 A few months ago, we made a video on this channel titled Why Reading Books Is A Waste Of Time. The video discussed why most people don't read and why some people seem to think books are a waste of time but many people only read the video's title and started attacking us in the comments section. Well, books are my life. I have not met a single human who seems to love reading more than me so I can't discourage you from reading. Almost all of us need to read more this new year and that's why I want to share with you a few business books you should add to read least in the new year. You probably heard me talking about some of the books in this list before. If you've not read these books, don't be angry that I repeat their titles. Simply go and read them. 1. All Marketers Are Liars I read my first book in the year 2012. It was just a book I wrote out of anger, filled with punchlines and my thoughts. A few years later, I learned that story is the most powerful way to communicate to humans so I reviewed the book and added many stories. After this, I started hearing people telling me how the stories I shared in the book helped them connect with me and what they don't tell me is this. What I teach is memorable too, simply because stories are memorable. Okay, this video isn't about how to write a book but how to build a business. You see, All Marketers Are Liars is a book by Seth Godden. The book teaches how stories make marketing a lot easier. Instead of begging people to buy your product, consume your content or buy your service, tell them a story instead. Stories connect with people and because it gets them to invest emotionally into you or your offer, they will like you in return. Now you know why I started this video with a story. 2. Zero to One In 2017, I came across a book titled, What the Reach Know and Desperately Want to Keep Secret. Prior to this time, I had always looked at business as a battleground where you fight so hard to kill everyone. However, after reading that book, I started thinking in the opposite direction. I started seeing entrepreneurship as a process of creating your own kingdom, not a battleground where you have to fight and compete with everyone. Up till today, so many people still don't understand this hidden truth about entrepreneurship. That's why you should read Zero to One. In this book, Peter Thiel shows you why true entrepreneurs don't compete. True entrepreneurs look for a market to dominate. They want to be kings in the market, not warriors. I hope you like this book. 3. David and Goliath So many people in the world think they are weak and there is nothing you want to tell them to make them believe otherwise. The best thing you can do for such individuals is to allow them to know how being weak can be advantageous. You see, I was born with a sickle cell disease. That is scary, right? Well, thank God I wasn't born a strong person like most people. Today, I would have been one drug addict or an unhappy professor in one university. Maybe I will explain details of why I think this way later. Back to David and Goliath. This book tries to show that weakness can actually become useful. In fact, strength sometimes becomes a disadvantage. I've read something like this in one Robert Green's book before. The David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell explained it better to me. The question now is, how does this book make sense to entrepreneurs? Well, sometimes you don't have to be a big company or sell a large market. You can be the David who makes more money seven or a few people than those trying to serve everyone. 4. Mastery This is one of the best books I've ever read in my life. I've promised myself that I will never let any of my children become adults before I get them to read this book. Mastery by Robert Green is a book about building and creating things. And that's why I'm recommending it for my fellow entrepreneurs. You see, most people in the world simply don't understand how things are built. When these people want to become entrepreneurs, they look for a shortcut. They want success tomorrow. And they hope their few hours per week should make them rich. I'm sorry, Tim Ferriss sold you a book, not the truth. The truth of the matter is, before you can ever make enough money from four hours work per week, you must have worked a lot of 80 hours per week work prior to then. Robert Green is a realist, as you already know. He works you through how greatest people in history have built things and that will inspire you to sacrifice your sweat. 5. Scientific Advertising Claude C. Hupkings published his book in 1923, almost 100 years ago. And today, here is one of the best books you can read about selling. Yes, some examples in this book are not relevant to our age, but that wouldn't make this book any less relevant in the next 100 years. 6. Why You Act the Way You Do Almost all the time I get mails from people asking the types of business they can start. Well, there's no straight answer to that question. Often the answer begins from you, who you are and what will make you happy. Why You Act the Way You Do is a book written by Tim Lahaye. It's a temperament book and it should help you know a lot of things about yourself. This should help when deciding what kind of business will make you happy. 7. Gifted Hands Ben Carson's book is about how any life can change with books. He was born by poor parents and TV was their life until their mother started thinking that the rich people she worked for all have a library. Then she started making her children read. The result of that is Ben Carson, one of the most respected neurosurgeons the world has ever seen. How then does this make any sense for any entrepreneur? Well, when Mark Cuban was asked why he thinks most entrepreneurs fail, he said and I quote lack of brain and lack of effort. Warren Buffett said I sit down, read and think. Most people don't do that. I don't know who you are but I can promise that reading one hour a day can change your life faster than almost anything else. As we enter a new year, I hope you pick up some of the books mentioned in this video or other ones and look for knowledge and inspiration to make this year your best year. My name is Steve Courage. I am a Nigerian entrepreneur who lives in Lagos. If you wish to know more about me, see my ugly face to consume videos I specifically make for Africans, check the description box and join my new channel where I show my face and teach Africans how to build successful businesses. I love you.