My favorite books to build culture, teamwork, and leadership to transform your business (and your life)

Why am I passionate about this?

Entrepreneurs have a tough lot in life. We dream of creating value for others, yet we are often cursed to pay a huge price in our own lives. My experience as an entrepreneur is no different – I struggled through three mediocre business startups, learning a little bit more with each one. Along the way, I have put my lessons learned into writing: textbooks, how-to guides and even cover stories for Entrepreneur magazine. Combining my own experience and the best advice from other entrepreneurs, I have systematically improved my current company… and have finally broken free of the curse! Now I love to share my experience with other business owners like you!


I wrote...

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Financial Statements

By David Worrell,

Book cover of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Financial Statements

What is my book about?

Easy to read and full of engaging stories, this book teaches the basics of true financial management—re-made just for small businesses. It's perfect for entrepreneurs who want to get more from their accounting without getting stuck in the details. Besides clearly explaining each of the three major financial statements, the book shows how (and why) small business owners create dashboards, forecasts, budgets, and key ratio calculations. These powerful tools will help any business owner to create a more stable, more profitable business.

Written by an experienced CFO and entrepreneur, The Entrepreneur's Guide to Financial Statements uses illustrations, real-life stories, and crystal-clear writing to show business owners the importance of "the numbers" and the critical nature of finance to the survival, profitability, and growth of their small businesses.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Culture that Matters

David Worrell Why did I love this book?

What’s it like to be an employee at your company? Do people love to go to work for you? Imagine what you could accomplish if 100% of your people were dedicated, passionate, and focused on what was best for your company.

In this short book (just 186 fast-turning pages), a masterful entrepreneur explains not only why to build a great culture but also how. Page after compelling page, Patel tells you about his own failures and successes and how he changed his business (and his life!) by emphasizing the human side of work.

I personally applied Patel’s practices and was able to build a leadership team that I trust and respect – allowing me to step away from the day-to-day of the company altogether. I now travel (for fun!) and am planning to start another company.

By Piyush Patel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work , Piyush Patel offers an insider's perspective on how to unify your team around a common purpose by uncovering your core values and transforming your culture. With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, Piyush has discovered that-while leaders can provide opportunities-real culture comes from the heart. Using real-life examples and practical takeaways, Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work is the ultimate guide to creating a tribe to lead and a workplace you love. Piyush challenges readers to rethink their current paths, unveiling: ; The business-owner wake-up call: How to tell when your company…


Book cover of Simple Numbers 2.0 - Rules for Smart Scaling: A Play by Play Analysis for Pure Growth

David Worrell Why did I love this book?

Simple Numbers (the first version) was a long slog through complicated accounting theory. But Greg Crabtree’s Simple Numbers 2.0 is the opposite. It’s a short book about a single way to transform your business using simple financial metrics.

My business is professional services-based. We’re accountants, basically—so selling hourly work is the heart of my business model. For years I pulled my hair out trying to find the right KPI (key performance indicator) or metric to help me manage the business, set prices, negotiate compensation, and more.

I don’t struggle anymore. Crabtree’s Simple Numbers 2.0 showed me how to measure our efficiency, effectiveness, and growth trajectory in a single, easy-to-calculate metric. It has totally changed the way I look at my own financial results. And it applies to all businesses, not just professional service companies.

If you worry about product pricing or team performance, you’ve got to learn about the magic of “DLER” and “ROIC”…. But I won’t spoil the surprise. Read this book and change your business!

By Greg Crabtree,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Simple Numbers 2.0 - Rules for Smart Scaling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Take your business to the next level by identifying the opportunities in your Simple Numbers.

Looking for an investment opportunity with the capacity for long term high yields? Put your business to work for you!

Greg Crabtree demystifies common accounting and reveals the growth potential going unnoticed in your balance sheets. Learn how to make decisions based on data you already have to guide your business to be its best, most profitable self.

Building on the principles of his first book, Greg shows you how to dive deep into your data and locate the numbers you need to identify hidden…


Book cover of Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

David Worrell Why did I love this book?

Building a great company and a great team takes more than love and data. In Leaders Eat Last, I learned the science behind why we join teams, why we leave a team, and how to build a team where people want to stay.

It turns out that being a part of a team is in our DNA. Literally. We have survived as a species by working together, and our brains produce pleasure chemicals when we are standing shoulder to shoulder with a co-worker.

But that’s not what makes this book great. Simon Sinek references both large companies and the military to make his case. Among other thoughtful insights, Sinek argues that the dedication, drive, and sacrifice that make the Air Force such a formidable team can be similarly created within work teams and companies. 

This is a must-read if you want to really understand why and how we work together to build great companies.

By Simon Sinek,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Leaders Eat Last as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leadership is not a rank, it is a responsibility. Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge.

