Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.- Joseph Addison

That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed in profit. - Amos Bronson Alcott

A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors. - Henry Ward Beecher

Whether you have an established tax practice or you’ve been thinking about starting one, you can benefit from the advice of others who have gone before and, in one way or another, achieved success. But it can be overwhelming to approach your local bookstore or library in search of the one book that would help you achieve your business goals; the shelves are saturated with “how-to” books for the small business owner. In attempts to help you find a book that will suit your needs, we will supply 5 recommendations of books that others have found helpful, in no particular order.

The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Start, Run and Maintain Her Own Business, by Emira Mears and Laurnen Bacon (Seal Press, May 2008)

We recognize that many of our readers are female entrepreneurs who start and maintain successful businesses. This book is for those of you interested in starting out small with a few local clients. Recommended on Entrepreneur.com, this book was written by two small business owners who found little information in the way of starting out small and growing at a steady pace while getting paid what they were worth. This book attempts to fill that void by helping female entrepreneurs ask themselves the most important questions as they either start, run or maintain their own businesses.

The Big Book of Small Business: You Don’t Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax and Phil Bosta (Harper Collins, February 2007)

This book is a great resource for individuals looking to either start a new business or boost their current business to the next level. Called an “all-in-one toolbox for small business” this book is designed to help business owners make informed decisions while fostering a healthy work environment. You don’t have to forge this new venture blindly, and Tom Gegax uses his own example of running a $200 million dollar tire business to help guide you through the more harrowing obstacles of small business ownership.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap�and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins (Harper Collins, 2001)

Author of Built to Last, Collins wrote this books to answer the question, “Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?” Studying 1,435 companies in search of his answer, Collins and his team found 11 companies that were indeed great, including Fannie Mae, Walgreens and Wells Fargo. This book examines the traits these companies share in making that rare leap to greatness. Read this #1 bestseller to find out what those traits are and how you can infuse them into your own business.

The Essential Drucker: The Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker’s Essential Writings on Management, by Peter F. Drucker (Harper Collins, 2003)

Heralded as the first person to systematically analyze “management,” this book’s compilation of Drucker’s essential writings on business management help small business owners better understand how to operate entrepreneurial businesses. If you would like both an introduction and in-depth look at Drucker’s management philosophies, which continue to impact the way businesses are run today, read this book.

In the Black: Nine Principles to Make Your Business Profitable, by Allen Bostrom (Universal Accounting Center, 2005)

Designed specifically for the small business, this book contains 9 practical principles that will enable you to improve your business’s profitability. And you don’t have to wait to complete the book before you can start applying them. Working from personal experience and the experience of his father, President and CEO of Universal Accounting Center, Allen Bostrom, shares tips proven in countless businesses just like your own. If you would like to run a more synchronized practice where all three business functions (accounting, marketing, and production) work together, this is the book for you. See why In the Black has become a bestseller on Japan’s amazon.com. Order your copy today!

References
Vaughn, Alexa. “5 Books for Women Entrepreneurs.” 4 March 2008. Entreprenuer.com