Books Every Girl Boss Should Read

I don’t know about you, but before I started out on my journey of working from home I had never read professional or personal development books.

It took me almost a year into that journey to start updating my Audible wish list with what turned out to be some amazing books. Wow had I been missing out!

Whether you are looking for business books for beginners or you’ve been on this journey for awhile and are looking for some motivation, every girl boss should read or listen to the following books.

Business Book Categories for Girl Bosses

I’ve broken my book recommendations into two categories – business operations and motivation.

The books I’ve put in the category of Business Operations drive the organization of my business. They give guidance and permission to organize your business in a way that makes sense for you as an entrepreneur.

The motivational books I recommend have an operational component too. But what makes them special is the motivation and inspiration they provide.

Listening to the female authors below narrate their books is like listing to a best friend.  They share wisdom, guidance and personal lessons learned.

Hearing these women tell their stories on Audible really brings their lessons to life.

Let’s get started with girl boss must read business operations books first.

Business Operations Books for Boss Girls

These are the books that have created the framework of my business journey. You may have seen them recommended elsewhere and that’s because these books are that good. It’s time to pick one and read it now!

The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Moran. I never understood planning goals for an entire year.  How can anyone know what’s going happen six to nine months in the future?

This book completely changed my perspective on goal planning.

12 Week Goal Planning aka Quarterly Goal Planning is perfect for completing big or small projects that move you toward your big goal.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear.  I did NOT want to like this book.  I read this as part of a book club and I’m so glad the peer pressure pushed me to keep reading.

About halfway through the Atomic Habits I realized the concepts were completely adaptable to my life and business.

I decided to pick two of concepts from the book to implement.  One for my personal life related to my environment – my home and home office. And one for my business that has to do with not skipping important things too many times.

These simple habit changes led to huge positive impacts for my business and family life.

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz. The crazy thing about this book is I was already managing my money and our family budget very similarly. I use less bank accounts then he recommends and it still works great.

I was excited to learn that Profit First recommends a quarterly bonus structure that fits perfectly with the 12 Week Year system that I LOVE.  That chapter was a totally new concept for me.

You can read my full review of at Wondering What the Big Deal is About Profit First?

 

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller is one of those books that is better read then listened to.

Not only does Miller give thought provoking assignments but you are going to want to make notes and highlight sections of this book.  I started it on Audible and quickly realized I wasn’t going to get the full impact until I read it.

StoryBrand takes a lot of thought and I’m still reading and working though it.  If marketing and sales don’t come naturally to you give yourself some grace and time to work though this fantastic book.

Girl Boss Motivation Books

My favorite part about the following books is that the authors have written and recorded multiple books. Each time the first book in the series came to an end I missed the author and was so excited to be able to continue our one sided friendship with another book.

Rachel Hollis

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Hollis was the first personal development book I listened to and it was amazing! Yes, there are going to be chapters that don’t apply to everyone but its her story and she tells it with an honest rawness that leaves you wanting more.

The best part about this book is that while the story is about her the takeaways are about you.  She’s able to communicate motivation in an easy and enjoyable way.

You can read more about Girl Wash Your Face in my post Rachel Hollis Takes on The Lie: I’ll Start Tomorrow.

Because I was a little late to the game reading Girl Wash Your Face, thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long for Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals by Hollis to be released.  I even pre-ordered it I was so excited about it.

In Girl Stop Apologizing, Rachel opens up about starting her business, her business growth and success.  She talks about the trades she made to get to where she is and motivates women to figure out which trades they can make to achieve their business goals and dreams.

She also continues to share the type of embarrassing stories that are shared with friends. And once again, I wanted more when the book ended.

I can’t wait for her husband Dave Hollis’s book Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment to be released in 2020!

Jen Sincero

I’d seen You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Sincero recommended A LOT. But when I read the summary of the book I did’t think it was for me.  Boy was I wrong!

After finishing Girl Stop Apologizing I wanted to fill my head with the voice of another female author who had found business successes.  And more specifically one who had done it in a less traditional way.

I downloaded You Are a Badass and another awesome one sided friendship was started. Again, the story telling and honesty about her path were inspiring and laugh out loud fun. But the best part about this book is that when it ended I wanted more.

I was a little nervous as I dove into You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Sincero. I knew within a few chapters that her advice was going to change my business the same way that the 12 Week Year and Atomic Habits had.

Jen talks about money without apology. She talks about asking for money and having money. She talks about the choices she made – and the struggle – to go from broke to rich.

And she gave me perspective that has had an amazing ripple effect on my business.

Denise Duffield-Thomas

While Girl Wash Your Face was the first personal development book I listened to Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First-Class Life by Duffield-Thomas was the first one I bought.  The crazy thing is it took me over a year and a half to listen to it!

After finishing You are a Badass at Making Money I knew it was time for Get Rich, Lucky Bitch.

I’d never considered the concepts of money blocks and for sure never considered they applied to me. But here I was with small un-cashed checks because who has the time to deal with a $0.57 refund check? Parts of this book were like she KNEW me!

Well I started dealing with those and other things she talks about and I know this sounds crazy but it really made a huge difference.

And then I immediately follow up Git Rich, Lucky Bitch with Chillpreneur: The New Rules for Creating Success, Freedom, and Abundance on Your Terms by Duffield-Thomas.  This is a MUST read for anyone who’s started a business.

The main theme of this book is that making money doesn’t have to be hard.  Generating income for you and your family doesn’t have to be hard. And not only does she inspire but she provides specific options to fit any personality.

Listening to this book gave me the permission to change my business model. I’ve listened to it a couple times and every time I take away something new.

Download this book and go for a thirty minute walk with it in your ears.  You’ll want to keep walking to hear more!

Conclusion

Whether you are looking for business books for beginners or you are looking for motivation to keep going and grow your business these books provide tools for both.

Download or order these books today.  Gift them to your business BFF.

After listening to these books implement some of their advice and see where that takes you and your business!

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