to effectively manage our employees.
12. Getting Things Done — a masterful book on the tactics of being productive and removing the clutter in our lives. It’s not just time management. It’s about how to get organized and efficient.
13. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Great principles that lead to success. This is one that I re-read every so often to stay sharp on the concepts.
14. Gung Ho — if you want to create a great culture and build your people, this is a great little book to teach you how to do it.
15. First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths — These two books also go hand-in-hand. They show the strategic side of HR management. These books teach leaders how to get the most out of their people by discovering and dwelling on people’s strengths.
16. The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team — an awesome book that teams can use to work together more effectively. There are a bunch of exercises and concepts in this book that provide a methodology to help leaders progressively build and improve their team cohesion.
17. Mastering the Rockefeller Habits — gives a methodology for strategic planning that is very similar to what I learned in a previous life. I have incorporated a few of Verne Harnish’s suggestions into our planning at Infusionsoft.
18. The Tipping Point — Malcolm Gladwell’s book that discusses the dynamics of fads, trends and big concepts that seem to burst onto the scene. As I write this, I realize I need to re-read this book. It’ll be on my book list for Q2.
19. Banker to the Poor - the book by Muhammad Yunnus that details how micro-credit started and how it became a powerful force in leading people out of poverty. I love the concept of micro-credit and the way it gives birth to capitalism and entrepreneurship on a small scale. I will soon get more involved in micro-credit.
20. How to Win Friends and Influence People -- the Dale Carnegie classic that I try to re-read every couple years to stay sharp on the principles of being likeable.
21. Anything by Peter Drucker. He’s the leading philosopher on business management. I recommend The Effective Executive but all his stuff is outstanding.
22. Blue Ocean Strategy is a book about how to create value and maximize profit without competing head to head with others. How to avoid apples-to-apples comparison with competitors is the thrust of this book.
23. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is an oldie but goodie. It’s another one that’s indispensible for entrepreneurs because it helps us learn how to conceive and believe what we want to achieve.
24. The Holy Bible. Do I really need to expound here? So many pearls of wisdom, so much inspiration to live by, so much perspective on the big picture, I can’t imagine life without it. There’s a reason it’s the most-read book in the world.
25. The Book of Mormon. Like the Bible, it gives me the inspiration I need and the desire to be a better person, more like Christ. I’ve found that if I read a few verses of scripture every day, I have a much better day.

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