9 Books Every High School Entrepreneur Should Read

9 Books for High School Entrepreneurs

“The road to success is paved by failures” – I’m sure someone has said this before.

Becoming a high school entrepreneur is no easy task. Starting and developing a viable business requires the kind of intense focus, dedication, and perseverance that few adults – much less the majority of teenagers – possess. Fortunately, becoming a successful entrepreneur while in high school is both possible and remarkably useful when it comes to your professional development and college applications. Entrepreneurship also shows initiative and a willingness to take thoughtful risks, qualities that selective universities such as MIT say they look for. [1]

Without further ado, here are the 9 books every aspiring high school entrepreneur should read. Please note that the order of these books is deliberate, unless otherwise indicated.

1. The Intelligent Investor , by Benjamin Graham.

You might think at first that The Intelligent Investor has nothing to do with entrepreneurship, but you’d be wrong. Starting a company is one of the most significant investments you can make. You are not only investing your money, but your most precious asset: your time.

The Intelligent Investor is one of the most widely-acclaimed books on investing. Benjamin Graham, its author, was the mentor of the legendary investor Warren Buffett. This book will teach you the basics of finance, corporate analysis, and securities investing.

It may not seem relevant now, but trust me. If you understand the basics of making a good investment, it will help you in every decision you make as a founder. Until you’re saying, “what’s our ROI on that,” you haven’t read enough.

2. From Idea to Success , Gregg Fairbrothers

Fairbrothers’ book is one of the lesser-known books on this list. Nonetheless, it provides a remarkably straightforward and systematic method for conceiving of and executing an early business strategy. Sadly, I only managed to read this long after I should have, but I assign this reading to every young entrepreneur that I work with.

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People , Dale Carnegie

Even if you already have friends, this book can help you. If you don’t have any friends, then consider this book a double-threat. One of the most common misconceptions among young entrepreneurs is that success is all about the product or the service you’re offering. It’s not. More than anything, success is about the people you lead, who will create and disseminate that product or service.

Learning how to network in high school is essential. If you cannot marshal your team – convince them to follow you, trust you, and sacrifice for your vision – you cannot succeed as a high school entrepreneur. You need to understand how people think, how they make decisions, and how you can keep your team motivated and on the same page.

This book is also very helpful for understanding consumer decision-making, which you will need to understand when you start making sales (yes, you will be making sales at some point, get used to it).

4. Good to Great , Jim Collins

This book is perhaps the most seminal piece of work on successful business management. Although its focus is not on early-stage companies, it provides an enormous wealth of data and anecdotal evidence demonstrating the key attributes of successful businesses and leaders.

If you want to be a high school entrepreneur, you must become the hedgehog (you’ll get it once you’ve read the book).

5. To Sell Is Human , Daniel Pink

Almost every young entrepreneur makes the mistake of assuming that, once they’ve developed a great product or service, clients will just start rolling in. That is never the case. Early successes in your company will largely be determined by how aggressively and effectively you (or your team) are able to sell. You will scramble and scrape for every sale early on, so you better be ready. Read this book so you know what you’re doing.

6. Social Marketing Superstars: Social Media Mystery to Mastery in 30 Days , Cydney O’Sullivan

I am aware that this one has a ridiculous title. No, this isn’t a “how to become a millionaire before you’re 30” book. Despite its ludicrous name, this book is one of the most valuable guides on how to market online. Each chapter is written by a different industry leader and focuses on a different platform or marketing strategy. If you can’t get a million good ideas from this book, you probably shouldn’t be starting a business.

7. 500 Social Media Marketing Tips , Andrew Macarthy

Macarthy’s book delivers exactly what it promises: a massive, 500-point list of ideas for social media marketing. If you are an aspiring high school entrepreneur, it’s safe to bet that you’ll need to understand the basics of social media marketing.

8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Stephen Covey

Honestly, I don’t feel as clearly about this book. If you think you are a little disorganized or inefficient with your time, this is worth the read. If you are already a very successful, hardworking person, you can skim it.

Side note: No matter what anyone tells you, the true secret to success is hard work. If you are working twice as hard as everyone else, your chances of success are greatly increased. There is genuinely no shortcut to success, and the world does not hand you victory on a platter. If you want to succeed as a high school entrepreneur, you better be ready to suffer along the way.

9. E-Myth Revisited , Michael Gerber

Michael Gerber’s popular little book is a great introduction into the mindset of a true entrepreneur. More than any other book I’ve read, E-Myth Revisited explains the subtle differences in thinking and approach that differentiate successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones. It also highlights the difference between being good at a job, and being good at running a business that employs people to do that job. The two are not necessarily the same, or even related.

So there you have it: your first reading list as a high school entrepreneur. After reading these books, the only thing left for you to do is to get started.

How to Turn Your Reading Into Action

Reading is only the first step. The real value of these books comes from applying their ideas to a project of your own, even a small one. Here is a simple way to move from reading to building:

• Keep a founder’s notebook. As you read, write down one idea from each chapter that you could test in your own venture, whether it is a sales tactic, a way to motivate a team, or a question to ask before spending time on a new product.
• Start with a problem you know. The most promising student businesses often begin with a frustration you see every day at school, in your neighborhood, or in a hobby community.
• Write a one-page plan. The U.S. Small Business Administration notes that a lean startup plan summarizes only the most important elements of a business and is typically one page long. [2] That format is a practical starting point for a high school founder.
• Test before you scale. Sell to a handful of classmates, neighbors, or online followers first, then use their feedback to improve what you offer.

If you are ready to take the next step, our walkthrough on how to start a business in high school covers the practical details of getting a venture off the ground.

How Entrepreneurship Shows Up in Your College Application

Colleges do not admit students because they have read the right books. They admit students who have done something meaningful with what they learned. When you build a business, club, or project around the ideas in this reading list, you create concrete evidence of initiative, collaboration, and follow-through.

Selective universities say directly that they value these qualities. MIT, for example, lists initiative, risk-taking, and hands-on creativity among the qualities it looks for in applicants. [1] A student venture, even one that does not succeed, can show all three when you describe it honestly.

To make your entrepreneurial work count, record specific results as you go: customers served, events organized, team members recruited, or problems solved. Then use those details in your Common App activities list, where each entry should read like evidence rather than a job title. If your venture connects to a larger theme, such as sustainability or education access, it can also become the foundation for a passion project that builds a compelling narrative across your essays and recommendations.

Finally, think about how your interest in business fits your academic plans. If you are considering this path in college, learn what it means to major in business so your activities and intended major tell a consistent story.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

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