11 Best Must-Read Business Books For Solopreneurs and Freelancers (2023)
The 11 Best Books Every Solopreneur, Freelancer, and 1 Person Business Owner Should Read in 2023
Are you a solopreneur looking for some inspiration and guidance to help guide you on your journey? Look no further!
Being a solopreneur has a lot of specific requirements, and is a lot different than every other type of business. To be a solopreneur, you have to think differently.
You have to have different:
- Goals
- Mindsets
- Expectations
- Priorities
- Skills
- Focus
Some traditional business advice that works great for most businesses can actually be terrible advice for the solopreneur, and vice versa.
I’ve put together a list of the best books for solopreneurs that are sure to give you the specific insight and motivation you need to start, grow, or improve your 1 person business.
From tackling the challenges of working alone, to finding creative solutions and strategies for success, these books will provide invaluable advice for anyone navigating the world of solo entrepreneurship.
Dive into our selection of the best books for solopreneurs and get ready to start making progress on your own journey!
1. The Unfair Advantage
by Hasan Kubba & Ash Ali
The Unfair Advantage helps you look at yourself and find the ingredients you didn't realize you already had, to succeed in the cut-throat world of business.
This groundbreaking book shows how to identify your own Unfair Advantages and apply them to any project.
Hard work and grit aren't enough, so they explore the importance of money, intelligence, location, education, expertise, status, and luck in the journey to success.
Finding one’s unique talents and advantages can be the deciding factor in business success.
By recognizing and leveraging your personal strengths and traits, you discover and lean into your competitive advantages, and unique leverage points.
Knowing how to differentiate yourself through your talents, skills, vision, and style can help you stand out from competitors in the marketplace and give you an edge towards success.
I love the premise of this book, that “You Already Have What It Takes To Succed”. That’s such an empowering message, especially if you’re starting out – but really, if you’re at any stage in your career.
The especially good news is that’ it’s also lethal business advice. Especially when paired with the solopreneur business model.
2. The E-Myth Revisited
by Michael Gerber
An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the phenomenal bestseller dispels the myths about starting your own business.
Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.
With a 1 person business, you live and die by your systems.
If you haven’t learned that lesson yet, you soon will.
The most important lesson about this book is:
Every business is composed of the same parts, whether you understand, acknowledge, or pay attention to them or not.
Even though as a solopreneur you may not be “hiring” other people to fill the roles and put on the different “hats” of the parts of a business, you still need to understand them and how they work so that you can optimize for what you want more of in your business and your life.
Having a well-designed system in place can help a business owner efficiently manage their day-to-day tasks, while also freeing up time to focus on other aspects of the business. Systems also allow for better organization, allowing the business owner to quickly access information and resources when needed.
The E-Myth Revisted is the first comprehensive book about business systems that I ever read, and it fundamentally changed how I saw business forever.
In short, systems are essential for one person businesses who want to ensure their operations run smoothly and efficiently, and The E-Myth Revisited is a great place to start to learn about them.
3. Work The System
by Sam Carpenter
Sam Carpenter discovered and then developed a simple methodology that knocked his routine 80-hour workweek down to zero, while multiplying his net income by a factor of 100.
In this fourth edition of Work the System, Carpenter reveals the profound insight and exact uncomplicated, mechanical steps he took to turn his business—and his life—around.
Once you “get” this new vision, success and serenity will come quickly.
Work the System by Sam Carpenter is a great book for solopreneurs to read.
It provides an in-depth look into the world of business and how to effectively manage time, energy, resources, and employees.
The author’s “systems thinking” approach allows those who have been running their own businesses to gain insight into ways they can improve their operations and create a more efficient and successful business.
The Essence is transformative: Life (and business) is simply composed of a series of systems. And by optimizing these systems, you can work less, make more, and have a much more efficient, effective, and profitable business.
By discovering, understanding, analyzing, documenting, rearranging, and optimizing these systems, you can create dramatically better results in your business and your life.
Carpenter provides many tools that are easy to understand and implement while offering practical advice on how to get started with developing a systemized approach to managing one’s business.
4. Company Of One
by Paul Jarvis
Company of One offers a refreshingly original business strategy that’s focused on a commitment to being better instead of bigger.
Why? Because staying small provides one with the freedom to pursue more meaningful pleasures in life—and avoid the headaches that come with traditional growth-oriented business.
Company of One by Paul Jarvis is an excellent guide for solopreneurs. It offers a new way to think about business, emphasizing the idea of staying small and focusing on quality over quantity.
The book provides practical advice on how to stay profitable, while avoiding the pitfalls of chasing growth. It covers topics such as setting realistic goals, building relationships with collaborators, and creating systems that can help you scale your business without sacrificing your freedom.
Overall, Company of One is a must-read for any solopreneur looking to take control of their business and build something lasting.
5. $1 Million 1 Person Business
by Elaine Pofeldt
Join the record number of people who have ended their dependence on traditional employment and embraced entrepreneurship as the ultimate way to control their futures. Determine when, where, and how much you work, and by what values.
Shows the latest strategies you can apply from everyday people who--on their own--are bringing in $1 million a year to live exactly how they want.
