Running a business, whether large or small, means making decisions every day that weigh on the company’s future: how to organize work, how to grow revenue, how to avoid the mistakes that sink so many businesses in their early years. Numbers and compliance are our trade, but we know well that behind every balance sheet there’s always an entrepreneur who needs vision and method.
That’s why we’ve chosen to recommend to our clients three business books that aren’t just “new releases,” but titles that have sold millions of copies worldwide and continue, year after year, to be among the most read by business owners. We know an entrepreneur never truly switches off from their business, so why not get ready to start back up in September with some good reading under the umbrella?
1. The E-Myth Revisited — Michael Gerber
This is probably the single most recommended book for anyone who has just opened a business or runs a small, family-run company. Gerber dismantles a very common illusion: being good at your trade (the baker, the plumber, the consultant) isn’t enough to successfully run a company that bears the same name. The book explains how to move from “working in the business” to “working on the business,” building systems and processes that let the company function even without the constant presence of the owner. For the many clients of the firm who are craftspeople, shopkeepers, or small business owners, this is probably the single most useful read.
Italian edition published by Sangiovanni’s Editore under the title “The e-myth. Il mito dell’imprenditore. Come trasformare il tuo business in un’impresa di successo.“
From the very first pages, it’s a book that offers simple, valuable concepts — like the difference between being an entrepreneur, a manager, and a technician — to help understand how these three “souls” can coexist.
2. Good to Great — Jim Collins
One of the most cited management books among CEOs worldwide, so much so that it has repeatedly been named by the Wall Street Journal, according to its readers, as the best business management book ever written.
Collins and his research team analyzed dozens of companies to understand what sets apart businesses that make the leap from “good” to “great” from those that remain mediocre or fail. It’s not an abstract theory manual, but a book grounded in data and real-world cases, useful for anyone who wants to understand which strategic choices truly make a difference over the long term.
Italian edition published by Mondadori (Oscar Mondadori), subtitled “Come si vince la mediocrità e si raggiunge l’eccellenza” (“How to overcome mediocrity and achieve excellence”).
3. Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
With over 10 million copies sold worldwide, this is one of the best-selling nonfiction books of the past twenty years and a reference point for anyone who has to make economic decisions — not just entrepreneurs.
Kahneman, Nobel laureate in economics, explains how the human mind really works when evaluating risks, prices, investments, and negotiations, and how our mental shortcuts can lead us to poor choices at exactly the moments that matter most for a business. A valuable read for anyone negotiating with suppliers, clients, or banks, or simply weighing an investment.
Why we recommend these books to our clients
It’s no coincidence that these three titles are among the best-selling in their genre worldwide: from three different angles — organization, strategy, and decision-making — they tackle the same issues we see coming up every day in our work with the businesses we support. They’re not meant to replace professional advice, but to help you come to meetings with the firm with greater awareness and the right questions to ask.
Happy reading, and as always, we remain available to talk it over together.