5 More Books for Female Entrepreneurs

I believe great writers are insatiable readers. For the past several years, I’ve assigned myself a measurable reading goal. 2023 is the third year in a row I’ve assigned myself the number 50. And, as I’ve gotten more curious about how other women run their lives and businesses, a strong mix of business books written by women has been included.

This list is a follow-up to my first post detailing five books I find instrumental for female entrepreneurs—for their lives and their businesses.

Books for female entrepreneurs aren’t all about entrepreneurship

You’ll notice that the books included in this list aren’t all outwardly about running a business.

If I know anything about running a small shop, it’s that my life and my business are so intertwined that I would be remiss if I included books about business only. You’ll see a spiritual book and a book about alcohol here. Trust me when I tell you that reading them will have a positive impact on your business. You are the CEO, after all, and when you’re optimized, so are your operations.

Herewith, the recs.

5 more books for female entrepreneurs

Chillpreneur by denise duffield-thomas

Denise loves to call herself lazy—in the best sense of the word. This book is all about optimizing, streamlining, and getting out of your own way. It teaches you to should on yourself less and enjoy your life + business more—WHILE making more money than you ever thought possible.

Free Time by Jenny Blake

I read Chillpreneur and Free Time pretty much back to back. They’re both fantastic and reinforce each other’s messages beautifully. Jenny goes into even more depth about specific tools she likes to use to run her business, so it is a somewhat more time-sensitive (business admin tools change rapidly!) read. If you’re intrigued by it, grab it ASAP.

Quit Like a woman by holly whitaker

You may be wondering why a book on quitting booze is on a list of books for female entrepreneurs, and the answer is simple: When you feel better in your body and clear in your mind, you are more effective. I’m not telling you how to live, but I do invite you to consider if and how your relationship with alcohol serves your business. I’ve noticed many of my personal and business friends going sober in the past year (including me—mostly). Our businesses are better for it.

We Should all be millionaires by rachel rodgers

Rachel has a super-fun writing tone that made me chuckle throughout her book. She inspired me to double my prices, got me fired up about the history of the gender wealth gap, and had me telling everyone I knew who I thought might be interested about her book—including you!

You can heal your life by louise hay

At the end of the day, we’re all souls having a human experience on earth and Louise helps us tune into our humanity. We’re in the people business (Sorry, AI. There’s a place for you in some places, but mostly not here) and that means taking control of our health is paramount to our success as entrepreneurs. I found a copy of this book on my grandparents’ bookshelf after having it on my list for years, and I will keep it forever because of its quick reference guide in the back that gives me mantras to cure myself of pretty much anything that ails me. Louise does a loving, beautiful job of making us look at ourselves in the mirror and call ourselves out on our shit while giving us grace. Every female business owner needs a copy of this book.

What are your favorite female CEO books?

I’m always looking for recs, so don’t hesitate to comment with your recs! And, if you want to stay up to date on all I’m reading + recommending, add your name to my newsletter.

Happy reading!