I’m occasionally asked, as a business owner and known book nerd, if there are any specific books that I’d recommend to an aspiring entrepreneur. I’m happy to say that there are!

The following books, in my judgment, offer the most bang for the buck as far as not just theory, but especially practical advice and readability. Because time is our most precious commodity, each one is relatively short, and all of the following are available as audiobooks as well:

• The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael E. Gerber — In exploring the Entrepreneur (E-)Myth, Gerber seeks to investigate “why most small businesses don’t work, and what to do about it.” This is a classic of the entrepreneur genre, and its solid advice hasn’t aged a bit. Required reading for those considering their own startup.
• The Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki — Billed as “the time-tested, battle-hardened guide for anyone starting anything,” Kawasaki delivers the goods. Each section offers a solid entry-level overview on all of the many, varied aspects of running a new business.
• The Myths of Innovation, by Scott Berkun — When starting something new, we have a tendency to overvalue the importance of genius and originality at the expense of simple dedication and hard work. While not entirely about how to start a new business, Berkun’s marvelous book is packed with practical insights for any would-be entrepreneur, and will get you in the right frame of mind for the exciting journey ahead.

Those three books should be enough to get any new business owner inspired about their enterprise, with a knowledge of which pitfalls to avoid and a head full of practical advice. For additional reading, consider the following supplemental books:

• Built to Last, by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras — In a stunning project, two professors from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business exhaustively researched 18 visionary companies and identified their common characteristics. Some of the examples haven’t aged very well, due to management choices since the book’s publication, but the lessons are well worth understanding. (I found Collins’s follow-up, Good to Great, to be engaging but inferior.)
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini — Being in business doesn’t just mean working and playing well with others—it also involves endless amounts of trying to get people to go along with your plans. Cialdini’s book remains a classic for executives, salespeople, and anyone who wants to make their vision a reality.
• Getting Things Done, by David Allen — A new business owner is going to discover almost immediately that there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done. David Allen’s no-frills, bottom-up approach can help revolutionize your productivity with a simple, practical, stress-free method for Getting Things Done.
• The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss — Building on the earlier works of Gerber and Allen (listed above), Ferriss offers tons of practical tips for designing the entrepreneurial lifestyle that will allow you to most enjoy your life. This book is very strongly recommended if your new business is involved in online sales, as it includes a detailed blueprint for a self-managing e-commerce enterprise.

Do you have an opinion on any of the books I’ve listed? Do you have any favorites that aren’t included here? Let me know!

Michael E. Gerber’s small business classic has recently been updated as The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, with Kindle and Audiobook versions available as well.

Gerber’s book is one of the few that I consider “must-reads” for new small business owners and executives, either extant or aspiring. Originally written in the 1980s, the titular “E” doesn’t stand for electronic, as we’ve come to expect (as in email, e-commerce, etc.); it stands for “Entrepreneur Myth,” which is the often disastrous assumption that people who are experts regarding the technical details of a product or service will also be expert at running that sort of business.

One of the book’s most important lessons is that an entrepreneur can’t be content to simply do the work of their business; they also have to build a system for their business. A business can still survive if these internal systems are neglected, but it’s a lot less likely to thrive. The E-Myth Revisited explains how to build a company in a sustainable way while avoiding the pitfall of the Entrepreneur Myth.