Founders pick the 7 best books on entrepreneurship that every business owner should read in 2023

"Who Says Elephants Can't Dance" was written by Louis V. Gerstner Jr., a businessperson best known for his time as the chair of the board and CEO of IBM from 1993 to 2002.

His story covers his time at IBM, including how he transformed its company culture and turned around the firm's finances.

"It's about organizational theory and how IBM changed who they were as a company," Gina Luari, a 31-year-old a restaurant-group owner in Hartford, Connecticut, said, adding that the book had resonated with her since she was in college.

"It spoke a lot about culture, how companies and departments talked to one another, and what really makes the inner workings of a company," she said 

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"The One Thing" is by Gary Keller, an author and the founder of the real-estate company Keller Williams Realty Inc., and Jay Papasan, an author and the vice president and executive editor at Keller Williams.

It covers productivity through the lenses of clutter, distractions, stress, energy, and success, as well as how entrepreneurs can cut through the noise.

For Luari, the book's message aligns with how she runs her business.

"We're just focused on brunch — we don't do anything else," she said, adding that she believed in the theory that sticking to one thing and doing it well was the route to success.

"I really recommend reading it, especially if somebody's just trying to be an entrepreneur, launch a product or a service," she said. "It really explains how being hyperfocused on one thing is going to give you exponential results." 

Buy the book here.

"We Should All Be Millionaires" was written by Rachel Rodgers, an attorney, business owner, and self-made millionaire. She founded Hello Seven, a membership and coaching community that helps women and underrepresented people build wealth through businesses. 

The book shares a step-by-step approach to support, confidence, and financial success in business.

"Reading from other people who have been in my shoes, and using some of their advice coupled with what I've learned, is really helping me," Deidre Mathis, the founder of the hostel company Wanderstay, said. "It's going to continue to help me through this whole process."

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"The Millionaire Next Door" was written by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. Stanley was a business theorist and author who covered wealthy Americans. Danko is an author covering consumer behavior and wealth and a professor of marketing at the State University of New York in Albany.

The book covers seven traits of people who have accumulated wealth. 

"Planning for your financial future is something that our society doesn't really teach enough," Seth Fowler, a cofounder of Apthcry, a sock company, said.

Fowler was not good with his money in his 20s, he said.

"As I finally got to the end of my 20s into my 30s, I'm focusing on a lot more," he added. "I think having a foundation for retirement is really important."

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"Shoe Dog" was written by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. The book is a memoir of Knight's journey running the brand through its launch and evolution. 

"Now you see this amazing finished brand that's worth billions of dollars, but you don't see him selling shoes out of the back of his car or working with manufacturers in China," Fowler said, adding that the book included aspects of Nike's humble beginnings that readers may not know or remember. 

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"Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant" was written by Robert T. Kiyosaki, the founder of Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Co., a financial-education company.

In the book, Kiyosaki teaches readers methods for gaining wealth and describes four types of people: solopreneurs, employees, business owners and investors. He then explains the differences between these people and how some can work less but earn more.

The personal-finance book helped Kenny Young, the founder and CEO of the glamorous-camping-event company Pitched Glamping, as he determined where he wanted to take his business next.

"It really comes down to what you want to build," he said. "There are times I wish I was a solopreneur, but I know that what I want to build, it can't exist with just a solopreneur model."

Buy the book here.

"The Mystery of You" was written by the entrepreneur and investor Emilio Diez Barroso, the owner of the private-equity firm Nala Investments. The book is about finding inner peace while being successful.

Lauren Bush Lauren, the founder of the accessories brand Feed Projects, called it a "beautiful" book and told Insider she planned on bringing it with her to her company's annual retreat. 

"So much of how we show up at work relates to how we show up in life," she said, adding that Diez Barroso was a friend of hers. "He relates it back to work and his own journey," she said.

Buy the book here.