These are the 13 books that helped me transform my life and build a $100 million business empire.
Dan Martell
Table of Contents
How 13 Books Made Me a Multi-Millionaire CEO
Every founder is looking for an edge. You don’t have the time to stumble your way through years of mistakes when the right insights can collapse decades into days.
For me, books were that edge. They gave me the playbooks, mental models, and strategies that helped me build a $100M business.
These are the 13 books that shaped me into a multi-millionaire CEO, and they can do the same for you if you put them into action.
| Book | Best Time to Read | Core Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill | As early as possible | Build desire and belief as the foundation for success |
| The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel | Ages 20-25 | Develop healthy money habits and smart financial choices |
| Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker | Ages 20-25 | Reprogram limiting beliefs and adopt wealth-attracting habits |
| Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki | Ages 20-22 | Think like an investor, not just an employee |
| Atomic Habits by James Clear | Ages 20-25 or later | Small daily improvements compound into massive wins |
| Buy Back Your Time | Ages 20-30 or once business is growing | Hire to reclaim time and build a business you don’t hate |
| Getting Things Done by David Allen | Ages 20-25 | Organize mental clutter and reduce overwhelm |
| The One Thing by Gary Keller | Ages 20-30 | Ruthless prioritization to focus on what matters most |
| The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber | Ages 25-30 | Work on the business, not in the business |
| Zero to One by Peter Thiel | Ages 30-35 | Innovate by creating new markets instead of competing in crowded ones |
| Traction by Gino Wickman | Ages 30-35 | Implement EOS to align your team and scale effectively |
| Good to Great by Jim Collins | Ages 30-35 | Build enduring companies with strong culture and leadership |
| Entrusted by Andrew Howell & David York | Ages 35-40 or after $1M+ net worth | Protect wealth, build legacy, and transfer it with purpose |
Build a Money Mindset That Sets You Free
Most founders think scaling is just about revenue, but if you don’t fix your money beliefs you’ll sabotage your success. These first four books build the foundation for wealth.
The Books:
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
What You’ll Learn:
How to program your subconscious to chase big goals.
Why self-awareness around money habits is more valuable than quick wins.
How to reprogram broken money scripts you inherited.
Why thinking like an investor (not just an operator) is the key to lasting wealth.
If you don’t learn to think like an investor then you’ll always be just a high-paid employee.
Dan Martell
Master Habits and Productivity Early
Wealth without execution is wasted potential. The next set of books helped me eliminate overwhelm, build systems, and create habits that compound.
The Books:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Buy Back Your Time
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The One Thing by Gary Keller
What You’ll Learn:
How tiny daily actions compound into massive wins.
Why your goal isn’t just growing revenue, but buying back your freedom.
How to clear mental clutter with a system that removes overwhelm.
How to build the muscle of ruthless prioritization.
You don’t hire people to grow your business, you hire people to buy back your time.
Dan Martell
Scale by Building the Right Systems
At some point, you stop being the bottleneck by moving from operator to true CEO. These books will help you step back, install systems, and scale.
The Books:
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Traction by Gino Wickman
Good to Great by Jim Collins
What You’ll Learn:
How to design your company like a franchise so it runs without you.
Why real innovation is about creating new markets, not competing in crowded ones.
How to align your entire team around a simple, scalable system.
What separates “good” leaders from “great” ones who build enduring companies.
| Principle | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Work on the business | Otherwise, you’ll never escape the operator trap |
| Create new markets | Competing in red oceans drains resources |
| Simple systems scale | Complexity kills growth |
| Culture beats perks | Real culture is what people do when no one’s watching |
People need to hear the vision seven times before they really hear it for the first time.
Dan Martell
Protect and Multiply Your Wealth
It’s not just about making money. It’s about keeping it, protecting it, and using it for something bigger than yourself.
The Book:
Entrusted by Andrew Howell and David York
What You’ll Learn:
How to set up structures to protect wealth from being lost.
Why legacy is built on systems, not luck.
How to use money for impact and family stability, not just personal gain.
If you have nice things and you don’t share them with other people, what’s the point?
Dan Martell
Level Up Your Thinking, Not Just Your Business
These 13 books are not meant to be skimmed. Study them, apply them, and revisit them at different stages of your journey. The right book at the right time can save you years of trial and error.
If you’re serious about building both wealth and freedom, commit to leveling up your thinking now. Your future business… and your future self…will thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best books to make more money and think like a millionaire entrepreneur?
The best books to make more money and think like a millionaire entrepreneur include Thinking Grow Rich for mindset, The Psychology of Money for financial behavior, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind for money beliefs, and Rich Dad Poor Dad for learning assets and investor thinking so you build wealth with sound decisions and long term philosophy.
What are the top productivity books for entrepreneurs for less stress?
