5 Best Startup Books to Read in 2016
Some of you dream of becoming your own boss. But can you really appreciate and understand what it takes to run your own business if you’ve never done it before? It takes a special drive, desire and focus to keep propelling yourself forward. You can’t let the punches knock you down or even slow you down from achieving your dream. Startup books can help you understand and appreciate what is required to build a successful business. Here are five of the best startup books to help you take one step closer to achieve your dreams.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
by Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, a PayPal co-founder, shares his viewpoint on innovation and technology. This clear and concise book is barely 200 pages but is full of thought-provoking anecdotes and ideas.
Thiel encourages entrepreneurs to build something exceptional. To be the one that strives to create something new. When this is achieved, as described by the author, you go from a 0 to 1. This will make your business stand out and you will not have to compete in today’s marketplace.
Thiel proposes seven questions every entrepreneur should be asking themselves to stimulate their thinking. He shares his experiences and insight into what he feels will help drive a business to success.
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
by Eric Ries
This book takes a new approach to getting your product quicker to market. Eric Ries relies on validated learning to shorten the product life cycle by responding quickly to customer feedback. The quick response means that a company is not wasting time on elaborate plans.
Reis promotes getting a ‘minimum product’ to market. Don’t spend your time trying to build a product that nobody wants. Sustainable success is derived from creating products that consumers really want.
Ries offers a scientific approach to be a leaner organization. Be agile and constantly create iterations of your product based on customer feedback. Although the examples of the book pertain to the software industry, the approach can be adapted to creating and managing startups in other industries.
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Timothy Ferris
For a completely different game plan, Tim Ferris lays it all out in his 4-Hour Work Week book. This author believes in enjoying “mini-retirements” throughout your life and not waiting till 60. Think about what dreams fulfill you and then create a plan on how to financially support these dreams.
He provides the plan to set up your online web business and supporting web addresses. What you will appreciate the most in this book are the practical tips. They can help you regain and manage your time better. In addition, you learn how to be more efficient at work.
This fun and easy read provides a straightforward plan to achieving the life that you want to live.
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
by Chris Guillebeau
This easy-to-use guide will inspire you to follow and live your dreams. Chris Guillebeau shows this is possible through his own initiatives and the people he followed in his case studies.
He demonstrates what was required to get these businesses up and running, and the mistakes made along the way. You can use his idea matrix, to evaluate your idea for profitability, effort and vision. In his book, he describes six steps to help you get started.
A key message in this book is that you do not need to go into depth to create a viable and profitable business. This will be one of your books that you mark up and refer to again and again.
The Hard Things About Hard Things: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers
by Ben Horowitz
Touted as one of the best books on entrepreneurship, Ben Horowitz walks us through his trials and tribulations of building his business. He is a co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley investment firm.
In his book, Horowitz touches upon some of the toughest problems that are not discussed in business schools. He peppers his advice with anecdotes from his early years as a cloud service provider to his current business.
Horowitz tells it like it is. He generously shares his business lessons to give you a view of what it took to achieve his success.
This diverse selection of books was selected to help support you in your quest to build a successful business. The journey may be bumpy but these authors are truly inspiring.