Starting a business is more accessible than ever before. Online business has changed the way global economies operate and will continue to revolutionize the business world.
However, an obvious downside comes with this ease of starting a business.
Because online businesses are easy to start, many are… well, kinda terrible.
I know my first businesses were all embarrassingly bad! That’s why I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.
So, to help some aspiring business owners, here is a list of some of the best books to start an online business.
These books can help you with all aspects of starting a business on the internet.
Don’t have time to read all the best books to start an online business? Read this instead…
If you want to get straight down to business (no pun intended), then you’ll want to start with The $100 Startup. The book ultimate boot-strapping guide for an online business while you still work full time.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
- Audible Audiobook
- Cal Newport (Author) – Jeff Bottoms (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 01/05/2016 (Publication Date) – Hachette Audio (Publisher)
We’re all surrounded by distractions everywhere.
It’s getting harder to stay productive throughout your day without checking out social media updates, blogs, or other sources of distractions on the internet.
In Deep Work, Cal Newport reasons that the ability to focus is one of the most important skills you need to succeed. It’ll help you ignore distractions and focus on the tasks you have to complete.
Instead of telling you how bad distraction is, he explains how the opposite boosts your productivity.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part illustrates how in almost any profession, embracing a deep work ethic will be quite beneficial, while the second part provides you with a set of four roles.
These rules can help change how you think, in addition to changing your habits to work more efficiently.
Starting an online business needs you to be productive and stay focused, and this book will teach you exactly that.
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, by Eric Ries
- Audible Audiobook
- Eric Ries (Author) – Eric Ries (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 09/13/2011 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
The Lean Startup has inspired the way many people think about starting businesses.
The book’s main purpose is to improve the decision-making skills of entrepreneurs by using experimentation and placing more emphasis on creativity and customer feedback.
Starting an online business requires you to be creative and continuously stay updated with anything relevant to your business for it to succeed.
Nobody wants to see what they’ve already seen everywhere else. The book teaches you how to come up with innovative ideas to sustain your business.
Moreover, it has even launched a community of people from all over the world.
The book is definitely worth reading. It has changed how many entrepreneurs think and it could change or influence how you do business too.
Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams, by Jeff Walker
- Audible Audiobook
- Jeff Walker (Author) – Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 12/27/2015 (Publication Date) – Brilliance Audio (Publisher)
Starting an e-business is by no means a simple task. You need to go through some serious prep work if you want your business to succeed.
In this book, Jeff Walker, a veteran of the e-commerce industry, gives you a roadmap that will help you achieve your goal in the least possible time, even if you’re working out of a small room with a bootstrap budget.
By using some relevant examples, Walker illustrates what makes or destroys a product launch and the things you need to build a reputable brand.
Furthermore, You’ll understand how you can position your e-commerce business appropriately no matter what your available budget is — and how to utilize your time and budget in the best possible way to get the best results.
The Conversion Code: Capture Internet Leads, Create Quality Appointments, Close More Sales, by Chris Smith
- Audible Audiobook
- Chris Smith (Author) – Chris Smith (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 07/26/2022 (Publication Date) – Ascent Audio (Publisher)
Conversion Code teaches you how to get sales in the digital era.
It also gives you a complete guide on how you can effectively produce more leads from the internet, get appointments, and attract more customers.
You will learn through a step-by-step guide about how to transform online leads into closed sales at the highest possible rates.
Today’s consumers are smart and they have a ton of options to choose from. More options than ever before. The same thing goes for salespeople and marketers.
That’s why it’s important for you to be able to produce relevant qualified leads to meet the customers’ expectations.
Moreover, it’ll also help you make the best use of numerous internet-based channels like emails, blogs, and social media to get a higher reach count and drive conversions.
If you have a small business in the marketing domain, this book will be a great addition to your library. I’ll take your online game to the next level.
Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability & Science of Customer Centricity, by Avinash Kaushik
- Kaushik, Avinash (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 475 Pages – 10/01/2009 (Publication Date) – Sybex Inc (Publisher)
A big chunk of digital marketing is centered around tracking conversions and analyzing traffic.
If you’re trying to launch an online business, you need to have a strong background in web analytics.
Luckily, this book covers almost everything you need to know about web analytics and skils the fluff.
The book also provides you with a comprehensive view of developing an actionable strategy, applying analytical methods, overcoming challenges like measuring multichannel campaigns, using experimentation to achieve optimal success, and employing tactics for knowing what your customers want.
This book is regarded as one of the best guides for web analytics which is a huge industry and something you’ll need to know about.
If you want to master web analytics, don’t miss out on reading this book.
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, by Chris Guillebeau
- Audible Audiobook
- Chris Guillebeau (Author) – Chris Guillebeau, Thomas Vincent Kelly (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 05/08/2012 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
Transforming ideas into businesses or sources of income is what author Chris Guillebeau is experienced with.
In this book, he teaches you that you don’t necessarily need to have a huge amount of money in your bank for your business to succeed.
Moreover, he gives you techniques to get the biggest value out of your ideas and build a consistent long term source of income.
You’ll also find many entrepreneurs sharing their invaluable experiences about building businesses from scratch with little to no capital.
The book reasons that you don’t really need an MBA degree to succeed as an entrepreneur. All you need is to have the real-life skills required to overcome potential challenges you may face.
You can read our summary of the $100 Startup if you’d like more of a rundown on the book.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking to start an online business, you’ll need to make sure you learn the right stuff and sort out the BS.
This list of books is a great way to start while saving time.
You can also save time reading by using an app like Blinkist to read book summaries. We have a review of the app if you’d like to learn more.
