Small Business

43 titles in this library.

Part I — Understanding the Small-Business Founder

• Company of One Paul Jarvis This book challenges the assumption that every healthy company should pursue maximum size. It is particularly useful for founders seeking independence, profitability, control, and a sustainable…
• Small Business for Dummies Eric Tyson and Jim Schell Despite its elementary title, this is a broad and practical reference for first-time business owners. It covers planning, legal structure, finance, marketing, employees, technology, and growth.…
• Small Giants Bo Burlingham Burlingham profiles companies that chose excellence, culture, community, craftsmanship, and independence rather than becoming as large as possible. It is an important corrective to the assumption…
• The $100 Startup Chris Guillebeau This is an engaging collection of examples involving businesses started with limited capital. It is strongest for service businesses, independent professionals, online offerings, and founders seeking…
• The E-Myth Revisited Michael E. Gerber This is one of the strongest introductory books for mentors working with owner-operated small businesses. Gerber explains why technically skilled people often create businesses that depend…
• The Small Business Bible Steven D. Strauss This is an accessible general reference covering the creation, financing, operation, marketing, and growth of a conventional small business. It is particularly useful for founders who…

Part II — Financial Management and Cash Discipline

• Accounting for the Numberphobic Dawn Fotopulos This is an approachable book for business owners intimidated by financial terminology. It focuses on the numbers an owner needs to understand to run the company…
• Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs Karen Berman and Joe Knight, with John Case This is one of the best introductions to financial statements for founders without accounting backgrounds. It explains not only how statements are constructed, but where estimates,…
• Fix This Next Mike Michalowicz This book is useful for founders overwhelmed by multiple simultaneous problems. It organizes business needs into a hierarchy involving sales, profit, order, impact, and legacy. The…
• Profit First Mike Michalowicz The book proposes allocating cash into separate accounts for profit, taxes, owner compensation, and operating expenses rather than waiting to see whether money remains at the…
• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! Greg Crabtree Crabtree provides direct and practical financial guidance for owner-operated and growing small businesses. His treatment of labor productivity, profitability, taxes, owner compensation, and cash is especially…
• The Pumpkin Plan Mike Michalowicz Michalowicz uses the analogy of growing prize pumpkins to encourage founders to identify their strongest customers, focus on profitable work, eliminate distracting offerings, and build around…

Part III — Systems, Operations, and Growth

• Built to Sell John Warrillow This business fable shows how a service company can reduce dependence on custom work and the founder by creating a more specialized, standardized offering. Not every…
• Clockwork Mike Michalowicz This book focuses on designing a business that can function without constant founder intervention. It is particularly relevant to owners who cannot take a vacation, must…
• Scaling Up Verne Harnish Harnish organizes business growth around people, strategy, execution, and cash. The framework is useful for established companies adding employees, locations, management layers, or substantial revenue. It…
• The Checklist Manifesto Atul Gawande Although written through examples from medicine, aviation, and complex operations, this book offers an important lesson for small businesses: experienced people still overlook essential steps when…
• Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business Gino Wickman This book presents the Entrepreneurial Operating System, involving vision, people, data, issues, processes, and execution. Many established small businesses find its meeting rhythms, scorecards, accountability chart,…

Part IV — Marketing, Customer Acquisition, and Sales

• Building a StoryBrand Donald Miller The StoryBrand framework helps companies simplify their message by making the customer the central character and the company the guide. It is particularly useful for businesses…
• Duct Tape Marketing John Jantsch This is a practical marketing book written specifically for small businesses. It encourages founders to build a coherent marketing system rather than relying on disconnected advertising,…
• Never Split the Difference Chris Voss with Tahl Raz Voss introduces tactical empathy, calibrated questions, mirroring, labeling, and negotiation under pressure. It is memorable and practical, although founders should avoid treating routine business relationships as…
• Selling the Invisible Harry Beckwith This is particularly useful for founders selling services that customers cannot inspect before purchase. Beckwith focuses on trust, responsiveness, reputation, risk reduction, communication, and customer experience.
• The 1-Page Marketing Plan Allan Dib Dib provides a concise framework for target-market selection, messaging, lead generation, lead nurturing, conversion, customer experience, lifetime value, and referrals. The format is accessible and practical,…
• The Referral Engine John Jantsch Referrals are often the most credible and economical source of customers for local and professional businesses. This book explains that referrals should be intentionally earned and…
• They Ask, You Answer Marcus Sheridan Sheridan argues that businesses can earn customer trust by answering difficult questions honestly, including questions about price, problems, comparisons, and alternatives. The method is particularly useful…

