10 Best Books for Entrepreneurs to Achieve Business Success (World Book Day 2025 Edition)
As the CEO of Binaryx tokenization platform, I've carefully selected ten practical, inspirational, and visionary books for entrepreneurs that have genuinely influenced my business journey. I would like to share them on World Book Day. They have helped me find inspiration not to shut down a business during harsh times, gain a fresh perspective on leadership challenges, and even achieve peace of mind at some point.
Why Entrepreneurs Must Keep Reading
Reading books has become a struggle in our hyperinformative world of fast content. Only half of the world's population reads at least one book per year (yes, it's an extrapolation from US and EU data). But at the same time:
- 85% of self-made millionaires read two or more books per month, while only 11% read for entertainment alone.
- Reading reduces stress levels by 68% – more effective than music (61%), coffee (54%), or walking (42%).
Reading doesn't just accumulate encyclopedic knowledge – it physically reshapes your brain. Neuroscientists at Emory University discovered that reading fiction creates measurable changes in connectivity patterns, with effects lasting up to five days. These neural changes enhance what psychologists call "theory of mind" - the ability to understand others' perspectives, which translates directly to better team leadership and customer empathy. In our increasingly AI-driven business landscape, these distinctly human capabilities may become your most valuable competitive advantage. So, the books I've shared genuinely altered my entrepreneurial trajectory, just as they might alter yours.
Quantum Warrior: The Future of the Mind by John Kehoe
Quantum Warrior explained to me why two entrepreneurs facing identical challenges can experience entirely different outcomes. Kehoe strips away the esoteric elements often associated with mindset work and presents a practical framework: our beliefs shape our thoughts, which lead to actions, which ultimately determine our results.
Key takeaways from Quantum Warrior:
- The mind-reality connection isn't mystical—it's a practical tool that shapes how we interpret and respond to business challenges
- The "quantum" approach teaches entrepreneurs to accept uncertainty and maintain a clear business direction
- Entrepreneurial success begins with examining and reconstructing your core beliefs about business, money, and your capabilities
- Daily mental practices outlined in the book help develop the psychological resilience needed for long-term business success
Managing Corporate Lifecycles by Ichak Adizes
Business is a living organism that must adapt to changes in the world – that is what Adizes' work is about. The book has structured the way I view organizational development, helped me outline the stages of a company's lifecycle, and provided solutions for specific stage-related challenges.
Key takeaways from Managing Corporate Lifecycles:
- Organizations follow predictable lifecycle stages, each with unique challenges and opportunities
- The PAEI model (Producer, Administrator, Entrepreneur, Integrator) helps identify the leadership roles needed at different stages
- Successful transitions between lifecycle stages require deliberate changes in management systems and team composition
- Recognizing normal versus abnormal problems at each stage prevents unnecessary panic or complacency
The Green King by Paul-Loup Sulitzer
The novel traces the journey of Michael Klimrod, a Holocaust survivor who transforms himself into a formidable business titan seeking power, wealth, and revenge. The book follows his extraordinary rise from penniless immigrant to global financial mastermind, showcasing a series of high-stakes business maneuvers across Europe and America.
Key takeaways from The Green King:
- The protagonist's transformation from survivor to business magnate illustrates how deep personal motivation can fuel entrepreneurial success
- Driving purpose (even one as complex as revenge) can sustain an entrepreneur through difficulties
- Successful entrepreneurs often possess extraordinary determination forged through personal hardship
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
This philosophical novel presents a world where creative industrialists, scientists, and artists withdraw from society in protest against increasing government control and collectivism. The book illustrates the price entrepreneurs pay for pursuing their passions and the misunderstanding they often experience from those closest to them, including family, friends, and partners who don't share their vision or comprehend their dedication.
Key takeaways from Atlas Shrugged:
- Entrepreneurial drive often conflicts with societal expectations and personal relationships
- Standing by your principles is very important even when they're unpopular or misunderstood
- Individual achievement should come before collective demands
The Financier by Theodore Dreiser
This novel follows the rise, fall, and resurrection of Frank Cowperwood, a brilliant entrepreneur in late 19th-century America. Through Cowperwood's journey, Dreiser masterfully portrays how healthy self-interest propels entrepreneurial success, while underestimating competitors can lead to devastating consequences. The narrative emphasizes the importance of relentless progress toward your goals.
