The Entrepreneur’s MBA

What is the Entrepreneur’s MBA and why should I care?

True entrepreneurs never stop learning.

We all recognize that if we don’t continually get better each day we will lose our competitive edge. We attempt to cannibalize our companies first before another shark in the water takes food out of our mouths.

The below is my list of all of the books I’ve read since 2018 (when I started keeping track). To help you, I’ve given each book a rating of 1 to 5 stars, my favorite quote, the best idea or concept, the worst or dumbest idea, why it’s worth reading and who should read it. I’ve also included links to Amazon, Apple books, and Audible to make it easier for you to buy/learn if you like something.

No - I don’t get anything from these authors or platforms for my thoughts, comments or referrals.

BUT, I want this specially curated book list to give you an informal entrepreneur’s MBA.

I will constantly add to it as I continually learn and share my thoughts with you.

  1. Die With Zero - Bill Perkins 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: “Money is nearly worthless at the very beginning and the very end of life.”

The Good: I love the conceptual depiction of how money and its usefulness changes throughout your life, and the explanation for how to maximize it is laid out here.

The Bad: Personally, I disagree with the concept of dying broke and intend to create generational wealth for my family through my business ventures, so I don’t personally agree with the core concept of the book.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Anyone that needs to understand the relationship of money and its utility arc in your life - and exactly how that changes from beginning to end, and anyone who feels like they’re behind but in reality actually isn’t. You know who you are!

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

2. Buy Back Your Time - Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire - Dan Martell 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: “It’s easier to 10x your life than to 2x your life.” AND "The greatest asset you have in life is time, and it's the only asset that you can't get more of."

The Good: SO many great things in this value-packed book - exactly how to identify your lowest-value activities and outsource them, how to determine which hours you work best, what your highest-value activities are, and how to live a life of fulfillment.

The Bad: Literally nothing. This book is a grand slam home run.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): This one is a game changer. Anyone - not just entrepreneurs - that wants to maximize their daily/weekly/monthly/yearly schedule with their highest-engagement times to perfectly correlate to their highest-value work and life activities in order to design their energetic, balanced, fulfilled life.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

3. $100M Offer - Alex Hormozi

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "The person who needs the exchange less always has the upper hand." "Scarcity is a function of quantity. Urgency is a function of time."

The Good: The value of setting concrete, specific goals and working backwards to achieve them.

The Bad: Absolutely nothing. This book is an amazing read and is a must for entrepreneurs and salespeople at every level and stage of their career.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses and make significant revenue growth.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

4. Solve for Happy - Mo Gawdat

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: “The gravity of the battle means nothing to those at peace.”

The Good: The idea that happiness can be achieved by changing our perspective and focusing on what we can control.

The Bad: If this can be considered a bad thing, the author is so rational, so data-driven, and so probabilistic that if you don't believe in a higher power you will after reading this book - and that may cause you to read it again.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Anyone looking to improve their overall well-being and live a more fulfilling life.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

5. The Power of One More - Ed Mylett

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "Small, incremental changes lead to massive transformations."

The Good: The importance of consistently pushing yourself to do just "one more" in all aspects of life to consistently make small improvements in order to achieve larger goals.

The Bad: I absolutely loved it, but some of the motivational language can feel repetitive if you don't want to feel jazzed about incorporating its principles.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Entrepreneurs looking to improve their productivity and achieve greater success.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

6. The HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business - Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "Buying a small business is like getting married - the wrong choice can lead to years of misery."

The Good: The importance of thoroughly researching and analyzing a potential business acquisition before making a purchase.

The Bad: Hard to find something bad here, but the content is definitely geared more towards a specific audience (those interested in buying small businesses) rather than a general entrepreneurship audience.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Those interested in acquiring a small business or looking to expand their current business.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

7. Scaling Up - Verne Harnish

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "To achieve scale, you must master the art of the metaphorical shift from doer to coach."

The Good: The importance of identifying and addressing key issues in a business in order to achieve sustainable growth.

