I’ve compiled here a list of various books I’ve read over the years that have been very impactful to me and ones that I often share when others ask me for recommendations. I enjoy reading, especially business books, and the ones below were impactful to me at some point in my journey and many still to this day.

The list is organized by the number of books I’ve read per author and alphabetical by author last name for the ones of whose work I’ve only read one book.

Donald Miller – My favorite author and someone I’ve read and been connected to by ideas for a very long time. Absolutely worth reading all his work, but start with Building a Storybrand below.

• Building a Storybrand – THE most influential book for my career. Number one recommended and required reading for everyone I work with.
• Business Made Simple
• Marketing Made Simple
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
• Blue Like Jazz
• Scary Close

Seth Godin is also required reading for anyone I talk to that seems interested in going beyond the Donald Miller reading. Or for people searching for meaning or trying to figure out what to do with their life. He doesn’t always directly answer the question, but gives great perspective on how to find the answer. Makes you think, if you’re willing to go down that road.

• Purple Cow
• Tribes
• We are all Weird

Steven Pressfield – Accomplished author but one whose nonfiction work is more powerful to me than others. In a word, inspiring.

• Do the Work
• The War of Art
• Turning Pro

Simon Sinek – Must read books for anyone in leadership – goes deep on simple topics (not easy).

• Start with Why
• Leaders Eat Last

Malcolm Gladwell – Great writer with profound observations of how we work and how some people succeed.

• Outliers
• The Tipping Point

Gary Vaynerchuk – Gary gets alot of criticism from some and praise from others. I really enjoyed learning from Gary, especially as his very public career was starting to really flourish.

• Crush It
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook – The principle is simple, but it’s not easy. Three “gives” to your audience for every “take”.

Timothy Ferriss – Similar to Gary, someone I followed very closely as their career was really taking off. His podcast was also a must listen at the time. I haven’t listened in a long time, so not sure what he’s up to now.

• The 4-Hour Body
• The 4-Hour Workweek

Good to Great by Jim Collins; out of order on purpose – This is a critical book for anyone in leadership. I read this in graduate school and highly recommend to everyone who wants to lead others and drive organizational change.

The Alchemist by Pablo Coehlo

Content Rules, by Handley and Chapman

Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel

Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C Lundin

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the way Businesses Talk with Customers by Scoble and Israel

The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott