I was in a bookstore looking for a new read when two enthusiastic young women caught my attention.

They were looking at  books on starting your own business. While this is important information, I  believe too many people begin their research with the “Business for Dummies” mentality. They look for basic start-up advice, such as developing a business plan. Knowing the basics is important, but knowing how to go beyond the basics in the early stages is also important. Questions to ask in the beginning are:

• Why are you starting a business?
• Why would someone buy your product?
• Why would someone recommend your service?

To get the young women started, I scanned the titles and pulled from the shelf Seth Godin’s “Purple Cow.” This book is a must-read in the early stages of starting a new business.

If you are considering starting your own business, look for the books that will help you understand how to create a higher-level business and marketing foundation before you begin to build a traditional business.

Other great books I’d recommend are “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, “Blue Ocean Strategy” W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, “The Tipping Point”by Malcolm Gladwell, and any book by Seth Godin. All of these titles are essential to creating a successful business.

Remember, the question is not how do you set up a business? The question is why will it succeed?