World Book Day: 5 must-read books for entrepreneurs

World Book Day 2025 isn't just a celebration of storytelling; it's an invitation to sharpen your entrepreneurial edge through powerful narratives, deep insights, and lived experiences. The right book can challenge your perspective, deepen your understanding of the global business landscape, and give you tools to innovate with purpose.

Whether you're launching a green startup, leading a legacy company into the digital age, or trying to make sense of India’s booming tech ecosystem, the following books are a must-read. Curated specifically for the modern entrepreneur, these five titles will inspire you to think deeply, act ethically, and build businesses that last.

Let’s dive into this year’s essential picks.

5 books every entrepreneur must read in 2025

1. India's Green Startups: Entrepreneurs That Are Driving Growth

By Jayant Sinha and Sandiip Bhammer

In India's Green Startups: Entrepreneurs That Are Driving Growth, co-authors Jayant Sinha, a key figure in India's sustainability policy, and Sandiip Bhammer, a seasoned green investor, provide a vital resource for the modern entrepreneur. This Juggernaut Books publication, enriched with a foreword by Nandan Nilekani, offers an insider's view into India's burgeoning green economy by profiling 14 innovative startups.

Rather than just celebrating success, the book delves into the practicalities of building environmentally focused businesses in the Indian context, highlighting the strategies, challenges, and triumphs of these pioneering founders. For those looking to integrate sustainability into their business models or identify emerging green opportunities, this book offers concrete examples and valuable perspectives from the forefront of India's impactful startup ecosystem—a perspective even lauded by figures like Mahendra Singh Dhoni for its focus on a "sustainable tomorrow."

2. The Tata Group: From Torchbearers to Trailblazers

By Girish Kuber

How does a 150-year-old company continue to remain relevant while upholding values in an increasingly volatile business world? The Tata Group: From Torchbearers to Trailblazers offers an inside look into one of India’s most respected business conglomerates and reveals how ethics and excellence can co-exist—and even thrive—through generations.

Entrepreneurs in 2025 will find valuable insights here on how to lead with integrity, nurture trust, and balance profit with purpose. Tata Group’s journey reflects what it means to weather socio-political shifts, economic downturns, and technological disruption, all while staying rooted in stakeholder-first thinking.

Whether you're steering a family-owned enterprise or scaling a startup, this book will teach you what it takes to build a legacy that goes beyond wealth creation.

3. Booming Digital Stars: How India is Building the Next Set of Global Giants

By Shradha Sharma

India is no longer just the back office of the world—it’s the birthplace of digital innovation. In Booming Digital Stars, YourStory founder Shradha Sharma introduces readers to the founders and disruptors behind India’s rapidly rising digital ecosystem.

From fintech to edtech, SaaS to D2C, the book reveals how entrepreneurs are tapping into India’s scale, diversity, and digital adoption to build businesses that are not only nationally relevant but globally competitive. The stories are rich with grit, hustle, and breakthrough thinking—qualities every entrepreneur must cultivate in today’s hyper-connected world.

For those looking to understand product-market fit in India, scale across Bharat, or tap into VC funding with substance and speed, this is your tactical and motivational guide.

4. IIM-A: The Story of the Maverick Institution

By P.T. Thomas and Mathew Manimala

Great entrepreneurs are often forged in the crucible of great institutions, and IIM Ahmedabad stands tall among them. In IIM-A: The Story of the Maverick Institution, the authors take us on a fascinating journey through the birth and rise of one of India’s most prestigious management schools.

But this isn’t just a tribute to an academic institution. It’s a blueprint for how visionary leadership, bold academic choices, and a culture of curiosity can produce generation after generation of changemakers. The book details how IIM-A redefined management education in India and constantly adapted to remain a powerhouse of innovation.

Entrepreneurs will appreciate the deeper lessons on talent development, building agile institutions, and creating cultures that reward experimentation and excellence.

5. Riding the Roller Coaster: Lessons from My Life in Business

By Azim Premji

No entrepreneurial journey is complete without navigating failures, doubts, and tough decisions. In Riding the Roller Coaster, Azim Premji—India’s “czar of IT”—offers a deeply reflective account of his decades-long journey steering Wipro from a modest vegetable oil company into a global tech services giant.

This memoir goes beyond milestones and boardroom moments. It’s a meditation on humility, discipline, and principled growth. As the business landscape grows more volatile in 2025, Premji’s lessons on ethical entrepreneurship, long-term vision, and societal responsibility are more relevant than ever.

This is not just a story of success—it’s a guide to staying grounded while climbing high.

Final Thoughts: Reading for the future

Entrepreneurship in 2025 demands clarity of purpose, flexibility in action, and resilience in the face of change. The books on this list aren’t just stories—they're strategic tools. They reveal what it takes to lead with vision, make tough decisions, build with conscience, and leave behind a legacy that matters.

So, this World Book Day, gift yourself a new perspective. Let these powerful reads ignite your ambition, sharpen your strategy, and guide you in building something truly meaningful in a world that needs it more than ever.