9 Helpful Business Books That Could Change Your Life

9 Helpful Business Books That Could Change Your Life

5 Tips for New Business Owners

1. Make sure your business is insured.
2. Stay on top of your finances before tax day comes around.
3. Learn how to use hashtags and other social media tools.
4. Have a nice-looking, high-quality logo for your company.
5. Keep all of your files well organized.

Things to Think About When Starting a Business

• Getting your idea off the ground
• Applying for a loan
• Forming a corporation
• Making sure you have a solid plan
• Proposing the business to potential investors
• Protecting yourself with the right insurance

Why Certain Start-ups Succeed

In Depth

Succeeding in the business world is no easy task. It doesn't matter whether you're just starting out or trying to excel in your current role. Most of us could use a little help when it comes to refining our image and boosting our performance in meaningful ways. That's why it's so valuable to come upon a great book that can give you insight into how you could be doing better. Here, in no particular order, are some of the most eye-opening business reads out there.

First up, at #1, is "Why Wall Street Matters" by William D. Cohan. Our relationship to the stock market is deeply flawed. If we're being honest, most of us either don't understand how Wall Street works, or feel that it's all some kind of sick game to make the rich richer. Not so, says finance journalist Cohan.

In this book, we're guided through the inner world of the stock market as Cohan makes sense of what, for so many of us, seems impossible to wrap our minds around. Anyone interested in learning more about how money and the market work will want to give this a read.

Anyone interested in learning more about how money and the market work will want to give this a read.

At #2 is Joanne Lipman's "That's What She Said." Since the start of the Me Too movement, women in business have been speaking out against unfair treatment and unequal wages. So why is the gender gap worse than ever before? That's what Lipman intends to find out. Through a series of studies and some personal experience, the author shows us how we could achieve greater gender equity in the workplace without using harsh, alienating tactics.

For #3, we have Tom Rath's "Are You Fully Charged?" So many of us feel like we're running on empty all the time. Bestselling author Rath promises that it doesn't have to be like this. By shifting the focus from the pursuit of happiness to the pursuit of meaning, Rath gives us the blueprints for a happier, healthier work life.

Coming in at #4 is "The Art of Startup Fundraising" by Alejandro Cremades. Startups are all the rage, especially in the tech and entertainment industries. So how do new, innovative business concepts get off the ground in the first place? Cremades gives us an insider's look at how entrepreneurs could take a more practical approach to getting that first seed round.

Startups are all the rage, especially in the tech and entertainment industries.

At #5 is "Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Outrageous Success" by Dan Waldschmidt. In business, we're so often told not to take things personally. But what if what was holding us back from the success we crave wasn't external. What if we ourselves are the problem? In this thought-provoking read, Waldschmidt combines self-help smarts with business acumen to show us how we so often stand in our own way.

#6 is Brett N. Hunter's "The Power of KM." What is knowledge management, and how can it help us become better at our jobs? Hunter breaks down the basics of managing resources and information within a company to create a clearer, more structured approach to work life. If you've ever been curious about tapping into a new work philosophy, you'll want to give this thoughtful work a look.

For #7, we have John C. Maxwell's "No Limits." How do we define ourselves as workers? How do we measure productivity? How do we set our limits? New York Times bestselling author Maxwell wants us to rethink all of it. By re-training our brains to stop setting arbitrary limits on our creativity, what might we achieve on a daily basis?

How do we define ourselves as workers?

Coming in at #8 is "The Etiquette of Social Media" by Leonard Kim. Social media is a huge part of how we do business. Companies count on it to bring in views and ad dollars, and even high schoolers use it to get into the right university. Why is it, then, that we've yet to figure out how to truly use it to our professional advantage? Kim lays out a plan for readers to refine their social media presence and use it to create newer, better business opportunities.

Finally, at #9, we find Brian Tracy's "Meetings That Get Results." If you've ever felt that meetings are a total waste, this book is for you. Tracy was tired of meetings that went nowhere, so he took things into his own hands. By creating a set of guidelines and expectations for businesses, Tracy shows us how we might use check-ins to actually get things done and boost workplace efficiency in a guide that team leaders everywhere are sure to draw inspiration from.