Starting a business or company from scratch has never been an easy ordeal. As a startup founder, there are many things to consider and put in place before starting a business. Most successful startup founders give themselves the correct information before launching their business or company.
Knowledge, they say, is power. An entrepreneur or business starter equipped with the correct information is more likely to have a great startup than one without any prior research on the area or industry. Reading up on the necessary information for a successful business startup is very helpful.
There are many books published to help startup founders have excellent business experience. This article reviews some of the best books for startup founders. Are you a new business owner or entrepreneur? Here are some informative books that will help your business have a great start.
Table of Contents
Our Picks: Top 5 Best Books For Startup Founders
1. Zero To One
“Zero to One” is a great business book for any entrepreneur or business founder. This startup book is very explanatory and informative. Teaching you all you need to know when starting a business successfully and management duties. It was written by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters.
The book contains only 224 pages, filled with very informative and enlightening content for startup founders. It also has fantastic reviews and many startup founders appreciate it.
“Zero to One” sheds light on many ways for entrepreneurs and investors to commence and progress in their businesses. The book highlights how we live in the era of technology but don’t necessarily need to limit our mindset to the ICT industry alone. Progress can be made in any industry or sector.
The author indicated that the critical thing startup founders need to learn is how to think for themselves. “Zero to One” shows entrepreneurs and business owners that they can invest in various other industries and still come out successful. It’s a great book that leads the way to the uncharted business territory.
Things We Like:
- Talks about undiscovered business ideas.
- The book is not too big or overwhelming.
“Zero to One” is our top pick when it comes to startup books for entrepreneurs. The book emphasizes doing something new instead of adding to already existing business industries. This book is an excellent read for any startup founder or entrepreneur.
2. The Lean Startup
The next book on our list is widely known across the globe. “The Lean Startup” was written by Eric Ries, a respected entrepreneur. In the book, Eric Ries portrayed a startup as a company looking to fish something new from uncertain conditions. If a path is found, the startup will be successful.
Many businesses don’t end up as a success at the end of the day. “The Lean Startup” opens readers’ eyes to the possible failures they might encounter on their startup journey. This helps startup founders with little or no practical experience know what to expect along the line.
The approach taken by the author of the book also offers methods to reduce the time for product development cycles. Startup founders and product managers need to know how to handle product launching. The book also highlights the need for entrepreneurs to learn what their customers really want.
“The Lean Startup” provides an excellent approach to successfully starting and managing a business or company. It contains many innovative tips that help to bring out human creativity in entrepreneurs and business owners. The book is short, with about three hundred pages of helpful information.
Things We Like:
- Provides information for both launching startups and products.
- Outlines basic workflow for non-linear tasks.
“The Lean Startup” is our pick for the best startup book for founders in the tech field. It also offers various tips on innovation that are really helpful to entrepreneurs in the present time.
3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” is a very informative read written by Ben Horowitz, an experienced entrepreneur. The book was written with reference to the author’s experience in the business industry. It contains in-depth descriptions of what to expect during early-stage startup and management.
In this book, Ben Horowitz describes various issues he encountered when buying, selling, and investing as an early-stage startup founder. The author is a well-respected entrepreneur in the technology industry. His experience in the field helps him shed further light on how to be an effective leader.
“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” covers many technological tips and issues that are not generally visible on the surface. These tips can be beneficial, especially if you are planning a startup in the technology industry.
Often, startups fail due to a lack of insights into real-life issues affecting startup founders. This book shares business owners’ difficulties on the road to startup success. With these helpful pointers, you’ll be ready for any circumstance.
Things We Like:
- This book is written from the perspective of an industry insider.
- Provides insights into need-to-know facts that could save your startup.
This book is perfect for your reading list if you’re looking for a startup book with the best insider perspective. The writer’s experience adds a pleasant insider outlook, making the book a happy read.
4. Who
“Who” is an easy-to-read guide that sheds light on one of the major problems experienced in the business industry: “who to hire.” When running a startup, hiring the right people is essential. Whether it’s a sales team, or a CEO, selecting the appropriate candidate for the job is quite tasking.
Geoff Smart wrote the book “Who,” which provides practical solutions to the problem of unsuccessful hiring. When writing the book, the author conducted numerous interviews with CEOs worldwide to develop brilliant ideas for hiring implementation.
Thanks to his in-depth research, the author was able to develop a method to help startup founders find the best hires. This book’s process gives entrepreneurs a much higher probability of finding successful hires than unproductive ones.
