42 Free Business Books for First-Time Entrepreneurs – Be on the Right Side of Change

Below is a curated list of 42 free books that provide valuable advice for first-time founders.

Each title links directly to a free copy of the book. The authors are noted in italics, the free format is shown in parentheses and whether you need to provide an email to download, and a short summary explains why the book is useful.

Let’s get started! 🚀

1. The Lean Startup – Eric Ries (HTML – no sign-up) – How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses.

2. As a Man Thinketh – James Allen (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Philosophical essay linking thoughts with outcomes; you can read or download the public-domain eBook for free.
3. Acres of Diamonds – Russell H. Conwell (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Motivational lecture urging readers to look for opportunities in their own surroundings; the eBook is free with almost no restrictions.
4. The Art of Money Getting – P.T. Barnum (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Barnum’s 1880s lecture on finance, frugality and integrity; the eBook can be copied and reused without cost.
5. The Art of War – Sunzi (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Ancient Chinese treatise on strategy and leadership; the Project Gutenberg edition is free and can be reused with almost no restrictions.

6. Introduction to Entrepreneurship – Marsh, McClean & Perin (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Open textbook covering the entrepreneurial process from idea generation through business planning and financing; licensed for free under CC BY-NC-SA.
7. Fundamentals of Business, 4th Edition – Stephen Skripak et al. (Web/PDF/eBook – no sign-up) – Comprehensive introduction to business topics such as teamwork, leadership, marketing, finance and operations; offered free under a Creative Commons license.
8. Principles of Marketing – Tanner, Raymond & Crane (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – OpenStax textbook providing a foundation in marketing strategy, consumer behaviour and digital marketing; free to download under CC BY 4.0.
9. Principles of Management – Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Free resource covering leadership, organizational culture, strategic planning and human-resource management; distributed under CC BY 4.0.
10. Introduction to Business – Meglio, McGuigan & LaBarre (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Explains economics, management, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship and is freely available through OpenStax.
11. Business Ethics – OpenStax authors (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Teaches how ethical frameworks apply to decision-making; the e-book is released under CC BY 4.0 so you can download a free copy.
12. Beginning Management of Human Resources – University of Minnesota Libraries (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Open textbook introducing recruitment, selection, performance management and employee development, available at no cost.
13. Business Communication for Success – Scott McLean et al. (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Offers a comprehensive approach to written, verbal and digital business communication and is released under CC BY-NC-SA.
14. Entrepreneurship (OpenStax) – Byers, Kiser & Sutton (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Explores opportunity recognition, business models and startup financing; OpenStax notes the book is licensed under CC BY and available at little or no cost.
15. Organizational Behavior – Tayla, Carpenter & Bauer (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – OpenStax text on motivation, leadership, team dynamics and organizational culture; the preface emphasises it is offered to students at little or no cost under CC BY.
16. Small Business Management in the 21st Century – David Cadden & Sandra Lueder (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Practical guide for running a small business, from planning and marketing to financing; licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.
17. Strategic Management – Talya Bauer & Berrin Erdogan (Web/PDF/ePub – no sign-up) – Covers competitive strategy, industry analysis and strategic leadership; free with CC BY-NC-SA license.
18. Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Vanessa Ralston & Melissa Ritchie (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Investigates how sustainability and innovation intersect in entrepreneurial ventures; released free under CC BY-NC-SA.
19. Digital Marketing Textbook – Quirk Marketing (PDF – no sign-up) – Quirk believes education should be free; this textbook covers search, social media and analytics and can be downloaded without cost.
20. Principles of Finance – Julie Dahlquist & Rainford Knight (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – OpenStax textbook introducing core concepts of finance including financial theory, time value of money, risk management and corporate governance; freely accessible under a Creative Commons license.
21. Project Management Tactics for Pros – Netguru (Web – no sign-up) – Online e-book compiled by project managers for project managers, sharing best practices on planning, communication and agile workflows; completely free for personal use.
22. The Ultimate Guide to Project Management – Zapier/Proggio (PDF – no sign-up) – Comprehensive guide covering popular project management methodologies, tools and tips; includes advice from teams worldwide and helps beginners understand agile, Kanban and other frameworks.
23. Design for Business – Tubik (Web – no sign-up) – Tubik’s free e-book introduces key business terms and demonstrates how thoughtful design can achieve business objectives; the blog page provides both read and download options for the book.
24. Ultimate Content Marketing Playbook – HubSpot (PDF – no sign-up) – Comprehensive guide explaining content marketing fundamentals, outlining content types and distribution channels, and providing a structured approach for building an effective content-marketing strategy.
25. The BAMF Bible – Josh Fechter & Houston Golden (PDF – email sign-up) – A compilation of over 500 growth-hacking techniques designed to build a strong online presence and convert attention into revenue.
26. The BAMF Content Machine – Josh Fechter (PDF – email sign-up) – Shows how to craft unique content that generates leads and long-lasting relationships; based on the author’s own successful campaigns.
27. The Art of Community, Second Edition – Jono Bacon (PDF – no sign-up) – Comprehensive guide to growing and managing communities; covers planning, communication, governance, events and measurement, and is licensed under Creative Commons so the PDF can be freely downloaded and shared.
28. The Fundraising Field Guide – Carlos Eduardo Espinal (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Demystifies fundraising by explaining documents, investor relations and the mindset needed to raise capital.
29. Startup Playbook – Sam Altman (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – A conversational guide from the OpenAI and Y Combinator co-founder covering idea validation, team building and product development.
30. The Lean Validation Playbook – Jon Lay & Zsolt Kocsmárszky (Web – email sign-up) – Helps founders validate ideas by emphasising customer interviews and iterative learning.
31. Learning to Launch – Fred Rivett & Mike Gatward (PDF – email sign-up) – Chronicles how the authors launched six projects in six months and shares lessons on rapid experimentation.

