Brian's curated reading list for anyone building a business from scratch
Brian has spent years in CPA practice advising entrepreneurs at every stage — from pre-revenue ideas to seven-figure exits — and he returns to the same core reading list when clients ask where to start. The books he curated here aren't about hustle culture or overnight success. They're about building the mental models and financial foundations that determine whether a business survives year three. Brian's consistent advice: read these before you sign a lease, hire your first employee, or take outside money. The frameworks compound over time; the mistakes they prevent are expensive.
Brian views this as the foundational mindset book for anyone starting a business — not because of the mysticism, but because Hill identified nearly a century ago that persistence and definite purpose separate entrepreneurs who survive from those who quit at the first hard quarter. Brian recommends reading it for the psychology, not the tactics.
Brian views this as the foundational mindset book for anyone starting a business — not because of the mysticism, but because Hill identified nearly a century ago that persistence and definite purpose separate entrepreneurs who survive from those who quit at the first hard quarter. Brian recommends reading it for the psychology, not the tactics.
Brian credits this book with reshaping how a generation of entrepreneurs thinks about assets versus liabilities. He's clear-eyed about Kiyosaki's limitations as a public figure today, but insists the original book's core framework — own things that generate cash flow — remains the right mental starting point for any business owner.
Brian places this high on his entrepreneur list because the emotional side of business finance is underrated. Revenue swings, slow months, and unexpected tax bills all trigger irrational decisions. Housel's essays give entrepreneurs a framework for staying rational when the numbers are stressful — which is often.
Stanley's research shows that most genuine wealth in America comes from small-business ownership in unglamorous industries. Brian recommends this early so entrepreneurs calibrate their expectations correctly: the goal is building real net worth over decades, not signaling success with a high overhead lifestyle in year two.
Brian includes Graham not to turn entrepreneurs into stock analysts but to install a valuation mindset. Entrepreneurs who understand intrinsic value make better decisions about reinvesting in their own business versus deploying surplus capital elsewhere — and they're far less likely to make emotional investment mistakes when things go well.
Every book on this list cleared the same three filters Brian uses when a client asks what to read first: it has to teach a durable principle (not a trick), it has to be written by a practitioner (not a pundit), and it has to be short enough that a busy operator will actually finish it.
Books that didn't make the cut weren't bad — they were redundant, dated, or aimed at an audience that already has the basics. The order matters: read them top-to-bottom and each one builds on the one before it.