Key takeaways from The Financier:
- Healthy self-interest is essential for entrepreneurial success and personal wellbeing
- Never underestimate competitors or market forces, regardless of your own capabilities
- Balance ambition with enjoying life's pleasures
- Resilience after failure is often what separates exceptional entrepreneurs from the rest
Principles by Ray Dalio
Principles by Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, completely transformed my understanding of the word "principles." Dalio shares his life journey and the framework he developed through success and failure, which made me reflect deeply on my own foundational beliefs and better understand myself.
Key takeaways from Principles:
- Creating your own set of principles through reflection on successes and failures provides crucial stability
- Radical transparency, though uncomfortable at first, leads to better decision-making
- Personal growth requires embracing uncomfortable truths about yourself and your weaknesses
- Understanding your core values helps you stay grounded when facing difficult business choices
The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
In this book, Dalio intelligibly explains how the economic machine works and why markets behave as they do. Reading it gave me insights into maintaining stability during market volatility and helped me extend my planning horizon from quarters to decades when making investment decisions.
Key takeaways from The Changing World Order:
- The typical economic cycle lasts about 75-100 years and consists of creation, rise, top, decline, and restructuring phases
- Economic, political, and social cycles are interconnected and follow predictable patterns that repeat throughout history
- Long-term planning becomes possible once you understand the underlying patterns of wealth and power shifts
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
This sweeping history of humankind helped me understand human nature on a deeper level - what drives people, why our everyday life is structured as it is, and how evolution works. By exploring humanity's evolution, you can empower your business strategy with valuable context about how humans cooperate, compete, and create meaning.
Key takeaways from Sapiens:
- The "Cognitive Revolution" around 70,000 years ago enabled humans to cooperate in large numbers through shared myths and stories
- Money, empires, and religions are all "shared fictions" that work because people collectively believe in them
- Businesses, corporations, and brands function similarly to religions in creating meaning and identity in modern society
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
Following his exploration of humanity's past in Sapiens, Harari turns his attention to our possible futures in Homo Deus. This thought-provoking sequel helped me contemplate the challenges humanity faces today and potential scenarios for our civilization's development. Understanding these potential futures is invaluable if you want to know what you should adapt your business for.
Key takeaways from Homo Deus:
- Dataism, which treats organisms as biochemical algorithms and believes that increasing data flow is the supreme value, may become the dominant religion of the future
- Humans may split into a small class of upgraded "superhumans" and a massive "useless class" as AI renders many jobs obsolete
- Liberal humanism (which sanctifies individual free choice) may become obsolete as external algorithms make better decisions than we do
Transhumanism Inc. by Victor Pelevin
This provocative novel by Victor Pelevin illustrates the current state of our world and offers a vivid portrayal of how our future with artificial intelligence might look. When I first read it a few years ago, the scenario seemed like pure fiction that wouldn't materialize for decades - yet today, many of its predictions are unfolding before our eyes.
Key takeaways from Transhumanism Inc.:
- The "Civilization of Logos" concept shows how algorithms can redefine human identity by reducing people to data sets for targeting
- Pelevin's "GOLODEM" (an AI-managed social control system) bears striking resemblance to emerging reputation and social credit systems
- The split between physical bodies ("meat") and consciousness in virtual spaces predicts our increasing migration into digital worlds
- The concept of "helmets of horror" reveals how personalized information ecosystems can trap users in manipulated realities
About Binaryx
Binaryx is a real estate tokenization platform that operates under Wyoming’s 2021 law (W.S. SF0038), turning real estate properties into digital tokens. For each property, Binaryx creates a dedicated LLC in Wyoming that issues tokens on the blockchain. When you buy these tokens, you become a co-owner of the LLC that owns the property, with all ownership rights protected by state law.
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