Tony’s Top Business Books (P1 of Reading List)

Top Business Books

Top business books to help you grow - Read for personal and business development says Tony Inman

All Leaders are Readers!

Top Business Books are listed on this page by Coach Tony Inman. It also includes books relating to leadership, management and marketing.

To make it easier for you to find the books, I have included links to where you can buy them directly and easily from Amazon.

NB. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

If you really want to enhance your knowledge and give yourself the edge, shortcut the list and go straight to Tony’s list of ‘must read’ books.

 Tony's Top Business Leadership and Management Books include this special selection of 'must read' books

Not what you’re looking for? – Back to the rest of Tony’s Reading List:

Page 2 – Self-Help / Motivational; Mindset, NLP & Programming Yourself for Success

Page 3 – Biographies & Auto-Biographies

Page 4 – Money and Financial Planning

Page 5 – Other Good Books & Classics

Top Books to Read by Business Coach Tony Inman


Self-help books - a recommended reading list by Life Coach Tony Inman


Biographies & Auto-Biographies worth reading by Tony Inman


Top Books about Money and Wealth by Tony Inman


Businessman and Author Tony Inman recommends some classic books to read


Author Tony Inman's books

Now Read On…

Business and Management & Leadership (Listed by Title – see further down if searching by Author)

Top Business Books

All Marketers Are Liars Tell StoriesThe Underground Classic that Explains How Marketing Really Works – and Why Authenticity is the Best Marketing of All by Seth Godin

Alpha DogsHow Your Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack by Donna Fenn

Attitudes and AltitudesThe Principles, Practice and Profile of 21st Century Leadership by Pat Mesiti

Australia’s New EntrepreneursHow They Succeeded by Anne Fox

Awakening the Entrepreneur WithinHow Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies by Michael E. Gerber

Be Obsessed or Be AverageWhy Work-Life Balance is For Losers by Grant Cardone (NB I don’t agree with that statement! – Tony Inman)

Becoming a Coaching LeaderThe proven strategy for building your own team of champions by Daniel Harkavy

‘Blogging:’ How to Write Blog Blog Posts that Go Viral without Selling Out by David Lim

Blue Ocean StrategyHow to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne

Brand Meet Story – How to Create Engaging Content to Win Business and Influence Your Audience by Heather Pemberton Levy

Brand New Brand YouHow to build and maintain reputation and relevance by Garry Browne

BrandwashedTricks companies use to manipulate our minds and persuade us to buy by Martin Lindstrom

BreadwinnerA Fresh Approach to Business Success by Tom O’Toole

‘Building a Brand Story’ : Clarify Your Message So Your Customers Will Listen- by Donald Miller

Built to SellCreating a Business that can Thrive without You by John Warrillow

Business Stripped Bare – Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur by Richard Branson

Buy-Ology – Truth and Lies about Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom

Combating Managerial Obsolescence by Andrew Jones & Cary Cooper

Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

Creating Customers for Life Tips, Techniques and Strategies for Growing ANY Business Even in the Toughest Economies by Craig Whitely

Crisis ExposedRecession Proof Your Business and Income by Mal Emery

Crucial ConversationsTools for Talking when Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan & Al Swittzler

Crushing ItHow Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence, and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk

‘Dare to Lead’Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts, by Brene Brown

E Myth Mastery – The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company by Michael E Gerber

Effective LeadershipA modern guide to developing effective leadership skills by John Adair

Entrepreneurs Under The Radar Inside the outstanding business minds of quiet achievers by Angelique Milojevic

ExposedZero to Millionaire in Three Years or Less in Your Own Business and Still Enjoy the Journey Along the Way by Mal Emery

Fast, Flat and FreeHow the Internet has Changed Your Business by Gihan Perera

Generation YThriving and surviving with Generation Y at work by Peter Sheahan

Get Your Business Online NowBe Part of Australia’s E-Commerce Revolution by Todd Alexander

Good to Great Whys some companies make the leap…and others don’t by Jim Collins

How To Get Things DoneThe Art of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen

How to Leverage Social Media and Content Marketing to Micro-dominationBuild a Mini-Business Empire Around Your Personal Brand by Trevor Young

