3 Great Business Books for Greeting Cards and Stationery Business Entrepreneurs

When you embark on this entrepreneurial journey, it’s essential that you take some time to invest early in educating yourself about how to set up and run your business successfully. The easiest and most cost-effective way to do this is to read books in this area. For me, this has been a fantastic way to pick up hints and tips, and it really is like having your very own personal business mentor in your back pocket.

You don’t have to fork out hundreds or even thousands for a Business Mentor (although this might be something to consider in the future) because there are so many amazing books out there to help you. In this blog post, I want to share with you, three great business books that have really helped me on my journey.

1. Self Made: The definitive guide to business startup success by Bianca Miller Cole and Byron Cole

I pre-ordered this book back in 2017. I have always loved Bianca and Byron’s story and their work ethic is inspirational. This book is a practical guide to anyone wanting to start a business. It walks you through step-by-step and talks about all the things you need to consider before you start a business. Even though I was a year into running my African inspired greeting card and stationery business when I read this book, it was beneficial in terms of sense checking whether I was making the right business decisions. It helped with my thought processes when I decided to rebrand from Special Touch Designs to Afrotouch Design in 2019, and after reading the book for the second time, I decided to change from a sole trader to a limited company in January 2020. 

I found the chapters on the different social media platforms really helpful, and their advice has ultimately helped me to increase my social media presence which has had a positive impact on the growth of Afrotouch Design.

This book is full of solid and easy to implement advice and would make a great addition to your library.

2.     Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz 

This book right here is a financial game changer. This book will make you take a hard look at your numbers. For the longest time money was coming in and going out of my greeting cards business, and I didn’t really have a handle on what was going on. All I knew was that invoices needed to be paid, and any money made was poured back into the business. I never envisaged paying myself and often had to use the salary from my day job to cover expenses – sound familiar?!

There are not many books that I consider to be life-changing, but this one is. The great thing about this book is that you focus on making a profit from the get-go, and it details how you do this. The theory is that even if you’re deep in debt, or spending faster than you earn, every business owner can take as little as 1% off any income and put into a relevant pot. If you follow the principles in this book, you are guaranteed to see positive financial changes in your business.

3.     Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek 

Everybody knows what they do, some know how they do it, but very few people know why they do what they do. Do you know why your business does what it does? 

This book really helps you think about what your ‘Why’ is. The profit first book I mentioned above talks about how to make a profit in your business, but fundamentally this should not be your ‘Why,’ profit is often one of the results of your ‘Why’. Simon suggests that leaders who start with ‘Why’ inspire people to create change rather than manipulate, and this ultimately draws people to them. 

Reading this booked helped me define the Why for Afrotouch Design:

Everything we design has a touch of West African design at its heart. We want to provide urban stationery, greeting cards and gift items that celebrate the wonders of West African culture and lifestyle. We believe that through the giving and receiving of our products, our community will feel a sense of representation in today’s diverse world.

Have you read any of these books? Leave a comment below. You can click on the links to learn more about these books. 

Happy reading!