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<\/p>\nOne thing nobody tells you when you start a business is that the growth of the business is directly related to your growth as a person. But when you\u2019ve got your head down in the (often all consuming) process of building and running a business, it can seem impossible to find time to do things that will help with your personal growth, even if you\u2019d really like to.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put together a list of must-read books to help you grow as a business owner. They\u2019re all relatively quick reads, and you can pick them up and put them down as you need to. Whatever you do, make sure that you do allow yourself the time to really dive into at least one of them. Think of it as continual professional development \u2014 it\u2019s just as important, and your business will thank you for it.<\/p>\n
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One of the classic books in the entrepreneur\u2019s canon, The 4-Hour Workweek is one of those that pretty much everybody says they\u2019ve read, even if they haven\u2019t \u2014 it\u2019s just that central. It\u2019s a great read for business owners, whether you\u2019re an online entrepreneur or you own a more traditional brick and mortar business, because the strategy and inspiration that Ferris provides can be modified and applied to pretty much any kind of business.<\/p>\n
But the biggest reason we recommend this book is because of the type of mindset shift that Ferris models. Once a workaholic, he managed to completely revamp his business (and make much more money in much less time) after realising that what he really wanted was to life life now, not decades down the road.<\/p>\n
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Sir Alex Ferguson won 49 trophies in his 38 years of managing football teams, and he\u2019s regarded as one of the most successful managers of all time. So if you\u2019ve been thinking that Leading is just a book about sport (or worse, one more boring biography of a retiring star), think again.<\/p>\n
Ferguson\u2019s book is a great primer on leadership in general, not just in football, and many of the lessons he shares can be easily applied to many different types of businesses. We especially recommend this one if you\u2019re getting to the point in your business that you\u2019re really needing to step up as a leader. You might not be leading Man U to victory, but you\u2019ll need some of Ferguson\u2019s wisdom on your own pitch!<\/p>\n
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Everyone struggles against themselves sometimes. But when you\u2019re a business owner, your internal struggles have a much greater range of impact than just yourself. That makes it absolutely essential to have a great understanding of yourself and your mind, and one of the best places to start is by reading The Chimp Paradox.<\/p>\n
In it, Peters uses the model of an internal chimp in your brain to teach you how to understand how your mind is working at any given time, how to get a handle on your thoughts and emotions regardless of your external circumstances, and how you can use this information to get more of what you want in your business and your life.<\/p>\n
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Tony Robbins is a giant in the motivation world, and for good reason. His pivotal book Awaken the Giant Within gives you a whole new way of thinking about the world, your life, and your role in it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the perfect book to read when you need to up-level your mindset, which is, of course, the key to your success with anything, whether it\u2019s in the sphere of your business or your personal life \u2014 and Robbins\u2019 four step method for success makes a great metric to measure your actions and progress with.<\/p>\n
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A lot of people think of Stephen Covey\u2019s book in terms of purely personal development, but it\u2019s a great book for professional development as well. Unlike many other self help books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People focuses on aligning yourself with external principles based on an abundance mindset, then using a series of habits to achieve the results you want more effectively.<\/p>\n
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Don\u2019t just read the books and forget them. There\u2019s no point in actually spending the time to read these books if they\u2019re not going to actually help with your personal development, so make sure that you\u2019re actively interacting with the book so that the principles and strategies in them really sink in.<\/p>\n
This is going to look different for every person, but you might want to take notes, ask yourself questions about the books, discuss them with other people, or even incorporate them in your business as team books or required reading for new hires. Whatever you do, just remember that the hardest part is getting started. The idea of personal development might seem daunting, but once you pick up one of these books, you\u2019ll be hooked \u2014 and it\u2019s all downhill from there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One thing nobody tells you when you start a business is that the growth of the business is directly related to your growth as a person. But when you\u2019ve got your head down in the (often all consuming) process of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":27782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n