How to Master the Art of SellingThe best book ever written on selling and salesmanship by Tom Hopkins

How to Start and Run Your Own Business by Mike Mogano

How To Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie and Associates

How to WowClient Attraction System by John Dwyer

‘Influencer’Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media, by Brittany Hennessy

In Search of Excellence by Thomas J Peters

Leadership and The One Minute Managerincrease effectiveness by being a good leader by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts

Leading by Sir Alex Ferguson and Michael Moritz

Like a VirginSecrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School by Richard Branson

LoopsThe Seven Keys to Small Business Success by Mike Chaet and Stephen Lundin

‘Losing my Virginity’ by Richard Branson

Love is the Killer AppHow To Win Business & Influence Friends by Tim Sanders

Making Fun WorkHow to create a funnier you and how to turn humour into profit! by Kevin Ryan & Dennis Moore

Manage Your Day-to-DayBuild Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind by 99u, Behance

Management – Its Nature and Significance by EFL Brech

Man Drought and Other Social Issues of the New Century by Bernard Salt

Marketing For Profit by Leonard Hardy

Marketing Made Simple by H Elvy

Meant for MoreThe Proven Formula to Turn Your Knowledge into Profits by Lisa Sasevich

Million Dollar CoachingBuild a World Class Practice by Helping Others Succeed by Alan Weiss

Million Dollar LaunchHow to Kick-Start a Successful Consulting Practice in 90 Days by Alan Weiss

Moments of TruthNew Strategies for Today’s Customer-Driven Economy by Jan Carlzon

Negotiate To WinTalking Your Way to What You Want by Patrick Collins

Niche – Why the Market No Longer Favours the Mainstream by James Harkin

One Small Step can Change Your LifeThe Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer

OutliersThe Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Permission MarketingTurning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers by Seth Godin

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

Purple CowTransforming Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

Putting The One Minute Manager to Work – Improve Performance, Productivity and Profits by Kenneth Blanchard and Robert Lorber

Revitalize Your Business by G Moss

Screw Business As Usual by Richard Branson

Secrets of Great Success Coaches Exposed! by Dale Beaumont

Self-Publishing Made Simple by Euan Mitchell

‘Sell Your Thoughts’ – How to Earn a Million Dollars a Year as a Thought Leader by Matt Church, Peter Cook & Scott Stein 

Simplify, Structure, SucceedThe practical toolkit for modern life by Shannah Kennedy

‘Social Media for Business’Foolproof Tips to Help You Promote Your Business or Your Brand, by Linda Coles

So You Have a Great Idea for a Business… Now What? by Justin Herald

Start with WhyHow Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Tell To WinConnect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story by Peter Guber

The $100 StartupReinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of LeadershipFollow Them and People Will Follow You by John C Maxwell

The 110% Solution by Mark H McCormack

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Brand Called YouCreate a Personal Brand that Wins Attention and Grows Your Business by Peter Montoya & Tim Vandehey

The Business of WinningHow to Succeed in Business by Really Trying by Robert Heller

‘The Captain’s Club’ – The Men Who Led United, by Simon Wadsworth

The Consulting BibleEverything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-figure Consulting Practice by Alan Weiss

The Eagle Boys Pizza StoryHow Tom Potter Built Eagle Boys Across Australia and New Zealand from a Single Store by Tom Potter

The E Myth Revisited – Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do about it by Michael E Gerber

The Effective Executive by Peter F Drucker

The Google StoryInside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time by David A. Vise

The Heart of SuccessMaking It in Business without Losing in Life by Rob Parsons

The Icarus Deceptionhow high will you fly? by Seth Godin

The Infinite Gameby Simon Sinek

The Leader Who Had No TitleA modern fable on real success in business and in life by Robin Sharma

The Manager’s Guide to the Behavioural Sciences by Margaret Brown

The New Leaders – Transforming the Art of Leadership into the Science of Results by Daniel Goleman

The One Minute EntrepreneurThe Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business – by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Williss

The One Minute Manager – Increase Productivity, Profits and Your Own Prosperity by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey Free Up Your Time and Deal with Priorities by Kenneth Blanchard, William Oncken Jnr and Hal Burrows

