There’s a section in Sam Caligione’s book, “Brewing Up A Business,” where he suggests that brewery owners and really anyone in the business of beer should look outside of their own industry for knowledge. There’s a ton to learn outside of just production-focused textbooks, style guides, and recipe lists. To survive in today’s challenging beverage market, you’ve got to have business chops and a full understanding of people in general, and the best way to develop professionally (and personally) is to read and learn from those not necessarily in the beverage world.

Quarter 4 is a great time to work on personal and professional development, so here’s a list of books that will help you level up your knowledge base. These titles are beneficial for owners, operators, and employees. I’m not telling you to stop reading about fermentation science, but I guarantee it will be invaluable to you to seek knowledge outside the confines of the liquid. This is not by any means an exhaustive list of must-reads but it will get you started on the path to a better understanding of sales, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, human resources, and building an equitable company culture.

1. The E-Myth By Michael Gerber

2. Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller

3. Rework by Jason Fried

4. FANtastic Sales by Meredith Oliver

5. Never Split The Difference by Chip Voss

6. Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer by Laura Lodge

7. Radical Candor by Kim Scott

8. Beer Business Finance by Kary Shumway

9. Traction by Gino Wickman

10. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

11. Made to Stick by Chip Heath

12. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk

13. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

14. Beyond Entrepreneurship by Jim Collins

15. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

16. Beer and Racism: How Beer Became White, Why It Matters, and the Movements to Change It by Nathaniel G. Chapman and David L Brunsma

17. Blind Spot by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

18. Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow

19. Feminism: A Key Idea For Business and Society by C.V. Harquail

20. Impact Players by Liz Wiseman

You can find most of these books and more on my shop page at Bookshop.org, which helps support local and independent book stores near you. To find Laura’s book on Distribution Insight, please visit this Amazon page. To find Kary’s book on Beer Business Finance, please visit his website here. And to purchase C.V.’s book on Feminism for business, please visit her website here.