Business & Finance Book Summaries

Zero to One is about the future of technology and a guide for startup business founders. Peter Thiel is a billionaire entrepreneur and investor that shares many unconventional ideas. He says entrepreneurs should avoid competition. Instead build a (legal) monopoly selling something completely new and incomparable.

The Simple Path to Wealth is about how to manage our money so we can enjoy financial freedom and greater wealth. JL Collins recommends saving as much as possible, getting out of debt quickly, and investing in low-cost stock index funds.

The Everything Store is about how Jeff Bezos grew Amazon—from a simple online bookstore into the 5th largest company in the world. He did it with a mix of great timing, customer obsession, and relentless competition.

Your Money Or Your Life is different from other personal finance books because it talks about choice, freedom and fulfillment—instead of deprivation and discipline. You'll learn how to use money to achieve your authentic dreams and escape the modern traps of consumption, clutter and debt.

The 4-Hour Workweek is about building a passive income business so we can escape the usual 40-hour workweek, and design our ideal lifestyle. Tim Ferris also shows how we can improve our productivity by following the 80/20 rule and a 'low information diet.'

The Millionaire Next Door is about the reality of how people accumulate extraordinary wealth. The authors conducted studies that found typical millionaires are not flashy consumers. Instead, they tend to be business owners who work hard, save money, and live middle-class lifestyles like you and me.

The Challenger Sale explains how to sell more effectively, especially if you're involved in large, complex, B2B sales. The authors backwards-engineered what exceptionally high-performing sales people called "Challengers" do. Their advice focuses on teaching the customer valuable insights about their business, and being assertive pushing the sale forward.

Traction explains an 'operating system' that can help entrepreneurs achieve more control and organization in your business. Gino Wickman has assembled many practical management tools including: a 10-year vision, a people-grading chart, a data dashboard, a systems documentation method, and 90-day priorities called "Rocks."

Secrets of Closing the Sale is a considered a must-read by many sales professionals. Zig Ziglar shares a lifetime of time-tested selling techniques that are based on honesty, enthusiasm, and empathy.