An internet entrepreneur takes advantage of innovation and seeks to direct the future of businesses. Your startup could be an:

  • E-commerce store
  • Digital marketing agency
  • Online services provider
  • Mobile app

Whichever type of enterprise you spearhead, there are essential books that you can use. With all of this crucial knowledge, you’ll learn to take your business online and grow it digitally.

This guide discusses seven of the best books for internet entrepreneurs:

  • Make Your Mark
  • Startup Playbook
  • Hooked
  • The Lean Startup
  • This is Marketing
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Happy Sexy Millionaire

Best books for internet entrepreneurs:

Make Your Mark

Jocelyn K. Glei

Before you start an online business, you need to have a great idea. That’s why the first of our books shows you how to launch a creative company that’ll have an impact on the digital landscape.

It features insights from industry experts from tech companies like Google and Facebook, put together by 99U. They are part of Behance, which is an online platform to showcase creativity. 

Glei is the director of 99U, and she aims to bridge the gap between your good ideas and your ability to make them into businesses. 

The book can provide a great starting point for you while you develop a concept, and guide you when you make the initial steps for your startup.

(Available on Amazon)

Startup Playbook

David Kidder

This book is the complete manual of how to build a business from scratch. The author is also the CEO of Clickable, which creates social media marketing software.

Kidder outlines each stage for success for a startup and asks for advice from over 40 founders (from companies like PayPal, LinkedIn and TED). 

The book can provide you with a wealth of knowledge to learn from other entrepreneurs’ experiences and navigate complex issues like funding.

(Available on Amazon)

Hooked

Nir Eyal

What you sell is crucial to producing an online business that succeeds. Another of our best books for internet entrepreneurs is from a veteran of the video game and advertising industries.

Eyal teaches consumer psychology courses at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In the book, he details how to make something customers can’t resist, teaching you to adapt your product to become part of users’ habits and routines.

If a customer can use what you sell every day, you’re more likely to sustain a level of success as a business. Eyal uses his experience in product development and explains the process through examples like Twitter, iPhones and Pinterest.

(Available on Amazon)

The Lean Startup

Eric Ries

Learn to master innovation early to increase your startup’s chances of thriving. That’s the mantra of this international bestseller, The Lean Startup.

Ries is the CEO of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, which is a venture capital company. He’s also the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School, so he has plenty of industry knowledge.

The book turns innovation into a practical science that any business owner can use. It’s a guide to continuous improvement and how you can leverage every opportunity to be efficient.

Higher efficiency means you do more with less, which lowers costs and improves profits.

(Available on Amazon)

This is Marketing

Seth Godin

Now you’ve got an idea, product and an innovative business, focus on how to sell what you do. One of the best books for internet entrepreneurs to help get customers is This is Marketing.

It’s a complete guide to the world of marketing, which includes details on how to:

Godin is the author of 19 international bestsellers on ideas and marketing. In this book, he put together his essential wisdom to help you sell what you offer.

You can use the guidance to create your marketing campaigns and bring crucial awareness to your business. This book can help you find the right messages to push through social media marketing, for example.

(Available on Amazon)

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

Interaction and communication with others is essential to triumph in business. That’s why these fundamental skills are the subject of Carnegie’s guide.

The book offers advice on how to win people over, which you can apply to:

  • Customers
  • Suppliers
  • Manufacturers

It’s been a popular read for many business owners who recognise the importance of how you deal with people

For example, you can negotiate a better deal with a supplier. It might mean you spend less on manufacturing, and more money can go into marketing to grow the company.

(Available on Amazon)

Happy Sexy Millionaire

Steven Bartlett

All of the books so far set you up to turn your startup into a profitable business. The last of our books for internet entrepreneurs is a little different, but it’s from one of the UK’s best online moguls

Bartlett is the founder of social media marketing agency Social Chain, has a popular podcast Diary of a CEO, and is a dragon (angel investor) on BBC’s Dragon’s Den

This book is about how you can manage your entrepreneurial ambition while you also find fulfilment in life. It’s a helpful guide to maintain a work-life balance while you still achieve the professional success you seek.

(Available on Amazon)

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