Books for founders
Vasily Malyshev
9 replies
What are some books you suggest every founder should read?
For me it's:
1) Meditations - Marcus Aurelios. More of a personal favorite then a recognized startup book for sure. But building a stoic mindset is exactly what you need to drive your startup.
2) Getting Things Done - Organizing your work when you need to wear 10 hats each day. A must.
- Along the lines of Getting Things Done another good one is Deep Work. Really should be read together for the maximum effect.
3) The Mom Test - to be honest I think it's a bit overhyped. But it does give a good step by step guide on how to start interviewing people and get feedback before you spend too much time on your idea. Not that helpful once you're deep in the woods.
What else? :)
Replies
Neel Patel@neelptl2602
Lean startup!
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getting things done is a great one, just read that recently!
i also just finished Zero to One which is great
The mom test is brilliant!
If you want to make good pitch decks Get Backed is a good one.
Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
@mihajlokovacevic An interesting take! Why alchemist?
@stoicbasil Often, founders/entrepreneurs are obsessed with what they are building, and they devote all the time they have to that, and they forget to enjoy other things in life (me).
In the book, master tasks a student to carry a spoon with oil, without spilling it through a big mansion. The mansion is full of beautiful paintings. The student comes back, without spilling a single drop of oil. Master congratulates him and then asks did he see the beautiful paintings. He says he did not, because he was focused on not spilling the oil. Master goes to explain how the point of life is to carry the oil and enjoy the beautiful paintings at the same time.
I'm paraphrasing a lot, but this is something I think all entrepreneurs should have in the back of their minds (enjoy the beautiful paintings!).
What an interesting decision to mention Meditations, I completely agree.
A personal favorite is Founders at Work. You learn a lot from it by just reading stories.
Hooked by Nir Eyal
Easy to read book about creating habit-forming products.