40 of the best books to read for business: Curated by category for your reading list

Bookmark these books for all things startups, strategy, marketing, mindset, leadership and productivity.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, transforming your career or levelling up your mindset, the right book could contain the hidden gem that gives you an edge in the marketplace. 

With thousands of titles out there, I’ve carefully curated a list of my favourite 40 books for anyone in business. These books aren’t lectures; they are time-tested, real-world insights you can apply no matter what your role or industry. Depending on your mood or motivations, these are organised by category and cover everything from strategies to systems, marketing to mindset. Bookmark this blog for ideas for the right book at the right time. 

Click the links to discover more of my top takeaways from these books in my reviews:

1.  Startups & Innovation

• Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert T. Kiyosaki
  Don’t work for money, have your money work for you. 

• The Lean Startup – Eric Ries
  Create and experiment. Learn from your efforts as early as possible. 

• Good to Great – Jim Collins
  Why some companies make the leap and others don’t.

2. Strategy

• Your Next Five Moves – Patrick Bet-David
  Learn to strategise like a chess Grand Master. 

• The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone
  A guide for dominating, not competing. 

• The 12 Week Year – Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington
  A complete paradigm shift for achieving more in 12 weeks than most do in 12 months.

• The Unfair Advantage – Ash Ali & Hasan Kubba
  Discover the hidden strengths that give you a competitive edge. 

3. Marketing, Sales & Social Media

• Start with Why – Simon Sinek
  People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. 

• The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing – Al Ries & Jack Trout
  Timeless marketing principles to win minds and market share in the long term.

• Permission Marketing – Seth Godin
  Replace interruption, attention-seeking marketing with earning trust instead. 

• Real Artists Don’t Starve – Jeff Goins
  Thrive as a creative who knows your worth.

• $100M Offers – Alex Hormozi
  Craft offers so irresistible that customers ‘feel dumb’ saying no.

• Oversubscribed – Daniel Priestley
  Create demand that outpaces supply 

• Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon
  The art of imitation. The things others don’t like to admit about creativity. 

• Show Your Work! – Austin Kleon
  Share your process, not just your product.

• The Diary of a CEO – Steven Bartlett
  Laws of business and life from a marketing guru, including filling your buckets in the right order. 

4. Communication

• Building a Story Brand – Donald Miller
  Learn the art of storytelling in business so customers actually listen. 

• The Bezos Blueprint – Carmine Gallo
  The secrets behind Jeff Bezos’ leadership in communication.

5.  Mindset

• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
  For something to be created on a physical plane, it must first be created on a mental plane.  

• The Science of Getting Rich – Wallace D. Wattles
  Learn how thought shapes financial success.

• The Obstacle Is the Way – Ryan Holiday
  Use Stoic principles to turn challenges to your advantage. 

• The Art of Work – Jeff Goins
  Discover your calling through meaningful work and learn to embrace painful practice. 

6. Motivation

• Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be – Steven Pressfield
  Overcome Resistance (with a capital ‘R’) and its many guises. 

• The Slight Edge – Jeff Olson
  Be willing to do the things other people aren’t willing to do.

• Limitless – Jim Kwik
  Unlock your brain’s full potential. Don’t just learn new things, learn how to learn. 

• The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle
  Talent isn’t born, it’s grown.

• Originals – Adam Grant
  How non-conformists drive change in business and culture.

7. Productivity & Focus

• Building a Second Brain – Tiago Forte
  When you first encounter information isn’t when you need it most - build a personal knowledge management system for your Future Self. 

• Tiny Habits – BJ Fogg
  Make big changes by starting incredibly small.

• Atomic Habits – James Clear
  Break bad habits and build better ones through small daily actions.

• Eat That Frog! – Brian Tracy
  Overcome procrastination by doing the hardest thing first. 

• Getting Things Done – David Allen
  Get things out of your head and into a system for mental clarity. 

• Digital Minimalism – Cal Newport
  Leverage technology for your optimal advantage - and no more. 

8.  Operations & Systems

• The EMyth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber
  Don’t work in your business, work on your business. Create systems that run themselves. 

• The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss
  How to automate, outsource and design a business around your lifestyle.

9.  Leadership

• Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
  How great leaders build trust and loyalty through service.

• Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
  A memoir from Nike’s founder. Discover the story of the brand that took the world by storm. 

• The Widow Clicquot – Tilar  J.  Mazzeo
  The true story of a woman who, centuries ago, revolutionised the champagne industry as we know it today. 

• What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School – Mark McCormack
  Real-world lessons in business, negotiation and street smarts.

10.  Networking & Relationships

• How to Talk to Anyone – Leil Lowndes
  92 standout tips for connecting confidently and building rapport fast.

The best books for business don’t just inform: they challenge, inspire, and unlock new ways of thinking. Whether you’re building something of your own, leading a team or simply investing in your growth, the right book can act as a mentor, mirror and mindset shift. Find the book that speaks to where you are now or where you plan to be.