Starting a business is one thing. Making that business successful is quite another. We've all read the failure statistics of start-ups, yet we entrepreneurs are a determined bunch of people – we are not easily deterred and will try, and try, and try again.

We are the drivers of economic growth and job creation, but sadly we are often the unsung heroes of the South African economy. With the lack of support for start-ups and absence of knowledge-sharing, being an entrepreneur is far from easy and what is missing is business guidance and mentorship.

Mistakes are made that could be avoided. We certainly don't have all the answers all of the time, especially when we're starting out. But you know who does? Those who've been down the same path before.

And that is where the value of this book, The Book Every Entrepreneur Has to Read, lies. It is full of sage advice, lessons learned, and thousands of hours of hard-earned knowledge from thriving entrepreneurs, covering …

What they wish they knew when they were starting out.

What they wouldn't do again, and the lesson learned.

Wisdom they have picked up along the entrepreneurial journey from mindset to idea, planning to execution, funding to partnerships, networking to negotiating, innovation to strategy, hiring to company culture, social media to technology, and everything in between.

Don't become a statistic – start reading and make notes and lists of what you can do today, to not only negotiate the sometimes hazardous entrepreneurial journey, but excel from a great idea to a successful business.