What Are the Best Business Books for Small Business Owners in 2025?
From farm-fueled founders to creative entrepreneurs, here’s what to read now.
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2025 is delivering a seriously inspiring lineup of reads for small business owners, solopreneurs, and makers alike. Whether you’re running a lifestyle brand, planning your product launch, or turning your content into passive income, these books bring both smarts and soul.
Here’s the ultimate list of must-reads, with a mix of brand-new hits and timeless classics that still deliver.
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1. Build a Business You Love by Dave Ramsey
Practical, principle-driven, and made for founders who want to scale with purpose—not burnout. It’s a 2025 refresh of Ramsey’s EntreLeadership playbook.
2. The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom
Released February 2025, this book reframes success across five types of wealth: financial, physical, mental, time, and social. Especially powerful if you’re trying to build a business and a life.
3. The Creative Entrepreneur by Carolyn Dailey
Fresh for 2025, this one’s for the artistic business owners: food bloggers, candle makers, small-batch farmers, designers. Dailey delivers smart case studies and hard-earned wisdom for staying creatively fulfilled and commercially successful.
4. Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future by Reid Hoffman & Greg Beato
For founders who are AI-curious but not AI-overwhelmed. This forward-thinking read unpacks how to integrate AI as an enhancement—not a replacement.
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5. Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
The go-to for making your business profitable from day one. Simple but revolutionary: pay yourself first, then run your business on what’s left.
6. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
A game-changer for turning your business into a system that works without you. If you’re stuck doing everything, start here.
7. Measure What Matters by John Doerr
A modern guide to goal-setting using the OKR framework. Perfect for getting focused, staying accountable, and tracking what actually moves the needle.
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8. The Creative Entrepreneur (yes, again—it’s that good)
If your business is built around art, food, farming, writing, design, or content creation, this is your handbook for thriving while staying true to your voice.
9. Trailblazer by Marc Benioff
A case for values-based entrepreneurship. Shows how big results can come from small, purpose-driven teams with clarity of mission.
10. Burn Rate by Andy Dunn
A raw, real-life look at building a startup—money, mental health, and the messy middle. Reads like a memoir but hits like a masterclass.
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11. Superagency (yes again!)
Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn teams up with futurist Greg Beato to answer the question every founder is asking: how do I survive—and thrive—with AI?
12. Competing in the Age of AI by Marco Iansiti & Karim Lakhani
Not new, but newly essential. Teaches small businesses how to think like tech-forward giants without needing their budget.
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If you’re overwhelmed, start with this breakdown based on your goals:
Build smart systems: E-Myth Revisited
Manage cash flow: Profit First
Grow with clarity: Measure What Matters
Future-proof with AI: Superagency
Get inspired: Build a Business You Love or The 5 Types of Wealth
Creative focus: The Creative Entrepreneur
✨ TL;DR
✅ 2025’s best books include Build a Business You Love, The 5 Types of Wealth, and Superagency
🔥 Classic go-tos still reign: Profit First, E-Myth, and Measure What Matters
🎯 Choose based on what you need most: systems, sales, creativity, or AI smarts
🧩 The best business books answer your real questions—and help you build a business that fits your life, not the other way around
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best business books for small business owners in 2025?The top picks include Build a Business You Love, Profit First, The 5 Types of Wealth, The E-Myth Revisited, and Superagency.
Which business book should I read first?
Start with The E-Myth Revisited if you need systems, Profit First if you want better cash flow, or Build a Business You Love if you need inspiration and focus.
