5 ms·

I couldn't agree any more. I definitely wasn't a stereotypical "sells lemonade door-to-door" entrepreneur in school, or in college. Sounds cliche, but I just di

by zavulon 17y ago

I couldn't agree any more. I definitely wasn't a stereotypical "sells lemonade door-to-door" entrepreneur in school, or in college. Sounds cliche, but I just didn't care about money. I was more interested in hacking and creating, starting from Legos, ZX Spectrum computer, etc. It was only after I entered a corporate hell, was greatly dissatisfied with it, and read some books that opened my eyes on the whole issue, that I realized that I needed to be an entrepreneur to really achieve my dreams. I'm still much better at hacking than business, but I'm learning, and I believe that eventually, with lots of hard work and some luck, I could be as successful as some "natural-born" entrepreneurs, if not more.

mredbord 17y ago
Which books did you find particularly influential?
- zavulon 17y ago
  - The first one, even with all its well-known shortcomings, was "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kyosaki. It opened my eyes to "there's another option out there". - Benjamin Franklin's autobiography (translated into modern English). - PG's "Hackers and Painters" (why I joined this forum). - Tim Ferris's "Four Hour Work Week" (has to be taken with a gigantic grain of salt, but has many very helpful and practical tips and ideas.) - "Mastery" by George Leonard - "Good to Great" by Jim Collins And finally (and I don't want to turn this into a political flamewar, "grain of salt" applies here as well, etc, etc) but the book that had the most influence on me was "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. Unlike all the others on the list above, it's a work of fiction, but I think it is the best at capturing and romanticizing the joy and euphoria that you feel when you build something that works.
  - tehgeekmeister 17y ago
    good list of books, some of which i've read, all of which i want to read, except this mastery one is new to me. thanks!
  - python123 17y ago
    "Rich Dad Poor Dad" - wow. Do you also make vision boards on Youtube and ask others if they know The Secret?
    - realitygrill 17y ago
      C'mon, it's not credible but it's a popular book that gets people to shift their perspective on money (I read it in 8th grade). I think it deserves recognition for that, even if the rest of Kiyosaki's stuff is pure shill.
  - brianobush 17y ago
    I would add: The Entrepreneur's Manual: Business Start-Ups, Spin-Offs, and Innovative Management by Richard M. White. It is out of print and by Chilton (the auto manual maker) and is dated, but a very fun read. Business is nothing new as this book will point out.

by zavulon 17y ago

mredbord 17y ago

Which books did you find particularly influential?

zavulon 17y ago
- The first one, even with all its well-known shortcomings, was "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kyosaki. It opened my eyes to "there's another option out there". - Benjamin Franklin's autobiography (translated into modern English). - PG's "Hackers and Painters" (why I joined this forum). - Tim Ferris's "Four Hour Work Week" (has to be taken with a gigantic grain of salt, but has many very helpful and practical tips and ideas.) - "Mastery" by George Leonard - "Good to Great" by Jim Collins And finally (and I don't want to turn this into a political flamewar, "grain of salt" applies here as well, etc, etc) but the book that had the most influence on me was "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. Unlike all the others on the list above, it's a work of fiction, but I think it is the best at capturing and romanticizing the joy and euphoria that you feel when you build something that works.
- tehgeekmeister 17y ago
  good list of books, some of which i've read, all of which i want to read, except this mastery one is new to me. thanks!
- python123 17y ago
  "Rich Dad Poor Dad" - wow. Do you also make vision boards on Youtube and ask others if they know The Secret?
  - realitygrill 17y ago
    C'mon, it's not credible but it's a popular book that gets people to shift their perspective on money (I read it in 8th grade). I think it deserves recognition for that, even if the rest of Kiyosaki's stuff is pure shill.
- brianobush 17y ago
  I would add: The Entrepreneur's Manual: Business Start-Ups, Spin-Offs, and Innovative Management by Richard M. White. It is out of print and by Chilton (the auto manual maker) and is dated, but a very fun read. Business is nothing new as this book will point out.