6 Best Business Strategy Books to Pull Ahead of the Competition [2021]

Business strategy is needed to pull ahead of the competition. That means careful planning. Yet, there is more to strategy than planning alone. Strategy requires knowing how to pull together all available resources and implement them for the best possible outcome. It may even require you to think in new ways—that is, to approach in entirely new, disruptive ways. 

These six business strategy books will help you get started in pulling—and remaining—ahead of the competition.

Love as a Business Strategy: Resilience, Belonging & Success

By Mohammad Anwar, Chris Pitre, Frank Danna and Jeff Ma

This 2021 best-seller doesn’t attempt to provide quick fixes. Instead, it summons you to rethink your entire approach to business. Meeting goals, growing revenue and building stronger teams requires you to question what you think you know about the culture of business.

And the culture you will learn to build is one of yes, love.

A fun and engaging read, Love as a Business Strategy guides your journey in three stages. First, you learn why love is good for business. Second, you will explore how assets such as inclusion, empowerment, and forgiveness can work to grow your company. Finally, you will learn practical implementation of the strategy at every level of your organization. 

Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy

by Patrick Bet-David

A major business influencer, Patrick Bret-David serves as CEO of the PHP Agency, Inc, a financial services group. And his YouTube channel, Valuetainment, frequently reaches hundreds of thousands of viewers per episode.

In 2020’s Your Next Five Moves, Bret-David likens business strategy to a chess match—that is, although every move occurs in succession, the current move determines every play thereafter. For that reason, he takes a careful, methodical approach to a business plan. And if you are not a chess fan, don’t worry. The book is far from dry, and Bret-David displays a strong knack for storytelling with plenty of highly engaging anecdotes.

Blue Ocean Strategy: Resilience, Belonging & Success

By W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

This 1994 business strategy classic has stood the test of time. With dozens of major success stories, the methods explored in this book have influenced business growth for more than a generation.

In essence, Blue Ocean Strategy implores entrepreneurs to seek “blue oceans.” That is, areas where existing consumer demand is yet unmet. In this way, business leaders do not compete for market space. Rather, they create entirely new markets.

But it’s a process. Authors Kim and Mauborgne guide the reader through the stages including strategy formulation, overcoming organizational hurdles, and implementation. Recommended for all business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs, Blue Ocean Strategy can help you realize your dreams.

The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

By Clayton M. Christensen

New technologies are often cheaper, better, and faster. They improve our lives. At the same time, they disrupt the business environment. Companies that once led an industry can disappear in a matter of years when smaller, leaner companies create or adapt to new technologies.

Christensen explores how the attributes that we equate with strong leadership can actually bring about the demise of a company. For instance, listening to your customer is generally good advice. But in the face of emerging technologies not yet widely understood, the customer is not always right. With such in mind, Christensen illustrates a dilemma where seemingly good decisions by leadership can lead to disaster. He then shows the reader practical means by which organizations can resolve this dilemma.

Technologies have proven highly disruptive to all industries, and this strategy guide shows you how to stay ahead of the competition.

Think Lead Disrupt: How Innovative Minds Connect Strategy to Execution

By Peter B. Nichol

Yes, technologies can disrupt any industry. But you can be disruptive too. And Peter B. Nichol helps get you started with smart business strategies to help you become more innovative.

An innovator himself with a strong tech background, Nichol invites the reader to learn new approaches to idea creation. You will learn practical approaches to harnessing your own biases and truly take on values such as first-principle thinking to build a growth mindset. Furthermore, you will learn how to execute such values throughout your organization and respond to disruptive threats from the outside.

In a rapidly evolving world, this 2021 guide is recommended for any leader seeking to remain at the cutting edge.

Social Media Marketing 2021 and Digital Marketing: The Complete Online Business, Social Media Agency and Personal Brand Workbook for Beginners to Turn your Online Presence into a Money Making Machine

By Michael Branding

This business strategy guide may appear focused on a single topic. And yet, digital business strategy has come to consume most marketing strategies. Certainly, social media, email marketing and other digital marketing have become necessary tools for nearly all industries.

In fact, the scope of Branding’s book is surprisingly wide. Yes, you will learn strategies for specific platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. And you will even learn how to partner with top influencers to broaden your reach. But you will also learn ambitions, global business strategies to pull these efforts together. If your organization mostly focuses on business to consumer sales, this book is a no-miss to help get your digital marketing plan off and running.

Photo by KucherAV