Whether or not a business startup will succeed depends on the people employed to run the business. “Who” expounds on the things to watch out for when hiring during a startup. It is a short read comprising slightly over two hundred pages.
Things We Like:
- Contains excellent tips for recruiting.
- Is easy to read and understand.
Unproductive hiring has always been a massive issue in the business industry. “Who,” by Geoff Smart, is our best pick regarding hiring during startup. Who a business owner hires heavily determines a successful business.
5. Lost And Founder
“Lost And Founder” is the last startup business book on our list. It was written by Rand Fishkin, who is the CEO of Moz. In the book, the writer sheds light on how many startup founders can be led astray by following standard Silicon Valley methods. He also provided better alternatives for startup founders instead of traditional methods.
The author took a natural approach when writing the book. Unlike other books where writers offer motivational quotes and ideas, “Lost and Founder” carries a more direct theme. In the book, the writer clearly explains the difficulties he experienced back in his startup stages.
Rand Fishkin also highlights the complications entrepreneurs might face when countering issues. Sometimes new problems arise when a case is solved wrongly. This book specifies the steps to take when one is in awkward positions during the opening phase of their startup.
“Lost And Founder” was written based on the issues and difficulties faced by the author during his startup. It is slightly longer than the other reviewed books, but it’s not particularly long either.
Things We Like:
- Useful for both startups and existing companies.
- Has an honest and relatable perspective.
“Lost And Founder” is our pick for the most direct startup book for founders. The book explains the ups and downs of being a founder in an honest and raw way, which is helpful for both existing businesses and startups.
Who Is a Startup Founder?
A startup founder thinks of a profitable idea and converts the idea into an active startup or enterprise. If an individual runs a business but doesn’t come up with its concept, such a person is not a startup founder. Before a person can be called a startup founder, the person has to have come up with a business idea and executive plan.
Startup founders can decide to set up their business plans alone or with the help of a co-founder. The job of a co-founder is to assist startup founders with the execution and successful running of the business plan. For example, multiple founders helping each other started Google.
Once a person has an idea and launches a business, they are referred to as a startup founder. Many startup founders meet difficulties on their startup journey. However, you can implement many helpful methods to counter your challenges.
Many famous startup founders share the knowledge and experiences they faced when they commenced their own startups in books. These books help readers understand all they need to know about startups and business management.
Difference Between a Startup Founder and a CEO
A startup founder and a CEO are two different things entirely. A startup founder is a title carried by individuals who develop a complete business idea. Conversely, a CEO does not mean the owner of the business but the person in charge of the company at that specific time.
Many startup founders act as their company CEOs. However, this is not what happens every time, and there are situations where a company’s founder does not hold the CEO position.
Sometimes, other shareholders in the business can become CEO. However, this does not downplay the position of the starting founder.
Why Business Founders Should Read Startup Books
As a startup entrepreneur, reading books on business startups can give you an edge over others. Books help individuals gain extra knowledge. Reading books about an endeavor before going into it helps to arm you with information that might prove priceless later on.
When starting a business as a founder, you must consider many things before executing your business idea. Prior knowledge of the difficulties you might meet and the things to avoid is crucial for the growth of a successful company.
Our top picks for the best books for startup founders can help entrepreneurs as part of the process of executing their big plan.
Startup books also help entrepreneurs reduce the risk of startup failure. Startup failure is a common occurrence in the world today. Many businesses crash within a year of their launch due to unforeseen circumstances and unproductive hiring.
Reading the best books for startup founders before planning how your startup will be, helps founders have a clear view of the difficulties and situations they might find themselves in. If you know the situations to expect, you can easily prepare your mind and countermeasures to ensure there is no impact on your startup.
Many startup books are written by authors who are entrepreneurs and are experienced in business startups. Respected gurus in the business world, such as Geoff Smart and Ben Fishkin, have their own books that share their experiences and difficulties during their startups.
Startup founders can check out startup books from experienced entrepreneurs in the field they are interested in. This will give you the necessary information for successfully running the business startup in your area. For example, people looking for a tech startup can check up on books by Eric Ries and Ben Horowitz.
Knowing what to expect is easier if you have an idea for a business in uncharted areas. However, various books talk about how to go about starting up a business in uncharted territory.
Books like “Zero to One” help bring out the inner creativity of founders. The mindset preached in the book helps startup founders go from nothing to a successful startup. An already saturated market requires creativity. If startup founders are not creative, having a successful startup in a competitive market won’t be easy.
