Hey Niall,

Love the list man. As a self-supported entrepreneur since 2011, I’m absolutely sure I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have without all the lessons in the books I’ve read. I’m super juiced that there are a lot of books here I haven’t even heard of and a few more I have and haven’t gotten a chance to read yet. My favorite book on your list has to be the E-Myth Revisited. Such a revolutionary thing to realize everything in a business is a system (or should be!)

Here is my list of favorites from my own library: 1. Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill – Arguably the most important business book of all time. Learn how to employ the power of thought in everything you do.

2. Outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill – Written in 1937 and only released in 2010 this book is a fascinating account of Napoleon Hill’s manifestation of “The Devil” and an interview that will leave you questioning a lot about how things are done. It’s not a book about religion.

3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan, Allan Dib – This marketing book is pure gold. (Yeah, the book is yellow, don’t mind). Imagine being able to summarize your entire marketing plan down to a single page. You might actually be able to create one and follow it. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching directly with Allan and his team. Great group for sure!

4. The ONE Thing, Roger Fisher – So much of what we do is randomized by 1000 things per day. What if you could focus on just one thing? To summarize the book makes you ask the question, “What is the one thing I can do right now, such that by doing it will make everything else that I do trivial, or unnecessary?” Answer that question and you may find the clarity you’ve been seeking.

5. The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg – Are you fully aware of what you do on a daily basis? This book sheds a much-needed light on how our brains work and how the things we do are mostly just a collection of learned habits. This book not only reveals this but gives practical examples of how habits can be identified and changed over time. The person who has the right habits will do the right things, whatever those “right” things are for you.

6. Trust Me, I’m Lying, Ryan Holiday – From the author of “Growth Hacker Marketing” Ryan, a former executive of American Apparel shares a fascinating look at the ‘other side’ of marketing and shows you just how far marketing tactics can go to produce the right results.

7. Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute – I was working as a middle manager at Microsoft in 2002 when a VP came down to meet his leadership team. He gave each of us this little book and said it helped him get where he was then. Fast forward 19 years and this book is still a foundation for me. Learn to stop seeing others as objects to manipulate and start thinking “outside the box”.

8. The Richest Man in Babylon, George S. Claston – Such a great book. It’s a collection of short stories design to teach you about managing money. The stories are super entertaining (especially if you listen via audiobook) and the lessons are gold. Supposedly these stories are all uncovered from ancient clay tablets found in Babylon. Whether you believe that or not, the lessons are still very valid.

9. Writing Down Your Soul, Janet Connor – When I have an impossible choice or I’m at a place in my life where I don’t know what to do next, I need to have that mentor who guides me. That can be hard at 3am. Writing Down Your Soul changed my life forever and gave me the power to do “deep soul writing”. This is a practice I do quite often, and it never fails to produce the “Ah HA!” that I’m looking for. In short, write 3 pages per day with pen and paper. What to write? Anything and everything that comes to mind. Just write and write. Eventually after enough times, you’ll be amazed that it’s not you writing the words any longer. You can ask questions and your own writing will being to answer them. Try it out.

10. The Law of Attraction, Esther and Jerry Hicks – My first introduction to the power of manifestation. I had heard about it before, but these two take it to a new level. A really amazing thing for me was when Jerry talks about finding the very first book on my list here “Think and Grow Rich” and how that book made him millions. He struggled to understand why it worked for him but didn’t work for so many others. This book is his method for understanding the true power behind Napoleon Hill’s teachings.

11. As a Man Thinketh, James Allen – About 45 min from start to finish on audio, this book is like concentrated knowledge. Dilute with 3 parts water before reading (Joke!). Seriously though, I’ve studied this book for more than 10 years and I still get things out of it. The first couple of times you listen/read it, you may be asking yourself “What did he just say?? What does that mean?” Stick with it, once you understand truly what is being said, you will find it has a lot of answers for how to get ahead in life. How to think and be in a way that serves your purpose.

There are a ton more books than this, however these are my favorites. Thanks again for your list and I hope a few of these are good additions.

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