Top Business books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Business books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Business

Understanding the concepts of Business starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

The $100 Startup

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau is a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs. It offers practical insights and case studies on starting and growing a business on a shoestring budget. The book emphasizes creativity, simplicity, and resourcefulness as key ingredients for success.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" is a business book written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. The book outlines the key characteristics and habits of successful companies that have managed to stand the test of time and remain competitive in their respective industries.

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The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion

WeWork would be worth $10 trillion, more than any other company in the world. It wasn’t just an office space provider. It was a tech company—an AI startup, even. Its WeGrow schools and WeLive residences would revolutionize education and housing. One day, mused founder Adam Neumann, a Middle East peace accord would be signed in a WeWork. The company might help colonize Mars. And Neumann would b…

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Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss's head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues succeed where it mattered most: saving lives.

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The Hard Thing About Hard Things

"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz is a guide for entrepreneurs and leaders that offers practical advice on managing difficult situations in business, including laying off employees, handling investor relationships, and making tough decisions.

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The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future

Shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Named a Best Book of 2022 by The Economist“A gripping fly-on-the-wall story of the rise of this unique and important industry based on extensive interviews with some of the most successful venture capitalists.” - Daniel Rasmussen, Wall Street Journal“A must-read for anyone seeking to understand modern-day Silicon Valley and even our…

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Additional Business Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Business, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The innovator's dilemma

The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen explains how successful companies fail by sticking to their established business models, overlooking disruptive innovations. It offers a framework to help managers anticipate and respond to market changes.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Trajectory: Startup: Ideation to Product/Market Fit

Trajectory: Startup removes the mystery from the startup process and outlines a roadmap of tasks and timeframes, with monthly milestones and resources. This pre-accelerator program will help you get the momentum you need.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

Book Summary – Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know. The way we think affects not just our ability to succeed in a dynamic, fast-changing world; it also affects how we make sense of things around us. This book by Adam Grant is about improving your mental agility and the ability to rethink.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence (with Featured Article What Makes a Leader? by Daniel Goleman)

This collection of articles includes: “What Makes a Leader” by Daniel Goleman, “Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance” by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, “Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair” by Joel Brockner, “Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions” by Andrew Campbell, Jo Whitehead, and Sydney Finkelstein, “Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups” by Vanessa …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Rework

Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf. Read it and you'll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don't need outside investors, and why you're better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don't…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Zero to One

Going from zero to one means going from nothing to something. This is the greatest leap possible — greater than going from one to 10 or even from one to 100. To go from zero to one is to conjure something into existence from the dark void of oblivion. This is the essence of true innovation.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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