Wells Fargo Business Banking Roundup

To pick the best business books of 2009 for the entrepreneur, Inc. magazine turned to editor-at large Leigh Buchanan; editor-at-large Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants; columnist Joel Spolsky, who is CEO and cofounder of Fog Creek Software in New York City; Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh; and Jack Covert, founder of 800CEORead.com, an influential blog that tracks new releases. Here are some of their top choices.

Getting to Plan B by John Mullins and Randy Komisar—One of the most accessible books on strategy to come along in some time, Getting to Plan B shatters the myth that great businesses emerge from their creators’ brains full-formed and explains the sometimes messy, almost always ingenious methods by which entrepreneurs arrive at workable models. The book is full of entertaining anecdotes about company builders who made poor choices or assumptions—but then pulled off a neat save and went on to success. Plus: The authors have included a practical framework to help entrepreneurs avoid such mistakes in the first place.
Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith—We all have heard about social media, and likely have dabbled in it ourselves. Trust Agents reveals and commends the technological importance of these tools, while also interweaving lessons about the importance of human relationships to business, and how best to build them—even when your primary means of communication runs through a computer screen.
Early Exits by Basil Peters—Written by a seasoned early-stage investor, Early Exits is a must-read for any entrepreneur who has wrestled with the dilemma of taking outside funding. Peters makes the case that marching toward an exit is a good thing, and not nearly as impossible as it may seem. A surprising number of business owners are cashing out after only two-to-five years and for between $5 million and $30 million, he asserts—making this period, for all its turbulence, a golden era for entrepreneurs.
Exploiting Chaos by Jeremy Gutsche—Good things can happen, even in bad economies. In fact, they often do. Gutsche uses 150 case studies—presented in an appealing, magazine-like format—to demonstrate how smart entrepreneurs have figured out ways to profit from economic uncertainty. “Innovation is not about market timing,” he reminds readers. “It’s about creating something that fulfills an unmet need.”