10 Must Read Business Books for Female Entrepreneurs

Read these business books before launching your brand!

In this blog I want to introduce you to 10 useful business books for female entrepreneurs. Reading them as inspired me to go on my own entrepreneurial journey and I hope it does the same for you.

Early on in my business journey it was a must to read books like “Lean startup” or anything written by Seth Godin. I assume you will come across those types of books anyway! So instead of talking about common books everyone will tell you about, I want to tell you about some unlikely book suggestions.

Some of my favourite books don’t even count as business books, they don’t have charts and diagrams and numbers.

I promise once you start reading them you can’t put them down!

Here we go:

1)The Million dollar one person business by  Elain Pofeldt

The motto of the book is”Make Great Money. Work the Way You Like. Have the Life You Want”.

When I started my own journey as an entrepreneur, I didn’t like the idea of growing into a big team. I always knew I wanted to become a successful solopreneur and only use the support of a small team to create ease in the business. I didn’t know if it was possible?

Could it be that it was a limiting belief?

Or I was just after a simple lifestyle business that fits into my life?

I wanted to grow a successful business but I didn’t like the idea of creating an empire with a big team.

I wanted a lean business that is profitable with a small team. A business that fits into my lifestyle, but I wasn’t sure if this was possible. 

This book made me realize I can create the type of business I want just the way I like it. In this book the author interviews a number of successful entrepreneurs who run 7 figure or multiple 6 figures businesses with relatively small teams. I came across more entrepreneurs who were running small businesses with small teams AND creating serious income.

If, like me, you like to keep things small , lean and profitable then check this out!

3)She Means Business: Turn Your Ideas into Reality and Become a Wildly Successful Entrepreneur by Carrie Green

I have been a member of Carrie’s Female Entrepreneurs association since 2019.I have met many wonderful women in that group, some become my mentors, some clients or collaborators.

I love Carrie’s honest style of communication and storytelling. In her book she talks about her journey of starting her business ,the struggles and mindset blocks she had in her early days and how she dealt with them.

She also describes the stages she went through to achieve success on her own terms. The book is easy to read , inspiring and practical.

A great read for early stage female entrepreneurs to get ready for bringing their idea to life.

3)Reboot: Probably More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Starting a Global Business by Jodie Fox

Jodie together with two friends launched the infamous brand “Shoes of Prey “ in 2009 in Australia. I was a big fan of their business model and consumed every story about their growth in business magazines.

Back then in 2009-2010 there weren’t that many creative independent fashion brands like today. Shoes of Prey was one of the few brands in the world where you could order customized shoes. 

I loved the brand and I was a loyal fan of Jodie’s videos on Youtube about business, entrepreneurial life and fashion or style. I admired her authenticity, intelligence and style.

This company was growing way too quickly! It hit multi-million dollar revenues in under two years and attracted top tier investors. To me then this was the definition of success. Unfortunately the business went into bankruptcy in 2018. I almost cried when I read the news. 

I couldn’t get more of their stories and shoes! But I could get my hands on Jodie’s book reboot later in 2020. I have learned so much from this book.

I reshaped my own brand after learning about the framework Shoes of Prey used for their business! I also enjoyed the honest story of the rise and fall of a business, the relationship between it’s founders and their falling apart Spoiler alert : There are stories about marriages and divorces in this book 😉

4)How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label by Toby Meadows

Although this book does not follow the story-telling style of the last three books on this list , it is as fun to read!

It offers a practical guide for creating a fashion brand. This book is one of the most practical fashion business books I have read.

Everything you need to know about creating a fashion related business can be found in this book. It was incredibly helpful for me ( an outsider in the fashion industry with no background!) and I did follow most of its instructions to create my own brand NAROSIB. I believe the advice in this book is also applicable if you want to create other forms creative products.

It has lots of case studies , examples and charts and images.

5)Build a brand in 30 days by Simon Middleton

This is one of the most useful books I have read about branding and advertising. You probably can’t build a brand in 30 days , but there are 30 stages that you can go through to create an authentic brand that connects with customers.

