There is a popular proverb: “you are only as good as the company you keep” I am going to paraphrase this for the entrepreneur and say- you are only as good as the books you read. Warren Buffet couldn’t get enough of investment books as a child and grew up to become the most succesful investor in the world- you can only do what you know- reading books from people that know will only help you reach your goals quicker.
Reading self-help books is a common habit in self-made people- it will be near impossible to find an entreprenuer that doesn’t have a book or two to recommend. This is going to be a relatively short list consisting of books I have either read or have recommended to me on numerous occasions.
The Lean Startup: Eric Ries
Eric Ries has the best advice, from experience. The book consist of stories and a guide to the lean start-up methods. This is a strategy book on how to successfully launch business in an industry where 90 percent fail.
The Art of the Start: Guy Kawasaki
Everyone you ever wondered: How do I raise capital? Hire employees? Meet Venture Capitalist? If you are wondering how to go about these things, buy the book and learn from someone that has does it.
Rework: Jason Fried
Starting a business and it’s not going well? Rethink, read Rework, the book entails what you may have been doing wrong and how to get it right. The book takes an unconventional approach- while most books will teach you how to raise capital, Rework will tell you why you don’t need it. The writer’s run a succesful company, they practice what they preach.
The Four Steps to the Epiphany: Steven Blank
This is a strategy book that deals with planning phases of starting a business. As with all strategy books it is opinion, you may or may not agree with but you are guaranteed to learn something. The book has lots of examples that make it easier to follow. Great tips on Business-to Business start-ups.
Entrepreneurship: An Innovator’s Guide to Startups and Corporate Ventures
More of a guide-book than a strategic quick read. It covers the basics of starting a business, this is recommended for a student rather than someone with experience starting a company, because it will cover things you already know.
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