There’s a common saying that you should learn from your own mistakes. That is true—but in the world of startups, learning from someone else’s mistakes is much faster and cheaper. One way to do that is to read.
Why bother with books in the first place? I would probably counter that with another question—if you cannot commit to reading a few hundred pages about what you’re about to embark on, perhaps building your own business isn’t for you.
To close out this book, I’d like to share some of my favorites with you. They’ve all made a big difference in how I think about various aspects of building companies, and they’ve been hugely inspirational. Enjoy!
The Lean Startup by Eric Reiss is probably going to be your bible. Read it first, and then reread it last. It talks in great detail about how to get to the “nugget” of what you need to learn, and how to iterate quickly to get to a product-market fit.
More venture-funding specific, Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson is a fantastic resource. It takes you through the whole process, step by step, and in particular, it is helpful to understand all the terminology and the negotiation portion of your fundraising.
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick is a beautiful compendium to lean thinking. The basic concept is this: the worst possible person to ask for feedback is your mother. Why? Because the mom archetype is going to want to tell you what you want to hear to support you. This book explains who to ask and what questions to ask to validate your business.
Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works by Ash Maurya is a great follow-up from The Lean Startup, once your business is up and running. It helps transition from the early-start ideas and ensure that you stay lean as the company develops further.
Despite a similar name to the previous book, Getting to Plan B by John Mullins and Randy Komisar is quite a different book; don’t ignore one because you’ve read the other. Getting to Plan B is a great exploration into business metrics. How can you tell whether you’re doing well, and how can you ensure you continue to improve and innovate?
How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is one of those books that are not necessarily startup specific, but it’s a must-read. It is chocker block with advice that couldn’t be more relevant to a startup founder, even though Carnegie wrote it a rather long time ago.
Rework by Jason Fried (of 37 signals/Basecamp fame) is a great short book talking about different ways of launching a software company while staying as lean as possible.
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk is an excellent primer on how to “think different” in the way you interact with, and listen to, your customers. While you are at it, pick up his Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook as well—it’s a fantastic introduction to multimodal marketing in the Internet age.
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh is a fabulous introduction to “customer-focused customer service,” which—believe it or not—is remarkably rare. Hsieh is the boss at Zappo’s, and they built a whole business on doing customer service preposterously well.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is one of the rare breeds marketing books that is remarkably readable, while also exploring an enormous topic, in this case, what makes something go “viral.” A very pleasant read indeed.
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a classic in the design space—and for a good reason. It makes an eloquent argument for how nothing is ever the user’s fault—if you can’t figure out how to open a door (is it push or pull?) or how to use your kitchen burners (which one turns on the rear right burner?), that’s not your fault—it’s a design flaw. The thought patterns discussed in the book are crucial for product designers.
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffry Moore covers a fascinating topic; how do you go from selling to a very interested group of close followers and fans to taking your product mainstream without “selling out”? An incredibly insightful book, but it’s probably safe to leave this one until your business is up and running.
Permission Marketing by Seth Godin explores the concept of making your potential consumers interested in what you have to say before you say it. It may be harder to implement in practice than it sounds, but it pays incredible dividends.
Poorly Made in China by Paul Midler is a good read if you’re thinking of doing any manufacturing. It’s bloody scary, but it does help you place you in the right frame of mind to make some careful decisions.
Everything is Negotiable by Gavin Kennedy was one of those books that completely changed how I saw life—beyond just business. The title does cover the key part of the book, but understanding how to negotiate, what you are negotiating for, and why to negotiate is a crucial life skill.