100 Books Like The Multi-Hyphen Life

In the year after my father’s death in a car crash, I was a young person in New York, trying to break into the world of magazine journalism.

I had been given half of an insurance settlement after my dad’s crash, which I used to survive while I applied for jobs every day. I was too zoned out to work at the time. But one thing I did do a lot of was read. I started with a book recommended by Sharon Stone on Oprah. The Alchemist.

What I loved the most about Santiago’s journey was the unexpected lessons that reveal his true path, the omens he finds along the way, and the belief he develops that when you go after your heart’s desire, the universe supports you.

All of these ideas would end up in my book, 20 years later, and this is because The Alchemist saved my… show more.

I love this book because it gave me the structure to start writing.

The practice of Morning Pages opened a door and allowed me to express myself without judgment. I enjoyed Cameron’s prompts and have gone through them multiple times over the years, which has allowed me to track how I am evolving. 

Cameron shows us that creativity is a spiritual and healing act that all of us should pursue in order to feel truly human.

Ah, there is nothing more quintessentially freelance than riding the highs and lows.

Some months, clients are stampeding to work with you and other months you pitch your projects to a resounding chorus of crickets. This book about thriving in uncertainty helped me ground myself in moments of transition (a.k.a. always).

It also helped me understand that the more unique my career was, the better, because it helps me differentiate myself from the pack. Plus the book reads like a warm hug, and that’s exactly what you want when, well, everything is in flux. 

A couple years ago, I accepted a full-time job on top of my freelancing so I could be part of a bigger team.

I thought landing the job would be the hard part, but on my first day of work I found out I was wrong. It had been years since I’d worked at a company and I had no idea how to navigate office politics. This book totally saved me.

It helped me transition from freelance to full-time, but it also made me a better freelancer because I understood my clients and what they valued more deeply, so I could communicate in a way that resonated with them. Whether you’re freelance or full-time, this book is a must.

I value this book as a comprehensive history of high-risk investing in America, from the Whaling Industry to Silicon Valley. 

Nicholas reveals the extraordinary skew and persistence in investment returns: a small number of investors are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the gains, and this holds true across widely varying institutional structures and technological domains.

And he explores the intimate relationship between the rise of the IT and Biotech industries and support from the U.S, Government. 

This pioneering work shows how it is possible to innovate in a big company and introduces the term “intrapreneurship” to a broader audience. Pinchot describes intrapreneurs as “dreamers who do” and provides a wealth of specific hands-on guidance for an internal leader.

I love this book because it really ushered in a new era of thinking on the topic and laid the foundation for so many people to learn—and deliver—based on its findings. It highlights the importance of intrapreneurs and conveys a sense of possibility at the intersection of imagination and practical, tangible action.

It also includes specific stories about people and companies that remain relevant today. This book inspired me in my writing journey and conveys timeless ideas in powerful ways.

Sometimes we think too small when it comes to growing our business. This is one of two of Dan’s books that I have on this list, and I love Dan as a writer and storyteller.

I loved how he uses psychology to help business owners like me unlock potential growth and get over the fear of “getting too big”. This book also helped me to think about how I am approaching growth (incremental versus exponential) and how that is holding back my business.

I have listened to Steven Bartlett’s podcast for years. He has interviewed an impressive and eclectic range of people, especially founders, and has pulled together much of what he has learned, both from his own business success and that of his guests.

I like the practicality of the “33 laws” in the book. I don’t agree with all of them. For example, I take issue with “Create a cult mentality,” but many of these laws are very sound indeed, including “Ask who not how” and “You must out-fail the competition.”

I like Steven’s persuasive and punchy style and the fact that he came from humble beginnings and has achieved so much. 

No surprises. Self-made businessperson, with persistence and imagination.

This book is unusual. It is literally written by Bezos over decades of developing Amazon. It is mainly his annual reports to the shareholders! So it gives a continuous picture of the growth of the empire.

My favourite practical tip, is his executive meeting process. Meeting begins with a 6-page (with a 1-page summary) briefing, to reread for the first 20 minutes of as meeting in silence, then discussed. No presentation with slides and pretty pictures, and soothing ambiguous words.

The briefing is the result of hard work, in advance, crafting it to be useful. Wow! 

I love this book and re-read it at least every couple of years. All of Dan Kennedy’s books are fantastic, but this one is special.

As a real estate agent, I didn’t realize how much my view of the world and the economy held me back. This book helped shift my perspective, and I now see the world from an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset. I give this to anyone who is stuck in an "if I win, then someone loses" mindset, and it will shake them out of it. I also love his chapters on the magic of generosity and on learning to expect "the phenomenon" at least once every few years (you will have to read it to learn more).

I love how this book has freed me up to go after my goals without hesitation because, as an entrepreneur, it is my job to grow… show more.