Colin’s Picks

The books that changed my journey.

Not a reading list — the books that actually shifted something in me. Grouped by what they help with, so you can start wherever you’re stuck right now.

A selection of Colin's recommended books

These are the books I highly recommend — the ones that sit on my shelf. Some of them I’ve read two, three, four times. They’re not all the kind of book you read cover to cover, front to back.

Some you’ll dip into — reading a certain chapter as and when you need it, at that specific point in your journey. Others you’ll read straight through like a novel. But they all serve a different purpose, and you’ll use each one in a different way.

Mindset & Belief

How you think shapes what you build. Start here when the block is between your ears.

Think and Grow Rich book cover
Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill

The original success classic — distilling decades of studying high achievers into timeless principles on desire, persistence and the mindset behind wealth.

View on Amazon →
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind book cover
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Joseph Murphy

A classic on the mind-belief connection — how the thoughts you feed your subconscious shape confidence, habits and the outcomes you attract.

View on Amazon →
The Chimp Paradox book cover
The Chimp Paradox
Prof. Steve Peters

A mind-management model that separates your emotional “chimp” from your rational self — practical tools for managing impulse, stress and confidence under pressure.

View on Amazon →

Habits & Discipline

Small routines, compounded. Start here when you know what to do but aren’t doing it.

Atomic Habits book cover
Atomic Habits
James Clear

The definitive playbook on building good habits and breaking bad ones — tiny 1% changes that compound into remarkable results over time.

View on Amazon →
The Miracle Morning book cover
The Miracle Morning
Hal Elrod

A practical morning routine built on six daily habits — the “SAVERS” — designed to sharpen focus, energy and momentum before the day even starts.

View on Amazon →

Purpose & Perspective

Why you’re doing this — and staying sane while you do. Start here when the weight gets heavy.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book cover
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Robin S. Sharma

A fable about a burned-out lawyer who trades success for meaning — a simple, memorable primer on purpose, discipline and living deliberately.

View on Amazon →
Man's Search for Meaning book cover
Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl

A psychiatrist’s account of surviving the concentration camps and the insight it forged: we can’t always control what happens, but we can choose our response and find meaning in it.

View on Amazon →
Living Untethered book cover
Living Untethered
Michael A. Singer

A practical guide to freeing yourself from anxious, reactive thinking — learning to observe your inner world rather than be run by it. Calm under pressure, made teachable.

View on Amazon →
The Gap and the Gain book cover
The Gap and the Gain
Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy

A mindset shift for high achievers: measure progress against where you started, not an ever-moving ideal — the antidote to founder burnout and never feeling “enough”.

View on Amazon →

Business & Strategy

The street-smart side of building. Start here for the lessons no classroom teaches.

What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School book cover
What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School
Mark H. McCormack

Street-smart business lessons no classroom teaches — reading people, closing deals and building a company, from the founder who invented modern sports marketing.

View on Amazon →
Who Not How book cover
Who Not How
Dan Sullivan & Dr Benjamin Hardy

The mindset shift that frees founders from doing everything themselves — stop asking “how do I do this?” and start asking “who can?” A practical case for delegation and building the right team around you.

View on Amazon →
10x Is Easier Than 2x book cover
10x Is Easier Than 2x
Dan Sullivan & Dr Benjamin Hardy

A counter-intuitive take on growth: aiming 10x forces you to focus on the vital few things that matter and let go of the rest. Less hustle, more focus — the strategy behind working less and achieving more.

View on Amazon →

Money & Wealth

The psychology and the practical side of money. Start here to build wealth on purpose.

9 Steps to Financial Freedom book cover
9 Steps to Financial Freedom
Suze Orman

A practical, step-by-step path to financial independence that starts with your relationship to money, not just the spreadsheets. Blends the emotional and the tactical side of building lasting wealth.

View on Amazon →
How to Make One Hell of a Profit and Still Get to Heaven book cover
How to Make One Hell of a Profit and Still Get to Heaven
Dr John Demartini

Demartini’s take on wealth with meaning — how to build real financial abundance while staying true to your values and serving others. Money and purpose treated as partners, not opposites.

View on Amazon →
“

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.

Jim Rohn
Free weekly email

Get the Weekly Growth Brief.

New books, podcasts, tools and honest advice for Irish business owners — content that will help you grow. Unsubscribe any time.

Get the Weekly Growth Brief
✉
The Morning Club

You don’t have to do this alone.

A small peer group of Irish founders, meeting once a month to talk honestly and help each other move forward. Just 8 seats.

Explore The Morning Club →
Founders meeting over morning coffee

As an Amazon Associate, Scale & Connect earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps keep our resources free.