John Nieuwenburg’s Best Book Recommendations
As the oldest of 8 children, I used to ride my bicycle 3 miles to the library every 2 weeks to get books for my siblings.
I would carefully select 3 books for each of my brothers and sisters based on their age and interests.
Now in my coaching practice, I often respond to the challenges my clients bring me by recommending a book.
Whether you prefer to hold a hardcover book in your hands, read online, or listen to audiobooks – if you want to gain an in-depth understanding of a topic – nothing beats a great book.
Here are my best book recommendations for business owners, categorized by the business challenge they help with.
If you don’t see your challenge listed here, shoot me an email and I would be delighted to recommend a book for you!
Start Here: Books that Will Help You Become a Better Business Owner
At W5 we say that if the owner wants a better business, first the business needs a better owner.
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
If you’re like most business owners, you got into your business because you are excellent at the thing you do. Then you discovered that there are a lot of things about business that you never learned in school. The first book to read in order to GET that business education is The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.
You can read my notes on the e-myth here: John’s key concepts notes on the E-myth
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
You can use the 7 habits in this classic book to improve your life as well as your business. For the cliffs notes version, you can read my summary here: John’s notes on the 7 habits
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Time Challenges: books to read if you have too much to do and too little time to do it
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
In the book “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, the authors suggest using a focusing question:“What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen
This classic time management book will help you get organized and stay productive.
Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Often, when we think of “systems” we think of convoluted multi-step processes. In reality, the best systems are simple and a simple thing like a checklist can make a massive difference.
Team Challenges: books to read if you want to become a better manager and leader
Mastering The Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish
Read Mastering the Rockefeller Habits to learn a handful of fundamentals that haven’t changed for over a hundred years. My personal favourite? The daily huddle – a simple team management practice that can give you back your time and remove you from the centre of the hub and spoke.
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
Money Challenges: books to read if you want to improve your success at sales
The Lost Art of Closing by Anthony Iannarino
Many of my clients find “closing the sale” to be the hardest part of selling. In The Lost Art of Closing, Anthony Iannarino proves that this final commitment can actually be one of the easiest parts of the sales process – if you’ve set it up properly with other commitments that have to happen long before the close.
Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
This one is a must-read. Especially if you are selling complex, large-scale business-to-business solutions. The authors’ study found that every sales rep in the world falls into one of five distinct profiles, and while all of these types of reps can deliver average sales performance, only one – the Challenger – delivers consistently high performance.
Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
According to Klaff, creating and presenting a great pitch isn’t an art—it’s a simple science. In this book he breaks down his methodology for remaining in complete control of every stage of the pitch process.
Personal Development Challenges: books to read if you want to improve your habits and grow as a business owner and leader
Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, Emily Gregory
As business owners and leaders, we need to be willing to have hard conversations – with our customers, our employees, our suppliers, and ourselves. Crucial Conversations provides powerful skills to ensure every conversation—especially difficult ones—leads to the results you want.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
The best way to implement change – in your business and in your personal life – is by developing better habits. In Atomic Habits, James Clear shows how small, consistent changes in behavior can lead to significant improvements in one’s life. He also outlines a system for developing habits that stick.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Susan Cain highlights the strengths and unique qualities of introverts. If you (or some of your team members) are on the quiet side, this is a must-read.
Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman
Are you a visionary or an integrator? Learn which one you are – and which one you need to team up with to achieve greater success.
Business Differentiation Challenges: books to read if you want to stand out above your competition
Sales Differentiation: 19 Powerful Strategies to Win More Deals at the Prices You Want by Lee B Salz
Selling in a competitive market where dropping your price seems like the only way to compete? This one’s for you.
The Invisible Promise: A Field Guide to Marketing in an Upside-Down World by Harry Beckwith
This one is a must read if you offer consulting or advisory services. How to build digital and nondigital messages that enhance your reputation for integrity; that stand out from the clutter; and that can produce exponential growth while saving you both time and money.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
The founder of Zappos explains how he created a unique culture and commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of employees, customers, vendors, and backers.
The Absolutely Critical Non-Essentials by Paddy Lund
How skilled is your accountant? Your doctor or lawyer? Your favourite technical guru? Unless you’re also an expert in that area, you can’t judge their skills. So, instead, you assume that “how they do one thing is how they do everything” – and you judge their competence based on other attributes of their business. These are what author Paddy Lund calls the “critical non-essentials.”
You can read my summary of this book here: The Critical Non-Essentials
Motivation Challenges: books to read when you feel discouraged
The Dip by Seth Godin
Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point: really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip.
Soundtracks: the Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff
Overthinking isn’t a personality trait. It’s the sneakiest form of fear. It steals time, creativity, and goals. This book shows how to overcome it.
The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.
Want to skip all the reading and head straight to the fast track?
Information is easy to access.
The challenging part is figuring out how to apply this new information to your business and how to stay accountable to making the changes.
That’s where a business coach can help.
If you’d like to get faster results, let’s talk about coaching. You can book 15 minutes on my calendar here: book time with John
The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Business Owner
If an owner wants a better business, first the business needs a better owner.
This post is part of my Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Business Owner. Visit the guide homepage to get my best advice and coaching exercises to help you with:
- Mindset. Thinking like an owner and seeing the big picture of your business.
- Planning. Deciding what you want, setting a goal, and making plans to get after it.
- Habits. Changing your behaviours to help you get what you want.
- Learning. Getting new information and developing new skills.
- Growth. Facing your fears, stepping outside your comfort zone, and doing what it necessary to create the business of your dreams.