Are you tired of business books by old men? Here’s my list of the best books for (female) entrepreneurs who want to build a successful business while making a positive impact on the world.
If you’re ready for inspiring books that don’t follow the same old narrative, read on!
But first, let me share how I got the idea to put this list together.
A few months ago, we had the insane honour of bestselling author Elizabeth Lesser joining us for a Book Club meeting in The Lab.
As you can imagine, it was incredibly exciting and we had a fantastic conversation.
The main premise of ‘Cassandra Speaks’ is that women’s voices have been excluded and devalued over millennia.
Elizabeth believes that“if women’s voices had been equally heard and respected throughout history, humankind would have followed different hero myths and guiding stories – stories that value caretaking, champion compassion, and elevate communication over vengeance and violence.”
As you might guess, this is right up my street!
Books by Women are not just “Women’s Literature”
One of my favourite chapters is about “reading lists”. In this section, Elizabeth shares that the majority of books considered to be “the greatest of all time” are written by men about men.
And even today, stories about men are considered classics and universally relevant, while stories by and about women are classed as “women’s literature”. As if women’s experiences are only relevant to other women, not the other 50% of the world.
This is one of my long-time pet peeves. For years, I’ve seen female entrepreneurs I look up to recommend the same old books written by men, often decades or centuries ago.
So, I was thrilled to read that Elizabeth recommends creating our own reading lists, both as a personal exercise, but also to share with our friends, communities, libraries and local book stores.
It inspired me to finally put together a list of books that I think can make us better business owners and people.
Not all of these are traditional business books. In fact, most are not, and I think that’s where the magic lies.
Women reclaiming power – but for what purpose?
As Elizabeth says “Doing power differently is about fuelling leadership with the energy of love. Women can do this; men can do this; everyone can do it. And what is the point of women claiming power if we don’t show the way?”
By reading the same old business books, we’ve been taught the same old rules and strategies that men have been using for centuries. And that only leads to women adopting these same patriarchal ways of doing business.
In Cassandra Speaks, Elizabeth writes “as women claim power – as we become protagonists in the stories that shape the world – we must keep asking these questions: Power for what purpose? Influence, why? Promotion, money, leadership, to what end? What are we going to use our power for?”
I couldn’t agree more! Let’s look beyond personal and financial success. Instead, let’s ask ourselves what kind of world do we want to create with our businesses and within the wider digital nomad movement.
So, here are my top suggestions for the best books for (female) entrepreneurs to read instead of (or at least in addition to) the ‘same old’ books by old dudes.
But really, everyone should read these books – they’re not just applicable to women.
I selected 9 of the most widely recommended books in different categories and offer a feminist alternative to each.
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