I’m going to start with the list for you skim readers:

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber – why most small businesses don’t work & what to do about it.

You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero – How to master your money mindset

Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley – strategies to become an influencer in your industry.

Firstly, I’m a huge advocate for reading. Personally, I prefer actual physical books because reading a physical book can become part of your self-care ritual as well as give you time to be mindful and slow down which is so important, especially as business owners or mums. I don’t know about you but by the time the end of the day comes I am practically wired. But if you don’t have time to sit down and read, all of these books are available in audio format too.

Reasons you should be reading, as a business owner:

Expand your expertise

There are so many amazing books (including these 3) written by people who have so much valuable knowledge and expertise that we can learn from and often, books are written by people who really know their stuff as opposed to some of the information you can find on social media.

Inspiration and Motivation

Books often share inspiring and personal success stories as well as practical strategies that genuinely helped the author go from struggling business owner to multi-millionaire. They also offer new perspectives and insights that can be so inspiring as a business owner. Sometimes we need to feel that connection and motivation to push through and know that whatever we want to achieve really is possible.

Self-care

For me, reading a book is part of being committed to taking care of myself, giving myself 10 minutes to sit and read a book helps my mind decompress from a stressful or hectic day as a brand strategist and mum of two., When you’re reading your mind goes into a state of flow and it’s so relaxing. Especially when you read a hard copy of a book (which is what I prefer) as you are away from distractions that you would find if you were reading it on your phone.

So here are 3 books I’ve read recently that every business owner should read

The E-Myth

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber is subtitled “Why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it.” which I would say is a pretty accurate summary of what this book is about. Michael Gerber talks about the myth of entrepreneurship and provides insights on how to build a successful small business. One of the things that stuck out to me the most about this book is that it challenges the belief that being skilled at a specific task is enough to run a business and emphasizes the importance of working on the business rather than just in it. As business owners, it is SO important that we step into our role of CEO by doing things like systemizing our branding, researching our target audience and creating impactful marketing campaigns that cater to that audience. If we get stuck in the DOING e.g doing the lashes, doing the nails, doing the hair – then it’s likely that our business will eventually fail or become so stressful and overwhelming that we want to quit.

The 3 personalities of business owners

He also speaks about there being 3 personalities that business owner tends to have and that it’s crucial to keep a balance between them for long-term success. The 3 personalities are: the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur. He explains how balancing these roles is crucial for long-term success.

I think we can probably all relate to this. You probably went into business because there was something that you actually loved doing (the technician personality in you) or trained to do such as lashes, hair or makeup and maybe you absolutely love doing that and became fully booked because you’re amazing at it but then there is the entrepreneur inside your brain that simultaneously is coming up with all of these wild ideas for your business that you would love to do but never have the time do because your stuck in technician mode (doing the thing). Then the manager personality within you is getting stressed out at the technician (busy you) and the entrepreneur (daydreaming, loads-of-ideas-that-never-get-done you) because everything is a hot mess!! Phewww, I felt that one as I was typing it out haha. 99% of small business owners have experienced this and The E-myth goes into detail about keeping all 3 balanced in order to have a successful business – really interesting.

We’ve listed this book on our shop page here

You are a badass at making money

This one was another recommendation, by my friend & amazing photographer Yazmine May It’s also a New York Times best seller so I guess you could say that it’s pretty good! I actually read it in just a couple of days because I was so hooked and it was such an easy read.

You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero is a life-changing guide to making the kind of money you’ve only ever dreamed of. It’s a lighthearted, practical self-help book that helps you transform your mindset about money, overcome limiting beliefs, and take action to achieve financial success. It’s full of motivational stories, exercises, and tips to empower you on your journey to wealth. It also made me laugh at points because Jen shares her honest and witty story about her own journey from being poor to being wealthy, it was a pretty entertaining read.

This is a great book if you want to work on your money mindset which from my own experience, is essential as a business owner. While we love what we do and we love our clients, as business owners our primary goal should be to make money and remain profitable but it’s really hard to do that if you’re carrying the baggage of a money mindset that absolutely sucks. This book gives practical tips to help you attract, welcome & keep money in your life. Now that I’ve written this I want to go and read it again, it really is that good

We’ve listed this book on our shop page here

Key Person of Influence

With so many industries including branding, changing so rapidly with technology and trends, the things that I learned from this book come into my mind often.

“Key Person of Influence” by Daniel Priestley is a must-read for business owners who want their business to stand the test of time, grow beyond their dreams, and stand out in their industry. This book offers practical strategies to position yourself as an influential figure in your niche, attract loyal clients, and become a go-to expert which is what we all want right? It provides actionable steps to build a powerful personal brand, create valuable content, and leverage your expertise and unique personal story to grow your business. This book really gave me so many ideas (some of which I started working on straight away) to start establishing myself as a key influencer in my niche, increase their visibility, and unlock amazing new opportunities for success.

As a beauty business owner there are so many opportunities to grow your brand beyond simply taking on more clients. If you want to move into education, launch a product or maybe even franchise your salon or clinic then it is so important to position yourself as a person of influence. Without doing so you risk getting lost in a sea of average or leaving yourself vulnerable to changes in the industry that outdate your business. When you are a key person of influence you create a sort of buffer to risk because you’ve created an irreplaceable brand that people will always be loyal to and buy into no matter what product or service you’re offering. If you want your business to grow beyond your day-to-day service and open up huge potential and opportunities then this is a must-read.

We’ve listed this book on our shop page here

I would love to know if you end up getting any of these books and what you think of them

Drop me a DM at @sugarbranded or email us at: rebecca@sugarbranded com – we might even start a virtual book club, who knows!

We’ll be going through some of the strategies covered in these books in my DIY branding club “Brand Creator” which you are welcome to join at any point, I’d love to have you there. You can join Brand Creator here: Join Brand Creator