Fans pick 77 books like Company Of One

By Paul Jarvis,

Here are 77 books that Company Of One fans have personally recommended if you like Company Of One. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

Anna Dearmon Kornick Author Of Time Management Essentials: The Tools You Need to Maximize Your Attention, Energy, and Productivity

From my list on how to live your best life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a time management coach, author, keynote speaker, host of the top 1% ranked time management podcast It’s About Time, and founder of the It’s About Time Academy (a community of people who want to make time for what matters most). I help busy professionals and business owners struggling with overwhelm manage their time with my signature HEART Method. I’ve been devouring time management books for over a decade now—so I hope you enjoy these time management reads as much as I did!

Anna's book list on how to live your best life

Anna Dearmon Kornick Why did Anna love this book?

This book was amazing for helping me when I felt stuck and wanted to make a change in my life. This book is all about the power of focus (and not just about avoiding distractions when you’re working). It gave me a focus for my life, and it gave me the tools, examples, and inspiration to break that big-picture focus into smaller pieces… so everything suddenly felt doable.

I loved using the book’s Focusing Question to identify the ONE thing that would make everything in my life easier.

By Gary Keller, Jay Papasan,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The ONE Thing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

YOU WANT LESS. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions-and lots of stress. AND YOU WANT MORE. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends. NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH-LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn…


Book cover of Work Less, Make More: The counter-intuitive approach to building a profitable business, and a life you actually love

John Lamerton Author Of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

From my list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to hate lifestyle businesses, looking down my nose at them, saying (as many others do!) that they weren’t real businesses. After a “lightbulb moment,” I now proudly describe myself as an ambitious lifestyle business owner – someone who designs their business around their lifestyle, rather than the other way around. Work to live, not live to work! As well as Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, a bestselling book about how to build a lifestyle business, I also host the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, where I interview other lifestyle business owners, discovering how what an ambitious, lifestyle business looks like for them.

John's book list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners

John Lamerton Why did John love this book?

Who wouldn't want to work less and make more?

James Schramko feels like an Australian version of me: he's started, built and sold multiple successful businesses over a couple of decades. He's been there, done that, and sold the T-shirt – but prefers to spend his days surfing rather than working.

This book shows you how he achieves that work/life balance – by working less and making more.

By James Schramko,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Work Less, Make More as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Work Less, Make More is a dense delivery of solid systems and sane advice. It's not 80/20, it's 80/20 squared. Every few pages, James punches you in the face with an instantly actionable hack.
~ Perry Marshall, Author of 80/20 Sales & Marketing, Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, and Evolution 2.0

James gives massive value in a fun and easy-to-read book. Real, actionable ways to cut your hours while increasing your income. Want to know how to do it in your own business? Get this and find out!
~ Jonathan Mizel

In Work Less, Make More, James proves that keeping…


Book cover of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur

John Lamerton Author Of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

From my list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to hate lifestyle businesses, looking down my nose at them, saying (as many others do!) that they weren’t real businesses. After a “lightbulb moment,” I now proudly describe myself as an ambitious lifestyle business owner – someone who designs their business around their lifestyle, rather than the other way around. Work to live, not live to work! As well as Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, a bestselling book about how to build a lifestyle business, I also host the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, where I interview other lifestyle business owners, discovering how what an ambitious, lifestyle business looks like for them.

John's book list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners

John Lamerton Why did John love this book?

My dream job description is: to do what I want...when I want...how I want...where I want...if I want!

Do you know what you want? Too many people spend their life chasing things that don't actually make them happy! 

In Anything You Want, Derek Sivers makes the case that, as a small business owner, you get to make a little universe where you create all the laws. It's a really nice short read, about 90 minutes, and contains 40 short chapters, packed full of insights, and "aha!" moments.

By Derek Sivers,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Anything You Want as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'I love this book! If you want a true manifesto, a guidebook with clear signposts, and a fun ride you'll return to again and again, you have it here in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did' Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek

The iconic manifesto on lessons learned while becoming an entrepreneur

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You don't need a visionary master plan, loads of funding or a brilliant team to start a business.

When Derek Sivers started CD Baby, he wasn't planning on building a major business. He was a successful independent musician who just…


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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit By Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,…

Book cover of Life in Half a Second: How to Achieve Success Before It's Too Late

John Lamerton Author Of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

From my list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to hate lifestyle businesses, looking down my nose at them, saying (as many others do!) that they weren’t real businesses. After a “lightbulb moment,” I now proudly describe myself as an ambitious lifestyle business owner – someone who designs their business around their lifestyle, rather than the other way around. Work to live, not live to work! As well as Big Ideas... for Small Businesses, a bestselling book about how to build a lifestyle business, I also host the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, where I interview other lifestyle business owners, discovering how what an ambitious, lifestyle business looks like for them.

John's book list on ambitious, lifestyle business owners

John Lamerton Why did John love this book?

If you need a kick up the arse to go and make a dent in the universe, then Life in Half a Second is the book for you. I often listen to the audiobook version of the first chapter to fire me up, and stop me from wasting my life.