The $1 Million 1 Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt is a great book for those looking to take their one-person business to the next level.
It provides practical advice, tips, and strategies that can help any aspiring entrepreneur make their business successful. The book contains stories of people who have achieved success in their one-person businesses, as well as solutions to common problems that entrepreneurs face.
It also outlines cost-effective methods for marketing and growing a business, such as using social media and leveraging virtual assistants.
With its wealth of useful advice, The $1 Million 1 Person Business is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to achieve success with a one-person business.
6. The $100 Startup
by Chris Guillebeau
The $100 Startup Book by Chris Guillebeau is a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses without risking large amounts of money.
The book provides readers with step-by-step instructions on how to develop a successful business model that suits their individual skills and interests.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau is a great book for people who are interested in starting their own 1-person business, side hustle, or freelancing business.
The book outlines the strategies and tactics needed to build a successful business with limited resources. It provides practical advice on identifying opportunities, creating an action plan, marketing the business, and building relationships with customers and partners.
The book also covers topics such as mindset preparation and managing risk.
With its comprehensive overview of what it takes to create a successful small business venture, The $100 Startup is an essential read for anyone considering starting their own 1-person business.
7. Crush It!
by Gary Vaynerchuk
In Crush It!,online marketing trailblazer Gary Vaynerchuk tells business owners what they need to do to boost their sales using the internet—just as he has done to build his family’s wine store from a $4 million business to a $60 million one.
Crush It! will show readers how to find their passion, then step by step how to turn it into a flourishing, monetized business.
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk has been a major source of inspiration for those looking to start and grow their own solo business.
His book provides an invaluable roadmap for entrepreneurs seeking to take advantage of the power of social media, showing how to build an audience, establish authority, and monetize your success.
With his clear guidance on topics such as branding, marketing strategies and leveraging the proper platforms, Crush It! is a must-read for anyone taking their first steps into the world of solopreneurship.
It’s no wonder that it has become such a staple in the industry, inspiring a generation of entrepreneurs to create new and exciting companies with minimal resources.
8. The Four Hour Work Week
by Timothy Ferriss
The New York Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Body shows readers how to live more and work less, now with more than 100 pages of new, cutting-edge content.
Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.
The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss has helped to inspire a generation of entrepreneurs and lifestyle design enthusiasts to create their own lifestyle businesses that allow them to have both time freedom and location independence.
This was the first book about lifestyle design and working online that I ever read, and it impacted everything about how. I thought, and what I decided to do for a career.
With the principles outlined in the book, people have been able to find ways to work smarter instead of harder, allowing them to generate an income with significantly fewer hours.
This shift in mindset has enabled a new wave of solopreneurs and one-person businesses who are now able to achieve financial success while still having the opportunity to travel the world or enjoy more leisure time.
By taking control of their work schedules and embracing the concept of automation, these individuals have been able to live their lives on their own terms.
9. Expert Secrets
by Russel Brunson
Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson is one of the best marketing books available for anyone looking to understand how to create massive impact with their own personal story.
The book provides a blueprint of actionable steps and strategies to help you break through the noise and stand out from the crowd. It teaches readers how to create a powerful, unique message that resonates with potential customers as well as effective methods for getting your message out there.
With expert advice from Brunson combined with inspiring stories from people who have achieved success using his techniques, Expert Secrets is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to scale their business or start a successful business venture.
10. Range
by David J. Epstein
“The most important business—and parenting—book of the year.” —Forbes
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists.
He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel.
Range by David Epstein is an invaluable book for solopreneurs because it offers valuable insight into how to leverage your unique skillsets and interests to drive success.
The book explores the concept of cultivating a generalist perspective, which allows you to draw from a wide range of skills and knowledge to create something new.
By embracing this approach, solopreneurs can craft their own path forward that nobody else can replicate.
Range provides guidance on how best to achieve this goal, combining inspiring stories with practical advice that can help any aspiring entrepreneur make the most of their talents.
11. The Aspiring Solopreneur
by Kris Kluver
In The Aspiring Solopreneur, Kris provides the tools you need to define success and to research and launch a spectacular solopreneur life.
This step-by-step guide will help you identify success on your terms, research your idea, safely launch, and successfully transition into your new life.
The Aspiring Solopreneur: Your Business Start-Up Bible, by Kris Kluver, is an essential guide to starting a successful solopreneur business.
It covers topics such as:
- How to create a viable business plan
- How to market yourself and your business
- How to develop effective financial management strategies
- And much more.
The book provides helpful guidance on everything from finding the right niche to setting up a website or blog and using social media tools to promote your business.
Additionally, it includes advice on managing risk and maintaining work/life balance as well as tips for improving productivity and achieving success.
With straightforward language and practical exercises, this comprehensive guide will help any aspiring solopreneur launch their own venture with confidence.
Conclusion
The journey of becoming a solopreneur is a challenging one, but it’s also exciting and fun.
Reading these books can be an essential part of any solopreneurs journey, helping them make informed decisions, stay focused on their goals, and remain motivated throughout their career.
If you’re interested in starting the solopreneur journey, these books are a must-read to get you started with the right mindsets, tools, and different thinking than conventional business advice.
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