March 2025
Non-obvious books you can use for business growth
I focus most of my reading time on books for me. As a creative person.
Let’s be honest, there are only so many books you can read on the actual subject of business growth.
And I think I read all of them when I was first starting out.
I doubt I’m the only one, though – every entrepreneur who wants to become a successful business owner has probably picked up the “usual suspects” at one point or another.
You know the ones. They’re the obvious ones.
Books for business growth, like:
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumfelt
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Literally anything published by Harvard Business Review
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
To be clear, I do believe there are a ton of solid takeaways in each of those business books.
But one thing I’ve learned along the way is that much of the actual business growth comes from the growth we do on the inside – the growth that makes you a better human being.
So now, I focus most of my reading time on books for me. As a creative person.
I choose books about living a creative, joyful, inspired, courageous life.
And, funny enough, my business has grown a lot since I changed that focus, which is why I consider a few very unconventional reads the best non-obivious books for business growth.
They’ve all made me a better business owner, a better person, and certainly more creative!
These books all made me a better business owner, a better person, and certainly more creative!
Books that have helped me grow on the inside
Themes: Creativity, Courage, and Overcoming Fear
Big Magic is all about the elusive mystery of where and how we get our inspiration. It really encouraged me to let go of perfectionism and just get curious about the creativity inside myself. This was a real turning point in allowing me to create freely without getting stuck in self-doubt.
Themes: Confidence, Hard Work, and Owning Your Voice
Amy’s first book, Yes Please, is surprisingly wise! She talks about the importance of setting boundaries while being unafraid to say “yes” to cool new opportunities. Amy’s stories inspired me to look on the lighter side when it comes to myself. And failure. As a designer, this book really reinforced my belief that creativity thrives when you’re playful.
Theme: The science behind creativity
Some superpowers are easier to access when you understand how they work. Imagine is all about how creativity works in our brains – and how we can use it to solve problems and think up bold new ideas. I love how it highlights that inspiration often comes from the most unexpected places and experiences. The science of it all has made it so much easier for me to break through creative blocks!
Theme: Personal reflections on design and life
This was a pivotal read for me as a designer. Debbie Millman explores the impact that design and storytelling have on how the rest of the world perceives your brand. There are a lot of deep insights into the emotional impact of design choices. But maybe, most importantly, Look Both Ways really encouraged me to embrace the messiest parts of life.
Themes: Personality Frameworks, Motivation
This is probably the most “businessy” of the books on my list because it really breaks down your work style and how you can use it to motivate others, like those who work for you and those who work with you. I love learning how my personality works – and how to identify and communicate with other people’s personalities. (I especially appreciate the fact that it helps me create design strategies based on audience behavior.)
Themes: Connection, Empathy, Passion
The best part of this very unconventional read is the appreciation it teaches you for different perspectives – through, yes, the lens of different animals. The concept itself is so creative and inspirational and it really encouraged me to observe and learn more from nature. As another reviewer of this book put it, “This isn’t a book, it’s a bear hug.” A totally inspirational comfort read if you’re struggling to connect to what drives you.
Themes: Happiness, Growth, Balance
What can we learn from trees? It turns out it’s a whole lot! How To Be More Tree sounds a bit funny on the surface, but this book made me far more mindful and taught me to appreciate slow, steady growth. I’ve become a lot more patient and started thinking more long-term since I read this. Plus, as a creative, the life lessons have inspired me to take a more organic approach to problem-solving.
Themes: Joy, Hope, Magic
One of the best ways I’ve found to fight that business-owner burnout is to appreciate the small wins. And this book is all about appreciating and looking forward to the big – and small – wins we usually ignore in our day to day lives. Things To Look Forward To has helped me reinforce a daily routine of gratitude-giving and I often think about it when I need to ground myself in the present moment and look for the beauty in ordinary details.
Themes: Neuroscience, Habit-building, Change
This book’s tagline is “change your mind to change your life,” and while I think that oversimplifies it, I do love how Rewire helps you identify limiting beliefs and negative mental loops (that we all get hung up on). But it also gives real strategies for changing those thought-patterns. In many ways, reading this book has helped make me more resilient and a better decision-maker.
Themes: Creativity, Innovation
Packed with stories from a couple of very smart brothers, this book encourages you to think bold and take risks. And I love how it tells us that creativity is a skill everyone can use to be more productive. It’s absolutely made it easier for me to trust my instincts – and push boundaries – in life, in business, and in my design work.
I notice the themes and lessons from fiction books creeping into my thought process on a very regular basis!
Bonus: Fiction books that have made me a better designer
I mentioned how the non-fiction books I listed above factor into my everyday decisions as a business owner and creative, but I consider this next collection to be the short-list of fiction books that have made me a better designer.
These stories may not be “real life experiences,” but I notice the themes and lessons from many of them creeping into my thought process on a very regular basis!
Themes: Memory, Love, and Letting Go
This short story changed everything for me. I feel so invested in connecting with others – my friends, family, and clients – and really appreciate the moments that are over too soon. Change is inevitable, and this novella has made me lean into this, rather than fight it. Plus, from a design standpoint, it’s encouraged me to approach design understanding that things change and evolve. And that’s okay.
Themes: Power, Transformation, and Self-Discovery
If there’s a better story that exists about owning your voice and embracing your uniqueness, I haven’t read it yet. Circe may be fantasy fiction but the lessons it reinforced in me are very real. Transformation and storytelling are powerful means of expression (that we can 100% use in design) and reinvention is sometimes your greatest power.
Themes: Loss, Faith, and Coming of Age
This beautiful, sorrowful novel really drives home the value of living in your integrity and the lessons we can learn when life is hard. I learned so much from this book, but since I promised this was about being a better designer, one of my key takeaways is the beauty we find in simplicity and how the most subtle details can make the biggest impact.
Theme: Resistance, Storytelling, and the Power of Words
If there’s a business lesson to be learned from this incredibly insightful (frighteningly close to reality) dystopian novel it’s that our narratives shape public perception. Our Missing Hearts takes a deeply uncomfortable look into how storytelling (whether visual or written) can be a truly rebellious act of resistance and change.
Themes: Trauma, Identity, and Legacy
Homegoing teaches that legacy and history shape the future: an important lesson for any business owner – or human – to embrace. But as a designer, the biggest takeaways that led to growth as a result of this book came from encouraging me to use my work to acknowledge history and cultural narratives as authentically as possible, whenever possible.
I hope you’ve found something from my list of non-fiction and fiction books on the themes of resilience, creativity, and transformation through storytelling that speaks to you.
Finding books that work for you
Obviously, my list of books you can use for business growth is in no way a definitive collection of the only types of books that work.
We’re all as different as business owners as we are as human beings and as creatives (Remember, according to the Kelley brothers, we are all creative.)
If the very first list of the “usual suspects” of books on business growth are the kind of reads you find the most inspiration from, it’s not up to me to tell you that’s wrong.
I love that you’ve found what works!
But, if you’re like me, and that original list hasn’t quite cut through the noise to inspire and encourage you, I hope you’ve found something from my list of non-fiction and fiction books on the themes of resilience, creativity, and transformation through storytelling that speaks to you.
And if you’re contemplating how you can craft branding that tells a deeper story, use design for advocacy, or you’re simply embracing simplicity and evolution for your business, feel free to book a consultation and let’s chat about how we can help you achieve that.
Here’s to business growth – and inner growth – that supports you.