Part V — Banking, Capital, and Financial Readiness

• Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money and Having Fun Investing in Startups David S. Rose This remains required reading for all VMT mentors. It explains how knowledgeable angel investors evaluate risk, founders, markets, valuation, portfolio construction, future financing, and exit potential.
• Bankable Business Plans Edward G. Rogoff This is a practical guide to developing a business plan that communicates effectively with lenders and other financial stakeholders. Traditional business plans should not replace customer…
• Resource Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey The Federal Reserve Banks This recurring research series is among the best neutral sources for current information on small-business credit needs, applications, approval rates, financial challenges, and lender experiences.
• Finance Your Business The Staff of Entrepreneur Media This provides a broad overview of financing options for conventional small businesses, including personal capital, loans, credit, crowdfunding, investors, and alternative financing. Programs, products, and lending…
• Resource SBA Office of Advocacy Research on Access to Capital U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy and commissioned researchers These are research reports rather than books, but they provide useful, politically neutral evidence on how young firms, minority-owned firms, women-owned firms, and other small businesses…
• The Power of Broke Daymond John with Daniel Paisner This title also belongs in the capital-readiness section because it challenges the assumption that outside funding should precede customer learning and initial execution.

Part VI — Government Contracting, Corporate Procurement, and Supplier Access

• Government Contracts Made Easier Judy Bradt Bradt provides practical guidance for understanding government customers, identifying opportunities, building relationships, and developing a contracting strategy. The strongest lesson is that government business is not…
• The Basic Guide to Government Contracting Gloria Larkin This is an accessible overview of the government-contracting process and useful for mentors unfamiliar with procurement language. As with all materials in this area, current official…
• The Small Business Government Contracts Bible Steve R. Osborne This is a broad introduction to selling to federal, state, and local government. Procurement systems and rules change, so the book must be supplemented with current…

Part VII — Mentoring, Trust, and Cultural Awareness

• Cultural Intelligence David C. Thomas and Kerr Inkson This book introduces cultural intelligence as the ability to recognize differences, examine one’s own assumptions, and adapt behavior appropriately. It is more useful than simplistic lists…
• Helping Edgar H. Schein Schein explains why attempts to help often fail because the helper acts before understanding the type of help the other person actually needs. This is highly…
• Humble Inquiry Edgar H. Schein This should be core reading for all VMT mentors. It is especially important when a mentor’s professional status, wealth, education, age, industry experience, or institutional access…
• The Coaching Habit Michael Bungay Stanier This is an accessible guide to reducing advice-giving and increasing useful questions. Its seven-question structure is easy to remember, although mentoring conversations should not become scripted.
• The Trusted Advisor David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford Although written for professional advisors, this book is highly relevant to mentoring. It explains trust through credibility, reliability, personal connection, and low self-orientation.

Part VIII — Community Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development

• Locavesting Amy Cortese Cortese examines community-based investment and the movement to direct more local capital toward local businesses. Some laws, platforms, and programs have changed since publication, but the…
• Resource Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative Reports Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative researchers These reports should be treated as current research references rather than cultural instruction. They provide data concerning business formation, revenue, employment, financing, networks, and the growth…
• The New Localism Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak This book examines how cities and networks of businesses, governments, universities, philanthropies, and community organizations can work together to solve economic challenges. It is particularly relevant…
• The Prosperity Paradox Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon This book argues that market-creating innovations can expand access, create jobs, and strengthen institutions by making products and services available to people who previously could not…
• Resource U.S. Census Bureau Annual Business Survey United States Census Bureau This is one of the strongest neutral data sources concerning the ownership, size, industry, employment, revenue, and characteristics of United States businesses.