10 Brilliant Business Books I've Read This Year

I've always been an avid reader of business books and this year I've discovered quite a few gems which I thought I'd share with you.

Brad Sugars suggests that we should all be learning each and every day. I went to see Brad give a talk in the UK recently and he said "the more you learn; the more you earn." He also stated towards the end of his talk that "if we can out learn him, that will be the day we can out earn him!" There will be a few of Brad Sugars business books on my reading list for next year!

One of the best ways to learn business related advice and guidance and ideas is from buisness books written by business people who have been there, seen it, and done it!

In no particular order, listed below are ten of my favourite ones which I've read this year. I'm not doing a full review of each one but I've included a few words to summarise my thoughts.

• Crush It - Gary Vaynerchuk

I absolutely LOVE this book. Gary Vee explains how every single employee who is not happy should just leave and get on with following their passion in life. He says that if we follow our passion and build a business based on our passion then we can quite quickly monetise it.

Read Crush It and cash in on your passion.

• Trust Agents - Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

This book is awesome and very special to me. I went to Like Minds in Exeter in Feb 2010 and met Chris Brogan and he signed my copy of Trust Agents! He really is a very special guy and the stuff he and Julien have written in Trust Agents is brillaint and they show you how to use your influenece in the digital world in a way that remains honest, effective and profitable.

Simon Bunker has written a god review on his website http://bloggingbookworm.com/review-trust-agents/ and you'll see my comment where you can see a photo of Chris signing my book at Like Minds!

• SuperTrends of Future China - James K. Yuann & Jason Inch

This is the book I'm actually still reading right now. It is excellent. China without doubt are going to be a massive world leader and some of the business opportunities suggested in this book are absolutlely ready to jump on board right now.

The mobile phone market is going to be huge and the Internet is already helping China to be the world's largest online users with over 200 million online. Yet, this only equates to 17% penetration! Unreal!

• The Go Giver - Bob Burg & John David Mann

This is one of my favourite book of 2010 because I love and totally buy in to the Go Giver concept. There are too many people in business who are all about Me, Me Me and take, take, take.
It's the most amazing story of how the main character, Joe learns the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success. The Go Giver was an absolutely serendipitous read for me as it reinforced so many of my own beliefs. Read my review here.
And how cool that Bob Burg took the time out to comment too! He and I are now connected via Twitter which just blows me away!

• Awaken the Entrepreneur Within - Michael E. Gerber

I have to just state here that I am a massive fan of Michael Gerber. He is truly a genius, a brilliant story teller and a mesmerising speaker. This book is all about Michael's Dreaming Room. A fantastic concept of going into the dreaming room to find your inner entrpreneur and to create the perfect business that fills your passion and a gap in the market.
Michael writes in such an easy to read style; it really flows and I couldn't put it down.

• Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

This book was written in the late 1920s and is just as relevant today and seems quite timely with us coming out of our recent major recession. It was written at the end of the great depression so there are many parallels.
The 13 steps to riches are incredible and I still find it staggering that Napoleon Hill came up with this stuff of brilliance all those years ago.
Get yourself a copy and read it again and again.

• The Luck Factor - Dr Richard Wiseman

This is a great book which explains that there really is no such thing as luck. We all make our own luck. It's a sort of scientific research piece based on interviewing loads of lucky and unlucky people to discover the difference. There are some great stories used as examples.
The good news is the unlucky people in life can improve their luck using 4 scientific principles of luck and these can significantly change your life.

• Get off Your Arse - Brad Burton

This is not your stereotypical business book but don't pre-judge it. GOYA is incredible and it's packed full of brillaint tips, advice and guidance for small businesses.
Brad Burton is the founder of 4Networking; the UK's fastest growing business network with over 250 joined up groups across the UK.
Brad's style is easy to read and doesn't pull any punches. It's refreshing to have a business book which tells it to you straight.

• Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me - Penny Power with Thomas Power

I've been an advocate of Penny and Thomas Power for many years and I was so thrilled when Penny released this book. It is packed with a wealth of her's and Thomas' business experience gained from founding and running the world's first social network - Ecademy.
The book explains some of the different platforms but more importantly it goes into the how and the why it's so important to connect and get to know people and have conversations.
Penny is passionate about Social Media and calls it the Individual Revolution.

• The Little Red Book of Selling - Jeffrey Gitomer

This is a beautifully produced book and one you feel like you want to take care of. It's a cloth bound hardback with lovely shiny pages and it's crammed packed full of sales wisdom.
The chapters are short and punchy with loads of great side notes and some brilliant quotes.
Each chapter is based on a principle and in each one there is a link back to Jeffrey's website where you can get all sorts of extra, valuable freebies.
All of us our sales people in one shape or another - this great book is like a sales person's bible. Grab your copy and take it with you everywhere!

I hope you too enjoy these as much as I have and I one quick declaration - the links to each book uses my Amazon affiliate code. I hope you don't mind. If you buy just a couple of them I'll get about 3p so thanks for assisting me in amassing my daughter's inheritance!

Please do comment and let me know what you thought of any of these books. Also, please do share any other business books you like that you recommend.