Complete List of Books for Startup
I am sure you believe in your ideas and have unconventional views on how to run a successful business. But there will be times when you need the guidance of a mentor, a friend, a business partner, or a book.
You must be wondering how books can help?
These business books hold the life experiences of many other successful and influential business owners. These books will give you insights that will guide you in many ways. I hope this will nudge you to dive into the business world with a lot of wisdom and confidence.
If you are a startup founder, a leader, or a young entrepreneur, this post is for you. We have listed the best books for startups. You can pick one or more and embark on your entrepreneur journey.
1. The Hard Thing About Hard Thing
Author: Ben Horowitz
“Spend zero time on what you could have done, and devote all of your time on what you might do.” – Ben Horowitz
Is hiring good people difficult? No. As per the book, the hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal.
This is one of the best books for startups, that talks about the difficult situations in an entrepreneurship journey. The real problems you deal with and the decisions you make.
2. Influence: Science and Practice
Author: Robert Cialdini
“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.” – Robert Cialdini
These books share the various factors which lead to human behavior. If you understand it, you can use it to influence people mindfully. You get the power to know and persuade them to get things done.
3. Zero to One
Author: Blake Masters and Peter Thiel
“All failed companies are the same: they failed to escape competition.” – Peter Thiel
This book states that as an entrepreneur, your ideas should be different. If your product is great, you don’t need any advertisement. You build a monopoly and rule the market. You can find out the big secrets of the corporate. Know the business ecosystem and the way it runs.
4. The Lean Startup
Author: Eric Ries
“The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.” – Eric Ries
If you are a budding entrepreneur, this book is a guide for you.
It will force you to think about the various ways of increasing your company’s growth. You can adopt strategies and step up your business.
Read: 16 Best Leadership and Management Books
5. Think and Grow Rich
Author: Napoleon Hill
“Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.” – Napoleon Hill
This is one of the best books for startups that will work on your mindset. Book will teach you to believe in the things you do. Strong desire and action are needed to accomplish any goal. How you think and do business will completely change after reading the book.
6. ReWork
Author: David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried
“What you do is what matters, not what you think or say or plan.” – Jason Fried
Pick this unconventional book that will teach you how to rethink and rework. It will change your thoughts and urge you to get started with your business idea the very moment you finish reading this book.
Read: Rework: Book Review | A Business Book
7. The 4-Hour Workweek
Author: Tim Ferriss
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss
This book teaches you how to escape the 9-5 job. Be different, creative yet productive. Work and live anywhere, and join the new rich. Have a balanced and fulfilling work-life balance.
8. The $100 Startup
Author: Chris Guillebeau
“The new reality is that working at a job may be the far riskier choice.” – Chris Guillebeau
Start your entrepreneurship journey and work on your idea today. Build a company that solves people’s problems and you are never out of work. Grab this book and learn the way to build your startup.
Read: Show Your Work: Book Review & Lessons
9. Hooked
Author: Nir Eyal
“Users who continually find value in a product are more likely to tell their friends about it.” – Nir Eyal
This book tells you why your product or service should be better than already in the market. How you can keep your consumer hooked to your business. Find the factors which motivate the user to connect with you.
10. Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days
Author: Jessica Livingston
“I think there are very few people who have a capacity to see the future. So it can be difficult when you are talking about something where nothing about it exists yet.” – Jessica Livingston
Through this book, you can learn business lessons from other founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail). They have shared their journey and stories that happened in the very earliest days of running their businesses.
11. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
Author: Alice Schroeder
“Time is the friend of the wonderful business, the enemy of the mediocre.” – Alice Schroeder
The Snowball is a biography of iconic business legend Warren Buffett. It summarizes his complete life journey as the world’s richest man. You can learn strategies to build your company from the greatest business tycoon.
12. Start With Why
Author: Simon Sinek
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” – Simon Sinek
Sinek says that people get inspired if they know the reason why they are doing any task. By a sense of purpose, they become more powerful and truly work will their best of capacities.
He states that successful leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and Wright Brothers have one thing in common. They all started with why. Once the purpose is created it drives people to achieve their goals. This method is more sustainable and is away from the manipulative society we live in today.
Which one is on your Reading List?
