My 1-Book Fix
Pick your one read by your biggest business problem
I’ve always thought of myself as a reader until I realized I wasn’t. I was the 9-year-old girl who stalked all 100+ Nancy Drew books at my local library.1 But in 2017, I realized I’d lost something I loved. I couldn’t remember the last time I finished a book. I was deep in motherhood, taking my 30s for granted while running two businesses, and reading never made the to-do list.
That year, I decided to read one book. My math was simple: it was a 100% improvement. It wasn’t easy, but I chose a business book, and I loved it. I’d found my genre.
From there, I aimed to gently double my reading each year: six books in 2018, twelve in 2019, twenty-four in 2020.
Since then, I’ve plateaued around twenty-four books a year — a mix of business & creative non-fiction, founder biography, and fun to read fiction — and I’m very okay with that.
So, in the spirit of loving good books, here’s a list I highly recommend for business owners. It’s organized by the specific problems you’re facing in your business. If you’re like I was and haven’t touched a hardcover in years, start simple: decide on your biggest challenge, and pick just one book to read this year. You don’t need a 52-book challenge. Let this simple and educational goal be your 100% improvement.
Oh, and I didn’t add links, so you can opt to support your local small business bookstore.
If you feel guilty charging “too much” or raising your rates, read this:
We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers
Rodgers speaks directly to women who have been socialized to undercharge, overdeliver, and feel grateful for scraps. She walks you through practical “Million Dollar Decisions,” scripts for raising prices, and a clear case for treating six figures as a baseline, not a fantasy. This is the book to read when you know your pricing is too low, but you keep talking yourself out of changing it.
If you avoid looking at your bank accounts, feel shame about past money choices, or treat money like a monster in the closet, read this:
Money: A Love Story by Kate Northrup
Northrup combines the inner game (stories, nervous system, self-worth) with simple outer game practices (money dates, tracking, gentle structure) so you can create a kinder, more honest relationship with money. It is especially powerful if you swing between avoidance and over-control and want money to feel like a patient partner rather than an enemy.
If you secretly believe you are “not the kind of person” who can be rich, visible, or successful, read this:
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
Sincero writes like a blunt but loving friend. She helps you spot where you keep shrinking, apologizing, or playing small, and gives you practical exercises to rewrite those stories. This is a great starter book if you want mindset help without heavy theory and you are craving a confidence boost that actually leads to action in your business.
If you keep hitting the same income ceiling and then sabotaging your progress, read this:
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
Hendricks introduces the idea of “upper limits” and the “Zone of Genius.” You see how you create drama, delays, or health issues right when things start to go well. For founders stuck under 100k, this book helps you notice where you quietly turn down the volume on your own success and how to start living more in your best work, not just your competent work.
If you are making decent revenue but never seem to have profit left, read this:
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
This is a simple, envelope-style system for business finances. You set up separate accounts, move money on a schedule, and pay profit and taxes first. No spreadsheet degree required. If you keep saying, “I will pay myself once things stabilize,” this book provides a clear template that helps your business be healthy now, not someday.
If tax time always feels like an expensive surprise and you want to keep more of what you earn legally, read this:
Tax-Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright
Wheelwright is a tax advisor who explains how the tax law is written to reward business owners and investors who create value. He walks through strategies around deductions, entities, and planning so you stop leaving easy money on the table. It is especially useful if you are moving from “I hope my accountant fixes it” to “I want to understand the levers myself.”
If you are spread across too many offers, platforms, and projects, read this:
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Essentialism helps you identify the few things that truly move the needle and cut the rest. McKeown gives language and tools for saying no, setting boundaries, and designing a simpler business. Perfect if you feel busy all the time, but your revenue doesn’t reflect your effort.
If you are a high-achieving woman who is exhausted and cannot see how to grow without burning out, read this:
Do Less by Kate Northrup
Do Less is written for ambitious women, especially mothers and caregivers, who are tired of pretending they are robots. Northrup invites you to track your energy, honour cycles, and design your workload more strategically. It is a great antidote if your inner narrative is “I just need to try harder” and your body is saying “absolutely not.”
