8 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read
Being an entrepreneur is everything but an easy task. There are many uphill battles while fighting for survival. Rock The Post has heard on several occasions people referring to an entrepreneur as being someone who is able to jump off a cliff and figuring out on the way down how to build a flying device. With this in mind, we gathered some MUST READ books that will no doubt make the learning curve and battle a little easier.
1) Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days (Recipes: a Problem-Solution Ap)
by Jessica Livingston
This book provides very good examples of success of some of the most impressive entrepreneurs out there. The book tells you the story of how these people made it. The chapters cover people like Steve Wozniak (Apple), David Heinemeier Hansson (37 Signals), Dan Bricklin (Visicalc) and Blake Ross (Firefox). This book will make you feel as if you were sitting right next to these entrepreneurs throughout their thrilling journey. In the book there is also very valuable advice on the type of mistakes to avoid when launching a business.
2) Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms
by Jeffrey Bussgang
For first time entrepreneurs it is very hard to understand how VC’s work, what is their way of thinking, and the type of strategies they normally play when getting involve with a startup. The author walks the reader carefully through all the stages and also shares some valuable tips on how to get your way with these institutions. It’s one of the best introductions to the VC world you can find out there. Bussgang shares his in-depth knowledge through stories of successful entrepreneurs such as the founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey; founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman; and founder of Constant Contact, Gail Goodman amongst others.
3) Rework
by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
This book provides very good guidelines on how to achieve success and reach your goals. The book is written by the people behind 37 Signals. They discuss ways of working through things and how to deal with your daily challenges and other distractions that entrepreneurs have to overcome. After reading it, you will be able to be more productive and effective in your work. This is the perfect book for the people who are dreaming of making it on their own.
4) Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0
by Sarah Lacy
This book provides some very good essays about people that were not only able to build one successful venture, but rather two of them. Without a doubt this is a very difficult task that only a few people have been able to accomplish. They explain that many of these entrepreneurs learned the hard way, during the internet bubble burst in 2000. The author also gives a clear overview of the main differences between the internet 1.0 era and the current 2.0, providing some examples of what went wrong back then. Overall, the anecdotes of this book are absolutely remarkable.
5) The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Law
by Constance E. Bagley, Craig E. Dauchy
As we have sited on our review “10 Must-Know Legal Tips For Startups”, the legal side should be at all times followed closely. With this in mind, this book is the easiest one to understand for entrepreneurs and provides very good points on the critical holes that the startups should have shielded. From our perspective, this book should be used as a guide to avoid costly missteps that people would face making when starting a venture from scratch. The book has a special focus on e-commerce and international related issues.
6) The Four Steps to the Epiphany
by Steven Gary Blank
This book discloses very useful information on how to build a product and introducing it into the market. From drafting a business plan to marketing your product once it has come to life, this book in our opinion has all the right ingredients. It challenges the reader on how he/she operates and runs the company. From our perspective, this book is a real eye-opener and also serves as a good roadmap to success.
7) Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
by Tony Hsieh
We wanted to include this book in our list since we feel it shows a clear example of the battles that entrepreneurs have to go through in order to make something substantial. The book depicts the inside story of Zappo’s rise to success. In it, Tony Hsieh explains in detail how he helped to push the startup towards being the biggest shoe website on the internet. One of the greatest take-aways is how important it is to develop good costumer service and how to create the best working environment so that your team drives the company with enthusiasm towards reaching the established goals and milestones.
8) The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth
by Eric M. Jackson
This is the type of book that will blow your socks right off your feet. It is full of excitement and tells you the story of how Paypal was built and sold to Ebay in the middle of the internet bubble burst. It sucks you in with very graphic and detailed account of the struggles they overcame and several fights they had embark on with their toughest competitors.
