Starting a business can be a daunting task and it helps to have a mentor. You may have the idea and have no idea how or where to start out. There are a lot of things that you may not know about. Finding a mentor might be difficult if you do not know anyone personally who has started a business or is currently running a company. However, you can get mentorship through books. Here are a few books which I think have some great tips and tools for starting and running a business.
- Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. This is an autobiography by Richard Branson. In the book, he discusses how he started his empire and how he dealt with the naysayers with his “Screw it. Let’s do it” slogan. You can find this book at Text Book Centre for Kshs. 1,250.
- The Martha Rules. The story was written by Martha Stewart. Interestingly she began writing this book while in prison in 2004 in order to help her fellow inmates. In the book, she gives us the recipe for a successful business which includes passion, quality, growth and taking risks.
- Jack: Straight From the gut. This is an autobiography penned by Jack Welch. He is known as the most respected CEO in the world. He was the CEO of General Electric for 20 years during which time he turned General Electric around. This is a great book to read even if you do not want to start a business but you want to be an effective leader and manager. He had a unique leadership style which motivated his employees and kept them on their toes. He dared to think differently and change the way the company had been run despite opposition and it paid off. You can find this book at Text Book Centre for Kshs. 1,250.
- Shark Tales: How I turned $1000 into Billion Dollar Business. The book is an autobiography by Barbara Corcoran. She is one of the sharks on ‘Shark Tank’. By the age of 22, she had held 23 jobs. At 23 she borrowed $1000 from her friend and built $6 billion dollar Real Estate Company. The book gives great advice on how to start your own business.
- Elon Musk: Inventing the Future. The book is an authorized biography of Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance. Elon Musk has been touted as the real life Tony Stark. He is a billionaire inventor who is the founder of SpaceX and Tesla. The book takes an inside look at how he started all his ventures. The book actually takes a look at all his successes and all the disappointments he has faced. You can find this book at Prestige Bookshop on Mama Ngina Street for Kshs. 1190.
Through these books, you can find guidance and through their trials, you can get inspiration to push through when things don’t go well for you.
Featured image via GazetteReview.com.