The One Minute Sales PersonThe Quickest Way to More Sales with Less Stress by Spencer Johnson & Larry Wilson

The Power of Ethical Management – You don’t have to cheat to win – by Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale

The Practice of Management by Peter F Drucker

‘The Pumpkin Plan’ – A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in any field, by Mike Michaelowicz

The Reality of Management by Rosemary Stewart

The Speed of TrustThe One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen Covey

‘The Thought Leaders Practice’Do Work You Love with People You Like the Way You Want by Matt Church, Peter Cook & Scott Stein 

The Tipping PointHow little things can make a big difference by Malcolm Gladwell

The Ultimate BlueprintFor an Insanely Successful Business by Keith J Cunningham

The Unlikely EntrepreneurA Spiritual Guide to Business and Your Path of Greatest Evolution by Emily Gowor

Think BigMake it Happen in Business and Life by Donald Trump & Bill Zanker

‘This is Marketing’ – You Can’t Be Seen until You Learn to See, by Seth Godin 

Tribes We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin

Unleashing the Idea VirusStop marketing AT people! Turn your ideas into epidemics by helping your customers do the marketing for you. by Seth Godin

We Are All WeirdThe Rise of Tribes and The End of Normal by Seth Godin

‘What it Takes’ – An Attitude of Hard Work, Commitment and Purpose, by Mark Bouris

‘What to Do When it’s Your Turn’[And it’s Always Your Turn] by Seth Godin

What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark H McCormack

Winning New BusinessHow to Plan & Deliver Successful Sales Presentations by Dr David Lewis

Work Smarter, Not Harder by Jack Collis and Michael LeBoeuf

Business and Management & Leadership (Listed by Author – see further up if searching by Title)

Top Business Books

The top business books will help you to be the kind of leader others want to follow - that's a Club Red philosophy

Lead by example

99u by Behance – Manage Your Day-to-Day – Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen  Your Creative Mind

Adair, John – Effective Leadership – A modern guide to developing effective leadership skills

Alexander, Todd – Get Your Business Online Now – Be Part of Australia’s E-Commerce Revolution

Allen, David – How To Get Things DoneThe Art of Stress-free Productivity

Beaumont, Dale – Secrets of Great Success Coaches Exposed!

Berger, Jonah – Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Blanchard & Johnson, Kenneth & Spencer – The One Minute Manager – Increase Productivity, Profits and Your Own Prosperity

Blanchard & Lorber, Kenneth & Robert – Putting The One Minute Manager to Work – Improve Performance, Productivity and Profits

Blanchard, Oncken Jnr & Burrows, Kenneth, William & Hal The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey – Free Up Your Time and Deal with Priorities

Blanchard and Peale, Kenneth & Norman Vincent – The Power of Ethical Management – You don’t have to cheat to win

Blanchard, Hutson & Williss, Ken, Don & Ethan – The One Minute Entrepreneur – The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business

Blanchard, Zigarmi and Zigarmi, Ken, Patricia and Drea – Leadership and The One Minute Manager – increase effectiveness by being a good leader

Bouris, Mark ‘What it Takes’– An Attitude of Hard Work, Commitment and Purpose

Branson, Richard – Like a Virgin – Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School

Branson, Richard – ‘Losing my Virginity’

Branson, Richard – Business Stripped Bare – Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur

Branson, Richard – Screw Business As Usual

Brech, EFL – Management – Its Nature and Significance

Brown, Brene – ‘Dare to Lead’ – Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Brown, Margaret – The Manager’s Guide to the Behavioural Sciences

Browne, Garry -Brand New Brand You – How to build and maintain reputation and relevance

Cardone, Grant – Be Obsessed or Be Average – Why Work-Life Balance is For Losers by Grant Cardone (NB I don’t agree with that statement! – Tony Inman)

Carlzon, Jan – Moments of TruthNew Strategies for Today’s Customer-Driven Economy

Carnegie, Dale & Associates – How To Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age

Chaet & Lundin, Mike & Stephen – Loops – The Seven Keys to Small Business Success

