Best Business Books for Creative Thinkers

I wanted to share a few of my recent favorite business books with you guys. I’m always looking for great books to teach me new tips, new ways to think, and help me really boost my skills to the next level. And, I’m definitely a creative type, so old-school business books just bore me. Yes, I’ve read some, and there is some awesome information, but I like books that encourage me to think outside of the box, and include actionable steps that I can take to be more successful. Read on…

My Picks for Best Business Books for Creative Thinkers:

The Creative Business Idea Book:

The Creative Business Idea Book: Ten Years of Breakthrough Thinking is a spendy book – Right now, it’s $50 bucks for the hardcover edition. But it looks uh-MAY-zing. I saw it today on Klout.com – you can possibly get it for FREE if your Klout score is above 45, and you are influential in these topics: Advertising, Copywriting, Creativity, Digital Photography, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations. It talks about how traditional advertising is pretty much over, and shares the stories of how campaigns like the Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World, Evian Roller Babies, and other memorable ad’s came to be. Love it!

The Creative Entrepreneur: 

The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real – This is SUCH a fun book! There is so much great art on all of the pages, and it totally inspires and motivates me! The concepts are simple to follow, and lead you step-by-step to take your big ideas to real results. I’m a visual learner, and have a desk covered in notebooks with lists, drawings, scribbles, post-it’s – my mom says it reminds her of that movie a Beautiful Mind, lol. But I love the idea of using creative journals to think and plan out a business idea. So my style.

IdeaSelling:

IdeaSelling: Successfully Pitch Your Creative Ideas to Bosses, Clients & other Decision Makers – I just ordered this, and am beyond excited to get it! It’s all about learning how to do more than just “tell” people about your ideas, you need to “sell” them on your ideas! I’ve had years of experience in sales, but am always interested in learning more. And as a blogger, it’s very important to learn how to pitch companies, partners, and even other bloggers – if you have a great idea, you don’t want it to fail just because you didn’t know how to get people excited about it, right? The reviews all say that the techniques are easy to start implementing, and will help you improve right away. I’ll share a full review when I get done reading it!

Gamestorming:

Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers – This is something that I would LOVE to have had when I was still working in sales management! Getting people working together in a non-traditional way, by playing a game, is a much more effective way to teach new skills and come up with new ideas! “This book includes more than 80 games to help you break down barriers, communicate better, and generate new ideas, insights, and strategies. It contains a unique collection of games that encourage engagement and creativity while bringing more structure and clarity to the workplace.”

The Idea Hunter:

The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make them Happen – This book starts with a simple step, “Know your gig. In other words, decide what you’re all about as a professional, and where you want to be heading in your career and projects. Without a concrete sense of purpose and goals, you won’t know what you’re looking for.” And continues until the end with “Focus on ‘Try-ability.’ Make it easy for people to try out your idea, before buying into it. Think like Apple, which lets people listen to 30-second snippets of music on iTunes before they buy a track or CD. Customers and colleagues are far more likely to sign on if they’re less worried about making a decision they’ll come to regret.” I love a book with “actions” to take, instead of just vague advice!

Remember to use Swagbucks to earn FREE Amazon Gift Cards, then you can get these great books for free. Swagbucks is one of the EASIEST ways to earn freebies online – and is how I buy all of my Amazon goodies!

What do you think?

Have any of you read any of these books already? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments, so other readers can benefit from your feedback too! And if you have some favorite books that have helped YOU in your business, please tell me about them! I might feature them in the next post, and mention that you recommend them!