As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve read numerous business books over the years and learned something new from each of them. Unfortunately, many of them are more about being liked at work than achieving true professional success. Thankfully, this list of business books for women includes the notable exceptions that help reach career goals through practical advice and real-life case studies. This carefully curated list of eight books every businesswoman should read will help you kick butt at whatever career ventures you desire. It’s time to put your business plans into action!
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Fast Forward
How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose
By Melanne Verveer and Kim K Azzarelli
Fast Forward is a lot to take in. It is both a history of women’s roles in the U.S. and a toolkit for finding meaning, connection, and, yes, power in today’s world. But it’s a worthy read. This book combines hard history with anecdotal evidence of why women’s voices matter in politics and business. The authors give women not only tips to achieve personal success, but also show how to help all boats rise on the tide of women in power. Buy Fast Forward from Amazon.
Lean In
Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
By Sheryl Sandberg
We’ve heard a lot about Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg’s controversial book Lean In. This book challenges women to be leaders in their own lives and in business. Sandberg highlights women’s needs and strengths in the workplace. She has faced criticism because some of her recommendations only applied to wealthier women. Not everyone can afford quality childcare, so they can return to their careers after becoming mothers. But she brought to light many subtle issues about women in the corporate world that make Lean In essential reading for both men and women. Buy Lean In.
Own It
The Power of Women at Work
By Sallie Krawcheck
Building on Sandberg’s book is Own It. This practical guide is written by Sallie Krawcheck, cofounder and CEO of Ellevest, a digital investment platform designed to help women reach their financial goals. Krawcheck asserts that the business world is changing in such a way that women’s inherent strengths will be in high demand. While not so much a how-to as “how I did it” — the book gives some great tips on asking for raises and claiming or even boasting about credit for achievements. Get your copy of Own It.
#Girlboss
By Sophia Amoruso
#Girlboss provides motivation for Millennial women in business. Author Sophia Amoruso started her retail company, Nasty Gal, with a hernia and a great sense of style. After a string of questionable judgment calls in her teens, Amoruso’s first big move into adulthood was holding down a job long enough to get the health insurance she needed to treat the aforementioned hernia. During her recuperation, she began selling vintage clothing on eBay. She then turned a love of vintage clothing and fashion into a multi-million dollar business in just a matter of a few years. Amoruso did all of this without following the traditional advice of using other people’s money to grow her business. This business memoir takes the reader through the good, the bad, and the seriously ugly parts of her business story. Purchase #Girlboss like the boss you are.
Work Pause Thrive
How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career
By Lisen Stromberg
What if you want to lean back into the business world after taking a career break? Many Fortune 500 companies are developing programs for “Relaunchers.” Even law firms are reaching out to women who left the law to raise children, deal with aging parents, or just take a break. Work Pause Thrive by Lisen Stromberg reminds us that many accomplished women have taken a break from their careers, and then leapt back in with both feet. Even Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor left her law practice for five years to care for her children early in her career.
Stromberg laments the “leaky pipeline” that results when valuable women leave the workforce and don’t come back. The journalist/consultant points out that we need women in leadership positions to help change the business structure to better accommodate these employees and their families. Don’t put off your relaunch any longer! Head over to Amazon to get Work Pause Thrive.
In the Company of Women
Inspiration and Advice from Over 100 Makers, Artists and Entrepreneurs
By Grace Bonney
Grace Bonney, the creator of Design Sponge, wrote In the Company of Women. It features a series of interviews and photos of influential women business owners across a wide array of primarily creative industries. From one-woman design shops to multi-hyphenate media moguls, the subjects offer inspiring stories and honest advice for female entrepreneurs. It’s not so much an instruction manual as it is an inspiration board.
Attractive women with toned arms and high heels grace the covers of many business books for women. Even the millennial rebel #Girlboss sports a plunging neckline with her fierce stance. (Although the author says in the book, she’s all about dressing for herself, not for other people.) In the Company of Women is a nice break from that mold, showing women of all ages, races, and styles, without a stiletto in sight. Buy In the Company of Women and you just may catch some of their enthusiasm and creativity.
Boss Bitch
A Simple 12-Step Plan to Take Charge of Your Career
By Nicole Lapin
I hate the B-word. I don’t want to embrace it. But a lot of successful women are owning this term. Despite the off-putting title, Boss Bitch by Nicole Lapin is one of the few business books for women that addresses the nuts and bolts of starting a business. It’s not the main focus of the book. In fact, it only appears three-quarters of the way through, but it’s such a rarity it deserves mention.
Lapin writes as though she’s dishing over a two-martini lunch. It’s a fun read, but this TV news anchor and business woman does add some substance that is lacking in other women’s business books. If you don’t mind being addressed by the B-word, you can take some solid information away from this one. Buy your copy of Boss Bitch.
Killing It!
An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart
By Sheryl O’Loughlin
So you’ve made it through all the history, the philosophy, the memoirs, the soul-searching, the empowerment, and you’re ready to start your business. There has to be a guide out there to walk you through it. Indeed there is: Sheryl O’Loughlin’s Killing It!
This is one of the best books for women in business. In it, the former CEO of Clif Bar gives you the practical advice you need regarding business formation, taxes, and pitfalls. O’Loughlin also addresses some of the most common problems related to women running their own businesses and tells you how to face and fix them. Get business savvy by buying Killing It today.
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Which business books for women do you recommend? Let us know in the comments below!
