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There are 8 essential books for building business systems that I find myself recommending again and again to business owners, ops managers, and systems service providers who are looking to build business systems.
Rather than just reading you what could be a blog post, I’ll also give you my “two cents” on why the best business books in this category are still not perfect.
I’ll share:
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- What is each book about? (I’ll give you the “long story short” version.)
- What is imperfect about each book? (We’ve all read “those” business books. I’ll try to warn you about the less-than-perfect aspects of each of my favorite books to help you decide before you buy.)
- Which should you read next? (I’ll share when in your journey should you read this book. There’s an easier order of operations than what I originally did!)
In this video, I’ll walk through each one by one:
00:00 – Introduction
02:38 – What is System Building?
03:56 – This is Service Design Doing by Marc Stickdorn, Markus Edgar Hormess, Adam Lawrence, Jakob Schneider.
08:02 – Scaling Up by Verne Harnish
13:39 – Idea to Execution by Ari Meisel and Nick Sonnenberg
17:09 – Built to Sell by John Warrillow
22:39 – Boss Life by Paul Downs
24:47 – Systemology by David Jenyns
28:23 – The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
31:51 – How to Be a Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
35:06 – Recommended Order of Reading
Want to read these books yourself? Use our Amazon affiliate links:
➡ Idea to Execution by Ari Meisel and Nick Sonnenberg here.
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- Best real-world example of system-building in practice.
➡ How to Be a Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller here.
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- Best real-world example of teaching a prescriptive system.
➡ This is Service Design Doing by Marc Stickdorn, Markus Edgar Hormess, Adam Lawrence, Jakob Schneider here.
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- Great technical read about the details of service blueprinting, a detailed “zoom in” of how to refine a particular workflow.
➡ Built to Sell by John Warrillow here.
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- Best for an introduction to the framework.
➡ The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt here.
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- Best for the terms and reasons for measuring efficiency.
➡ Systemology by David Jenyns here.
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- Great overview of how to systemize a full business, but both falls into “business book tropes” which hurt its applicability.
➡ Boss Life by Paul Downs here.
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- Best wake-up call for what life is like without systemization; also great to talk you OUT of running your own business.
➡ Scaling Up by Verne Harnish here.
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- Great overview of how to scale a business and how systems fit in.
Bonus Books:
➡ Mapping Experiences by James Kalbach here.
➡ The Book on Managing Rental Properties by Brandon Turner and Heather Turner here.
➡ Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard here.
➡ Badass Your Brand by Pia Silva here.
➡ The Customer Support Handbook by Sarah Hatter here.
Related Resources
➤ The ClickUp BluePrint – FREE Workshop to Define Your Process (and ClickUp)
If you’re new to business systems, a good place to start is with books that give an overall understanding of systems thinking, such as The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. This book explains why having systems in place can make or break a small business. Once you have a foundational understanding, you can move to more detailed books on specific systems or processes. Think of it like building a house—you start with the foundation before adding details like wiring and paint.
Many of these books offer practical exercises, but they can vary. For example, Work the System by Sam Carpenter includes actionable steps for documenting your processes, while Traction by Gino Wickman gives you tools to create a vision and develop organizational structure. If you’re looking for immediate, hands-on activities, check the table of contents or reviews before picking a book to see if it’s structured around exercises.
To apply ideas from these books to your specific business, start by focusing on one main takeaway that seems most relevant. For example, if you run a service business, you might apply the concept of “standard operating procedures” (SOPs) from The Checklist Manifesto. Test out a small part of this idea on one process in your business, then assess the results before scaling it. Not every suggestion will fit perfectly, so make adjustments as needed. Applying book knowledge is about testing and tailoring—taking what’s useful and adapting it to your own context.
ProcessDriven helps small teams turn chaos into process. The ProcessDriven Approach™ combines software expertise with practical process-first strategies that have helped 2,020+ teams build a scalable foundation of business systems.