Church, Cook & Stein, Matt, Peter & Scott – ‘Sell Your Thoughts’ – How to Earn a Million Dollars a Year as a Thought Leader

Church, Cook & Stein, Matt, Peter & Scott -‘The Thought Leaders Practice’ – Do Work You Love with People You Like the Way You Want

Coles, Linda – ‘Social Media for Business’ – Foolproof Tips to Help You Promote Your Business or Your Brand

Collins, Jim – Good to GreatWhys some companies make the leap…and others don’t

Collins, Patrick – Negotiate To Win – Talking Your Way to What You Want

Collis & LeBoeuf, Jack and Michael – Work Smarter, Not Harder

Covey, Stephen R – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Covey, Stephen – The Speed of Trust – The One Thing that Changes Everything

Cunningham, Keith J. – The Ultimate Blueprint – For an Insanely Successful Business

Drucker, Peter F – The Practice of Management

Drucker, Peter F – The Effective Executive

Dwyer, John – How to Wow – Client Attraction System

Emery, Mal – Exposed – Zero to Millionaire in Three Years or Less in Your Own Business and Still Enjoy the Journey Along the Way

Emery, Mal – Crisis Exposed – Recession Proof Your Business and Income

Elvy, H – Marketing Made Simple

Fenn, Donna – Alpha Dogs – How Your Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack

Ferguson, Sir Alex with Moritz, Michael – Leading

Ferriss, Tim – The 4 Hour Workweek

Fox, Anne – Australia’s New Entrepreneurs – How They Succeeded

Gerber, Michael E – Awakening the Entrepreneur Within – How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies

Gerber, Michael E – The E Myth Revisited – Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do about it

Gerber, Michael E – E Myth Mastery – The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company

Gladwell, Malcolm – The Tipping Point – How little things can make a big difference

Gladwell, Malcolm – Outliers – The Story of Success

Godin, Seth – All Marketers Are Liars Tell Stories – The Underground Classic that Explains How Marketing Really Works – and Why Authenticity is the Best Marketing of All

Godin, Seth – Permission Marketing – Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers

Godin, Seth – Poke the Box

Godin, Seth – Purple CowTransforming Your Business by Being Remarkable

Godin, Seth – The Icarus Deception – how high will you fly?

Godin, Seth – ‘This is Marketing’ – You Can’t Be Seen until You Learn to See 

Godin, Seth – Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us

Godin, Seth – Unleashing the Idea Virus – Stop marketing AT people! Turn your ideas into epidemics by helping your customers do the marketing for you.

Godin, Seth – We Are All Weird – The Rise of Tribes and The End of Normal

Godin, Seth – ‘What to Do When it’s Your Turn’ – [And it’s Always Your Turn]

Goleman, Daniel – The New Leaders – Transforming the Art of Leadership into the Science of Results

Gowor, Emily – The Unlikely Entrepreneur – A Spiritual Guide to Business and Your Path of Greatest Evolution

Guber, Peter – Tell To Win – Connect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story

Guillebeau, Chris – The $100 Startup – Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

Hardy, Leonard – Marketing For Profit

Harkavy, Daniel – Becoming a Coaching Leader – The proven strategy for building your own team of champions

Harkin, James – Niche – Why the Market No Longer Favours the Mainstream

Heller, Robert – The Business of Winning – How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying

Hennessy, Brittany – ‘Influencer’ – Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media

Herald, Justin – So You Have a Great Idea for a Business… Now What?

Hopkins, Tom – How to Master the Art of Selling – The best book ever written on selling and salesmanship

Johnson & Wilson, Spencer & Larry – The One Minute Sales Person – The Quickest Way to More Sales with Less Stress

Jones & Cooper, Andrew & Cary – Combating Managerial Obsolescence

Kennedy, Shannah – Simplify, Structure, Succeed – The practical toolkit for modern life

Kim & Mauborgne, W,Chan & Renee – Blue Ocean Strategy – How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant

Lewis, Dr David – Winning New Business – How to Plan & Deliver Successful Sales Presentations

Lim, David – ‘Blogging:’ How to Write Blog Blog Posts that Go Viral without Selling Out

