Starting an online business - 3 essential books you can read in a day
Continuing our 'starting a business' series - the possibilities that the internet offers those starting out on their own are mind blowing. The internet gives everyone the potential to make money from a business with the ability to keep costs low while maximising their potential customer reach. But when I say business, this can even be a hobby in which you have an expertise. You don't have to come up with the next Facebook or Amazon to make money, you could simply have a passion for knitting and want to start selling some of your wares! The internet allows individuals to compete with multi-national companies on a level playing field.
But starting an online business can seem relatively simple yet daunting at the same time. The good news is that there are countless books on the subject which can give you both advice and inspiration. But below I've listed my personal 3 favourites which anyone serious about starting an online business, from novices to old hands, should read. But the beauty is that their size means that they could all be read in a weekend.
It does exactly what it says on the tin. Anyone familiar with the 'for dummies' brand will appreciate that the book is written without mind boggling jargon. Discover just how easy it can be to break into the exciting world of online commerce – and succeed! No matter how limited your startup budget, or your digital expertise, this new edition of the bestselling guide is your ticket to making it big as a web entrepreneur. Easy to read and designed so that it can be dipped in and out of at leisure.
If there was ever a book that could not only inspire you to make money from your passion, whatever it is, but also tell you how using social media then this is it. The American author Gary Vaynerchuk used "used Twitter and Facebook to promote Wine Library TV, his video blog about wine. As his viewership swelled to over 80,000 a day, and the wine business grew to over $60 million a year, he began making national TV appearances including the "Today Show", "Late Night With Conan O'Brien", and "Ellen", consulting for Fortune 100 companies, and giving keynote speeches around the world". I have even seen him talk live and he is truly inspiring and understands how to take advantage of the opportunities the internet gives you. You could finish this book in a couple of hours but its insights will stay with you for good. Without doubt one of the best books I've ever read on any topic. Gary Vaynerchuk's other books include is 'Jab, jab Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy World'
I can't speak highly enough about this book. Written by the millionaire owners of an American software company it literally tears up the rule book of how to run a business. Counter-intuitive, punchy, (many chapters are only a page long) and insightful this book could literally change the way you ever do business again. An example would be their advice on the size your business should be and our obsession with growth - ''Small is not just a stepping-stone. Small is a great destination in itself''. Genius. Many of the lessons within this book remain at the heart of my own online ventures.
If you have any suggestions of your own then please leave a comment below.