If you feel like the entire business lives in your head and you are doing every task, read this:
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Gerber explains why so many small businesses fail when the owner only acts as a “technician” who does the work, not as a “manager” and “entrepreneur” who designs systems. You learn how to document processes, think in terms of repeatable systems, and prepare your business to run without you at the center of every decision.
If you feel pressure to build a big team but secretly want a lean, simple business that fits your life, read this:
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Jarvis challenges the idea that growth always means hiring, offices, and scale at all costs. He shows how staying intentionally small can lead to more freedom, better margins, and a calmer life. Ideal if you are under 100k, value autonomy, and want permission to design a small but mighty company.
If you are overcomplicating everything and forgetting that business is about helping customers, read this:
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Sivers shares 40 short lessons from building his business. Chapters are 1 to 3 pages, so you can read it in tiny pockets of time. The message is simple: focus deeply on serving people, do what makes sense for you, and ignore most business clichés. This is great when you feel lost in strategies and just want to reconnect with common sense.
If you keep telling yourself “I am just not a sales person/numbers person/systems person,” read this:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Dweck explains the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and shows how it affects everything from learning new tech to handling feedback. This book helps you catch the micro-beliefs that keep you from picking up new skills that your next revenue level requires.
If you are not sure whether to quit a project, a platform, or an offer, read this:
The Dip by Seth Godin
The Dip is a short book about strategic quitting. Godin helps you distinguish between a temporary rough patch that leads to mastery and a dead-end that will never pay off. Very useful for founders who either give up too fast when things get hard or cling to failing offers because they have already invested so much.
If you are a capable business person who still holds back, overprepares, and waits for permission, read this:
Playing Big by Tara Mohr
Mohr unpacks the inner critic, the “good student” pattern, and the ways women downplay their ideas. She offers tools for taking up more space, speaking up, and launching work before it feels perfect. Ideal if you know your stuff but still hesitate to call yourself an expert, pitch bigger clients, or share your opinions publicly.
If giving feedback, setting boundaries, or having hard conversations makes you queasy, read this:
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Brown brings her research on vulnerability and courage into the workplace. She gives language and practices for clear communication, grounded confidence, and building trust. Even if your “team” is just a VA and a few contractors, this book helps you act like a leader instead of a people-pleasing service provider.
If you want a simple, values-based operating system for your life and business, read this:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Beyond productivity, Covey is about character and principles. The habits help you align your goals, your calendar, and your relationships so you are not chasing random metrics. It is especially helpful if you are starting to think about the next decade, not just the next launch.
If you’re stuck, scared, or creatively frozen, read this:
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
This one isn’t a “business book” on the surface, but it’s secretly about every founder I know who’s scared to ship, scared to be seen, or stuck waiting for the perfect idea. Gilbert is brutally honest about fear, rejection, and making things anyway. It’s the book you read when you’re overthinking your offers, your content, or your next move — and you need someone to remind you that your job is to show up, not to guarantee the outcome.
Need an AI-powered assistant to find just the right book?
That’s my list for now, but if I missed listing your exact problem, 🤖 try this prompt with your favoritte LLM tool:
You are a book-matching guide for business owners.
Your job is to help me choose ONE book that fits my *current* business problem.
First, ask me these questions one by one:
1. What’s the #1 problem or bottleneck in my business right now? (Give me examples if I’m vague.)
2. What type of help do I want most from a book? (Mindset, strategy, marketing, money, systems, leadership, legal/risk, etc.)
3. How do I like to learn? (Story-based, step-by-step, big ideas, super practical, etc.)
4. How much time/energy do I realistically have to read each week?
After I answer:
- Recommend exactly ONE book (title + author).
- In 3–5 sentences, explain *why* this book is a strong fit for my specific problem.
Build smart,
Sonya
P.S. Book I’m currently reading: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
For my Gen-Z readers, the Nancy Drew series was written and set in the 1930s but still spoke to an 1980s girl. I’m old but not THAT old.