Career
I am often asked the question: “What are the best business books?”, “What can you recommend me to read?”, “Which book should I start my entrepreneurial journey with?” The questions are quite logical, because high-quality information today is the key to success tomorrow. And no one wants to waste time reading empty books by “phony” business gurus. Therefore, I would like to tell you what are the best business books to read, and what you should pay attention to first.
There are hundreds of worthy books; it makes no sense to list them all in this article. I decided to make the TOP 10 most interesting, popular, and practical business books. How did I choose them? First, a personal opinion about the book. Secondly, entering the TOPs of business literature on other Internet resources. Third, sales ratings. And further. I decided not to talk about well-known foreign business books. Stories about Apple, Macdonald's, Facebook are already boring. We want to build a business in Russia. Therefore, the books will be about Russian entrepreneurs with a capital P. Let's go!
The best books about business in Russia
How to become a businessman
Oleg Tinkov
Now you probably won’t find a person who doesn’t know about Tinkov and his bank. This is one of the most significant figures in Russian business in the 2000s and 1900s. First, I read his first book, “I’m Like Everyone else,” and was simply delighted with it. Every time Oleg achieves success as an entrepreneur in a new direction. And I think the reason for success is simple. Tinkov is interested in business as such.
In the book “How to Become a Businessman” you are unlikely to find advice and recommendations. But the book is valuable for others: it is the best motivator in all Russian business literature. She teaches you to find ideas and bring them to life, not to be afraid to take risks and solve the most difficult problems that stand in the way of a novice entrepreneur. Therefore, I advise you to read his two books to learn about Tinkov both as a person and as an entrepreneur with a capital letter.
Break everyone up. How to build a big business in Russia. The real story of Euroset
Sergei Fomenkov
“Stories of the formation of a real business” is a format of business books that came to Russia from abroad, and which I personally really like. is a phenomenal project in the history of post-Soviet business. The author of this book is ex-vice president of Euroset Sergei Fomenkov, whose name and work are largely associated with the company’s tremendous growth in the first half of the 2000s.
This book tells not only about events, as befits its genre. The reader can find excellent advice on managing a large company. A large company is a crossroads with a thousand opportunities, among which choosing the right one is much more difficult than creating a business with a small start-up capital in hand.
The first $1,000,000 is the hardest
Sergey Vatutin
Do you want to earn your first million? But you don't know how! Then I recommend reading this book. Its author is the general director of the 1001 Tour travel agency network, Sergei Vatutin. He is also the founder of the travel portal Turizm.ru, the consulting project TurDelo and the author of several other best-selling books on business. His activities are one of the best cases in Russia of how you can become number 1 in your niche.
In this business book you can find many fundamental principles for building a business in Russia in general - from calculating the first investments and writing a business plan to the “first million dollars” point, the achievement of which is possible if you abandon stereotypical thinking and learn to bypass all the obstacles that inevitable on the path of every startuper.
Business youth. Start your own business
Petr Osipov, Mikhail Dashkiev
Many people think that starting their own business is very difficult. That you need to have a large amount of start-up capital or “good” connections. Pyotr Osipov and Mikhail Dashkiev refute these erroneous judgments in their book “Business Youth. Start your own business." They are active entrepreneurs and business coaches who have created the largest community in Russia, which includes more than 2,000,000 entrepreneurs. I myself have been following their activities since their founding in 2010.
Startup: 11 master classes from an ex-evangelist and the most daring capitalist of Silicon Valley
It is unlikely that any modern businessman has not heard of the famous venture capitalist named Guy Kawasaki, who works in the field of high technology. In addition, he wrote several books, three of which have been translated into Russian. This is “How to charm people. The art of influencing minds and actions”, “Revolutionary product. How to create and bring to market" and "Startup: 11 master classes from an ex-evangelist and the most daring capitalist of Silicon Valley."
In the latter, he talks about how to open your own business so that it begins to quickly make a profit, how to hire employees, create a brand and an innovative product, and find investors. Guy Kawasaki believes that “an entrepreneur is not a profession, but a state of mind of a person who wants to change the future.”
This book was highly praised: “When the Lord created the world, he listened to the advice of Guy.” It is believed that it should become a reference book for every startuper. Guy Kawasaki himself says that the book is intended for people who strive to create something new in a variety of fields. “If your motto is: Enough talk - tell me what I have to do, then you've come to the right place.”
Train your brain with fun
Develop memory, attention and thinking with the help of online simulators
START DEVELOPING
In their free master classes and paid programs, the guys provide information that is very valuable from a practical point of view. They show that business is not difficult at all. The book itself “Business Youth. Start your own business" is written in very simple and understandable language. Even if you have never had your own business, the schemes and principles described there will help you in opening one. I highly recommend this book!
