2021 Must-Reads for Entrepreneurial Minds

Whether we are wistfully stepping up this Insta-worthy staircase of books in Venice, snuggling into a book-themed hotel-hostel in Tokyo, or tip-toeing through a Harry Potter-esque library at the University of San Diego, we love to read - and we love to learn! And indeed, an entrepreneurial mindset is made through identifying and leveraging opportunities, harnessing failures into lessons, and succeeding in a wide range of environments, all in the context of your ikigai, or reason for getting up in the morning.

SO, get ready to grab a free 30-day trial via Scribd, find your library card, curl up with your Kindle, or order from your local independent bookshop. Here are our must-reads for entrepreneurial minds in 2021...

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

After a year of seemingly few “successes”, revisit some key sources of success in Gladwell’s entertaining page-turner about hard work and opportunity.

A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond by Daniel Susskind

The last nine months have clearly caused us to rethink and unlearn a plethora of concepts around what makes good work, productivity, and work spaces. Explore Susskind’s 2020 read with this new lens.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

This isn’t a bestseller for nothing. As we turn the corner on one year and Zoom into the next, immerse yourself in ways to break the bad habits and develop those that positively set you apart from others.

Lead From the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth by Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz

Hindsight is 20/20, right? Soak up this step-by-step approach to developing vision in order to multiply growth opportunities and set yourself and your team on the path to long-term success.

Think Again by Adam Grant

Bolstered by fascinating stories, Grant’s latest probes the science behind good leaders’ bad decisions and shares how you can make good ones.

The Extraordinary Unordinary You: Follow Your Own Path, Discover Your Own Journey by Simone Knego

We often talk about mindset and this motivational book is no different. Change the way you see yourself and the world around you will change. Where our favorite ikigai and personal branding collide.

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

Unwrap the behind-the-scenes story of Netflix, what makes this unicorn tick, and aim to guess where it’s going. A case study in innovation propelled by reinvention.

Solving the People Problem: Essential Skills You Need to Lead and Succeed in Today’s Workplace by Brett M. Cooper and Evans Kerrigan

Building upon this fall’s other seminal self-development book, the aforementioned, The Extraordinary Unordinary You, Cooper and Kerrigan demonstrate how self-awareness and understanding the people around you are critical to thriving in your work.

Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments - Stefan H. Thomke

Yes, experimentation is inherent to entrepreneurial thinking - but what does it mean to actually experiment? Harvard Business School professor Thomke reveals how wildly successful companies today are building “experimentation organizations” to generate innovation and thought leadership.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

A business, and, well, life classic, Carnegie’s words still ring oh-so-true decades later. People matter. Relationships matter. Read this to unlock some simpler things that will take you far interpersonally.