The 50 best business books
The best business books ranked: leadership, startups, marketing, strategy and money. A top 50 with short reviews and where to read each one.
The best business books give you ideas you can use on Monday morning. The list covers startups, leadership, marketing, negotiation, investing and decision-making, from Good to Great to The Lean Startup and Never Split the Difference.
These are editorial picks, ranked for readability and lasting appeal, and nobody pays to be on the list. Not sure where to start? Try the book finder and get three picks for your mood.
Top 50 business books, ranked
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Good to Great
Why some companies make the leap and others don't.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Built to Last
Successful habits of visionary companies.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Lean Startup
How constant innovation creates successful businesses.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Zero to One
Notes on startups, or how to build the future.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a business when there are no easy answers.
- Gripping
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Start with Why
How great leaders inspire everyone to take action.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Leaders Eat Last
Why some teams pull together and others don't.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Innovator's Dilemma
When new technologies cause great firms to fail.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Blue Ocean Strategy
How to create uncontested market space.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Crossing the Chasm
Marketing and selling disruptive products.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Influence
The psychology of persuasion.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Pre-Suasion
A revolutionary way to influence and persuade.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Never Split the Difference
Negotiating as if your life depended on it.
- Gripping
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Getting to Yes
Negotiating agreement without giving in.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The E-Myth Revisited
Why most small businesses don't work and what to do about it.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Intelligent Investor
The definitive book on value investing.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Rich Dad Poor Dad
What the rich teach their kids about money.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Psychology of Money
Timeless lessons on wealth and greed.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
A guide to wealth and happiness.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Traction
How any startup can achieve explosive customer growth.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Hooked
How to build habit-forming products.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Purple Cow
Transform your business by being remarkable.
- Inspiring
- Funny
Where to read
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This Is Marketing
You can't be seen until you learn to see.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Building a StoryBrand
Clarify your message so customers will listen.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Positioning
The battle for your mind.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Measure What Matters
How OKRs help you set and achieve goals.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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High Output Management
Intel's former CEO on management.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A leadership fable about teamwork.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Radical Candor
Be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Dare to Lead
Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Drive
The surprising truth about what motivates us.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Principles
Life and work principles from the hedge-fund founder.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Effective Executive
The definitive guide to getting the right things done.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Competitive Strategy
Techniques for analysing industries and competitors.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Lean In
Women, work and the will to lead.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Rework
A better, faster, easier way to succeed in business.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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$100M Offers
How to make offers so good people feel stupid saying no.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate them at your own risk.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Made to Stick
Why some ideas survive and others die.
- Inspiring
Where to read
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The Black Swan
The impact of the highly improbable.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Tipping Point
How little things can make a big difference.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Business Adventures
Twelve classic tales from the world of Wall Street.
- Thoughtful
- Gripping
Where to read
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Barbarians at the Gate
The fall of RJR Nabisco.
- Gripping
Where to read
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Bad Blood
Secrets and lies in a Silicon Valley startup.
- Gripping
Where to read
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The Everything Store
Jeff Bezos and the age of Amazon.
- Gripping
Where to read
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Thinking in Bets
Making smarter decisions when you don't have all the facts.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Good Strategy Bad Strategy
The difference and why it matters.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Culture Code
The secrets of highly successful groups.
- Thoughtful
- Inspiring
Where to read
Each link opens that store’s search for the book. Availability and prices vary by store and country. We may earn a commission from some stores, which never changes the ranking.
Types of business & money books
Looking for something more specific? These are the main kinds of business & money, with the sort of story or subject each one covers.
Startups and entrepreneurship
Building something from nothing.
Leadership and management
Leading teams and building culture.
Marketing and sales
Persuasion, positioning and storytelling.
Negotiation
Getting to yes without giving in.
Investing and money
Value investing and wealth.
Strategy and innovation
Why firms win or fail.
Want to write and publish your own business & money book?
Many readers of this page are also writers. The stores in the lists above are where readers find books, while Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital are the tools authors use to publish and distribute a book to those stores. You can also publish to Barnes & Noble Press and Google Play Books directly.
Our free KDP calculators help with print cost, royalties and cover size, and our publishing services can take care of setup for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best business book of all time?
Good to Great, The Lean Startup, Zero to One and Influence are on most lists.
What business books should a new entrepreneur read first?
Start with The Lean Startup, Zero to One and Rework, then add one on marketing and one on money.
Where can I read or buy the best business books?
Each of the 50 books has links to Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Google Play Books. Authors who want to publish their own business & money book can start with our free guides to Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital.
Not sure what to read next?
Pick a genre and a mood and the book finder will suggest three books to try.