Business is like a game. Rake of Russian business and unexpected decisions
Sergey Abdulmanov, Dmitry Kibkalo
Who doesn't love playing board games? I think that's it. And Dmitry Kibkalo and Sergey Abdulmanov love not only to play, but also to earn money from them. They are the founders of Russia's largest chain of board game stores. The title of their business book completely defines its essence, and the game beginning gives it a special charm.
In this book, the authors reveal all stages of company development: creation, promotion, management, operation of a retail store. Certain sections of the book can be read as interesting and unique stories from the life of this business. At first glance, the book may seem like “reading material” for a Friday evening, but if you read deeper, you will see a lot of recommendations that other business practices do not cover. This is the value of this book.
Durov code. The real story of VKontakte and its creator
Nikolai Kononov
This is a story about the social network VKontakte and its founder, 32-year-old Pavel Durov, who literally “from scratch” created and developed the most popular social media platform in the CIS. This business book is worth reading for those who are interested in stories about running an Internet business in Russia, as well as for those who just want to start their own business.
This is a story not only about the life of VKontakte, but also about the life of its creator, Pavel Durov, a man who rarely communicates with journalists. Durov is a rather controversial personality. Some call him a genius, others - just a man who managed to catch the wave and stay on it. Some call him an ineffective manager, a twenty-year-old nerd, others call him an unambiguously extraordinary, gifted person capable of changing not only himself, but the entire human civilization.
And nerds do business
Maxim Kotin
This book by the writer Maxim Kotin is about Fyodor Ovchinnikov, a botanist who was not afraid to do business in Russia - a country of total corruption, in a country ruled by officials, oligarchs, and security forces who are just waiting to devour the daredevil who dared to go against the system. This book bears little resemblance to the numerous success stories with happy endings about oligarchs who started from scratch, the creators of transnational corporations. The harsh truth of life, instead of an adventure novel.
It is so interesting that it will give a head start to many entertaining books, at the same time, it is useful for entrepreneurs, like a textbook on strength of materials for engineers. This book is about a dream and the path to it, about personal growth. This is an ode to hard work, efficiency, courage and perseverance. About successes and disappointments, obstacles and overcoming them. Teaches, motivates, inspires.
Business in the style of F... Personal experience of an entrepreneur in Russia
Dmitry Agarunov
This book is by the founder of the publishing company Gameland. Dmitry Agarunov wrote it based on very difficult personal experience. He survived several crises and bankruptcies, many ups and downs, a divorce from his wife, and a transition from selling video games to one of the most significant media empires in Russia. Having a book about business that concentrates the wisdom of “how not to do business” is simply necessary.
The book is divided into sections that are devoted to different aspects of business - starting a company, communicating with investors, working with employees, finance, sales department, and even self-development and family relationships.
An honest book about how to do business in Russia
Dmitry Potapenko
Dmitry Potapenko is a well-known Russian entrepreneur, media personality, economist, who is known not only for his achievements in the field of managing large retail chains, but also as a charismatic and straightforward speaker. This is one of the best books on Russian business, without embellishment or remarks, it will tell you how it works and what awaits it in the near future. Specific answers to specific questions are given, and the theory is only that which can be confirmed in practice!
The book will answer the main question of all entrepreneurs: “Where to start?” Business in Russia is also described as it is, without embellishment. The book offers a theoretical justification for the business practices obtained by D. Potapenko in the process of working with large companies. A book for those who want to find out an expert’s opinion on long-term business planning in times of crisis. And understand the relationship between the economy and the state.
Business on autopilot. How can an owner retire without losing his business?
Andrey Merkulov, Nikolay Mrochkovsky
And I want to complete my review of the best books on business in Russia with a book that will tell you how to get out of a successful business on time. Such thoughts also come to mind! There may be several reasons for this. I want more free time, I’m tired of the niche, I want to do a new, more interesting project. Therefore, this book format also has a place to be.
The authors of the book are experienced managers and business coaches, specialists in the field of financial and business consulting. The book contains everything that they repeatedly wrote in their articles and said at seminars and conferences. The 250 pages of this book contain a large number of tips on how to build an effective system that would work without their constant supervision. This book has already been named one of the best management publications of 2016.
Now you need to find time to read all these interesting and useful business books!
Minimum work product
Because a startup offers something unprecedented in an environment of high uncertainty, its leaders obviously do not know a lot about their product and customers. They have to learn as they go, figuring out which process and strategy elements and which product features will work and which will not.
Lean startup is a rigorous method that allows you to learn through trial and error, not chaotically, but by measuring success against certain parameters.
The main goal of lean manufacturing is to create value. Value is defined, measurable benefits to the customer. Everything else is costs.
Traditional management tasks are mainly aimed at stability - meeting deadlines, meeting budgets. But what is the point of a product, even if it was created on time and in accordance with the budget, if the client does not need it?
