5 Must Read Books for Online Entrepreneurs

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The Internet has reduced the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs. Starting an online business can be done with a low cost, low effort strategy – or even no strategy at all. While this may be a good situation for the hopeful entrepreneur, it has the tendency to create businesses run by someone with no business experience or training. He may be elite in his own field, but running a business requires more than just a skill.

For experienced business men and women, venturing onto the Internet might be foreign territory. Running a business where you meet customers face to face is drastically different than one where the customer is an anonymous name among countless others. The interactions that take place on a website bear virtually no resemblance to those inside a brick and mortar store. If you are already experienced and successful in the online business field, you understand the importance of continually learning.

There is an insurmountable supply of freely available information on the Internet. Sorting through the muck and mire to identify quality resources is not always easy to do. Sometimes it’s just easier to turn to a trusty, reliable book. For online entrepreneurs, whether experienced or wet behind the ears, these five books are must reads if you want to get the most out of your business and your experiences.

Crush It – Gary Vaynerchuk

Crush It tells Gary Vaynerchuk’s story about turning his passion into a successful online business. Isn’t that the dream of every entrepreneur? From the mouth of the man who single-handedly revolutionized the online wine industry, you will learn how to boost your sales on the Internet via personal branding, social media, and conference marketing.

Inbound Marketing – Dharmesh Shah & Brian Halligan

The idea behind Inbound Marketing is that the average consumer has learned to block out traditional marketing types, where you reach out to them via cold calling, television ads, and direct mail. Meanwhile, there are thousands or even millions of potential customers looking for a service like yours. Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan literally created the phrase “inbound marketing” and the ideas behind it. Learn straight from the source how you can benefit from a changing marketplace.

Rework – 37Signals

The team at 37Signals has changed the way people work online with their industry leading software and services. They gratefully share the wisdom behind the savvy with a series of inspirational and practical essays that comprises their best-selling book, Rework. Recommended by nearly every successful online entrepreneur, you can’t afford to miss out on this one.

The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

This book is unlike any other book you will ever read. Malcolm Gladwell takes a step back from society and examines it from the perspective that ideas and behaviours act like an outbreak of a disease. If you’re interested in change, or just examining how people and ideas operate then The Tipping Point is for you.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

For a book that is now 20 years old, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is still relevant in today’s very different culture. Stephen Covey challenges you to re-examine and change how you perceive the world. This change affects important aspects of your entrepreneurial life, such as time management and productivity. Don’t take the easy way out and look at this book as 7 quick tips. There is quality material hidden deep inside every chapter.

These 5 books will help you get focused and get out there. It would be unwise to say these are the only 5 books you should read. Regardless of where you are in your entrepreneurial growth, each of these books will teach you a valuable lesson to help you develop further.

Editor’s Picks

The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

By: Mike Michalowicz

50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs

By: Nick Tart

Never Get A “Real” Job

By: Scott Gerber

Smarter, Faster, Cheaper

By: David Garland

Delivering Happiness

By: Tony Hsieh

Have you read these books and have thoughts to share about them? What books do you highly recommend for entrepreneurs?