Our Summer Reading List

As an entrepreneur, you have a lot on your plate. You might be the business owner, but you are also the financial expert, marketing guru and vice president of new business development. Your days are hectic; your calendar doesn’t have enough room for all the items that you need to address, making the idea of “taking a long lunch” seem like a week vacation.

You are an engaged and motivated person who aspires to achieve great things, but the ability to recharge mentally and physically is equally important. Otherwise, you will burn out. An excellent way to reset the creative mechanism, while remaining engaged, is by creating a reading list of books that will help inspire you, educate you or just make you feel better. Since Bill Gates recently shared his top 5 summer reading books, we assembled a list of books that we recommend checking out!

1.) “Life is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention” by Jay Williams

Jay Williams, NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion and promising NBA talent, turned ESPN college basketball analyst, chronicles his career as a rising basketball star through the high school ranks and into the national spotlight as a star at Duke. Williams ended up sustaining a career-ending injury because of a motorcycle accident.

The challenges he faced during the rehabilitation process is a story that will leave you mesmerized by his internal drive, and amazed by his dedication to overcoming serious obstacles along the way. It is an inspirational read that any person, small business owner or not, can empathize with and learn what it means to have an incredible support system around you that fuels personal and professional success.

2.) “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak  

Centered around a girl in Germany during World War II, Liesel witnesses the horror of the Nazi establishment and is sent to a foster family after the death of her brother. Her foster family becomes in danger when they decide to hide a Jewish man named Max. Liesel is taught to read by her foster parent, Hans, and shares the power of reading and writing with Max as she steals books that the Nazi party is looking to destroy.

A symbolic read that has themes of love and mortality, but focuses on the incredible freedoms of language, reading and writing. The ideals of liberation and power embody characters who have the ability to read and write, making this book an easy one in which to get lost. Enjoy!

3.) “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey

This book has sold more than 25 millions copies worldwide and named as the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century. A business and self-help book that first introduced people to the abundance mentality, an idea that involves a person believing there are enough resources and successes to share with others.

Naturally, this book makes our list of suggested reads.

4.) “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport

With today’s society of constant, in-your-face stimuli, everywhere you look there are notifications, news alerts, attention-grabbing signage. The digital age has spawned sensory overload, which is all the more reason why it’s important for people to be able to hone in and focus on tasks at hand. Enter Cal Newport’s four rules for developing a deep work ethic.

5.) “Be Obsessed or Be Average” by Grant Cardone

If you are at all familiar with Grant Cardone, you know he is full of energy and motivation. Cardon’s slogan, “Success is my duty,” perfectly embodies this book. This New York Times bestseller is a gentle (not so much, though) reminder of how much you have to want success to achieve it. His guidelines serve as fuel to get you inspired to burst through the brick wall of obstacles for a business owner.

Once you've refreshed and are inspired to take on the world of business; be sure to take the time to figure out how to best allocate those precious hours in your day.

Did one of your favorites make our list? If not, we’d love to know what you’re reading right now that you just can’t put down!