Today’s high school students are especially motivated to get a jumpstart on their careers! In fact, many of them are running their own businesses now, from babysitting to managing social media accounts for local companies. For those with entrepreneurial spirits, they may not want to wait until college to expand their business understanding.
That is why we sat down with 10 business leaders and asked them what business book they would recommend to a high school student. While many of the books on this list are classics, there are some new, fun ones in this list as well! Check out the books that we recommend adding to your library right away.
From Ideas to Success
Written by Gregg Fairbrothers and Tessa M. Winter, this is a great book for students who dream of starting their own businesses but have no idea how to do it. The authors are Dartmouth business professors who have collected knowledge and tricks for students wanting to become entrepreneurs.
Court Will, Will & Will
Notes to a Young Entrepreneur
Notes to a Young Entrepreneur: Everything a High School Student Needs to Know About Turning an Idea Into a Successful Business By Gary Nealon, the book title speaks for itself. This is a fantastic book for any teenager to read to gain the knowledge and perspective to start their own business someday!
Megan Chiamos, 365 Cannabis
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This book teaches students how to develop people skills, which translate into being successful in business. Throughout the book, Carnegie discusses the different traits that make effective leaders and how to perfect interpersonal communication.
Henry Babich, Stomadent Dental Lab
Shoe Dog
The best business book I ever read in high school was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It is the origin story of Nike, written by the creator of the billion dollar company himself. It outlines the struggles that come with building a company. Knight goes through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, never leaving out a single detail of how he risked everything to create his empire. Learning that Knight started this endeavour shortly after graduating college, this book leaves anyone of any age feeling motivated and ready to start their own business.
Kayla Centeno, Markitors
Life’s Little Instruction Book
It’s the simple things that make a difference. While it doesn’t specifically talk about business, so many of the simple concepts relate to what we do as managers and employees. Here’s a perfect example: “Be forgiving of yourself and others.”
Rick DeBruhl, Communication Consultant
Three Feet From Gold
People are so quick to give up at the first hint of adversity. Nothing worth doing is ever easy and this book has so many golden nuggets (pun intended) that will keep you digging deeper even though you may be ready to throw in the towel. That’s when real greatness happens!
Rani Sweis, AtticSalt
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success
American society has been constructed to believe that selfishly accomplishing one’s goals, at all costs to the environment around us, is success. Grant offers a unique perspective showing how leading with generosity helps us form deeper relationships, accomplish bigger goals, and feel more connected to our lives’ purposes. It is possible to be successful in business when all parties generate meaningful value for each other.”
Michael S. Seaver, Executive Coach
Conscious Capitalism
Conscious Capitalism by Raj Sisodia and John Mackey. As trust in the capitalistic systems continues to decline, we need more students of all ages to learn about the ways in which they can impact the future of capitalism to help all of humanity thrive.
Brian Mohr, anthym
The Confident Introvert: Gain the Skills to Overcome Shyness and Low Self-Esteem
The Confident Introvert is a practical guide for connecting with others at networking events and beyond. If you start networking in high school, you are ahead of the game. In fact, many high schoolers network without knowing it, however, being conscious of it helps you help more people, and thus, open yourself to receiving more assistance in career growth as well. This book focuses on how to hone confidence in business and life as an introvert.
Stephanie Thoma, Networking Career Coach
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
While this isn’t exactly a business book, Stephen Covey helps you develop your own personal management and leadership. Before you start leading and managing others, you must learn how to lead and manage yourself. I can’t think of a better book to teach these skills than The Seven Habits.
Layton Cox, Marketing Consultant