When you're a business owner, it's hard to find time for other things besides making sure your business doesn't spontaneously combust into a burst of flames. A little dramatic, I know, but the business owners out there reading this know what I'm talking about. If you're the boss, more than likely 50 percent or more of your job consists of putting out metaphorical fires so that your day-to-day operations run as smooth as possible.
Sometimes, you need a little outside help to keep your business running in the right direction.
If you do find yourself having a little extra time to read, check out these six books. They're chock full of helpful tips that can increase your productivity, your confidence, and hopefully your wallet!
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
One of the most famous self help books for business owners, this book was written more than 25 years ago, yet still sells by the millions (25 million copies and counting). In the book, author Stephen Covey concludes that true success comes from a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, Through changing your perception on a range of topics including productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" and more, Covey seeks to help business owners achieve their goals in ways they never dreamed of before.
Crush It!, Gary Vaynerchuk
Crush It! seeks to help people who are thinking about starting their own business actually find the motivation to turn their hobby into a career. A enterpreneurial business owner himself, author Gary Vaynerchuk spent years turning his family wine shop business into a national industry leader, and he wants to help others achieve the same thing. Crush It! is the "utlimate driver's manual for modern business."
Raving Fans, Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles
For those who want to rethink their customer service strategy, and turn their fans into ultra loyal raving fans, then this is the book for you. Blanchard and Bowles show that creating raving fans is actually quite simple. All you need to do is put yourself in their shoes and gain the right perspective to change your company accordingly. It's a classic "what would you expect from you if you were in their shoes?" lesson.
Book Yourself Solid, Michael Port
"According to the Small Business Administration, 90 percent of service businesses will fail within the first five years." That's a stat taken directly out of Michael Port's book. If that scares you, then maybe you need to read his book! In Book Yourself Solid, you'll learn Port's proven system for getting more clients by growing your service business based on seven core self-promotion strategies. This system is so effective, that Port touts "93 percent of business owners who have used the system have experienced a 43 percent increase in their total number of clients and a 42 percent increase in sales in the first year alone." Get this book and find out for yourself if those stats are true.
Every Family's Business, Tom Deans
Are you the owner of a family business? If so, you might want to check out Tom Deans book Family Business. It's a book not only for family business owners, but for the children of family business owners. It goes through 10 questions that you, as a family business owner, should ask yourself each year, and how to go about passing your business on to your children or grandchildren when the time comes.
The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users, Guy Kawasaki
What's a reading list without a book on social media? With more and more people going online to research a business before they make a purchase, Guy Kawasaki's book is essential reading for learning how to attract these online customers, and how to successful market your business through social media. In this constantly connected world, social media promotion is key to determining the success or failure of your business. Are you prepared?
Contributor Caleb Hennington is a 24-year-old writer, who manages the Atwill Media and FGmarket blogs. He graduated from Arkansas State University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
When not writing, Caleb enjoys camping, running, collecting comic books, and binge-watching shows on Netflix.