My Best 20 Top Rated Business Books

If you’re looking for top rated business books then you’re in the right place…

I’ve read a lot of top rated business  books over the past ten years. Some were excellent, some should have stayed in the authors head and never made it to paper.

Although I believe I can express many of the ideas I’ve learned from these books quite well, I’ll never be able to express the ideas as well as the original authors, and nor should I try.

That’s why I’ve spent the last hour digging out all the top rated business books from my business book shelves and sorting them into order. The order is based on the impact they had on me personally. Books expressing new and life changing ideas ranked the highest. Books that my Aunt could have written never made it to the list at all.

I’ve split this post into two parts as not to overwhelm people with information overload (information diet, there’s an idea for a future post) but it’s still rather long, so I appreciate you taking the time to read it.

Countdown of the Top Rated Business Books of All Time

Today we’ll start with those top rated business books which I have ranked twenty to fifteen. The next ten will be posted next week. No doubt some will disagree with my choices. That’s ok, that’s why I allow comments on all my articles and I encourage your input.

Ok, starting with number twenty…

20 – Direct from DELL – Michael Dell with Catherine Fredman

If you want to read about a business we’ve all heard of and which achieved a phenomenal rate of growth then this is the book for you. It seemed in placed like it was just an advert for DELL, which is why I didn’t rank it higher.

19 – The Essays of Warren Buffett – Lawrence A. Cunningham

This book is created from the classic letters Warren sends out to his shareholders. Once the richest man in the world, his thoughts and ideas about business are obviously worth taking on board.

18 – Striking it Rich – Jaclyn Easton

This book is a case study of 23 massively successful Internet businesses that you’ve probably never heard of. Published in 1998 it’s technical content is outdated but it’s still a very interesting read.

17 – The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham

This is considered by many to be the bible on investing. We’ve already mentioned Warren Buffett but this book was written by the guy who taught Warren Buffett about investing. If you’re an investor then you absolutely need this book as reference. It’s a bit heavy going but the content is excellent and it easily makes my list of top rated business books.

16 – Losing my Virginity – Richard Branson

This is a great autobiography, detailing how Branson built up the Virgin brand from nothing. It starts right back in his school days when he bred budgies to make money. It’s a very inspiring book if you feel you need some inspiration right now.

15 – The Economic Naturalist – Robert H Frank

This book explains how there’s an economic reason for almost everything. Why do brown eggs cost more than white? Why is there a light in your fridge but not your freezer? This book answers them all, in economic terms.

14 – Inside Steves Brain – Leander Kahney

No, it’s not a biology book. It’s all about Steve Jobs, the head of Apple. When you’ve read this book you’ll have a great admiration for his unique mindset and how only he could have take Apple to where it is today. This is one of my favourite top rated business books.

13 – No B.S. Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs – Dan Kennedy

As the title says, this book tells it how it is. How to change your behaviours and attract wealth. It’s author is probably one of the most talented marketing guys who ever lived. In fact, another of his books also makes number eleven.

12 – Anyone Can Do It – Duncan Bannatyne

This is my highest ranking biography/autobiography. Reason being, this guy is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK and he tells it how it is. I’ve loaned this book out to friends and family more than any other and sometimes I have to fight to get it back. Buy it, read it, make your kids read it, then get it back and read it again.

11 – The Ultimate Sales Letter – Dan Kennedy

In any business you have to sell something and you’ll have to write sales letters of some kind as a result. Whether it’s direct mail, adverts, web pages, there’s no escaping it. This book is priceless, giving real examples of what has been proven over and over again to make sales and get results. It’s my highest ranking book this week simply due to the amount of extra sales and money it’ll make you when you implement the concepts within it.

Ok, I hope that wasn’t too heavy going, I know it was a long post. Now, if I were you I’d select a few top rated business books from this weeks ten which are most relevant to your current situation. They’re all good but don’t rush to buy them all at once.

Next weeks “A list” top ten will be unmissable. As a little sneak preview next weeks list includes the classics like Think and Grow Rich and the Rich Dad Poor Dad books. I hope you’ve read some of the top ten already but those you haven’t, you really should, each one will change your life for the better.

Anyway, let me know if you found this useful. This weeks action is to pick one or two of these books then pop over to Amazon or Waterstones and buy them. Read them (obviously) in your own time, take notes and take action.

If you’d like to leave a comment about your own top rated business books, or maybe make a guess as to what will make my final ten top rated business books next week, then please do.