32. 50 Startup Founders Reveal Why Their Startups Failed – Thomas Oppong (PDF – no sign-up) – Collects candid reflections from founders whose ventures closed, illustrating common mistakes and how to avoid them.
33. How to Start a Business You Love & That Loves You Back – Michele Pariza Wacek (PDF – email sign-up) – Offers practical advice on starting a business aligned with your passions and maintaining work-life balance.
34. Principles of Accounting, Volume 1: Financial Accounting – Christine Jonick et al. (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Open textbook that introduces fundamental financial and managerial accounting concepts; designed to provide high-quality learning materials to students at little or no cost.
35. Don’t Just Roll the Dice – Neil Davidson (PDF – no sign-up) – Short guide on pricing software and digital products; explains pricing psychology and strategies for SaaS businesses.
36. The Holloway Guide to Using Twitter – Fadeke Adegbuyi (Web – free account required) – Shows how to find collaborators, build an engaged audience and master Twitter’s networking potential.
37. 279 Days to Overnight Success – Chris Guillebeau (PDF – no sign-up) – Memoir of the author’s nine-month journey to become a full-time writer and social-media entrepreneur.
38. Ship It – Product School (editors Nathan Thomas & Gabriela Araujo) (PDF – email sign-up) – Compilation of project-management lessons from senior managers at companies such as Airbnb and Reddit.
39. Viral Copy – Brian Clark (Web/PDF – no sign-up) – Foundational guide to writing copy that spreads; includes strategies for headlines, audience targeting and social proof.

40. The Science of Getting Rich – Wallace D. Wattles (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Public-domain classic arguing that wealth-building follows certain mental laws; the Project Gutenberg eBook is free to read or download.
41. Business Hints for Men and Women – A.R. Calhoun (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – 1910 guide offering practical advice on topics such as bookkeeping, advertising and personal conduct; available freely through Project Gutenberg.
42. The Book of Business Etiquette – Nella Henney (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – Offers advice on manners, correspondence and social relations in business; Project Gutenberg notes that the eBook is free for anyone to use.
43. One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed – C.A. Bogardus (HTML/EPUB/Kindle – no sign-up) – 1907 compilation of tips on finance, salesmanship, inventions and personal improvement; the public-domain eBook is free of cost.

Also check out my two other free book lists on this blog (opens in new tab):

👉 42 Free AI Books (Link Collection PDF+HTML)
👉 42 Free University Books (Link Collection PDF+HTML)
👉 101 Free Python Books (Link Collection PDF+HTML)