Being an entrepreneur is not easy — building a business takes all your free time, energy and creativity. Sometimes we lack the necessary knowledge even if you are caught up to the latest trends, even if your experience and education are something to envy. What then? The answer is simple enough — read. Read books and articles by those business leaders who have already made it big and are now sharing their valuable experience. The more you’re equipped with knowledge, the less problematic will be the obstacles you are bound to face along the way to building your business empire. Business articles by prominent business people let you look at the world through their eyes and, perhaps, come to certain realizations that you haven’t considered before.
So we made a list of the best articles that you, as an entrepreneur, are likely to find useful and inspiring for your journey to higher highs.
1. How to Make a New Year’s Resolution
A New York Times article about the right way of setting and achieving new goals. It carefully details the meaning behind each letter of the SMART system, gives examples of how to (and how not to) set goals for yourself as well as the importance of working and planning around these goals. The article will prove useful to absolutely everyone.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas
2. What we look for in founders
An American entrepreneur, feature writer, programmer and co-founder of Y-Combinator Paul Graham wrote an article for Forbes where he outlined the qualities startup founders should have and explained the importance of each one of them. However, not all points made the Forbes cut, so he published the full version of the article on his blog. It’s a mandatory read for everyone looking to develop in the field of business.
Link: http://www.paulgraham.com/founders.html
3. The Top 7 Legal Documents for Every Startup
An Entrepreneur article from three years ago that remains, however, very much relevant today. If you’re planning to launch a startup or build a business — don’t gloss over this one. The article deals with 7 essential legal documents that every new company needs. Regardless of the area of business you find yourself in.
Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253997
4. 12 Habits of Highly Successful HR Leaders
Every entrepreneur will agree that one of the most important resources in business is people. This Forefront Magazine article talks about more than just hiring, motivating and training employees to support your business, it also deals with what qualities and habits an HR person should have (be it the head of HR or just a manager). The author, John Schierer, says in his article that in the future human resources won’t just support the business, but, in fact, drive it. If you’re preparing to hire new employees — this is the read for you.
Link: http://www.forefrontmag.com/2013/10/12-habits-of-highly-successful-hr-leaders/
5. 50 Signs You Might Be an Entrepreneur
A test article: «50 Signs You Might Be an Entrepreneur» of the Entrepreneur magazine is intended for everyone who thinks they’re on the way to becoming a business person. As the name suggests, this article gives an entire list of signs that point at your being a potential entrepreneur, and a good one at that. The list includes more than just moral virtues and habits, but also your aptitudes. See the article to find out if you have what it takes to become a great entrepreneur.
Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232451
6. Think You’re Too Old to Be An Entrepreneur? Think Again
Another article from the Entrepreneur with a self-explanatory title. If you’ve developed a dangerous conviction that a XXI century entrepreneur is either a guy in a hoodie in his 20s or an old money mogul in his 60s — this is a read for you. Statistics show that success in business can be achieved by all walks of life at any age. Well-structured and visually pleasing infographics by Anna Vital help drive the point home.
Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232707
7. Meeting the Challenge of Disruptive Change
This article from Harvard Business Review by economic consultant Clayton Christensen and business consultant Michael Overdorf was even covered in other media. It was a recommended read for everyone who has ever been confronted by the need of major change in their business (sounds relevant, doesn’t it?). For starters, changes in business can be positive and negative. Another important thing is that we’re all conservative to a certain extent, and change is something we generally avoid in our lives. So what do we do when change is knocking on the door, but the chief executive is out to lunch? How to accept the fact that change is vital and must take place for the business to improve? The answer is at the link below.
Link: https://hbr.org/2000/03/meeting-the-challenge-of-disruptive-change
8. How To Make Something People Give a Sh!t About
This article is supposed to be the perfect fit for those striving to create a truly fast-growing product that will gain popularity with the masses. Its author is an entrepreneur, comedian and writer Jon Westenberg, and he is here to share his opinion and experience. He talks about how to create something that both you and your clients will be excited about. He highlights the importance of work ethic that helps in product development.
Link: https://observer.com/2015/08/how-to-make-something-people-give-a-shit-about/
9. Why You Hate Work
The article under a telling title came out in The New York Times five years ago — catching quite a buzz with the public, and it has certainly stayed relevant to this day. Journalists Tony Schwartz and Christine Porath talk about how people feel unfulfilled and unhappy with their jobs and why they eventually burn out. They look into the reasons for this conundrum and propose recommendations based on what employees find important to stay motivated, inspired and focused on their work. This article is right for you if your employees have room to grow and you are looking to accelerate their success. This is the best piece of information on this topic out there. You’ll learn what drives and inspires people, and what turns them away from their work. The same way, if you’re unhappy with your job yourself, this can be quite an eye-opener on your career.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/opinion/sunday/why-you-hate-work.html
10. CEO Advice from a New CEO
Did you start a business and are now looking for a mentor? Start here by reading this article by Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter and a number of other popular internet services. He shares his opinion and experience working with some of the greatest business minds this planet has to offer. He talks about the qualities he admires in other business leaders as well as what he does to cultivate these qualities in himself.
Link: https://medium.com/the-biz-stone-collection/ceo-advice-from-a-new-ceo-1ecfe8ed9b70
We only covered 10 useful business articles in this one. Naturally, there’s much more out there on the Internet, so we’ll get back to making another great reading list for you soon.
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