The 6 "business books" that have changed my life...

In honour of my first children's book's imminent release (This Small King), I've compiled a list of the business books that have had the most impact on my life. From exposing me to new perspectives - to making me see what is possible - I hope they encourage you to believe in your dreams - and give you the structure and discipline to pursue them. Enjoy!

1.      My Life by Bill Clinton - One of the books that started it all off for me– and is not technically a “business book”, Bill Clinton’s autobiography is a long and waffly tale of how Bill Clinton's life came to be. Starting from absolutely nothing in Arkansas, this autobiography gave me a view of what was possible in my life. You do not need to start with a million-dollar bank account to live an incredible life – you can simply start where you are with what you have – particularly if you are living a life of purpose and passion.

2.      Profit First by Mike Michalowicz – I read this book after 5000 people suggested I read it – but I am so glad that I did. Believe it or not, businesses are meant to make a profit – (who would have thought!) and spending your money on expenses (and “investments in your business") and then hoping that you make a profit at the end of the month/year/career is counter-intuitive. Instead, take the profit component out first – and then the rest is money is your ‘investment fund’. Otherwise, you spend your whole life chasing your tail hoping that it all comes good. This book flips everything on its head – in the best possible way.

3.      E-Myth by Michael Gerber – E-myth says that there are three necessary players in your business - the Entrepreneur (visionary), the Manager (the pragmatic planner/organiser), and the Technician (the worker/doer). Inside we have them all (to varying degrees). We cannot – and should not – be them all if we want to grow our businesses, BUT we need them all to be successful. Which one do you think I am! ?? Also – Gerber suggests automating absolutely everything you possibly can – so life flows more smoothly for you and your team and it makes it much easier to scale. This has changed the way I do almost everything in my business (and has given me a lot more time to create...).

4.      The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits That Will Transform Your Life Before 8AM by Hal Elrod. This brings me to...your miracle morning. This book runs through a series of habits that you can perform before you start your day. You do not need to do them by 8am – but putting structure into your day (particularly exercise, meditation and writing for me) – was a game-changer – and gave me the structure and discipline to live a magical life. You start every day feeling really inspired by the potential of your day and life. I highly recommend it - particularly for people who are feeling disorganised or unmotivated.

5.      The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – Full disclosure that I did not actually read this, but I closely follow its principles. Julia suggests starting your day by writing pages of stream of consciousness first thing in the morning, which gets all of the gunk out of your brain to unveil the magic underneath. It is one of the main reasons that I have written so many books and it has unleashed my creativity. It also just feels really, really good to get rid of all that yuck in your life.

6.      Shoe Dog – Phil Knight – And finally, my favourite business book of all. Shoe Dog is the autobiography of the founder of Nike, who started his business as an excited, and completely inexperienced, young man in Oregon. His vision and passion started on a magical trip to Japan (mine started on a magical sabbatical around the world!) and one simple idea. Phil demonstrates that all businesspeople (yes, all!) have no idea what they’re doing at the beginning – and everyone learns as they go. This is a game-changer for people who think that some people are just ‘born with it’ (spoiler: they’re not). It made me feel inspired and hopeful about my life in a way that no other book has. And if I can achieve even a smidge of what Phil has, I will die happily. I give it to everyone I know. I wish that I could give it to you…

I hope these books change your life. Tell me – which business books do you like? Particularly ones that were written by women. Please let me know! I’d love to learn more…