Unfortunately I came across this book after an expensive advertising campaign which failed. I wouldn’t have made that 5 figure mistake if I had read this book first. 

This book was my first introduction to the idea of funnels and how brands connect with customers. 

Spoiler : This book is not about logo design and brand colours! If your idea of branding is limited to visual representation of a business then you must read this book.It will change your mind!

6)Chillpreneur by Dennis duffield Thomas

The title of this book says it : it’s about doing business the chill way! The book is written by the famous money mindset coach Denis Duffield Thomas.

It’s a fun book to read especially if you are totally new to the topic of money mindset. 

I used to think success in business is about hard work and hustle. I burnt myself out and after a few rounds of backaches, eyesight issues and triggered asthma I noticed my way is not sustainable. 

This book showed me I can create a successful business with ease but the first thing I need to work on is my mindset around success and money.

7)Tory Burch: In Color

This is by no means considered a business book! It’s too beautiful to be called that! I was a fan of Tory Burch and her eponymous fashion brand when this book came out. She talks about her inspirations behind her successful brand and her lifestyle.The book has interviews with people she is inspired by. 

This book is a visual delight and inspired me alot when I was creating my content strategy for my brand. 

If you ever wondered what to share on Instagram or what stories to tell your customers then have a look at this book!

8)Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman

The mind that created a business may not necessarily lead to its success. There are two different types of personalities needed for the success of a business : Visionary and integrator.

The visionaries are entrepreneurs with groundbreaking ideas, the integrators are the ones who can bring those ideas to life.

Visionaries are great dreamers and integrators are amazing with developing systems, organisation and processes. 

When I was in my corporate job I felt like a visionary trapped in an integrators’ world. My job was all about creating systems and processes. When I started my own business I was in denial of my visionary side!

It took me a while to find myself. I think I am more of a visionary who has the skills to create systems and processes. My corporate years were not fun but thanks to that career I could develop my “ integrator” skills.

Without an Integrator, a Visionary is far less likely to succeed long-term! If you are a visionary then you are more likely to get results if you partner up with or hire an integratore. 

If you want to find out if you are an integrator or a visionary read this book.

Having read this book has really helped me in my leadership coaching practice. It’s very important to be aware of your skills and entrepreneurial gifts. It helps you to hire the right team member or cofounder. It also helps you to decide about your competences.

9)Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Vision and Make Things Happen by Tara Mohr

Limiting beliefs are like glass ceilings entrepreneurs face at different stages of growing their business. There is no one in the world who can claim they have absolutely no limiting beliefs.

These negative thoughts and limiting beliefs hold us back and keep us stuck.

Tara Mohr’s book wants to bring the readers’ attention to these fears and thoughts. The author, a leadership coach, noticed a behavioural pattern among her clients : talented women with high potential who couldn’t realize how amazing they are.

They were playing small and safe! The author has developed a step -by step plan to guide women towards playing big. It’s a journey that starts from inside.

Reading this book made me conscious of all the times I kept myself invisible or followed conventional routines to stay safe. And that didn’t get me far. 

This book goes deep in the topic of fear : what fears to respect and what fears to ignore. Reading this book was almost like going through a long coaching session! I learned so much about it and can’t recommend it enough.

10)The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

We often think we need to do so many things in our businesses to succeed. And in reality there is a lot to do when you are a business owner. How to decide what comes first ? How to prioritize in a realistic way that leads to results?How to save yourself from overwhelm?

This book is all about focus in life and business. It has practical advice about cutting through the clutter. There is usually one activity that is creating major results. This book is about finding that activity and doing more of it. 

If you want to find focus and reduce stress in you life and business then read this book!

I hope you are inspired by this book guide. If you are contemplating starting your own business but struggle with finding the courage and confidence to do so , these blogs might help you:

3 Ways a business & mindset coach can speed up your professional growth

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Make these 6 Daring mindset shifts for a thriving product based business

Unlock Your Inner Entrepreneur: Transformational Mindset Coaching for Career Changers