In this post, you'll learn about 10 amazing books you should read as a solopreneur. Let's go!
Solopreneurship, what's that all about?
The definition of "solopreneurship" or a "solopreneur" is someone who owns and runs a small business "alone," i.e., freelance writers, digital content creators, web designers, artists, authors, etc.
Usually, solopreneurs work from the comfort of their home. However, travel can also be a big part of a solopreneur's lifestyle.
For me, solopreneurship is about balancing work and life. And having the complete control to do just that. It's about cultivating your future your way.
I started my solopreneur journey as an artist way back in 2006, as you may know, if you've followed me since the beginning.
At that time, I was creating and selling original artwork online (paintings). This was way before I discovered blogging for myself or even wanting to become a web designer.
Solopreneurs don't settle for anything much less than being able to have control over their destiny.
You might come across or hear many folks complaining about their situation. I hear it every day and not just in this business. People complain everywhere, on and off the web.
I have friends and even family that constantly drone miserably about their work situation.
But here's the thing and I get it, really I do.
It's much easier to complain than it is to take action and change your circumstance. It's certainly a lo less fearful.
That said, we all have the capacity to change our lives and our situation. It's really about how passionate you are about making that change happen.
Solopreneurs know exactly what they want out of life.
For the moderately successful solopreneur, every day feels like a Saturday because when work feels like play and you are in control of balancing work and life, nothing else really matters, right?
Money to pay the bills, all the time to spend with family, friends, and doing the things you love!
Sound's pretty awesome, doesn't it?
I wake up every morning thankful that I'm able to do make a living doing what I love the most. That's how I start my day by giving thanks.
Solopreneurship has given me back my freedom; I have complete control of my life and my destiny. Well, at least for now, but I'm also aware that my situation could change anytime. Which is why I'm thankful.
If you're reading this and want the life of freedom to work as a solopreneur, please understand one thing -
I didn't suddenly wake up and got here by chance or luck.
I didn't start my blog, write a few articles, and voila, a week later, I was successful. Not at all.
I know in my heart that I got here through passion, persistence, hard and smart work. I was dedicated and determined to make a small dent in my own universe—one day at a time.
Of course, I'm not rolling in piles of cash if that's what you think. I don't have a Lamborghini and a Tesla parked outside a five-million-dollar mansion. Nor am I living an extravagant lifestyle.
I'm a regular dude, father, husband, doing this blogging and online business thing and enjoying it while being rewarded for it.
So I beg the burning question to you...
Are you ready to take back control of your life too?
Are you ready to start building your equity, building a future for yourself, and have more time to spend with the people that really matter the most in your life?
Are you ready to become a solopreneur?
If you answered a big fat yes, great, let's get you started.
To get you on the right road, below you'll find 11 amazing and inspiring must-read books for solopreneurs.
Seriously, I owe my debt and gratification to these books; some of them have guided me through some very challenging times too. Now I want to share them with you, so wake up, read up, and get moving now!
I have been tuning into Pat Flynn's popular online business podcast for a long time now. Pat is an entrepreneur, blogger, public speaker, and podcaster.
Pat's blog is extremely popular, with over 150,000 active members, and of course, packed with some of the best content on the web for bloggers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
Pat considers himself to be the crash test dummy of online business, and so I absolutely recommend reading his book 'Will It Fly'.
This book is especially geared towards anyone serious about investing time and money into turning a business idea into reality.
Before you know what you're getting yourself into, and whether your business idea will be profitable or not, you need some guidance, and that's where Pat's book comes in.
Will It Fly will take you step-by-step, and help you plan, test, and really see whether your next awesome business idea will work or not.
If you're a solopreneur on a budget, this book is for you!
If your dream is to quit your boring and unfulfilling day job (or night job), work for yourself, and live a more rewarding lifestyle, start with a $100 Startup.
Not only is this book filled with actionable tips, ideas, and strategies to set you on the right track, but you're also presented with numerous fine inspiring examples of how ordinary folks have been able to start a business and become successful with it.
This book is both a motivational driver and a powerful guide rolled into one. It emphasizes that you don't need to be a University Graduate or throw tons of money down the drainpipe to get started. A book that is well worth your time.
This is one of the best books out there for all types of solopreneurs. I've read this book once and referred back to it several times.
The 4-Hour Work Week is unlike any book you will come across. It contains some fascinating concepts and strategies to help you work smarter.
This is not the easiest book to read, admittedly. Still, the information is valuable and comes from an entrepreneur who has found incredible success and is highly regarded in the entrepreneurial world.
Continuous innovation really matters in ensuring your business takes off and grows successfully, right?
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries will teach you, whether you're a solopreneur or an entrepreneur with a small company, how to test, adapt and adjust in building and managing your successful startup.
As anyone who's been there will tell you, a dream is only a dream unless you make a positive start. And this book has some valuable advice to share, so be sure to grab it.
Now, if the whole blogging thing is a bit of a mystery to you, fear not. Jason Wolf's book "The Blogging Black Book" will set you on the straight and narrow road to making sense of blogging.
In no time at all, you'll have learned everything you need to know about blogging, the types of blogs in existence today, how to structure your blog posts, headlines, content, images, and much more.
So, if you choose to use a blog for the foundation of your online business and have no idea what it's all about, check out this book.
There is no need for an introduction here. We all know who this man is and what he's achieved in the technology business.
That said, Elon Musk is a true inspiration. He founded and co-founded a host of successful companies, including PayPal.
If you didn't already know, Elon Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, a successful autonomous vehicle company that specialises in creating environmentally-friendly electric cars.
