Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This book was written by Napoleon Hill at the request of Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie wanted to understand why some people became rich and others, with the same background and opportunities, did not. Hill conducted more than 500 interviews and proposed a set of principles that must be followed to ensure that you achieve wealth. In short, Hill said it’s essential that you have a burning desire to achieve your goal: there’s no use in wishing for something. Once you have your burning desire, you need to plan a way to achieve that goal and follow through with that plan no matter what. Finally, you should not consider failure, it is simply not an option.

Religiously following these principles is what is necessary for you to choose a definite goal and put all your energy, all your willpower and all your effort into achieving that goal. Don’t be left out of withdrawal. Think to yourself that you have to win, or perish trying. Only by doing so will you gain a burning desire to win and that is essential for success in anything. Wishing alone will not bring wealth. You must desire riches with a frame of mind that becomes an obsession. Then he must plan definite ways and means to acquire wealth, and back up those plans with persistence. Finally, you must not recognize the possibility of failure.

Jeff Olsen’s Slight Edge

The core of The Slight Edge is to do a little more every day and that slight edge will soon bring amazing results. In the book, Olsen tells the story of a decision that two brothers were asked to make. They had to choose between a penny a day doubled every day for a month or $1 million now. What would you choose? Most people go for $1 million now… But really that’s the wrong choice: one penny, doubled every day for a month, adds up to $10,737,418… and 24 cents. That bit is The Slight Edge. The Slight Edge teaches that every step you take brings you closer to your goal or further away from it. This book is written in a very easy to read style: it even tells you about reading developmental books (read 10 pages a day and in a year you will have read…)

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The book is the story of the author who had two fathers: Rich Dad, his best friend’s father, and Poor Dad, his real father. Both parents are interested in helping the author succeed, but they have different approaches. Poor Dad, who was the director of education for the state of Hawaii, believed in getting good grades, a good job, a promotion, and saving for retirement. Rich Dad also believed in education, but in financial education: how to make money work for you, taking advantage of business and tax laws to make money. The book has a series of lessons for the author to understand so he can get rich.

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles

This book is one of the first Law of Attraction books and should be read as such. The best summary of the book is written by Wattles himself in the book’s preface: “THIS book is pragmatic, not philosophical; a practical manual, not a treatise on theory. It is intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is money; who wish to get rich first and philosophize later. It is for those who have not hitherto found neither the time, nor the means, nor the opportunity to deepen the study of metaphysics, but who want results and who are willing to take the conclusions of science as a basis for action, without going into all the processes by means of which conclusions were reached.

The 45 Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life by Don Failla

Don Failla and his wife, Nancy, have spent the last 40 years in the network marketing business, and this book explores some of the basic techniques they have employed. The basic premise is that until someone is prepared to learn the basics they will never be successful and the basics will last as long as someone remains in the industry. Don bases his entire approach on what he calls “napkin presentations”—there are ten of them and each must be a 45-second presentation. A very readable book that explains the basics of network marketing and is a must read for anyone looking at MLM as a business.

These are the five books you should read before starting your own business and that I suggest are essential to your success.