Owning A Shopify Store? Best Books For Entrepreneurs, Budding Business Owners

You've put in the time and effort and finally launched your very own Shopify store—congratulations! Now that the hard work of getting your business up and running is behind you, it's time to start thinking about how to scale and grow. 

The key to building a successful business is continuous learning. As an entrepreneur, you need to feed your mind with knowledge and advice from those who have walked the path before you. Reading books from industry experts is one of the best ways to gain insights into eCommerce, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more. 

We've rounded up 10 of the top books every Shopify store owner should have on their reading list. Whether you're just getting started or have been in business for years, these books contain actionable tips, strategies, and lessons to help take your Shopify store to the next level. Let’s dive in!

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau 

If you're bootstrapping a business on a tight budget, this book is essential reading. Chris Guillebeau provides a roadmap for launching a successful startup with little capital.

Some of the key takeaways:

Focus on a niche market and build a targeted product or service. Tap into your interests and skills to create something people will actually pay for.Start as a side hustle and keep costs low. Don't quit your day job just yet. Build your business on the side until it's generating enough income.Leverage technology and connections. Use tools like Shopify to quickly and affordably get online. Network to find mentors and collaborate with others.Charge premium prices. Don't compete on price alone. Provide high value to justify higher fees. Loyal customers will pay more for a great product and experience.

With determination and creativity, you absolutely can get a business off the ground without a huge investment. This inspiring book shows you how to turn your passion into a profitable company, one small step at a time. 

The 7 Day Startup by Dan Norris

If you're just getting started with your Shopify store, Dan Norris' The 7 Day Startup is essential reading. In less than a week, Norris’s brand, wpcurve.com went from an idea to a launched eCommerce store. His book details the exact steps he took, so you can do the same.

Some of the key takeaways:

Focus on a niche. Find a specialized area you're passionate about.Build a minimum viable product (MVP). Forget perfectionism and launch fast. You can improve as you go.Use social proof. Feature customer photos, reviews, and testimonials on your site to build trust.Optimize for conversions. Guide visitors to that "buy now" button in as few clicks as possible.Outsource where you're weak. Know your limitations and get help when you need it.Capture emails. Loyal customers and email lists are valuable assets. Offer discounts or content in exchange for subscribers.

If getting a Shopify store up and running in just 7 days sounds appealing, pick up a copy of The 7 Day Startup. Norris' pragmatic advice will inspire you to stop overthinking and start selling.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries 

The Lean Startup is a must-read for any Shopify store owner. Eric Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing startups to build a sustainable business.

Some of the key takeaways:

A key concept is validating your business idea before investing too much time or money. Ries suggests creating a “minimum viable product” (MVP) - a basic version of your product to test your assumptions. Release your MVP, get feedback from real customers, and iterate based on what you learn.This lean approach lets you pivot quickly if needed. You can make changes to your product, marketing, or business model until you achieve product/market fit and have a sustainable business model. Using actionable metrics, you can analyze how customers respond and make data-driven decisions.

The Lean Startup methodology has been adopted by many successful companies. Applying these entrepreneurial principles to your Shopify store can help set you up for success. Constantly test your assumptions, adapt to your customers, and build a business that can stand the test of time.

Traction by Gabriel Weinberg 

 

In Traction, Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares provide a useful framework for finding the right growth strategies for your business, based on interviews with over 40 successful founders. This book has been highly praised by many people, including the author of “The Lean Startup” Eric Ries.

Some of the key takeaways:

They outline 19 channels for gaining traction, from social media and content marketing to partnerships and product launches. As an entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges is gaining traction - that is, getting customers to your store and building a loyal base of repeat buyers.For each channel, they share real examples of startups that have leveraged that channel for growth, as well as the keys to making each channel work. 

This book will open your eyes to new opportunities and give you a tactical plan for how to gain momentum. Every Shopify store owner should have it on their bookshelf.

Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk 

 

Social media marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk describes how to leverage various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote your eCommerce store.

Some of the key takeaways:

Focus on creating content that showcases your knowledge and passion. Post photos, stories, and live streams that provide value and engage your followers. Respond to all comments and questions - make genuine connections. As your audience grows, so will your authority and influence.By developing your personal brand and nurturing relationships, you'll gain a loyal community of customers that generates word-of-mouth marketing.Crushing social media is challenging, but with hard work and the right mindset, you can master it. 

This book is essential reading for any Shopify store owner looking to attract more customers through social media. Vaynerchuk’s actionable advice and real-world examples will inspire you to start creating and sharing high-quality content that spotlights your products. 

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber 

Avoid the most common mistake of entrepreneurs—thinking that because you understand the technical work of a business, you understand how to run a business. This book outlines the major problems that many budding entrepreneurs encounter so that you can avoid them. 

