Reading business strategy books is easy. Choosing the right one, applying it to your business, and seeing real results is a different story!

That’s why, in this month’s vlog, UK Growth Coach director and business coach Jo South shares her top three picks for business strategy books that provide great concepts and advice for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners, which you can go away and implement for yourself.

Whether you’re trying to grow your team, develop leadership skills, or get out of the daily grind and focus on the strategic growth of your business, these books are packed with relevant and practical ideas that work in the real world.

Watch the vlog above, and read on for a breakdown of Jo’s go-to business strategy reads.

1. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

If you want to build a resilient, motivated team, this is the book for you. Sinek’s concept of the “Circle of Safety” is all about creating a work environment where your team feels supported, safe, and trusted. For small businesses where every team member counts, this kind of culture can be a total game-changer.

Jo points out that fear-based management (threats of redundancy, restructuring, or constant performance pressure) just don’t work in the long term. Instead, Leaders Eat Last offers a roadmap to foster trust, improve team loyalty and productivity.

This is an essential business strategy book for any business owner who wants to lead, rather than manage.

2. Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

Strategy is a word thrown around in business all the time, but what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how do you know if your strategy is a good one?

Rumelt breaks strategy into three key components:

• Diagnosis: What’s really going wrong? You can’t solve a problem unless you understand it.
• Guiding principle: What’s your overarching organising principle? Something that directs your day-to-day decisions.
• Coordinated actions: What will be done, by when, and by whom? It is not a strategy if there is not a set of coordinated actions!

Jo recommends this book because it helps owners stop reacting and start planning. There are some great examples of good and bad strategies in the book, and if you are honest with yourself, you’ll likely find some familiar elements in here that you’ve carried out yourself!

3. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

This one’s a classic, and for good reason. The E-Myth Revisited focuses on the idea that many business owners are fantastic technicians (great at what they do), but struggle with the roles of manager and entrepreneur.

Jo sees this all the time in her coaching practice. Business owners get stuck working “in the business” instead of “on the business,” which leaves them feeling overwhelmed, stagnant and not able to make progress in their business.

Gerber offers a framework to help owners build systems, delegate effectively, and create businesses that can function without them at the centre of everything. It’s a must-read business strategy book if you’re stuck doing everything yourself and can’t see a way out.

How to choose the right one for you

Jo’s advice is to simply pick the book that speaks to your current business stage.

• If you’re burnt out and stuck on the tools, start with The E-Myth Revisited.
• If you have a team but struggle with motivation or culture, Leaders Eat Last is the one.
• If your business is steady but not growing, and you’re ready to think strategically, go with Good Strategy, Bad Strategy.

Reading is great, but action is better

While each of these business strategy books can be valuable on their own, they’re most powerful when combined with action. Jo emphasises that the key isn’t just to read the business strategy books, but to reflect on their lessons and apply them to your business in a meaningful way.

If you’re not sure how to do that, that’s exactly where business coaching can help.

Turn great ideas into real progress

At UK Growth Coach, we work with business owners to take great ideas and help you turn them into a strategy that works for your business. We tailor everything to your unique goals, challenges, and current stage of development.

Book your free 90-minute business review

If you want to take the lessons from these business strategy books further, or get some clarity on where your focus should be right now, we’d love to help.

Book a free 90-minute business review today with one of our expert coaches. We’ll help you identify what’s holding your business back and what practical steps you can take next.

📞 Call us on 01444 440500📩 Or book online.