The top productivity books for entrepreneurs who want to get more done with less stress are Atomic Habits for systems and tiny wins, Getting Things Done for clear capture and processing, The One Thing for ruthless focus, and Buy Back Your Time for delegating and designing a business that frees your calendar.
Which business books should I read to scale from self employed to business owner and then to CEO?
The business books to read to scale from self employed to business owner and then to CEO are The E Myth Revisited to work on the business with systems, Traction to implement EOS and align execution, Zero to One to build defensible innovation, and Good to Great to lead with culture and Level 5 leadership as you scale.
What books help me build an innovative company with a real competitive moat?
The books that help you build an innovative company with a real competitive moat are Zero to One for monopoly style positioning and product first thinking, Traction for operating cadence and accountability, and Good to Great for the right people and an enduring culture that compounds advantages over time.
What should I read to protect wealth once I become a successful entrepreneur?
You should read Entrusted to protect wealth once you become a successful entrepreneur because it explains family governance, purposeful giving, and how to structure legacy so wealth compounds beyond you without being lost.
Related Articles
More Resources
Books Mentioned
Thinking Grow Rich
Mindset blueprint for desire, belief, and auto suggestion to achieve goals.The Psychology of Money
Timeless rules of behavior that shape financial outcomes more than spreadsheets.Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Rewrites money stories and installs wealth attracting habits and beliefs.Rich Dad Poor Dad
Teaches assets vs liabilities and investor thinking over employee thinking.Atomic Habits
System for tiny improvements and identity based habits that stick.Buy Back Your Time
Framework for valuing time, delegating, and designing a business you do not hate.Getting Things Done
Capture and clarify method to organize commitments and eliminate overwhelm.The One Thing
Focusing question and prioritization to make everything else easier or unnecessary.The E Myth Revisited
Work on the business with documentation and systems instead of being the technician.Zero to One
Principles for creating new markets and durable monopolies with product first focus.Traction EOS
Entrepreneurial Operating System for clear vision, accountability, and execution.Good to Great
Level 5 leadership and culture building for enduring companies.Entrusted
Guide to stewarding wealth with governance, legacy, and multi generation impact.
Full Transcript
These 13 Books Made Me a Multi-Millionaire CEO – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1XhDHwRg0I
Transcript:
(00:00) these books will make you money these books will help you get done these will make you a better entrepreneur and this one book will help you protect your wealth once you have it these are the 13 books that help me transform my life and build a $100 million business Empire and I’m going to share with you why you should read them and at what stage of life you should be implementing them starting with thinking Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill when should you read this ASAP literally I give away this book to every teen in my life why it is so
(00:32) important it creates the foundation or how to think the blueprint for achieving anything starting with your desire how to dream big believe you can do it and program your subconscious or what he calls your auto suggestions to be able to achieve anything you want the second book is the psychology of money by Morgan howle this one you got to read pretty much between 20 and 25 it helps you build the foundation for money most of you have bad money scripts money beliefs that’s going to hold you back in sabotage your success so you build your
(01:02) self-awareness in the financial decisions you make you build consistent smart choices over flashy risk and most importantly you build your money philosophy which brings us to the secrets of The Millionaire Mind by T Harve eer you should read it between 20 and 25 because your parents have probably a broken Rule and philosophy of money that you’ll have to reprogram in the book you’ll learn how to identify your limiting beliefs around your money build New Wealth attracting habits and most importantly rewrite your money
(01:29) stories with crazy about that book is that when I bought the first copy it came with two tickets to a wealth seminar a weekend seminar on money that me and my brother went to and not only did we go and learn and absorb we ended up joining his program and for the next three years reprogrammed our mind as two brother Duos traveling the world learning all about business and mindset it was awesome which brings us to Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert kosaki again 20 to2 you got to read this it’ll help you think like an owner not just an
(01:58) entrepreneur and avoid dumb Financial Risk when you’re young what I loved about this is it taught me how to think about the difference between an asset and a liability massive build multiple types of income and the best part in the quadrant is how to think like an investor rather than an employee if you don’t learn to think like an investor then you’ll always be just a high-paid employee understanding how to become a business owner and more importantly an investor so that your money works for you that’s how you become rich those
(02:24) four books will change your money mindset but these next four books will make you insanely productive which brings us to Atomic Habits by James CLE you want to read this between 20 and 25 or later it’ll help you build your habit Foundation the most important stuff I’ve learn from this is the tiny habits that will lead to massive wins that 1% better everyday compounds you’ll also learn how standards can make your success inevitable that’s why I created these five daily non-negotiables in my coaching program because I want people
(02:52) to win by default not by hard work you’ll also learn how to make habits stick by connecting them to other things the quote you hear all the time from James is you don’t rise to the level of your goals you fall to the level of your systems get this book to level up which brings us to buyback your time by you know who now I’m joking this is a bonus one but I wanted to throw it in because these lessons change my life it’s everything I mean the big idea is you don’t hire people to grow your business you hire people to buy back your time
