So you want to start (or advance) your business but don’t know where to begin? Luckily, these days you don’t need a fancy MBA, a loaded trust fund or thousands of followers on Instagram to run a successful business. Instead, you can learn about business by reading books written by experts in the industry (experts with one of those fancy MBAs or even a PhD). Here are our picks for the top books you should read before (or while) starting your business:

You’ve worked years perfecting your business: you spent days designing your website, months coming up with the perfect products and, most importantly, it took you two weeks to decide which shade of beige to paint your office. Finally it’s your grand opening but how many of the customers you see on this day will you see again and again? Here are some tips on how to get (and keep) loyal customers that will keep coming back and keep your business afloat.

With summer coming to an unfortunate end soon you’re probably counting down the days to two important life events: the day your kids go back to school and the day when winter vacation starts. But what if you could go on vacation over and over and over again?

This is the concept behind the staycation- taking a vacation in your own hometown lasting anywhere from a long weekend to the whole week. You can visit that museum you’ve always wanted to go to, try out that new Italian restaurant downtown that just opened up or just stay at home in your pajamas eating ice cream on the couch all day. Staycations and vacations that don’t require a long flight are taking off and it’s easy to see why:

Ever since you’ve been a child you’ve dreamed about owning your own business. Maybe during elementary school you sold Twinkies at recess, traded-up your fruit cups to pudding cups or offered your expert chalk art abilities for a price. When we grow up however we’re told to get a full time job, not to risk our money and to build a foundation for your conventional family with 2.5 kids. But what if you could have both a secure job and your own business?

Nowadays full time workers are fulfilling their dreams of owning a business by starting their own side hustles- a business that is only part-time allowing you to keep the security of a full-time salaried position while also exploring if you have what it takes to be a successful businessperson. Maybe you work on your business on the weekends, after work in bed, or, if you have an incredibly oblivious boss, possibly even during your day job. And once your business takes off you can quit your full time job and become the full time entrepreneur that would make six year-old you proud. Here are five of the easiest side businesses to start from home that won’t make your boss suspicious:

They say the best things in life are free but let’s take a quick survey: who here would drive a car that didn’t cost any money, live in a house that was on the market for $0 or go to a university where everything is completely free? (okay, maybe not that last one). When you start off as a freelancer you’re often faced with a difficult decision: do you accept to do work for free or do you only agree to gigs that will help you make enough money for food and rent? We’ve broken down the situations where it’s okay to be a starving artist and when you should always make your champagne an caviar dreams a reality:

Do you keep a drawer of sugary snacks at your desk? Miss the days of pumping iron instead of pumping out emails? Most business owners and employees have little time to go for a coffee run, nevertheless a run on the treadmill, so why not try new techniques to stay committed to your fitness while you’re committed to your business?

Typically when you start your own business it’s hello stress and goodbye vacations; but what if you could start a business where every day was spent in an amazing destination? These days, the lines between business and pleasure are becoming increasingly blurred as entrepreneurs are cashing in on tourism and hitting the road to form their own travel-based businesses. If you love racking up tourist visas and don’t mind adding a work visa or two to your passport here are four of the best businesses to begin for all you adventurers out there:

This is the moment you’ve waited 3 years, one summer Olympics and four seasons of Game of Thrones for: you’ve grown a successful business out of your garage and now it’s time to take it to the next level. Now it’s time for investors. Out of the 20 or 30 or 50 or so lenders you’ve contacted you’ve landed a meeting with one down the block. Score!

On your big day you make sure to arrive 20 minutes early to relax and dry off the visible beads of sweat on your forehead. You ignore your doctor’s advice to take the stairs and hitch a ride on the elevator instead as not to spill your coffee on your freshly ironed white button down shirt (did you think I was going to call you lazy? You are a hardworking entrepreneur after all!). As you enter through the steel doors a familiar face appears: it’s the investor you’ve been stalking on LinkedIn for the past three months. You have three options: you can press the emergency stop button to give them your full presentation (which may or may not be illegal in your area), hide in the corner hoping they won’t notice you, or give a concise pitch about your company to sell yourself before you reach the tenth floor. Here are our tips on what to include in your speech when you go for the last (and best) option:

You’ve worked everyday for the past year without taking a vacation. You dream of snorkeling in Spain, hula-dancing in Hawaii or trekking in Tibet. But what if your job allowed you to be on vacation everyday?

Since 2014 the job market has exploded with “digital nomads”- people who fund their traveling by working online as bloggers, web designers or even managing social media accounts (who doesn’t get lost in wanderlust from travel Instagrammers?) While it may be an easy decision to quit your corporate 9-5 to live the good life, with over 4,416 major cities in the world how can you possibly choose where to work? We’ve broken down 5 of the top cities for digital nomads (as listed by nomadlist.com) by cost of living, lifestyle and most importantly wifi potential that will encourage you to hit the road and leave your cubicle in the dust.

Spent all of this month’s rent payment on shoes? Have crippling student loan debt from your four year film degree? Don’t count yourself out of starting your own business just yet. These days, it’s easier than ever to create a business for free (or less than the cost of your daily grande frappuccino). We’ve compiled a list of five businesses to begin for less than a buck: