Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.
This is a quote from David Rockefeller, and he’s right.
If you’re committed to continuous learning and innovation, great success is waiting just around the corner. Studying the blogs, biographies, and books written by thought leaders (then putting that wisdom into action) is one of the paths that can help you achieve the success Rockefeller spoke of.
If you're interested in this way of learning, take a break from the day-to-day and check out this list of some of our favorite books for fitness entrepreneurs.
Two-Brain Business: Grow Your Gym
By Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper, CrossFit Catalyst owner and founder of Two-Brain Busines, is the author behind this exceptional guide to owning, operating, and thriving with a fitness business.
Two-Brain Business utilizes the approach of left- and right-brained activities to explore concepts for building a successful small business. Left-brain activities are tied to the decision-making elements of entrepreneurship, while right-brain activities involve the visionary, creative aspects that make your business stand out.
Any small business owner (even those not in the fitness industry) can find helpful tips for growing their business in this book!
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
By Michael E. Gerber
What makes someone an entrepreneur, and why do they decide to start a business? What roadblocks can impede your success? Michael E. Gerber tackles these questions by deconstructing the myth of the entrepreneur.
The E-Myth Revisited explores the myths about the qualities of entrepreneurs and how they lead to success. Whether you’re an experienced business owner or just starting out, each entrepreneur needs to understand the line between working in your business and working on your business. If you want a deeper understanding of how to operate as an entrepreneur and make measurable improvements, this may be the book for you.
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
By Simon Sinek
Taking inspiration from real-life experiences, Start With Why presents an evocative account of why some people find more success than others.
By examining the success of world leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Steven Jobs, and members of Congress, Sinek exposes the underlying similarities that helped distinguish them as leaders. With the lessons from this motivating and powerful book, you can gain insight into how to draw the attention of new clients and stand out in the fitness world.
Change Maker: Turn Your Passion for Health and Fitness into a Powerful Purpose and a Wildly Successful Career
By John Berardi
When you’re just starting out in the fitness industry, the overwhelming amount of information can be intimidating. John Berardi’s Change Maker condenses it all down into one roadmap.
If you’re looking to turn your fitness passion into a career, this guide can help you develop a clear path. Berardi covers the practical, logistical, financial, and psychological issues that everyone working in the fitness industry needs to understand. Anyone from personal trainers to nutritionists can get started attracting clients, building their reputation and relationships, and more with this book.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
By Charles Duhigg
Ever wonder what makes some people strive for success while others lack the motivation? Which factors make some products fly from the shelves while others don’t?
You can find the answers by examining habits. The Power of Habit explores how you can achieve greatness by taking advantage of the simple behaviors performed every day by individuals, companies, and societies. Once you understand the cycle of habits, you can change them to work to your benefit and see real results.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t
By Jim Collins
Can a good company transform itself into a great company? American business consultant Jim Collins set out to discover the answer, and after studying nearly 1,500 companies he shares it in Good to Great.
But here’s the twist: you can’t achieve transformation through the methods many people would expect. You don’t need a revolutionary CEO to be a great company. Instead, building a great company depends on developing a superior company culture and empowering engaged individuals who drive that company to success.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
By Daniel Kahneman
Why do we think the way we do? Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes you on a journey through your mind to find the answer in Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Cognitive bias impacts every facet of our lives, from how we interact with others to how we manage businesses. By analyzing the logical and emotional systems in our brain, Kahneman unveils where we can and can’t trust our intuition. If you want to protect against biases that can influence your choices, this book can give you the insight you need.
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
By Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
From the perspective of Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s SEAL Team task unit, these enthralling accounts of heroism and loss illustrate leadership concepts in action.
A team’s leadership is the most important factor in its success or failure. In Extreme Ownership, Willink and Babin share how you can use the SEAL unit’s leadership principles and mindset to achieve success in your business. We recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills and learn how to thrive in any leadership environment.
The Magic of Thinking Big
By David Schwartz
You can discover the true secrets of success thanks to David Schwartz. After more than three and a half decades, this book is still delivering on its goal of changing lives and mindsets.
The Magic of Thinking Big is a classic manual on how to raise the bar on your life and fulfill your dreams. If you want to learn how to maximize your relationships, career, and community, you can start here.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
By Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory
Great communication is one of the key ingredients to a successful business. With the communication tools in Crucial Conversations, you can navigate difficult conversations and get the results you want.
Emotions can sometimes run high and result in difficult conversations when you run your business with passion. No matter the topic, you can keep high-stakes conversations productive with the right skills. If you want to improve your communication skills, this book will give you the tools you need.
Whether you’re just starting out or you have an established fitness business, these inspirational books will give you the insight you need to make your business a success. Happy reading!
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