Are you a web developer, agency owner, or freelancer looking for a good read? Well, you’re in the right place. Here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order).
Company of One
Paul Jarvis
This book outlines why it’s more important to make your business better — not bigger. Filled with real-life stories, inspirational thoughts, and written by a fellow web designer.
Profit First
Mike Michalowicz
A practical and step-by-step system for getting your business finances in order and ensure your profitability. Brilliantly written and highly entertaining.
The E-Myth Revisited
Michael E. Gerber
If you’re not afraid to take a honest, hard-look at your business (and its viability), then I’ve not found a better read. Geared more towards those with a team, but filled with time-tested business building advice anyone can learn from.
P.S. The “E” stands for entrepreneur
They Ask You Answer
Marcus Sheridan
Have you ever felt ‘stuck’ trying to write content for your business? You’ll never feel that way again after reading They Ask You Answer! This book completely changed my outlook on content marketing and gives you a simple, straight-forward, and obvious system for improving your inbound marketing.
The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
Blair Enns
This short read has transformed the way thousands of creative agencies think about and approach their work — focusing their value around their thinking, and getting paid for it. More theory than practicality, but a must read for any agency owner.
The 1-Page Marketing Plan
Allan Dib
I’ve sent this book to every one of my clients as a gift. It perfectly explains (in laymen’s terms) the power of digital marketing in today’s world. While I wouldn’t say I learned a lot of new tactics, I learned a lot about how to explain them to clients and package them into something appealing. This is the book every one of us should have wrote.
Content Fortress
Martin Huntbach & Lyndsay Cambridge
Martin and Lyndsay took many of the teaching from They Ask You Answer and approached it from another perspective: How to develop content to both attract your ideal clients and repel the types that ruin your day. Practical, relatable, and highly-implementable,
How to Write Copy That Sells
Ray Edwards
If you find yourself needing to write sales copy, then Ray’s step-by-step system will give you a time-tested formula for creating stories that sell. Armed with the knowledge in this book, anyone can do it.
Dealing With Problem Clients
Nathan Ingram
Having spent many years running a WordPress agency, Nathan Ingram’s short-read helps you spot clients that might cause trouble, and gives you system to help keep them in check. Highly-relevant for any web developer!
Don’t Make Me Think (Revisited)
Steve Krug
While this is more like a college textbook and uses quite a few outdated references, the advice in this book will help improve your designs by giving you a better grasp on usability and user-experience design.
Kyle Van Deusen
After spending 15 years as a graphic designer and earning a business degree, I launched my agency, OGAL Web Design, in 2017. A year later, after finding the amazing community around WordPress, I co-found The Admin Bar, which has grown to become the #1 community for WordPress professionals. I'm a husband and proud father of three, and a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