When we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. They will help see that our cause becomes a reality.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why, investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business…


Book cover of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

David Worrell Why did I love this book?

If you are new to the idea of building a great leadership team (and letting the company “run without you”) then Gino Wickman’s Traction is the place to start.  This well-structured book clearly highlights the ups and downs of being a business owner and sets the stage for how to smooth out the journey once and for all.

Wickman and his team have also developed a for-profit consulting business called EOS—The Entrepreneur Operating System. But don’t let this dissuade you from diving into Traction (or its follow-up volumes). The book is enough to get your EOS journey started with or without additional consulting.

The book forces us to take a hard look at ourselves (who else is responsible for your company, your role there, and your overall happiness?). It lays the groundwork for not only building a leadership team but also creating a culture where each player understands what they are “accountable” for, what goals they are working toward, and what metrics they will have to report.

Traction is the book I give to all my clients. It’s the gateway to a more disciplined approach to managing your business and to finding the happiness and relief that business owners deserve.

By Gino Wickman,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Traction as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you have a grip on your business, or does your business have a grip on you? All entrepreneurs and business leaders face similar frustrations--personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth. Decisions never seem to get made, or, once made, fail to be properly implemented. But there is a solution. It's not complicated or theoretical.The Entrepreneurial Operating System(R) is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned. More than 2,000 companies have discovered what EOS can do. In Traction, you'll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You'll discover simple yet…


Book cover of Rhythm: How to Achieve Breakthrough Execution and Accelerate Growth

David Worrell Why did I love this book?

If you really want to transform your business into a lean, mean profit machine, then Rhythm is the capstone to your journey. This is the book that pulls it all together and turns everything into a powerful growth system.

Rhythm is an easy read—full of colorful illustrations, short personal stories, and easy discussions of the impact that team building can have on the operations of a business—small or large.

I took it, hook line, and sinker, implementing the full range of metrics, reporting, planning, and goal setting. I also use the associated software. Rhythm and its ancillary tools help me to be comfortable and confident that my leadership team is hard at work, doing the right things at the right times.

As I step away from the day-to-day operations of my business, I rely on the structures taught by Rhythm (and the lessons from all the books above!).

By Patrick Thean,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rhythm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author!
Want to achieve breakthroughs and get exceptional results? Discover the system that successful growth companies have used to achieve their results.

All growing companies encounter ceilings of complexity, usually when they hit certain employee or revenue milestones. In order to burst through ceiling after ceiling and innovate with growth, a company must develop a reliable system that prompts leaders to be proactive and pivot when the need arises.

You also need to learn simple systems to empower everyone in your company to become and stay focused, aligned, and accountable.

In Rhythm,…


You might also like...

Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

By Antonieta Contreras,

Book cover of Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

Antonieta Contreras Author Of Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

As a trauma therapist and dedicated researcher, I love uncovering valuable insights within lesser-known books. There are hidden gems, free from the pressure of commercial success, crafted by authors deeply committed to research, understanding, and the art of writing itself. Their dedication resonates with me, as I believe in the profound value of information and the power of critical thinking. Through my own book, Traumatization and Its Aftermath, I aim to emphasize that psychological concepts often lose their depth in translation and my mission is spreading awareness and fostering a deeper understanding of trauma and its intricate facets. With that idea in mind, I chose these five titles. 

Antonieta's book list on uncovering the human experience and exploring the depths of trauma

What is my book about?

A fresh take on the difference between trauma and hardship in order to help accurately spot the difference and avoid over-generalizations.

The book integrates the latest findings in brain science, child development, psycho-social context, theory, and clinical experiences to make the case that trauma is much more than a cluster of symptoms to be tamed, but instead best understood as development gone off course, away from growth and towards (only) survival.

This book prompts a profound shift in perception, inviting to view trauma as an intricate and diverse experience, a point of view that ultimately leads to sharper treatment and, hopefully, more healing. It encourages a transition from asking, "What happened to you?" to the deeper question, "What is your relationship with what happened to you?"

Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

By Antonieta Contreras,

What is this book about?

The book is comprehensive, bold, and practical-a much-needed resource for the assessment and treatment of trauma. Instead of the traditional focus on the overall importance of healing, Traumatization and its Aftermath decodes why some people don't heal as easily as others, analyzes the various failures of diagnosis, and explains how to make therapeutic interventions truly effective.

This book offers a systemic deep dive into traumatization that clarifies myths and misinformation about the entire spectrum of trauma and provides both clinicians and non-clinicians with the right level of validation, preventive measures, conceptualization methodology, assessment tools, and healing facts that have not…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in entrepreneurs, management, and planning?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about entrepreneurs, management, and planning.

Entrepreneurs Explore 284 books about entrepreneurs
Management Explore 135 books about management
Planning Explore 45 books about planning