As this year rolls to a close, I think it's interesting that more and more women are declaring that 2015 will be the year they finally get their business off the ground. Well you already know that I'm totally with it! I think everyone and their mama should start a business -- it's such a powerful way to take ownership of your skills, time, and income!To help you out, I've compiled a list of my top 7 books for new women entrepreneurs. Here are my picks:#1 - E-Myth Revisited (click here to buy)

This was the first business book I read that really taught me how entrepreneurship actually worked. I was a freshman in college with big dreams of being “an entrepreneur” but I had no idea what that actually meant. Author Michael Gerber does a great job in this book of breaking down the difference between working in your business and working on your business. A lot of people (especially women) start businesses based on something they do well and are passionate about, but they don’t actually know how to run a business. For instance, if you are an amazing baker and you bake the most delicious cupcakes in the city, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’d be successful at running a bakery. Baking cupcakes and running a bakery require two totally different skill sets. This book shows you how to be more business-minded at what you do.#2 - The Lean Startup (click here to buy)

This book is slightly technical but it’s still a pretty easy read. I put this book on this list of best books for women entrepreneurs because I’m tired of talking to women who think they need a fancy website, immaculate business card, and a million-dollar investor to just to START their business. I love this book because it cuts to the chase and shows you that you don’t need any of that stuff. What you need is a “Minimum Viable Product” (MVP) which is what this book teaches.A MVP is basically the smallest, most basic version of your product or service. For instance if you wanted to open your own hair salon, your MVP might be doing your first customer’s hair at home in your living room. If you want to travel the world hosting big conferences, your MVP might be a free 30-minute talk you give at your local library. The point of an MVP is to get the core part of your business idea out in the marketplace, in front of real customers so you can see how they respond to it. Based on how customers respond to your MVP, you keep tweaking your business idea until you’ve received good enough feedback to warrant building the larger, “full” version of your business.#3 - Book Yourself Solid (click here to buy)

I’ve only recently read this book but I love it! Book Yourself Solid, written by Michael Port, is especially helpful to entrepreneurs who want to start a service based business. I’m spotlighting this book for women especially because Port teaches you how to effectively market and price your services -- two areas that many women entrepreneurs are flat out uncomfortable with.I like this book because he also forces you to determine who your ideal customer is. This is hugely important and where a lot of women entrepreneurs fail. It’s not enough to know what kind of business you are starting -- you also have to know who needs or wants what you are selling (and no, it’s not “everybody”). This book comes with a free downloadable workbook to help you go through all the exercises. It’s super comprehensive but when you’re done with it, you’ll have a complete plan and system in place for finding your dream clients and making your dream sales. ;-)#4 - Go For No (click here to buy)

I’ve only read this book recently but it’s so good! Written as a story about a salesman who hits his head and is “transported” to the future, this book is a fast read (you could read in maybe 2 hours) that teaches you the value of...going for no! It’s not secret that women especially are brought up to fear rejection. However, in order to succeed in business, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and ask for what you want! While asking for what you want -- whether it be the sale from a potential client or support from a potential business mentor -- is the only way you’ll actually get what you want, you’re likely to hear several “no’s” before you hear “yes”. Hearing “no” is something that an entrepreneur HAS TO be okay with, it is the only way to succeed! After reading this book, you’ll not only be okay with hearing “no”, you’ll seek it out! Don’t believe me? Get this book and try it out.P.S. - I have both the kindle and audio version of this book, but I prefer the audio version. I like having the audio version so I can listen to it over and over again since it’s so short. Sometimes I re-listen to it while cleaning the house or folding laundry. It’s a great way to remind yourself to “go for no!”#5 - Unlabel (click here to buy)