It doesn't stop there; Elon also founded SpaceX and dreams of sending people to Mars one day.
In his book, Elon shares his best lessons for life, business, success, and of course, entrepreneurship. If you're looking for a real book to inspire and motivate you or your company, especially in the current times, this is the book to read.
Now, I'm sure many of you will have heard of Gary Vaynerchuk, the founder of Vaynermedia. If not, then you have to check him out. Gary is an investor, entrepreneur, public speaker, best-selling author with a huge passion and great personality to match.
Gary is well aware of the internet's power and can often be found on many social media outlets preaching, sharing advice, talking in videos, educating others, and more. And that's exactly how he's been able to grow his brand and make a name for himself.
#AskGaryVee showcases some of the best questions and answers regarding leadership, social media, and self-awareness. An awesome book you'll love reading and having on your shelf.
Yet another favorite book of mine I'm recommending by Gary Vaynerchuk. If you've got a passion, an obsession that you can't stop thinking about, this book is a must for you.
Crush It will teach you how to take your passion and turn it into a real profitable business using the power of the internet. Highly recommended if you want to learn from the best as well as get totally inspired and pumped.
Stop waiting for the perfect time to come along; now is the time to start - grab this book and start realizing your potential.
Boy, do I love this book. We all need a good kick in the rear end to get us moving every now and then. I will admit there have been a few times where I've had an amazing idea but lacked any real motivation to get things moving.
Thankfully though I have my wife to kick me up the backside when I'm feeling like this.
Author Dan Meredith also does a grand job of making you want to get up to get stuff done by sharing some great advice and principles you can take action upon immediately.
I love his style of writing personally, though some folks may find some of the languages he uses offensive (be warned). However, the content in his book is priceless.
Goals and actions are critical components of attaining success, not just in business but in life too. In the 10 X Rule book by New York Times best-selling author Grand Cardone, you will discover the principle of goal setting and taking massive action on another level entirely.
If you're stuck in a rut in your online business or your blog, or indeed with your own personal goals in life, I recommend reading this book.
I have nothing but great things to say about this book. Not only have I read it more than once, but I've also recommended it to a few friends.
The One Thing will is filled with honest and truthful concepts, ideas, and theories that will get you thinking about your productivity.
If you're a multitasker, you'll hate this book. The One Thing is NOT about taking on more than one thing at a time. In fact, it's about doing the complete opposite. Taking on less. Not just in your business but in life too.
So as you can imagine, The One Thing has helped me cut through the clutter and eliminate distractions. It's completely changed my perspective and belief that multi-tasking is the best strategy in my life and in my business.
As a result of starting to apply the One Thing strategy, I've achieved greater things in recent years. I highly recommend this book.
So there you have it, 11 absolutely heart-stomping books you need to read to get your solopreneurial juices flowing.
Have you read any of these books already? Are there any books that you've read that I've not mentioned here?
Feel free to drop me an email here and I'll take a look. Who knows, I may even include it in the list above.
Enjoy and happy reading! - Fabrizio.
P.s. If you enjoyed reading this post, and want to discover great books, check out this post where I recommend some great books for bloggers.
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Hey Fabrizio,
Great post.
I've read a lot of these books with the exception of Pat's new book. But it's on my list of books to purchase and read.
I think any solopreneur needs to expand their knowledge ALWAYS. Reading books like these wold definitely help with that.
- Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Glad you enjoyed this list of books and that you've read many of these. I've always believed that knowledge is power. Learning to do something new that can help improve you or your business is valuable.
- Fabrizio.
Hi Andrew,
Glad you enjoyed this list of books and that you've read many of these. I've always believed that knowledge is power. Learning to do something new that can help improve you or your business is valuable.
- Fabrizio.
I think I've been here before, but don't think I've left a comment. So...
Great selection of good reads Fabrizio. As Andrew said, we can never get enough new knowledge, never. Don't think most of us invest enough in ourselves. I know I don't read as much as I should.
But, like I don't have enough to read already! lol
Time to add some new reads to the never ending list.
Hey Ron, great to see you here again.
I think you have been here before and I think you have commented as well.
My memory is usually good as well ha ha.
I definitely hear you mate, we already have way more than enough stuff to read every day.
Finding time to read books, can be a challenge.
For me at the moment the best time to read is when I can't do anything else.
If I'm on the train, bus, plane or waiting for something or someone I'll read.
Enjoy mate.
Have a great rest of the week! - Fabrizio.
Exactly, one of the times I read as well, when I can't do anything else. Don't seem to get enough of that kind of time.
I've been using Pocket alot, more so on my phone. Perfect when, like you said, I am sitting somewhere with nothing to do. Though, don't think it's really made so much for reading books. I mostly read webpages I did not have time to read when I first came across them. Like bookmarks I guess.
Do have kindle reader on my phone too, so might have to load up some of the ones you mentioned. 🙂
Awesome list, great selection. May I also add my all-time fav - Dan brothers' "Made to Stick" to the list?
Sure thing Jerry 🙂
Awesome list, great selection. May I also add my all-time fav - Dan brothers' "Made to Stick" to the list?
These are great reads. I have most of them on my shelf! I am reading Tailored Dreams by Daniel Bradley. A great motivational story that I would recommend to leaders especially. Young leaders would really be a good focus for this book.
These are great reads. I have most of them on my shelf! I am reading Tailored Dreams by Daniel Bradley. A great motivational story that I would recommend to leaders especially. Young leaders would really be a good focus for this book.