Starting something new can be difficult and dangerous. That’s especially true when referring to a new business. Whether you’re bootstrapping your first venture, or funding your startup with venture capital, the going is guaranteed to be tough.
Entrepreneurship is an emotional rollercoaster ride complete with highs and lows that can result in money, madness, or manic depression. As Sarah Lacey, founder and editor-in-chief of PandoDaily, described it the life of an entrepreneur teeters on the edge of insanity: “I wake up excited and terrified everyday.” Reid Hoffman, the founder of Linkedin, also summed up the journey of an entrepreneur well when he compared starting your own business to jumping off a cliff and trying to assemble an airplane on the way down.
If that’s the case, if owning or running a business is so tortuous, why would anyone choose to become an entrepreneur? Well, that answer comes easy to anyone who has taken the leap; they can’t imagine doing anything else. There’s an unshakable feeling that the world is missing something that only you can give it. Maybe it’s a product or service, a new technology or a human business. Whatever it is, it will make the world a better place. You couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t bring it to life.
Breathing life into your idea or invention won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. But, if you still need some convincing, procrastinate while reading one of the books on this list. They will spur any would be entrepreneur into action.
Table of Contents
The Alchemist
Santiago, a young shepherd boy, will show you that life is all about pursuing your dreams at all costs. As author Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist writes, “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” It’s a journey that will challenge your convictions and character, you will fail and want to quit. But, “When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.”
The 4-Hour Workweek
I credit the Four Hour Work Week with saving and destroying my life; in the best way possible. This book was my truly an “aha moment” for me. I was living a safe, predictable, and average life. But, I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was doing it all wrong. Enter the 4-Hour Workweek. Tim Ferriss will help you see that starting your own business is not as difficult or as time consuming as you might think. It’s possible to automate and delegate tasks, allowing you to engineer your life and business.
Choose Yourself
Admittedly, the idea only working four hours a week and still making bank is a bit of a myth. However, the takeaways; that you can craft a hands-off business are true. But, if the lifestyle design, online business talk are too much for you, then read everything by James Altucher; author, investor, and entrepreneur. In Choose Yourself, Altucher lays out the argument that everyone is an artist entrepreneur. Next, he goes on to explain the importance of new ideas, how to come up with them and how to make them happen. He’ll make you wonder why anyone is an employee and make you second guess the status quo.
War of Art
Everyone struggles with the first step. Taking the leap from idea to action is terrifying. You want to write a book, build a business, or create art but you don’t know where to start. Truth is, you start by starting; by putting one foot in front of the other, by taking a series of small steps. In The War of Art, Steve Pressfield makes this process crystal clear. Procrastination, second guessing and negative self talk are forms of Resistance, with a capital “R”. If you’re trying to overcome those demons, but don’t know where to start; let this book be the first step on your journey.
Have you read any of these books? What books do you look to for motivation or inspiration?
About Carson Derrow
