The Doers Guide to the best books for freelancers
The best books to read when freelancing or working for yourself.
Being a freelancer or running your own business is a tough job - don’t we know it! So many hats to juggle, so many things to think about, so many questions, and such little time.
So here at The Doers we’re trying to make your freelancing life just that little bit easier by compiling what we like to call our freelancer bible. Think of it as a virtual freelance library or that start of school reading list you can always refer back to.
What’s best is that we’ll keep adding to this list when we find something new or when one of the freelancers we interview in our ‘The Freelancer Life’ series recommends something golden. A freelancer resource guide for the freelance community by the freelance community!
In this post we’re bringing you The Doers guide to all of the best books to read if you freelance, run your own business or work for yourself. Brought to you from our community of Doers to create the ultimate freelance reading list.
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
This book offers a refreshing new approach to business by looking at what it takes to make a business better, not bigger. Paul believes in remaining small and gives you his top tips and strategies with the ultimate goal to earn what you’d like, keep your customers happy and do it all on your terms. That’s our kind of thinking!
The New Business Road Test by John Mullins
The idea behind this book is all about taking your new business idea for a test drive. Even the greatest ideas can fail if its not well tested and planned for. Mullins encourages completely ‘road testing’ your idea from knowing your competition to making sure you have the right team for the job, it’s all about testing, testing, testing.
Playing Big by Tara Mohr
As an expert in leadership, Tara Mohr started to spot a pattern in the women she was working with. Women with tremendous talent were not recognising their own brilliance and felt they were ‘playing small’ when they wanted to ‘play bigger’. So Tara developed a step-by-step programme for playing big from inside out.
Confessions of a Misfit Entrepreneur by Kate Toon
This was recommended to us by Steve Folland and tells the story of Kate’s rise to business success whilst working ‘from her back garden shed while wearing pyjamas’. An honest guide to being the kind of entrepreneur you want to be with lots of tips, hints and hilarious stories along the way.
Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende
A recommendation from Victoria Page, this book takes the radical strategies of Golden Age pirates and shows you how to apply their tactics to life and work today.
You Are A Badass by Jen Sincere
If you ever need a reminder that anything is possible and all you need is to get out of your own way - a best selling self-help book and a great recommendation from Copywriter Melissa Reynolds-Lawrence.
The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman
This was recommended by Graphic Designer, Mike Harrison, as a great read for anyone thinking of starting out in the freelance world, and it’s not just for motion designers, the principles apply to any field.
Deep Work by Cal Newport
We got given a copy of this book by the incredible design writer Katie Treggiden and it is hands down one of the best reads we can recommend, particularly in the age of incessant social media distractions. The tips we’ve gained from this book have been so valuable and we can’t recommend more highly!
Contagious - Jonah Berger
“How do we make this go viral?”, says every client ever. This book breaks down exactly WHY things catch on and the psychology behind it. It’s a crucial read for anyone who is trying to get volume brand awareness behind their content.
The Lean Start Up - Eric Ries
We work with a lot of start ups and understanding how best to be set up and the various ways they can operate is crucial for us to offer the best marketing advice we can. This is a really inspirational book that talks about being and staying relevant by constantly innovating within your business through trial and error. Super interesting to any aspiring business owners!
We’ll be adding to this list regularly so if you have any books recommendations for freelancers to add to their reading list please send them our way, we’d love to hear from you!