The Bad: Zippo. Entrepreneurs who need to scale should consider this a must read. If you aren't in the demographic, you can skip it.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses and achieve long-term success.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

8. The War of Art: Break Through The Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles - Steven Pressfield

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it."

The Good: The book encourages readers to overcome resistance and self-doubt to pursue their creative endeavors.

The Bad: The book can be overly simplistic in its approach to complex psychological issues.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Who: Anyone struggling to find motivation and overcome procrastination in creative work.
Why: The book offers practical tips for overcoming obstacles that can impede creative output.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

9. Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels."

The Good: The book explains the importance of emotional intelligence in personal and professional success, and offers strategies for improving emotional intelligence.

The Bad: You may find the book overly technical and dense. Read it anyway. EQ is FAR more critical to enormous success than IQ for anyone intellectual enough to be reading books from this list.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Who: Anyone interested in improving their interpersonal relationships and leadership skills.
Why: The book offers a comprehensive overview of the concept of emotional intelligence and practical advice for developing emotional intelligence skills.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

10. Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain - Peter Skan

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The Quote: "ADHD isn't a curse or a disability; it's a difference, and it can be an asset if you know how to use it."

The Good: The book offers strategies for people with ADHD to optimize their strengths and overcome their challenges in order to achieve success.

The Bad: The book may not be as relevant for readers who do not have ADHD - but it's still very important to understand this demographic as an entrepreneur or manager. The book offers a positive and empowering perspective on ADHD and provides practical strategies for success.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Who: Anyone with ADHD or who wants to understand and support someone with ADHD.
Why: The book offers a positive and empowering perspective on ADHD and provides practical strategies for success.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

11. 80/20 Sales and Marketing - Perry Marshall

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The Quote: "80/20 is not a formula, it's a compass."

The Good: Identifying and focusing on the 20% of activities that generate 80% of results can dramatically improve sales and marketing outcomes.

The Bad: The book tends to oversimplify complex topics, which could lead to oversights and missed opportunities.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Who: Sales and marketing professionals who want to optimize their efforts and drive more revenue.
Why: This book offers a practical approach to identifying and prioritizing the most impactful sales and marketing activities, which can help professionals achieve better results with less effort.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

12. The Humans - Matt Haig

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "The easiest way to steal something, is to make sure it's already yours."
"I should have stayed at home and thought about all the other ways I could have done things differently. Instead, I will leave this world with the knowledge that I have lived."

The Good: The importance of valuing human relationships and experiences over material possessions.

The Bad: The plot is super slow at times but really does bring it all together toward the end of the book.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Anyone interested in exploring the human experience and what truly matters in life.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

13. Lifeonaire - Matt Haig

Rating: 0 - Seriously - they can’t all be good!

The Quote: "Most people never allow themselves to dream. They limit themselves to the reality of their present circumstances."
"Your actions are either moving you toward or away from the life you desire."

The Good: The concept of "intentional congruence" - aligning your actions with your goals and values.

The Bad: They can't all be amazing. The writing style is utterly repetitive and simplistic. The storytelling is sing-songy and cheesy from beginning to end.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Those who feel unfulfilled in their current lifestyles and are looking to make a change.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.

14. Profit First - Mike Michalowitz

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Quote: "Traditional accounting uses the logical (albeit, flawed) formula: Sales - Expenses = Profit. The problem is, businesses are run by humans, and humans aren't always logical."

The Good: The book introduces a new approach to managing business finances that prioritizes profit by allocating money to different accounts for specific purposes. This system forces you to confront your expenses and make cuts, so that you're always making a profit.

The Bad: While the book advocates for profitability, some readers might find it too simplistic or rigid for their business needs. The method might not work for every type of business or industry.

The Why (why it’s worth reading) & Who (who should read it): Small business owners and entrepreneurs who struggle with financial management and want a practical, actionable method to increase profitability.

Read the book on Apple Books here.

Listen to the book on Audible here.