The seven business books that will help you in 2024

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    Ian Hawkins

    Page written by Ian Hawkins. Last reviewed on May 7, 2024. Next review due April 6, 2025.

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      People in the habit of reading business books are more successful than those who don’t. Here’s Swoop’s round up of great books to give (or get) this year.

      If you need an excuse to step away from the screen and bury yourself in a book, here’s the stat to put in your back pocket: people who read seven or more business books per year earn 2.3 times more than those who only read one book in a year. 

      Louder for those at the back: reading is working. 

      Reading is one of the major habits successful people have in common and at Swoop, we want you to succeed – whatever success looks like to you. 

      Here are the top seven books as recommended by the team members at Swoop. Get through these in 2024 and you’ll have a big tick next to your resolution to improve your prospects!

      Be More Pirate

      Do you want people in your business to think differently, to challenge and be challenged, and to stop asking for permission to do what you know is right? You need Be More Pirate!

      Why?

      It’s really tempting to follow the crowd and do what others are doing. But if you do that, you’re missing the things that make you unique and special. Why fail at copying others when you can succeed in being yourself? This is a fun, readable book with insights into the surprising history of pirates and what we can learn from them to make your own businesses more successful.

      Buy!

      Funded Female Founders – David B Horne

      Female founders get less funding than their female counterparts – this book seeks to redress the balance with practical advice that focuses on what you can change. 

      Why?

      As a female-founded funding platform, this is the book we wish we’d written. It’s clearly laid out, covers all kinds of funding from debt to equity and looks at what founders can do to make the world a fairer place. Don’t get mad, get funded. And sign up to Swoop, obviously. 

      Buy!

      Will It Make The Boat Go Faster – Ben Hunt Davis, Harriet Beveridge

      This book mixes a sports narrative with straightforward tips on raising your performance. 

      Why?

      Co-authored by Olympin Ben Hunt-Davis and executive coach Harriet Beveridge, the lessons drawn from achieving a gold medal are shown to apply to achieving your business and life goals. 

      Buy!

      Socialise – Iain Scott, Rebecca Holowat, Charlie Stewart

      This book explains how to create original, valuable and shareable content to get results without spending millions. 

      Why?

      Buy!

      The Diary of a CEO – Steven Bartlett

      The Diary of a CEO phenomenon now includes a podcast, live show and conversation cards. But it all started with the book.  

      Why?
      The key to this is honesty: Steve shows the unfiltered side of business ownership and if you’re going through highs and lows of your own, it’s good to know others have been there and survived to tell the tale.   

      Buy!

      Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It – Oliver Burkeman

      The average human has 4,000 Monday mornings to deal with – and once you know this, you have to ask yourself how many you have left and how you’ll use them. 


      Why?

      Copies of this have been changing hands in Swoop Towers for months: Kerry Dwyer says: “Most of us need to manage our time better. This has lots of interesting ways of looking at things that really make you think about how to give your life more meaning.”

      Buy!

      Stop Talking, Start Doing: A Kick in the Pants in Six Parts – Shaa Wasmund, Richard Newton

      Stuck in a rut? In the wrong job? Got a business idea that you want to put into action? You don’t need encouragement, you need to get started now.

      Why?

      The best time to start a business was twenty years ago. The second best time is now. The worst time is tomorrow, because tomorrow never comes. Stop Talking Start Doing fizzes with Shaa Wasmund’s trademark energy, and it’s infectious.  

      Buy!

      And one to look out for…

      SEO in 2024: insights from 101 SEO experts for businesses to implement in their own marketing strategies

      Featuring Swoop’s very own Ed Ziubrzynski, this will fuel your SEO strategy in a rapidly developing space. 

      Buy!

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      Written by

      Ian Hawkins

      Ian Hawkins is Head of Content at Swoop. As a freelance business journalist and filmmaker he has reported from Europe, Central and North America and Africa. His films and writing have appeared on BBC World, Reuters and CBS, and he has spoken at conferences on both sides of the Atlantic on subjects including data, cyber security, and entrepreneurialism.

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