Michalewicz's point is simple: the planet is 4.5 billion years old. Humans appeared 200,000 years ago. Most of us live 80 years, and have already wasted half that time. That time is all we have – and if the lifetime of Earth was condensed to a calendar year, then your entire life would flash by in less than half of one second.

Tick, tock.

By Matthew Michalewicz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life in Half a Second as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What if there was a proven path to success? A path supported by science and research? A path that led to your goals and aspirations in less time, with less risk? Would you take it? Truthful and hard hitting, Life in Half a Second is the first "fact-based" formula for achieving success in life and business. Proven through thousands of studies and decades of research, it presents the five doors you must walk through to achieve success in your career, business, or personal life. Gimmicks, mind tricks, fairy tales, and wishful thinking NOT INCLUDED. Just facts.


Book cover of Launch: How to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams

Ray Edwards Author Of How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often

From my list on marketing your business or brand.

Why am I passionate about this?

I know it's kind of weird, but I have been fascinated by the world of direct-response marketing ever since I first saw the full-page ads in the "newspapers" my grandmother loved to read (The National Inquirer and the Weekly World News). Those ads fascinated me because, at first, I thought they were stories in the newspaper. That was my first exposure to the work of the brilliant Eugene Schwartz. I used to check our mail so I could grab all the "junk mail" that everyone else threw away because that's the only mail I wanted to read. That's why I became a direct-response copywriter.

Ray's book list on marketing your business or brand

Ray Edwards Why did Ray love this book?

I have read this book five times, and every time, I feel as if I picked up a new epiphany or distinction about how to launch (or relaunch) a business online. Over the years, I have paid the author, Jeff Walker, tens of thousands of dollars to attend his in-person training and seminars.

I can hardly believe how many of his "secrets" he reveals so openly inside a $27 book. It really does teach how to sell almost anything online, how to create huge “profit events”, and how to do it with excellence and integrity.

By Jeff Walker,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The only guide you'll ever need to achieve online marketing success. With new chapters offering fresh information, you'll find all the insider tips in one place.

The revised and updated edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Launch will build your business - fast. Whether you've already got an online business or you're itching to start one, this is a recipe for getting more traction and a fast start.

Think about it: What if you could launch like Apple or the big Hollywood studios? What if your prospects eagerly counted down the days until they could buy your product?…


Book cover of Financially Capable: A Friendly Guide to Building Whole-Health Wealth

Jacqueline Jeynes Author Of Risk Management: 10 Principles

From my list on managing a small business, including risks and boring bits.

Why am I passionate about this?

Mentioning health and safety is a great turn-off at parties when someone asks what you do for a living! Starting my training company 30 years ago, and later representing UK small business, it also became clear that we needed a practical, hands-on approach not a theoretical framework to ensure the safety and health of workers. Having five sons of my own (yes, really) gave even more reason to ensure people understood risk assessment, so my first book was published. Twenty years later, I am still writing non-fiction books and passionate about health and safety.

Jacqueline's book list on managing a small business, including risks and boring bits

Jacqueline Jeynes Why did Jacqueline love this book?

I would not normally be drawn to a title about being financially capable as I like to think I am already (whether that is true or not)!

It starts with statements about how difficult it is for people to talk about money, and how wary people are of asking questions about managing their finances. A great starting point asks the reader to remember their first memory about money, then discusses how this impacts dealings in later life.

It is well written, easy to follow, with question-and-answer sections at the end of each chapter. While he includes eight key areas of wellbeing, the focus is on managing and improving, if necessary, your own financial position. So yes, I did find it interesting and considered all the points raised to check my own situation. 

By Matt Paradise,

Why should I read it?

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


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Book cover of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

Trial, Error, and Success By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success—from fundamental physics, through evolution in biology, to how people learn, think, and decide.

This book presents a way of thinking and realistic knowledge that our formal education shuns. Stepping beyond this ignorance, the book shows how to deal with and even…

Book cover of Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine

David Pere Author Of The No B.S. Guide to Military Life: How to build wealth, get promoted, and achieve greatness

From my list on service members who want to achieve financial freedom.

Why am I passionate about this?

I joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2008 and by 2015 I was a Sergeant who had made all the same financial decisions most service members make…tattoos, alcohol, cars, chasing tail, etc., and had a negative net worth to show for it. Then I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and the light came on. I started buying houses, and by 2021 I exited the military as a financially free millionaire and spend my time helping service members and veterans learn how to build wealth. The military is one of the best places to set yourself up for success, and these books will help you get started on that journey!

David's book list on service members who want to achieve financial freedom

David Pere Why did David love this book?

Profit First is a banking system that accounts for the inevitable human error of “ooh, there is money in my account, I can afford that”.

This book helped me set my businesses up so that I was actually able to keep some of the income that was coming in from them, rather than continually getting to the end of the month and wondering where the revenue I had generated went. 

This is a must read for self-employed and small business owners, and a solid read for personal finances too!