The scientific method of the Lean Startup: systematically break down a business plan into elements and test each element. Every product, every option, every marketing move is an experiment aimed at testing a hypothesis and obtaining valid knowledge.
Experimentation is not about “just seeing what happens.” It begins with the development of a hypothesis, and then the hypothesis is tested empirically.
The two main hypotheses are the value hypothesis and the growth hypothesis. The value hypothesis assumes that a product or service will attract customers. The growth hypothesis suggests exactly how and at what speed information about a new product will spread.
Hypotheses are often tested using surveys, but this data is not entirely accurate: it is difficult for people to objectively assess their intentions. Hypotheses are tested by facts: client behavior.
The experiment uses a minimum work product (MVP). The minimum working product is a simplified version that allows you to start the “create-evaluate-learn” cycle as quickly as possible and at minimal cost.
This version does not yet have many options that may be needed in the future, and does not answer all questions related to the characteristics of the product. The main thing is to test the hypotheses of the startup founders. Make sure that this product is interesting to the client.
The main mistake of an entrepreneur is to create a product and only then check the reaction of customers. But if the product turns out to be unnecessary, all expenses will go to waste.
Even if the product turns out to be successful, all the options that you can do without during testing are a waste of not only money, but also precious time. The training cycle should be kept as short as possible.
The basic principle of the minimum working product is to reject any ideas that delay the start of the learning cycle. Simplify everything you can.
Experimenting with an MVP takes courage. Many companies are afraid to release a product that is not perfect because they are afraid of:
— legal problems if clients make claims;
Of course, you should consult with lawyers, warn clients that they are “testing” the product, and take care of its safety.
— competitors who will steal the idea and beat you to its implementation;
In fact, “stealing an idea” is very difficult, especially at the stage when you have just started experimenting with it. If your only advantage is secrecy, it's better not to take up the matter. True competitive advantage doesn't even come from being first to market (although that's important), but rather from moving through feedback loops faster than others to improve the product.
— ruin the brand’s reputation;
If you warn customers about possible problems, you will not ruin your reputation, but, on the contrary, will gain fame as a courageous and disruptive startup. Large companies with a well-known name sometimes create a separate branch for such purposes.
- Damage employee morale with failure.
The concept of a lean startup is hundreds and thousands of experiments. If all hypotheses were true and a significant proportion of experiments did not lead to failures, why conduct experiments? Then, in fact, the traditional method would be preferable - to bring the product to perfection and launch advertising.
You should treat an experiment as just that, an experiment, and value failure as an opportunity to learn. It is important to decide in advance that failure will not force you to abandon the project, but will encourage you to reconsider those elements of the project that are not justified. The Lean Startup is the precise combination of persistence and flexibility.
The quality of the product is only as important as it is important to the client. You cannot neglect discipline and do nothing, especially wishful thinking (this will indeed cause irreparable damage to the brand). You should also eliminate defects that will hinder product development or disrupt the feedback loop. But there is no need to strive for perfection at the first stage.
Many early adopters, especially in high-tech fields, even prefer to deal with an imperfect product: this allows them to participate in the development and customize the product to suit their needs.
Minimum work product testing is conducted primarily to clarify the client archetype.
Reading business books smartly
Books about business are not fiction. Reading them requires your own approach. Therefore, at the end of this article, I will give you a small checklist with 3 steps on how to read business books smartly:
1. Know how to select
There are a lot of books on business published. In addition, there are now many magazines and, of course, the Internet. How to choose the “right” books from this variety of business literature?
7 sources of obtaining such information: - visiting stores, including searching in online stores; — recommendations from friends and colleagues; — search for bibliography on blogs and specialized forums; — participation in various online communities dedicated to business topics; — appealing to businessmen with a request to recommend the necessary literature; - recommended literature in books already read; — various subscriptions to specialized mailings.
Okay, let's say you managed to find interesting books on business. What's next? Next you need to read these books.
2. Know how to read
You need to read 1,000 books to find the 10 that will help you create a business. But perhaps, if you followed step 1 correctly and chose the really “right” books, then you won’t have to read 1,000 books. Better now, right? Therefore, you shouldn’t chase quantity here and read 1 book a day either. The best option is 1 book per week. If creating or running a business takes a lot of time, then at least 1 book per month.
The first time we read for the sake of interest, the second time for the sake of knowledge and practice with a pen and a blank piece of paper, alone in our room. At this stage, it is necessary to outline all ideas, solutions, techniques in the form of an intellectual MindMap map. You can read how to do it on the Internet. I won’t focus on this now and will go straight to point No. 3.