Startup books also give practical startup ideas for entrepreneurs still considering what field they want to go into. With the advice and knowledge from experienced experts, entrepreneurs will find it much easier to pick what sector they want and find out the things involved in having a startup in the selected field.
Most successful startup founders read a lot of books to help further their knowledge in their field. Some of the best books for startup founders are useful not only during startup but also for management and running the business.
Startup books contain a lot of marketing secrets and helpful guidelines that many entrepreneurs need for running their startups. The ideas and secrets in these books are mainly exclusive to their readers, as many successful founders are secretive to avoid empowering their competition.
Some advantages of reading startup books include the following:
Boost in Brain Power
Books in general are handy for boosting overall brain power. Reading has been proven to be a form of brain exercise that helps to improve the brain’s functions. A startup founder who reads books on the topic of startups will not only get helpful information about business startups but will also have a clearer mind.
As a startup founder, any slight advantage can be the difference between you and a competitor. Reading startup books can help change the brain and make analysis and planning easier.
Improves Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skills are essential for startup founders. A startup founder with excellent cognitive skills will find it easier to understand and retain knowledge than others. Mental skills help to make better decisions about business matters that prove problematic.
Reading startup books also helps improve an entrepreneur’s memory and verbal fluency. With better decision-making skills and memory, running a startup becomes easier. Individuals looking to launch a startup will find reading startup books really helpful.
Improves Conversational Skills
Having good talking skills is necessary for any startup founder. A man who can communicate better will find it easier to pass his message across than someone who can’t.
Reading startup books helps to improve verbal skills in a gradual manner. Talking skills are fundamental in the business sector. Whether talking to your staff or selling an idea, verbal skills are crucial.
A great talker can seal a deal faster than someone with poor communication skills. Regularly reading books on startups helps develop entrepreneurs’ vocabulary and speech skills.
FAQs
What formats do these books come in?
These books are available in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook format. You can read the ebook format of the books on Kindle.
Are these books helpful for large-scale or small-scale startups?
All of the books we reviewed are helpful for individuals planning both large-scale and small-scale startups. Most of the book authors started with small-scale startups before expanding later on.
Are these books helpful for management or just startups?
These books focus mainly on the necessary mindset and problems you might face during a startup. However, there are also valuable bits of information that might come in handy when performing management duties.
Do these books cover all business sectors?
Each book talks about how to run a successful startup in all sectors. However, some books like “The Lean Startup” focus extra attention on technology.
Are these picks helpful for directors and CEOs?
These books also provide insight to members of the board of directors and company CEOs.
Best Startup Book Authors
- Peter Thiel is an experienced entrepreneur and founder who came up with PayPal in the late 90s. He opened the way for swift online commerce and is one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. Peter Thiel wrote a startup book called “Zero To One,” filled with information and advice on running a successful business startup.
- Eric Ries is an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School. He is an expert entrepreneur with multiple startups, including IMVU, and also frequently speaks at many major business events worldwide. Eric Ries wrote a startup book called “The Lean Startup” to assist other founders on their business journey.
- Ben Horowitz is a prevalent name among Silicon Valley’s respected entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, which is a well-known company in the business field. His book on business startups, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things,” is beneficial to newly starting entrepreneurs.
- Geoff Smart is the founder of a renowned consulting firm, ghSMART. His firm provides consulting services to various big names like Fortune 500. Geoff Smart is the author of “Who,” which highlights the importance of hiring the right people. It is an excellent read for any entrepreneur.
- Rand Fishkin is a renowned entrepreneur and founder. He founded the famous company Moz and is popularly known as “the wizard of Moz.” Mr. Fishkin wrote the startup book “Lost and Founder,” which discusses his startup experience and how other founders can go about their startups.
Wrapping Up
A startup founder is someone who comes up with an idea and executes it. Many entrepreneurs are well-known around the world for their revolutionary startups. So how do you know the things to do and watch out for when planning your own startup? The answer is simple. Startup books.
Many famous and experienced entrepreneurs have written some of the best books for startup founders. Some of these books were written from insider points of view, while some authors were direct and honest with their explanations. There is a lot of information for individuals planning their own startup to gain from these books.
We’ve reviewed five of the best books for startup founders. Our top pick is “Zero To One” by Peter Thiel because of how the author sheds light on exploring uncharted business areas. Other books like “The Lean Startup” and “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” look more into the technology industry but are still helpful for different business sectors.
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