Startups have always been complex. One should be prepared to dig a rabbit hole, that too deeper and deeper with time, and get one’s hands dirty. Fortunately, world is full of such amazing people who document their experiences of overcoming obstacles, achieving their goals and want to share their knowledge with rest of the world.
In no specific order, here are five amazing books that we have reviewed and suggest every startup founder should read.
- The Lean Startup
- The $100 Startup
- Start with Why
- The Founder’s Dilemma
- Zero to One
The Lean Startup
This book has been rated as NY Times bestseller. The Lean Startup explains to founders how to handle, stretch resources, and scale operations without risking too much cash. Eric Ries wants readers to learn how to be successful business owner without wasting too much human as well as capital resources. The book counts on five basic principles as the foundation for success and guiding principles for you to make better & faster business decisions in today’s
market where speed and execution are the keys.
This book has cited Dropbox as one of the companies which successfully managed to implement an alien idea and took a huge risk. This act of bravery led Dropbox to be one of the hottest companies in silicon valley. At present, according to Forbes magazine, DropBox’s net worth is $1.08 billion.
The $100 Startup
This is a well written book by
Chris Guillebeau and is an easy-to-read piece filled with inspirational stories of entrepreneurs who have found unique ways to turn their brilliant ideas into their life passion while at the same time making it a way of income. Pointed at small startups, it motivates the market Hulks to think creatively, inspiring them to push beyond their limits.
The book offers motivation and is a light read in times of stress and hectic work routine. If you are looking for some techniques and approaches to make your startup work then this is not the book you should pick.
Start with Why
Simon Sinek starts with a very basic query: Why are some people and firms more inventive, more prominent and make more profit than their competitors? Why do some win greater loyalty from customers and staff? Even among the successful ventures, why are so few able to replicate their success over and over again for years? Lives of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers have been related to the title in this book. They comprehended that public won’t truly get attracted towards a product, service, movement, or even an idea until they get the answer to this very small question: “WHY?”
In studying the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way — and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
The Founder’s Dilemma
The Founder’s Dilemmas is the first book ever to unveil the early decisions by entrepreneurs that can help build or shred a startup and its team. Starting a new business requires a lot more than just a handsome amount of capital.
The most important decisions entrepreneurs will have to face would include: “Should they start working on idea all alone or bring in cofounders/partners?”, “Should they hire more?” “Are the investors needed to help build the business?” It’s more than just monetary resources that are on stake. Majorly, friendships and relationships suffer a lot. Bad decisions at the foundation of a promising venture lay the grounds for its eventual ruin.
Zero to One
Every startup owner has done some basic homework before spending enormous amounts in starting their own business. This book is one of the finest for entrepreneurs with a lot of lessons regarding Globalisation and Value addition. It helps in realising how one can get started with Globalisation and how it is not possible without embracing latest technologies.
Giving advice on growth, Peter suggests to adopt two strategies 1) start small and monopolize & 2) don’t disrupt. He suggests that a venture idea needs to be unique having different strategy that can make you stand-out from the mainstream businesses. In his book, he answers most of the questions common among entrepreneurs, like who and how big should be the initial target market? How to grow gradually? Who are my competitors? Will anyone sponsor me?
