I’m ALLLL about diving into books that will help me achieve more, go after my dreams, and get out of my comfort zone. All of these things are necessary when you are starting and running a business. Whether you are a fan of physical books, kindles or audiobooks, these top 5 books are for women entrepreneurs who are working towards creating a life and business they love.
She Means Business by Carrie Green
If you haven’t yet come across The Female Entrepreneurs Association created by Carrie Green (author of this book) I highly recommend it! I have been following FEA for years and just joined their member’s club a few months ago. FEA shares SO much inspiration and tips for us women business owners. In the book She Means Business Carrie shares her stories of creating a business, plus TONS of practical tools and advice you can put into place to build a wildly successful business. It’s such an easy read, I bought it first on Kindle but thought the physical book was too cute so I had to pick up a hard copy as well. I ended up reading it a second time – its something you can easily come back to again and again for more guidance and a little business mindset refresh.
Be a Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell
Funny thing about this book is I learned about it in the most random way. I was on a solo trip in Santa Barbara, California, trying to figure out where to take my life after a recent break up. While grabbing a cappuccino at a little cafe I somehow ended up in a random conversation with a man outside. Not in a “we’re interested in each other” kind of way, just in a genuine friendly person way. Our wanderlust spirits connected right we talked about the possibilities of owning our own businesses one day. He mentioned this book, Be a Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell, to me and said I HAD to read it.
I bought it when I returned home. Since then I’ve read it at least twice and have shared it with multiple friends, even with my boyfriend Stephen who is actually listening to the audiobook now. Be a Free Range Human can easily be described by the book’s tagline “escape the 9-5, create a life you love and still pay the bills”. Pretty self explanatory. This book is for those of you who DO want to get out of the typical office job, discover what you really want to do, how to become location independent AND make a living (a good living). This book will inspire you no matter what phase of the journey you’re in, I read it before I had any idea how I was going to leave the office, and a few times since.
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
How could I make a list of books for girlbosses without including the book that made this term so popular! #Girlboss is the story of Sophia Amoruso’s transformation from being completely broke with no direction, to building Nasty Gal, a $100 million online fashion retailer just by getting started on Ebay. This one is less of an informational one and more of a fun, inspiration read. There is a series on Netflix but it doesn’t compare at all to the book- give the book a read first.
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
The author Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook. Yep, she’s big time up there, and her book is for those women out there who DO want to create successful careers and move up in the business world. So many women back down from promotions or don’t even try to advance- Sheryl dives in to why that happens and encourages these women who do want careers to stay in the game so we can have more women of power in our businesses.
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
So this one I actually recommend going audiobook over reading the book because the author Mel Robbins is hilarious and just fun to listen to. It adds another level of entertainment and meaning when you listen to her read the book to you, plus its a great way to pass time in the car or during a walk! This book has made a huge impact on my life in many ways. I first listened to this AFTER I had already left my office job and traveled around Europe, so it had no influence on making those things happen but it’s had a major influence on other things.
Think of all the things we put off or don’t do because we talk ourselves out of them, or we hesitate too long. Having tough conversations, going after something you want, working out, eating healthier, even something as small as doing the dishes instead of letting them sit. This shows up in almost ALL aspects of our lives. The 5 Second Rule is all giving you tools to stop the hesitation and overthinking, and instead create immediate action. When you begin to ACT instead just thinking all the time, incredible things will begin to happen. She also offers tools for increasing your focus and productivity, conquering fears and so much more. Literally if I could just pass this out to everyone I know I would because it can be applied to anyone and everyone’s life. There was a time before I moved to Australia where I was still commuting a few days a week. I had removed myself from the typical 9-5 but was coming into the office to work with my client up until my move. During those car rides I would play this book and it was an amazing way to start my day. I’ve probably listened to it 3 times at this point, it’s a game changer.