Some of the key takeaways:

Gerber shares how to build systems and processes to make a business run like clockwork. By creating standardized procedures and training employees, you’ll gain the freedom to focus on growth and strategy.Gerber demonstrates how to use the principles of franchising to improve any business, whether it is a franchise or not.  Gerber guides you through each and every stage of a business's growth, providing you with vital information before your own business takes on this journey. Gerber makes the crucial distinction between working on your business and working in your business, which is all too frequently missed.

Apply the lessons from this book to establish repeatable systems in your Shopify store and avoid being stuck working “in” your business instead of “on” your business. 

Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk

As a Shopify store owner, you know success depends on more than just a great product. According to entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk, tapping into emotional connections and relationships is key. Gary Vaynerchuk has also written a previous book on this list, “Crushing It!.“

Some of the key takeaways:

In his book, Gary outlines 12 emotional ingredients for business success and exercises to learn them. Things like passion, grit, gratitude, and generosity. Focusing on these soft skills will help you better connect with customers and build a loyal community around your brand. By embracing vulnerability and authenticity, you can forge meaningful relationships that translate into sales and referrals.To help you utilize these skills in tandem, Gary gives real-world examples of businesses facing that exact issue. 

Technical skills are essential, but emotional intelligence is what makes someone exceptional. This book teaches you how to use your emotional strengths and empower your team. The lessons apply regardless of your team's size.

The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen is a must-read for any Shopify store owner. This book explores how successful companies can do everything “right” yet still lose their positions of leadership.

Some of the key takeaways:

Christensen shows how new, disruptive technologies can sneak up on established companies and threaten their businesses. Even though these new technologies are not as good as current offerings, they get better over time and end up displacing established products.This book offers lessons learned from both the successes and failures of top businesses.You may use the guidelines Clayton provides to profit from the disruptive innovation phenomena.

As a Shopify entrepreneur, this book will open your eyes to the threats of disruption in eCommerce and give you strategies to avoid having your business model become obsolete. By understanding the principles of disruptive innovation, you'll be better equipped to make strategic decisions that keep your store ahead of the pack.

Zero To One by Peter Thiel

One of the best books for any aspiring Shopify entrepreneur is Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. Peter Thiel is the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies and was one of the first investors in Facebook. In Zero to One, he shares his secrets for building a successful startup.

Some of the key takeaways:

Don’t aim to incrementally improve existing products, instead create something new (go from 0 to 1). Come up with an innovative idea that provides real value.Focus on building a small monopoly, not just creating a startup. Find a market segment that you can control.Ask yourself “What valuable company is nobody building?” to identify opportunities.Secrecy and intellectual property are key. Keep your idea under wraps until you’ve built something substantial.Hire extremely talented people and pay them well. A small team of highly skilled individuals will outperform a large group of mediocre talent.

This book is a must-read for any eCommerce entrepreneur looking to build the next big thing. Thiel and Masters provide practical advice and insights to help you achieve startup success. If you want to create an innovative Shopify store that dominates a niche market, Zero to One should be on your reading list.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

As an entrepreneur, strong negotiation skills are essential. In Never Split the Difference by Chriss Voss and Tahl Raz, former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss shares effective tactics to use in high-pressure deals. Voss outlines how to gain the upper hand by being empathetic and flexible.

Some key takeaways:

Focus on listening to understand the other party’s perspective, not just to reply. This builds rapport and allows you to persuade them.Label emotions to help defuse tense situations. Use open-ended questions to encourage the other party to share information. Then mirror their language and pacing to make them feel heard.Don’t feel pressured into making compromises just to reach a quick agreement. Be willing to walk away to gain leverage.Frame your arguments around the other party’s interests, not your own. This makes them more receptive to what you’re proposing.

With the right mindset and tactics, you can negotiate winning deals for your business. This book provides a wealth of insight to help entrepreneurs thrive when navigating important discussions.

For all the visual learners out here, we have a YouTube video guide covering a few of the same as well as different books from those covered in this blog.

Best Books for Entrepreneurs, Budding Business Owners

Conclusion

You have a Shopify business set up and ready to go! The opportunities you have are endless, but before you make a choice, it's important to learn from those who came before you. The books in this list provide invaluable insights and lessons to help you avoid common mistakes and set your store up for success. Apply the knowledge, stay dedicated, keep learning, and never stop improving your craft. 

Running an online business is challenging work, but with the right mindset and resources, you can turn your passion into a thriving company. Keep these books on hand for inspiration and reference as you navigate the journey to entrepreneurship. The authors have given you a roadmap to build something successful and lasting.

We hope this post has provided you with some good reading material to improve your Shopify store!