20 Feb 2025
8 MIN READ
Twenty underrated books to read before starting a business
1. Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
Author: Rory Sutherland
The Alchemy by Rory Sutherland unravels the many facets of consumer capitalism, the Ogilvy advertising veteran employs his years of experience and writes on human spending behavior. In decoding human behavior, the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, Rory utilizes effective scientific research and combines it with captivating storytelling in presenting his case studies based on working campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.
2. American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company
Author: Bryce G. Hoffman
A book delivering first-hand experience and the inside story of the remarkable transformation of Ford Motor Company under the leadership of CEO Alan Mulally. The American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman is a tale of the greatest comebacks in business history by the Ford family, America's last great industrial dynasty. The book shares the comeback under its CEO Alan, how a bold plan to unify its divided global operations, transform its lackluster product lineup, and overcome a dysfunctional culture of infighting, backstabbing, and excuses.
3. Cashvertising: How to Use More Than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make BIG MONEY Selling Anything to Anyone
Author: Drew Eric Whitman
Cashvertising is a book unfolding the truth and the psychology behind advertising. Drew Eric outlines several proven scientific principles of advertising psychology focusing on the little-known techniques of consumer persuasion that go completely unnoticed by the buying public. The author notes that New York's biggest ad agencies use dozens of these little-known secrets to influence people to buy.
4. Competition Demystified: A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy
Author: Bruce C. Greenwald, Judd Kahn
Competition Demystified offers a foundation for business strategy in a simplified approach, backed by case studies and in-depth analysis making the book a one of its kind. Author Bruce C. Greenwald, a professor of Economics at Columbia University Business School employs a perfect balance between theory and case studies and evaluates strategic adventures by prominent companies along with his co-author. The book plans to explore competitive advantage and seek how to achieve exceptional profits for all business strategic planners.
5. Extreme Revenue Growth: Startup Secrets to Growing Your Sales from $1 Million to $25 Million in Any Industry
Author: Victor Cheng
Extreme Revenue Growth by Victor Cheng stands out from other books in the domain, as Victor writes from a fresh practical approach to map out a blueprint for explosive growth. The author decodes the conventional management practices used by fast-growing technology companies and recreates such practices to be used in other industries.
6. Hidden Champions of the Twenty-First Century: The Success Strategies of Unknown World Market Leaders
Author: Hermann Simon
Written by Hermann Simon, Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners, Strategy & Marketing Consultants who is an an expert in strategy, marketing, and pricing, advising clients and speaking to business organizations worldwide. The book Hidden Champions of the Twenty-First Century explores medium-sized, unknown companies with annual revenues under $4 billion and finds the common patterns, behaviors, and approaches that make these companies successful. The lesson in the book is the best practices of the world’s most successful “hidden” companies that can be applied in any type of organization, large or small.
7. How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know
Author: Byron Sharp
How Brands Grow is an exceptional literature review on how advertising works, an ideal read for all marketing professionals who are on the path to growing their brands. Author by Professor Byron Sharp, the Director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, a book that explores how brands grow, how advertising works, what price promotions do & how loyalty programs affect loyalty.
8. How to Get Lucky: 13 Techniques for Discovering and Taking Advantage of Life's Good Breaks
Author: Max Gunther
How to Get Lucky by Max Gunther is set on 13 different techniques in which one can discover and take advantage of life's good breaks, while minimizing the effects of its bad ones. The book aims to answer what if you could actively get lucky focusing on some people who really are luckier than others and not by accident.
9. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual
Author: Yvon Chouinard
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard is a captivating and moving autobiography portraying the story of a unique business, and a detailed blueprint for hope. In the book, Yvon a French Canadian and the founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. narrated the life-changing story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life, a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs.
10. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Author: Carol S. Dweck
A book presented by renowned psychologist Carol S. Dweck who introduced the “growth mindset”, a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, who is recognized as one of the leading researchers in the field of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. In the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, the author gives transformative insights into redefining success, building lifelong resilience, and supercharging self-improvement. Introducing a phenomenon called false growth mindset and guiding people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset.
11. Oversubscribed: How To Get People Lining Up To Do Business With You
Author: Daniel Priestley
Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley, the co-founder of Entrevo, deals with how businesses can deploy the methods of oversubscribing in a crowded marketplace and make the business eccentric eventually leading people to follow your model. In this hunt, the author laid out a guide to transform business based on real-world methods that will not only grab customers' attention but will also seek to buy from you.
12. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal
Author: Oren Klaff
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff is a book that teaches the right and exclusive method of pitching. The author affirms that creating and presenting a great pitch isn't an art but a simple science. Author, Oren, the Director of Capital Markets for the investment bank Intersection Capital shares his method of pitching which is to apply the latest findings in the field of neuroeconomics.
13. Scientific Advertising
Author: Claude C. Hopkins
From the work of well-known advertising leader, author Claude C. Hopkins known as the father of modern advertising techniques has inspired many leaders and students of advertising and marketing. The book Scientific Advertising is another inspirational and critical piece of literature on advertising from the early 20th century which is still referred to even today by those learning the basics and more advanced parts of the advertising field
14. The Art of Thinking Clearly
Author: Rolf Dobelli
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli presents a captivating and eye-opening view of human reasoning making it an important reading for anyone with important decisions to make. Rolf, the founder of Zurich. Minds provide an examination of the faulty reasoning that leads to repeated mistakes by individuals, businesses, and nations. In the book, a review of this faulty reasoning concludes a well-considered treatise on avoiding ‘self-induced unhappiness.’
15. The Art of Profitability
Author: Adrian J. Slywotzky
Penned down by Adrian J. Slywotzky known for his remarkable work on economic theory and management. The Art of Profitability writes on a fresh business view encompassing how businesses and companies can generate greater profits in 23 compact lessons. The book presents ongoing tutorials between two fictitious individuals describing several patterns of business operation that lead to profitability through a series of conversations in which an expert on profits teaches a student.
16. The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness
Author: Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
The book The Courage to Be Disliked deals with the discussion of a complex theory, reviewed as Adlerian psychology meets Stoic philosophy in Socratic dialogue. The book is read by many and noted as a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment. A refreshing philosophical book to unlock the full potential and free oneself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal happiness.
17. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement - 30th Anniversary Edition
Author: Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox is a highly enjoyable business novel written on state-of-the-art economic theory. The book sends out a series of messages to managers in the industry explaining the ideas that underline the Theory of Constraints developed by the authors. In the book, the theory of constraints is explained in step-by-step methods starting from identifying the systems constraints to improving the systems constraints.
18. The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management
Author: Jack Stack
First published in 1992, the book The Great Game of Business charts out the most unique way of running a business. One of the top 10 most important business books for all growth-minded company leaders to read. A book that paved the way for a business revolution by introducing the world to open-book management, a new way of running a business that created unprecedented profit and employee engagement.
19. The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing
Author: Michael J. Mauboussin
The Success Equation by Michael J. Mauboussin explores on much of what we experience in life results from a combination of skill and luck. The author’s ideas are based on complex neuroscience in accessible terms, using case studies and examples from investing decisions, college rankings, and hospital procedures. The book is a must-read for those who seek to make better decisions--in business and life.
20. Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
Author: L. David Marquet
Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet was first published in 2013 and inspired readers, and shaped organizations by creating a work environment where everyone takes responsibility for his or her actions. Based on former Navy captain David Marquet’s true story, the book is a how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training, and driving flawless execution.