Lindstrom, Martin – Buy-Ology – Truth and Lies about Why We Buy

Lindstrom, Martin – Brandwashed – Tricks companies use to manipulate our minds and persuade us to buy

Maurer, Robert – One Small Step can Change Your Life – The Kaizen Way

Maxwell, John C – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – Follow Them and People Will Follow You

Lead by example

McCormack, Mark H – What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School

McCormack, Mark H – The 110% Solution

Mesiti, Pat – Attitudes and Altitudes – The Principles, Practice and Profile of 21st Century Leadership

Michaelowicz, Michael ‘The Pumpkin Plan’ – A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in any field

Miller, Donald – ‘Building a Brand Story’ : Clarify Your Message So Your Customers Will Listen-

Milojevic, Angelique – Entrepreneurs Under The Radar – Inside the outstanding business minds of quiet achievers

Mitchell, Euan – Self-Publishing Made Simple

Mogano M – How to Start and Run Your Own Business

Moss, G – Revitalize Your Business

Montoya & Vandehey, Peter and Tim – The Brand Called You – Create a Personal Brand that Wins Attention and Grows Your Business

O’Toole, Tom – Breadwinner – A Fresh Approach to Business Success

Parsons, Rob – The Heart of Success – Making It in Business without Losing in Life

Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler, Kerry, Joseph, Ron and Al – Crucial Conversations – Tools for Talking when Stakes are High

Pemberton Levy, Heather – Brand Meet Story – How to Create Engaging Content to Win Business and Influence Your Audience

Perera, Gihan – Fast, Flat and Free – How the Internet has Changed Your Business

Peters, Thomas J – In Search of Excellence

Potter, Tom – The Eagle Boys Pizza Story – How Tom Potter Built Eagle Boys Across Australia and New Zealand from a Single Store

Roberts, Wess – Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

Ryan & Moore, Kevin & Dennis – Making Fun Work – How to create a funnier you and how to turn humour into profit!

Salt, Bernard – Man Drought and Other Social Issues of the New Century

Sanders, Tim – Love is the Killer App – How To Win Business & Influence Friends

Sasevich, Lisa -Meant for More – The Proven Formula to Turn Your Knowledge into Profits

Sharma, Robin – The Leader Who Had No Title – A modern fable on real success in business and in life

Sheahan, Peter – Generation Y – Thriving and surviving with Generation Y at work

Sinek, Simon – Start with WhyHow Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Sinek, Simon – The Infinite Game

Stewart, Rosemary – The Reality of Management

Trump and Zanker, Donald & Bill – Think Big – Make it Happen in Business and Life

Tzu, Sun – The Art of War

Vaynerchuk, Gary – Crushing It – How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence, and How You Can, Too 

Vise, David A. – The Google Story – Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time

Wadsworth, Simon – ‘The Captain’s Club’ – The Men Who Led United

Warrillow, John – Built to Sell – Creating a Business that can Thrive without You

Weiss, Alan – Million Dollar Coaching – Build a World Class Practice by Helping Others Succeed

Weiss, Alan – Million Dollar Launch – How to Kick-Start a Successful Consulting Practice in 90 Days

Weiss, Alan – The Consulting Bible – Everything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-figure Consulting Practice

Whiteley, Craig – Creating Customers for Life – Tips, Techniques and Strategies for Growing ANY Business Even in the Toughest Economies

Young, Trevor – How to Leverage Social Media and Content Marketing to Micro-domination – Build a Mini-Business Empire Around Your Personal Brand

Not what you’re looking for? – Back to the rest of Business Coach Tony Inman’s Reading List:

Page 2 – Self-Help / Motivational; Mindset, NLP & Programming Yourself for Success

Page 3 – Biographies & Auto-Biographies

Page 4 – Money and Financial Planning

Page 5 – Other Good Books & Classics

Top Books to Read by Business Coach Tony Inman


Self-help books - a recommended reading list by Life Coach Tony Inman


Biographies & Auto-Biographies worth reading by Tony Inman


Top Books about Money and Wealth by Tony Inman


Businessman and Author Tony Inman recommends some classic books to read


Author Tony Inman's books