Written by the founder of the Ecko Brand and Complex Magazine, Marc Ecko, this was a surprisingly good book! He’s got a foul mouth so you'll have to wade through f-bombs at times, but I think the lessons you gain from this book are definitely worth it.The biggest and most surprising takeaway I got from this book was “start small and grow incrementally.” I think a lot of people who want to be entrepreneurs spend all their time thinking about how they can start this huge business right out the gate. Just the other day, I was talking to this woman about a product idea she had and she was all “Yeah, I’m looking for a major investor to manufacture my product.” Now keep in mind, all this woman had was an IDEA. That’s it. No drawing, no mock-up, no patent, no prototype, no nothing, but she felt she couldn't move forward with her business until she found an “investor.” After reading Unlabel, you will see that thinking you need big bucks to fund this huge business right out the gate is ridiculous.Marc Ecko, founder of several of the largest brands in the world got his start by...wait for it... selling airbrushed graffiti t-shirts he made himself in his garage. No, I’m serious, that is literally how Ecko started. As explained in The Lean Startup (which is why you need that book too!) the best thing an entrepreneur can do is validate their idea by FIRST making money on a small scale version of their grand business idea. Marc always knew he wanted to run a huge, successful hip-hop inspired company, but he started with what he had in his immediate reach and grew it from there. This is the path MOST successful entrepreneurs take, including Sophia Amoruso, author of my next fav business book…#6 - #GIRLBOSS (click here to buy)

If you haven’t read #GIRLBOSS yet then I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. I kid of course but seriously -- please go read this book! Written by Sophia Amoruso, founder of the NastyGal clothing brand, this book has a ton of gems on the mindset and attitude you need to run a successful business. Since I bought this book on Kindle, I re-read my highlights from the book every few days or so because it’s just that good. (See my post on my morning routine on how I do this.) Here are some of my favorites:

“I was instantly told no. One thing you should know about me is when I hear no, I rarely listen. It takes a special kind of stubbornness to succeed as an entrepreneur.”“When your time spent making money is significantly greater than your time spent spending money, you will be amazed at how much you can save without even really thinking about it”“We trusted our instincts, and stuck to the two tenets of my philosophy: Sell things for more than you pay for them, and save more than you spend. Simple, yes, but that is the philosophy that ultimately led to a really big business.”

#7 - Millionaire Fastlane (click here to buy)

Now I know the title of this book is cheesy but trust me, this is an EXCELLENT book. Written by MJ DeMarco, I first heard about it on Pat Flynn’s podcast, Smart Passive Income, then bought it after I saw that fellow blogger Mane and Chic gave it high reviews on Amazon. I love this book because it first teaches you how to think about money and business, then shows you how to apply that thinking for any business idea you may have. Obviously all the books on this list are great for women and men entrepreneurs (including #GIRLBOSS! So fellas, go pick it up!), but I felt this book was important to include on a list for women specifically because it cuts through a lot of the fluff that we women hold ourselves back with.Virtually every entrepreneurially-minded woman I know wants to run a successful business doing what she loves but sometimes women forget that a passion-based business is still a business. And there’s a certain science to business just like any other field. Doing what you love is nice but if you aren’t willing to learn and follow the basic requirements of running a business (marketing, sales, understanding your customer, etc.) then...you probably won’t be in BUSINESS very long. Just sayin’...This book is like a slap in the face reminder of that. The author, who founded a successful internet limousine reservation business breaks the money making process all the way down. This book will force you to think critically about your business or business idea without all the emotion.On top of that, this book has a ton of gems on just life in general and what it takes to be a successful and financially wealthy person. Here are some of my favorites:

"The winning team is Team Producer. Yes, become a producer first and a consumer second. To consume richly, produce richly first. Unfortunately, most people have it backward: consumption and no production.""The owner of an idea is not he who imagines it, but he who executes it.""Get started today by looking three feet in front of you, not three miles. A long gaze at the mountain crest will overwhelm you, so stop looking at it. The key to achieving enormous tasks is to break them down into their smallest parts. You can’t make $5,000 per month until you learn how to make $50 per month!"

Love it! Go get it and read over the Christmas break -- it’s only $5.99 on kindle.

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So did I miss anything? What books would you recommend to new women entrepreneurs? Leave a comment and let me know.