Whether you are starting a career in entrepreneurship or riding a successful wave with a couple of months under your belt, it is always important that you continue your studies on the ins-and-outs within the industry. While you can of course advise with a mentor or business leader, it is ultimately your job to seek out outside resources that can help cultivate that necessary foundation in shaping your business and your mentality. That being said, I want to introduce some incredible books that I have read within these past months that have helped me organized my thoughts for my personal business.

Now I know what many of you (within the entrepreneurship sector) are thinking: Where do I have the time to read a book when I am trying to establish my business? In the realm of entrepreneurship, finding that time is not easy. In fact saying you have twelve, fifteen, maybe even twenty hours to complete a task may not be enough time to get everything accomplished. But, after going through the hoops, I urge you to ‘make’ time to develop and grow as a professional. Remember, unless you have opened up your own business before, you are still relatively new to this side of business. Taking an hour or so out of each day to read could possibly save you from making those mistakes that many failed entrepreneurs had to endure. In this type of business, any type of wisdom that can help you overcome or avoid struggles and double can make your way more promising, clearer, and easier.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” William Styron

Below, you will find five incredible entrepreneurial leadership books. Each one is filled with advice tailored to help and cultivate the true mindset and guidance in building you as both a leader and a business owner. Some are relatively new, while others have been around for a few years. Regardless of the publishing, make sure you take their advise to heart. This may make the biggest difference between success and failure.

1. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

What drives an innovative culture? What does it mean to manage well? How can you build a company that will adapt well to whatever the future might bring? This book delves into the mind of a CEO so you gain access to insight into business leadership. Creativity is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights and originality. It is at heart, a book about how to build a creative culture and an expression of ideas that inspire and drive their workers today.

2. The Startup Playbook by David Kidder

David Kidder, the author, collected the entrepreneurship experience from the industry’s top contenders so you know where to go from the beginning. In his mind, entrepreneurs are pioneers. They find their niche and understand various effective management styles to establish the best path moving forward. Now, while these journeys are frequently long, lonely, and risky, they are absolutely essential for the overall growth of our society and us in building new economies, new ecosystems, and new work life. When reading The Startup Playbook, you will find various lessons in pioneering from key entrepreneurs. This in turn will give you the necessary information to understand and conceptualize the market, industry, finance, business operations, and various technologies involved in products, services, and overall modern business.

3. True North by Peter Sims & Bill George

Leadership is key in any successful company. To be a successful leader, you first need to internalize and understand what makes a great leader great. This book shows his or her readers how anyone can become a true authentic leader. It shares the wisdom of various outstanding leaders and describes how you can develop and shape your mindset and managerial tactics for the betterment of your business. The book focuses on five key areas:

  • Knowing your Authentic Self
  • Defining your Values and Leadership Principles
  • Understanding your Motivations
  • Building your Support Team
  • Staying grounded by Integrating all Aspects of Your Life

4. Zero to One by Peter Thiel

In Zero to One, investor and entrepreneur Peter Thiel shows how startup community and how a business builds a niche from scratch. He begins with the opinion that we live in an age of technological stagnation. He continues with the idea that doing what some else already knows how to do takes the world from ‘1 to n.’ But doing something innovative and new can take you from ‘0 to 1’ where the next Bill Gates will not build an operating system, but go beyond their competition into a world of uncharted territory.

5. How to Win at the Sport of Business by Mark Cuban

In this autobiography, the reality television star and investing and entrepreneurship guru Mark Cuban shares his wealth of experience and business expertise in his first published book. Coming from a very humble background, Mark discusses how every obstacle and failure allowed him to grow and develop to the businessperson he is today.