I once heard Zach and Jody say that self-made millionaires read at least two books a month that help their growth as business owners.  While I’m struggling to make my way through just one book a month, the knowledge that I have gained from the books I have read have been so helpful!

I haven’t found these books all on my own, and if we’re being honest, I’m more of a Nicholas Sparks kinda girl, so these business books wouldn’t have been first pick at Barnes and Nobel for me.  Through the education that I have been apart of the last year, I have purchased an amazing list of  books, and my Amazon Book List is rapidly growing thanks to other small business creatives asking for suggestions!

While my pile of books that I have read is small, it’s made an incredible impact on the photographer and business owner that I am.

Business Books that Loren has Read

Tribes – Seth Godin is the author of this book, and this read was recommended by Katelyn James at Creative at Heart when I attended last spring.  Tribes talks about how to lead, and find your own “tribe” of people who love you, support you, and encourage your dreams!  My tribe is very much my Brides, so this book gave me ideas of how to be a better leader and give my Brides an even better experience!

Purple Cow – a second book that i’ve read by Seth Godin.  Purple Cow was suggested by Mary Marantz, also at the Creative at Heart Conference.  In the marketing world, and especially in the photographer industry, Purple Cow talks about brainstorming ways for business owners to stand out from the crowd.  There’s plenty of white and black cows out there, how can you be a PURPLE cow?  How do you stand out?  Seth gives some incredible examples!

Start with Why – Simon Sinek helped me truly define my why in photography.  Why do I love shooting wedding, why do I tear up when couples say their vows, and why do I SOB during the anniversary dances. Like the first two books, I heard of Start with Why at Creative at Heart.

Quitter – This book has been talked about in my circle of photography friends multiple times.  We first heard about from Jordan and Amy when they too listed of business books that they had read.  Quitter by Jon Acuff reminded me that my day job was helping me achieve full time with my dream job.  That is was okay to have to work Monday through Friday 7:30 to 3:30 while I dreamed of the possibility of being my own business.  If you were multiple hats and dream of the day you punch out of your day job for the last time, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing this book!  It helps, TREMENDOUSLY!

The Art of Work – I discovered Jeff Goins while watching last winter’s Rising Tide Society Summit.  Katelyn James actually gave him a huge plug for his book The Art of Work and it immediately went into my Amazon shopping cart.  As I was ordering, I half wondered if there was a spike in his sales because of that plug. 🙂 I enjoyed how this book took real life people and their stories of hard work, trials, determination, and willingness to step out of their comfort zone to achieve greatness.  Jeff is a fantastic writer and I had a very hard time putting this book down!

The Best Yes – Oh how Lysa speaks to my heart in her book, the Best Yes.  In a world where you’re left feeling guilty for telling someone no when they ask for a favor, Lysa walks you through the steps in recognizing when to say no to a request that could be getting you from saying YES to the best requests.  As a small business entrepreneur, not only do we wear many hats, but we are ALWAYS pulled in at least ten different directions. Saying yes to someone is keeping us from saying yes to someone else.  I love this book and how it has helped me open my eyes and realize that it’s actually really okay to tell people no, especially when the consequences far outweigh the benefits!

My reading list for the rest of the year is pretty intense!  My Amazon list is at least 20 deep with more being added with each new Facebook post I see.  I enjoy reading, so here’s to MAKING (not finding) the time to read at least 15 minutes a day.  I’ll be one of those self-made millionaires one of these decades!

If you enjoyed reading about my top business books thus far and want to read more business advice for photographers AND small business owners,

click here