Being an entrepreneur is not just a job: it’s a lifestyle. Most people go into business for themselves for a greater degree of personal freedom and satisfaction as well as the financial rewards.

If you haven’t read these, add them to your list.

Free Agent Nation by Dan Pink explains why what he calls the “micro-business” is the future of America, and how not even the U.S. government gets it yet. Dan used to be Al Gore’s speechwriter in the White House during the Clinton administration, until he woke up one day and realized he wanted to cut out on his own. The way he weaves his own story with his voyage of discovery about what it means to be a Lone Wolf in American business is delightful.

The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss is an interesting book because while I think I would be bored to tears if I only worked 4 hours a week, he gives some important perspective. The key is not to work harder, the key is to work one heck of a lot smarter, and in pursuing his extreme examples he will help you – like he has helped me – achieve the most important thing, which is a life that blends a healthy mix of challenge, satisfaction, and fun.

If you have not yet read Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start, you now have no excuse. Before you read anything else, go pick up this mini-masterpiece and keep a pen and paper next to you as you read. You will get more good ideas out of one chapter of this book than you’ll get out of a shelf of typical business books.