(03:20) you do the first you get a prison to do the second you get Freedom you should read this between 20 and 30 or as soon as you have a growing business you’ll learn the value of your time and how to measure it you’ll Master the art of Delegation and most importantly you’ll build a business you don’t grow to hate which brings us to getting things done by David Allen GTD baby see your mind is for having ideas not holding them you got to read this between ages of 20 or 25 because this is my go-to recommendation to help my teams not feel
(03:47) overwhelmed it’s going to clear the mental clutter you probably have too many things going on and you don’t know how to process them you don’t know how to organize it you probably never had to deal with so much overload it’ll help you understand that get it out of your brain dump it then schedule your time to process this methodology has been used by all the top CEOs in the world to be more productive which brings us to the one thing by Gary Keller and Jay papon you want to read this between 20 and 30 or when you have multiple opportunities
(04:13) presenting themselves to you you want to read this to really build the muscle of focusing on one thing Focus stands for follow one course until successful most people can’t do it it’s why big businesses are literally just that person deciding to prioritize ruthlessly start small to build that muscle and grow from there one of the big takeaways for me was using the focusing question it states this what’s one thing I can do such by doing it that everything else becomes easier or unnecessary understanding that question and using it
(04:42) quite a bit will help you prioritize simple scales complex fails you want to focus so these books will help you get done but the philosophies in these next four books will put you in the top 1% of entrepreneurs which brings us to the e- myth Revisited by Michael Gerber this is the OG book teaching you how to work on the business not in the business you want to read this between the ages of 25 to 30 or when you have a growing business it’ll teach you how to build a business that works for you that you don’t work for it’ll teach you the
(05:10) concept of a franchise prototype so that you use documentation to build systems so you can scale the business and most importantly go from self-employed to actually a business owner which brings us to 0 to1 by Peter teal this book is what I use to build the foundation of Martel Ventures which is my AI first Venture Studio you need to read this between the ages of 30 to 35 when you want to scale to a larger business if you’re trying to build a massive Empire that’s the book it’ll teach you how to create a new market what called a blue
(05:39) ocean instead of competing in one a red ocean it’ll help you find your competitive advantage to create a moat around your business teach you how to focus on product not sales cuz if your product requires advertising or sales people to sell it guess what it’s just not good enough this book is considered the Bible in Silicon Valley and is the Innovation book for you which brings us to traction by Dino Wickman every business that’s properly run has executed the EOS system one of my favorite quotes in this book is that
(06:07) people need to hear the vision seven times before they really hear it for the first time you want to read this between the ages of 30 and 35 or when you want to scale larger businesses the EOS system is the most approachable business operating system ever created it’s used by most big companies what it does is it helps you create a Clear Vision that gets everybody pulling on the rope in the same direction it’ll teach you how to create a simple system for accountability and honestly get all projects in your business aligned with
(06:34) that priority so that you can be successful the reason why that book works is that it’s simple all the fat out of any other management system is cut away and all you’re left with is the few rhythms the meetings the structure that you need to actually scale a business this one will get you going and not over complicate your life which brings us to good to Great by Jim Collins good is the enemy of great you want to read this between the ages of 30 and 35 or when you want to scale a larger business business there’s a
(07:01) difference between bad leaders and great leaders Jim calls them level five leaders and they have the determination and humility to go after something massive and know they probably don’t know how to do it and the way they win great leaders is they get the right people on the bus they become obsessed over culture because culture is what people do when no one’s watching not what you say it is culture is not pingpong tables free dry cleaning or snacks at the office it’s what people do when nobody is watching that book will
(07:29) give you the framework work for building a worldclass culture these books will help you become a top 1% entrepreneur but this book will help you protect your wealth once you get it which brings us to the final book entrusted by Andrew Howell and David York one thing you’ll hear me say often is if you have nice things and you don’t share them with other people what’s the point you’re kind of a ding-dong you want to read this between the ages of 35 to 40 or once you’ve a mass at least a net worth over a million dollars what I love about
(07:54) this book helps you understand how to deal with New Wealth these folks have 10,000 hours helping wealthy families not lose it protect it understand what it means to transfer it to your family how to create a system for family Legacy and most importantly how to build wealth for a greater purpose what I’ve learned is wealthy people want to have impact and it’s going to be through their team and through their family and that book will help you make sure you don’t lose it and how to properly give it to other people to support you and to create a
(08:23) legacy it’s going to last way past your time here on Earth these books are all incredible reads they’re entertaining they full of incredible insights and information but don’t just read them decide to study them decide to take action default to doing something because information without implementation is just wasting your time but if you want to learn the seven income skills of the top 1% click the video and I’ll see you on the other side