As we usher in 2023, we also put all our New Year’s resolutions on the table. A big post-it note which reads ‘be kinder!’ here, and a reminder on the fridge to ‘exercise more!’ there. Whether they’re stuck to the wall, or carefully handwritten in a spanking new notebook, many of us take part in this little ritual every January.
Whether they’re related to personal development or cover a detailed business-plan, It always seems fitting to start off the new year with a fresh set of goals. However, nailing your targets isn’t always as straightforward as it may seem.
This is particularly true for small-business owners or beginners in the industry. Nurturing a start-up takes a lot of time, and a whole lot more devotion. If you’ve clicked on this article, you may be nurturing a business idea or have something you’re already deeply passionate about and want to share with the world.
The world of business can be intimidating, and it can often seem impossible to know where to start. Not to mention the fact that our news feeds are often inundated with what look like overnight success stories, rather than the story of hard graft as to how they got there.
Best books for small business starters at a glance
- Best for small business beginners and self-starters: Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business, By Paul Jarvis - £8.65, Amazon
- Best for tech enthusiasts who want to learn from the master: Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future, By Peter Thiel and Blake Masters - £9.75, Amazon
- Best for motivation, encouragement and lessons learned from starting a global brand: If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair, By Anya Hindmarch - £9.99, Anya Hindmarch
- Best for a leadership-based approach to contemporary start-ups: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, By Simon Sinek - £9.99, Waterstones
- Best for a lifestyle and business guide all-in-one: The Multi-Hyphen Method, By Emma Gannon - £9.99, Waterstones
- Best for myth-busting and removing the negatives associated with small businesses: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, By Michael E. Gerber - £7.71, Amazon
- Best for girlbosses looking for encouragement in their business endeavours: Girl On Fire: How to Choose Yourself, Burn the Rule Book, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life and Business, By Cara Alwill Leyb - £8.12, Amazon
If you’re starting 2023 with a view to expand your business, start one from scratch, or just want to feel inspired, have a look at our top picks to help you along your journey.
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Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business, By Paul Jarvis
Best for: small business beginners and self-starters
Whether, like the author of this bestseller, you’ve recently left the corporate world to go it alone, or you’ve always known that the 9-5 wasn’t for you, take it from Paul Jarvis: stay small and win big.
Split into three main parts – ‘Begin,’ ‘Define,’ and ‘Maintain – Jarvis lays out in incredibly easy-to-follow form the key components in starting a successful and fulfilling small business. Lending equal attention to the importance of having a productive personal mindset, and the practical requirements involved, Jarvis’ book is a sound investment for any self-starter.
Buy now £8.65, Amazon
Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future, By Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
Best for: tech enthusiasts who want to learn from the master
You might recognise the name Peter Thiel as the co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies and the man that made the first outside investment on Facebook. Delving into the lessons that Thiel himself has learned over the years, you couldn’t ask for better advice from a more authoritative source.
The secondary author on the bill, Blake Masters, was a student of Thiel’s at Stanford Law School back in 2012. His notes on Thiel’s class - Computer Science 183 - went viral in the Spring, and resulted in the writing and production of this fantastic bestseller just two years later in 2014.
With show-stopping reviews from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, learn how to build a breakthrough company from an absolute expert.
Buy now £9.75, Amazon
If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair, By Anya Hindmarch
Best for: motivation, encouragement and lessons learned from starting a global brand
Most of us, at some point or another, have come across that unbearable sense of stagnancy in both life and business. The kind of stagnancy that only a proper hair wash and hot bath can fix. That’s why we were captivated by the title of this Sunday Times bestselling book well before delving in.
Anya Hindmarch founded her namesake brand when she was a teenager in 1987. Since then, her globally successful business has seen Hindmarch become and MBE, CBE, a Prime Minister’s Business Ambassador, NED of the British Fashion Council and so much more.
Full of a treasure trove of valuable and profound life lessons from a mother, stepmother, entrepreneur and businesswoman, Anya Hindmarch’s memoir will have you captivated from the onset.
Fearne Cotton’s praise sums it up best: “this book feels like your best friend telling you it’s all going to be ok.”
Buy now £9.99, Anya Hindmarch
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, By Simon Sinek
Best for: a leadership-based approach to contemporary start-ups
Based on his Ted Talk from 2014, which has subsequently become the third most-watched TED Talk of all time, Sinek’s seminal book analyses the thought patterns of the most iconic leaders and thought-makers throughout history in order to unlock the secret to success.
Sinek takes on an often-overlooked element of building business – inspiring leadership – and dedicates a whole 256 pages to it. Open your eyes to the notion that taking action in the world of business is inherently intertwined with becoming a true leader and grab a copy of this fantastic book.
Buy now £9.99, Waterstones
The Multi-Hyphen Method, By Emma Gannon
Best for: a lifestyle and business guide all-in-one
The Multi-Hyphen method is an essential read for anyone who feels that their current role, family life, experience or skills might prevent them from taking on the challenge of starting their very own business.
Emma Gannon throws all the nonsense traditionally associated with the concept of a ‘Jack of all trades’ out of the window and teaches us how to make the most of our own unique blends of skillsets and life experiences.
Plus, Richard Branson said: “It was a pleasure to read... the way we all work is going to change in the coming years”- so you may want to follow suit and pick up a copy ASAP.
Buy now £9.99, Waterstones
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, By Michael E. Gerber
Best for: myth-busting and removing the negatives associated with small businesses
Michael Gerber’s ‘E-Myth’ refers to the Entrepreneurial Myth that 1) most people who start small business are entrepreneurs and 2) that a technically savvy businessperson can run a business that does that technical work.
All this means is that entrepreneurs typically make poor businesspeople, and so do experts within their chosen field. Gerber walks us through the barriers that so often disrupt the path to developing a thriving business – assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise – and employs his own experience to guide us into the shining light of small business success.
Buy now £7.71, Amazon
Girl On Fire: How to Choose Yourself, Burn the Rule Book, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life and Business, By Cara Alwill Leyb
Best for: girlbosses looking for encouragement in their business endeavours
This self-published book by Cara Alwill Leyb is a love-letter to all female small-business owners. Leveraging the success of her career in the music industry in both digital advertising and marketing, Alwill Leyb utilizes her experience in the world of entertainment coupled with her passion for female empowerment to take us on a guided tour for small-business success.
Buy now £8.12, Amazon
