The Personal MBA Recommended Reading List: The 77 Best Business Books In Print

Have you ever considered taking your MBA? I have too. What makes me hesitate is the financial cost and trying to evaluate if the value is there for me. I already have a business undergrad degree and, while the experience to meet new people would be cool, I don't think it's worth the investment.

Friends who have business undergrads, a decent amount of work experience and have taken an MBA say the value of an MBA comes mostly from the connections and relationships formed during the program. So, if you already network strategically, can learn from reading books, are attentively learning through experience and have a business undergrad degree - an MBA is not going to bring to much value.

Do you need to take an MBA? Josh Kaufman, The Personal MBA doesn't think so. His philosophy is that you can learn everything you need to know to succeed simply by reading books. They have a list of 77 Best Business Books In Print. (Available for bulk purchase from Amazon - great feature and great business idea, Josh!)

I haven't read most of the books he recommends, so I can't make a personal comment on the chosen book list, but Josh mentions he has pulled in a variety of business experts to help develop the list and he reviews and updates the list to ensure it's still relevant. (Disclaimer: some of the experts' books are on the recommended book list.)

Some of my favourite and most useful business books I have read are (links to amazon.com):
- Good to Great, Jim Collins
- The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
- Managing the Professional Services Firm, David Maister
- Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends, Tim Sanders
- Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, Kevin Roberts

Which business books are your favorites?
Do you agree that people can do their MBA on their own?