Maybe you are ready to start the small business of your dreams but unsure of where to start. Maybe you already have a small business but feel like you are stalling at the starting line. Either way, there is nothing to fear. Other people have been where you are and lived to tell… or write about it. Here are five small business books that no small business person can live without.

Starting from No: Ten Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business by Azriela Jaffe. If you are afraid to get the message out there about your latest product or service, whether it is because you are terrified of rejection or reluctant to come across as too pushy, this book will help you learn how to get past these negative and destructive feelings. Once you have conquered your own fears of success, nothing will be able to hold you back.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham. If you are feeling intimidated by the prospect of managing employees in addition to keeping your small business afloat, this book will be your Bible. This nonfiction book details the difference between mediocre managers and great ones—a distinction that can make all the difference in whether your company makes it or not. You’ll never be afraid to deal with employees again.

Keeping the Books: Basic Recordkeeping and Accounting for the Successful Small Business by Linda Pinson. Even if you have an experienced financial manager, you should know the very basics of bookkeeping and accounting logos. This book will take you from novice to proficient in a few evenings’ worth of light reading.

Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World by Shel Horowitz. There are things that a marketing consultant can do for your business, and things that you will simply have to do yourself. This book lets you in on how to create positive buzz and the kind of grassroots support that has taken companies like Starbuck’s and In-N-Out Burger from small businesses to branding giants. Even if you think you are doing everything possible to market your small business, this book will likely have many suggestions that have never occurred to you.

Pushing the Envelope All the Way to the Top by Harvey MacKay. If you understand all of the above principles and are merely looking for a way to take your business to the next level, this is the definitive guide. It is basically about turning the average small business into a great one—information that no small business owner can afford to be without.

If you are a small business owner looking for answers, you can rest assured that they are out there—in the form of books written by people who have walked in your shoes and found a path that leads to success. Don’t let a lack of knowledge hold you back when the information about anything – even things such as top 5 myths of small business – that you seek is readily available.