By Mike Michalowicz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Author of cult classics The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur offers a simple, counterintuitive cash management solution that will help small businesses break out of the doom spiral and achieve instant profitability.

Conventional accounting uses the logical (albeit, flawed) formula: Sales - Expenses = Profit. The problem is, businesses are run by humans, and humans aren't always logical. Serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz has developed a behavioral approach to accounting to flip the formula: Sales - Profit = Expenses. Just as the most effective weight loss strategy is to limit portions by using smaller plates, Michalowicz shows that by…


Book cover of Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business

Monroe Mann Author Of The Theatrical Juggernaut: The Psyche of the Star

From my list on marketing books for aspiring professional actors, artists, and performers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have done some pretty cool things in the arts. To share a few, I’ve given TEDx talks, I have produced and co-starred in a film that made it to Cannes, I have written 11+ books (one of which was a Barnes & Noble # 1 best seller), I have spoken at SAG/AFTRA and Writer’s Guild, I am an entertainment attorney, and I have an album up on iTunes/Apple Music/Spotify, etc. I really love inspiring people, and helping them to achieve life dreams. I hope this list will help inspire some of you to go after your dreams, too, and with a passion!

Monroe's book list on marketing books for aspiring professional actors, artists, and performers

Monroe Mann Why did Monroe love this book?

The stuff in this book is so good that I used his very techniques to end up co-writing a book with the author!

This book helped me to recognize that my success in show business (and indeed, in any field) was not going to be due to my talent (of which I have in excess supply!) but because of how well I could market that talent, and share it with the world.

Guerrilla Marketing was my trusted friend when I was starting out, and its lessons ring true 20 years later as I continue acting, producing, coding, speaking, and more. In fact, the lessons in this book helped me to book my first TEDx talk just this year (2024).

By Jay Conrad Levinson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Guerrilla Marketing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

The book that started the guerilla marketing revolution, expanded and completely updated for the twenty-first century.

Jay Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-business owner with his take-no-prisoners approach to finding clients. Based on hundreds of solid and effective ideas, Levinson’s philosophy has given birth to a new way of learning about market share and how to gain it. In this completely updated and expanded fourth edition, Levinson offers a new arsenal of weaponry for small-business success including strategies for marketing on the internet (explaining when and precisely how to use it); tips for using new…


Book cover of Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You

Dave Kerpen Author Of The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want

From my list on entrepreneurs who want to go further faster.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love building businesses. I’ve built several businesses, ranging from a one person consultancy to a venture-backed tech company to an 8-figure marketing agency to a managed HR marketplace to a virtual memorial services company. The only thing I love more than building businesses is building and helping create new entrepreneurs. These books have helped me tremendously in my journey and I hope they help you as well!

Dave's book list on entrepreneurs who want to go further faster

Dave Kerpen Why did Dave love this book?

Built to Sell is the perfect parable that taught me how to build a scalable business with processes and predictable revenue. I read it, I shared it with our leadership team, who all read it, and then we built and sold a company for 8 figures. Whether or not you plan to sell your company, this is the most important book for all entrepreneurs to read.

By John Warrillow,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Run your company. Don’t let it run you.

Most business owners started their company because they wanted more freedom—to work on their own schedules, make the kind of money they deserve, and eventually retire on the fruits of their labor.

Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, most owners find that stepping out of the picture is extremely difficult because their business relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, their company—no matter how big or profitable—is essentially worthless.

But the good news is that entrepreneurs can take specific steps—no matter what stage a business is in—to create a valuable, sellable…


Book cover of Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't

Tom Salonek Author Of The 100: Building Blocks for Business Leadership

From my list on practical, hands-on business leadership.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm the Founder and CEO of Intertech, an IT firm I started over 30 years ago. I've written three books and more than 100 articles on business, leadership, and technology. Intertech has won over 50 awards for growth, workplace best practices, and employee engagement including being named one of the Best 30 Employers in Tech by Fortune Magazine and one of the Top 10 Consulting firms in America by Consulting Magazine.  

Tom's book list on practical, hands-on business leadership

Tom Salonek Why did Tom love this book?

I learned from Verne firsthand at two separate multi-year courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that were held for high-growth entrepreneurs.

In Scaling Up, he lays out what needs to be done at different stages/sizes of an organization to move to the next level. Like the other books I've recommended, he provides candid advice and practical ways to implement the ideas outlined in the book.

By Verne Harnish,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Scaling Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the International Book Awards for General Business


Winner of the Readers' Favorite International Book Award for Non-Fiction Business



It’s been over a decade since Verne Harnish’s best-selling book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits was first released. Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) is the first major revision of this business classic which details practical tools and techniques for building an industry-dominating business. This book is written so everyone — from frontline employees to senior executives — can get aligned in contributing to the growth of a firm. Scaling Up focuses on the four major decision areas every company must get…


Book cover of The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results
Book cover of Work Less, Make More: The counter-intuitive approach to building a profitable business, and a life you actually love
Book cover of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur

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