Do we really need another generic business book offering beige repackaged advice that we’ve all heard before, in one way or another? Or bigger offers about what could be packaged in a book that is alarmingly short on details and practical advice.
The world is already overflowing with books that fill this category and sadly, AI is helping even more of them to be birthday. Today readers are hungry for new ideas and innovative concepts, based on real experience and the needs of business owners in 2025. They want to hear about the path taken, the lessons learned and the wisdom built up from actually doing the work, not just talking about it.
If you’ve been running a business for a while, chances are you’re already sitting on a mountain of valuable material. You’ve seen patterns unfold with your customers, and business relationships. You’ve made mistakes that really hurt and you’ve found things that worked better than you ever expected. That lived experience is gold.
So, the real question isn’t whether you have something worth sharing, it’s how to turn your business experience into a book and, how to shape that lived experience and realisations in a way that truly matters. This means turning it into a book that people will actually want to read, recommend to others and take something significant from.
Start with purpose, not pages
Before you write a single word, the first thing to do is pause and get clear on your “why”. Why do you want to write this book? What’s your real reason for sharing your knowledge, experience and lessons learned? And who is it going to help?
If your goal is to help others avoid the mistakes you’ve made, say that. If it’s to attract better clients, build credibility, or leave a lasting legacy, own it, don’t hide that in the fine print. When you understand your deeper purpose, everything about your book becomes easier. The clarity of your intention becomes the compass that keeps you heading in the right direction.
When I wrote my first book, “101 Ways to Market Your Business”, the real reason was simply to save me time. Every day I was having the same conversations with my small business clients about their marketing. So I started to write fact sheets to answer the common questions, simple things like how to do a sales call, how to build a brand, cheap ideas for marketing and so on.
After a few months I had 50 of these fact sheets and my entrepreneurial brain realised that with 51 more, I could have 101 ways to market your business. I wrote those, put them into a book and approached a publisher.
So what started as a time saving device for me, ultimately became my career as a writer. I started with a very clear purpose, probably not the one you expected. Remember, there are many reasons why you could write a book, there isn’t a right or a wrong.
I’m currently working on my seventeenth book – and every single one has started with clarity of purpose, clarity of the ideal reader, clarity on the problems I’m solving, clarity on the stories I’ll share and clarity on the actions I want the reader to take.
Find your unique lens
Your story, built through years of being in business, isn’t unique because of what you’ve done, it’s unique because of how you see the world. That’s your lens, and it’s the thing that sets you apart. Two people can experience the exact same event and walk away with completely different insights.
Ask yourself questions like –
- What do I believe about business that is different to what others believe?
- What truth have I learned that others need to hear right now?
- What do I do differently to other businesses in my space?
- What do I think the future of this industry looks like based on my experience?
- What unique knowledge have I developed from running my business?
The best business books don’t just share experience, they shift thinking. They make readers stop, nod, and say, “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
Build around your big idea
Every powerful business book has one clear idea at its heart. It might be a framework you’ve developed, that continues to deliver value year after year. It could also be a philosophy you live by, or a truth you’ve tested through your own journey. Whatever it is, it’s the anchor that holds your message together.
My advice is simple, build your book around one strong idea, not fifty weak ones. Readers love structure and clarity. Give them something solid to grab onto, a roadmap or a clear process that reflects your expertise because it’s not about being clever, it’s about being clear.
Be human, not a headline
Far too many business books sound like they’ve been written by a committee of consultants. Don’t do that. Instead, remember to write like you talk. Be honest about the grey areas, the bits in-between including the good times and also the tough ones. Share the stories that made you stronger, the ones that left a scar and a lesson. This is how you how to turn your business experience into a book and also how you build connection with your readers that leads to emotion and that also leads to action.
The bottom line
Remember that knowing how to turn your business experience into a book that people actually want to read doesn’t come from ego, it comes from service. It’s the generosity of saying, “Here’s what I’ve learned, try it, maybe it’ll save you a few bruises.”
When you bring that level of honesty together with a strong idea and a clear structure, you move from being just someone with a story to share in a haphazard way to someone with something worth saying that people will value and want to read. Successful business books are built on a fairly clear formula, unfortunately most authors don’t know what it is.