3. Be able to translate knowledge into practice
I’ll say right away that reading a lot of books on business does not mean becoming a businessman. Business is about everyday and effective actions day after day. Therefore, the knowledge gained from books must be applied in practice. The already created MindMap map will help you with this. Some things will work, some won't. At the first stage of creating a business, you need to do a large number of practical actions without thinking about their results. Over time, you will collect your key moneymaking actions that will definitely lead you to a positive result in business.
I noticed that few people fulfill all 3 points, and therefore they cannot build a business. Someone reads something that is not what they need at a given time. Some people read and don’t take notes. And then some people simply don’t do it. But I hope that after reading this article you will read business books smarter. Let the number of entrepreneurs in our country grow, and let the businesses created only benefit people. Therefore, we read the best books on business and become entrepreneurs!
PS Write in the comments 2-3 business books that you have read and can recommend to blog readers!
Definition of a startup: complete uncertainty
A startup is an enterprise that offers a fundamentally new product or service. The key to defining a startup is novelty, a path into the unknown and the risks associated with it.
In this sense, a startup can be either a small, newly created company or a branch of a huge long-existing enterprise. There is a stereotype of the “garage startup”. However, a company in a garage is a startup if it creates an unprecedented gadget, and not a startup if it offers car repairs.
When a startup is a division of an existing company, its vision and strategy change radically. A new or old company that copies an existing business is not a startup.
The need for a startup and the conditions for its existence are a changing reality and a high level of uncertainty. If market conditions do not change and there is no need to adjust anything in the system, startups do not arise.
The main features of a startup are the novelty of not only the product being produced, but also the methods of production, principles of business organization, selection of the target audience, dissemination of information, etc.
The product of a startup is innovation. Innovation can range from scientific discoveries and technology development to new business models, markets and target audiences. The startup's product is so new that many factors cannot be calculated in advance: what problems the company will face during production, what flaws in the product will have to be eliminated, whether customers will like it, whether the startup will be eclipsed by competitors.
Clayton Christensen, in The Innovator's Dilemma, described the basic problem: innovation often boils down to improving an existing product or service, that is, to “improving innovation.”
It is especially difficult to create something truly revolutionary in an already existing company, since innovation is by its nature revolutionary, arises spontaneously and cannot be introduced by order of management.
You shouldn't go to the opposite extreme and think that your startup is unmanageable. The startup path is a path of trial and error, but it is deliberate experimentation and mistakes from which you learn, and not a mixture of brilliant insights and steps taken at random.
The false romance of a startup (“the main thing is to get into a fight, and then it’s hit or miss”) is misleading. This extremely wasteful way of experimenting most often leads to failure and spoils the reputation of a startup as a path to innovation.
The idea of a lean startup: produce a huge number of experiments without spending unnecessary resources - money and time.
What experiments should be like in a lean startup:
- directed (what exactly we want to know);
- differentiated (identify problems);
- have precise parameters for measuring success;
- be accompanied by a willingness to learn;
- have constant feedback to correct the strategy at any time.
"On Advertising" by David Ogilvy
“The easiest way to win new customers is to do good advertising”
A classic book about advertising, still relevant today, despite the fact that the market has changed significantly. The author tells how to create an effective product and how to hook a buyer. A few rules from the book for entrepreneurs from David Ogilvy:
- Headlines are read five times more often than text, and long headlines have better impact.
- The best order is: illustration; title; text, the first paragraph of which is the most exciting.
- If an ad contains news, 22% more people will read it.
- Text printed in white on a dark background is less readable.
- Photos are better remembered.
- “Children, animals and sex” are topics that attract maximum attention.
- Be sure to indicate the price.
- Advertising should not be addressed to a crowd, but to a specific person, so define the target audience as accurately as possible.
- If the advertisement is aimed at a specific city, it is better to mention it in the title.
- Simplify the text as much as possible.
Book 10. “The Entrepreneur's Guide. 24 concrete steps from startup to stable business"
Bill Olet doesn't see success in business as a happy accident. His book describes in detail the difficulties that every person has to face. If he wants to achieve excellence and set priorities correctly, he will have to grow with his own company. Only daily work leads a manager to tangible results that result in financial stability in the modern market.
How to create your own business? This is a rhetorical question facing millions of young people. They are trying to escape the tenacious clutches of everyday life, which forces them to go to work every day and then hope for a meager bonus. The success stories described in the videos are useful, but the books contain different information. They do not try to direct the leader in a different direction, but teach him to analyze the situation and strive for excellence.
Alexander Vysotsky “Small business. Big game"
The main focus of the book is on the development of enterprise management; in cases of low wages per employee, problems of hiring and manual management, the enterprise faces unconditional failure; such companies, as a rule, do not survive even ten years.
To avoid this, a deep analysis of the control system is required, and the elimination of flaws in it for further automated work. This book deeply describes the entire analysis of management, and clearly developed schemes for eliminating them.
