5 ms·

Ask YC: What are some the best business books?

5 points by wh 18y ago

I am looking to read some good business books. I would really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

qhoxie 18y ago
http://searchyc.com/business+book http://searchyc.com/business+book
pg 18y ago
I've found the best ones are books about the history of business and biographies of individual founders.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
- wh 18y ago
  Thanks PG, Can you name some of the books which you found more useful ?
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
petervidani 18y ago
Thinking Strategically is one of my favorites. It spends each chapter analyzing techniques of competition, trend, and innovation. It reads quite easily and offers outside examples ranging from sports, large corporations, and world wars. While you may find it challenging to read straight through, it works well, too, as something to pick up every so often or to read alongside other reading material. Even for those of you without a peaking interest in business, the advice presented in the book is undeniable logic that will definitely appeal to programmers and entrepreneurs alike. http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Strategically-Competitive-Business-Politics/dp/0393310353 http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Strategically-Competitive-Bus...
fusionman 18y ago
are you looking for business textbooks, books written by business leaders or Startup business books?
- wh 18y ago
  any business books which are pleasure to read.
  - fusionman 18y ago
    You can see my comment below for a short list. Art of the Start is a great place to begin. It covers everything with a very pragmatic approach and is very easy to read. "The Power of Unfair Advantage" is a great book that I don't often hear people talking about. I just don't think it's that well known. I highly recommend it.
    - wh 18y ago
      Thanks!
dmix 18y ago
For high-tech start-ups: - Innovators Dilemma - Finding Fertile Ground - Myths of Entrepreneurship - Blue Ocean Strategy - Made to Stick
fusionman 18y ago
For startups, -Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki -Blue Ocean Strategy -High Tech Startup by John Nesheim -The Power of Unfair Advantage by John Nesheim -Crossing the Chasm These are all helpful for startups.
olefoo 18y ago
Information Rules (Varian and Shapiro) Economics of network industries (Shy) Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Mackay) The information Rules book belongs on your bookshelf if you want to understand how information goods are priced and how competition works in information driven industries. (Varian is now google's chief economist.) The second one goes deep on the math of price-setting and standards wars. And Mackay's work is a classic study of financial bubbles and panics.
phil_KartMe 18y ago
-Art of the Start -How to win friends and influence people [this title pains me] -Tipping point -Design of every day things [not business..but product]
comatose_kid 18y ago
how to get rich by Richard dennis. Softwar - A bio on Larry Ellison, one where he writes footnotes responding to the biographer's text Made in japan - Akio Morita and sony - written by Akio Morita - founder describes early days of the company
boardrider_99 18y ago
Art of the Start- Guy Kawasaki Go It Alone- Bruce Judson (Yale professor of Management) Mark Cuban's blog (blogmaverick or something like that) Anything by or about Warren Buffet
known 18y ago
http://personalmba.com/recommended-business-books/ http://personalmba.com/recommended-business-books/
tbrooks 18y ago
The best business book I've ever read is The Seven Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler. I was turned onto Semler after Jason Fried recommended the book on one of 37signals live sessions. http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Day-Weekend-Changing-Work-Works/dp/1591840260/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221624852&sr=1-3 http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Day-Weekend-Changing-Work-Works/...
rodrigo 18y ago
Founders at Work (completely agree w PG on this), also The Undercover Economist, for economic indsigths. I found in this book a LOT of things to take home, business and entrepeneurial wise.
utnick 18y ago
somebody a while ago recommended Titan, the bio of John Rockefeller, its good, very long and dry at parts, I stopped reading after he became the richest man in the world, but his journey from poor boy in small shack to richest man in the world is pretty neat.

5 points by wh 18y ago

I am looking to read some good business books. I would really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

qhoxie 18y ago

http://searchyc.com/business+book http://searchyc.com/business+book

pg 18y ago

I've found the best ones are books about the history of business and biographies of individual founders.

deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
wh 18y ago
Thanks PG, Can you name some of the books which you found more useful ?

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

petervidani 18y ago

Thinking Strategically is one of my favorites. It spends each chapter analyzing techniques of competition, trend, and innovation. It reads quite easily and offers outside examples ranging from sports, large corporations, and world wars. While you may find it challenging to read straight through, it works well, too, as something to pick up every so often or to read alongside other reading material. Even for those of you without a peaking interest in business, the advice presented in the book is undeniable logic that will definitely appeal to programmers and entrepreneurs alike. http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Strategically-Competitive-Business-Politics/dp/0393310353 http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Strategically-Competitive-Bus...

fusionman 18y ago

are you looking for business textbooks, books written by business leaders or Startup business books?

wh 18y ago
any business books which are pleasure to read.
- fusionman 18y ago
  You can see my comment below for a short list. Art of the Start is a great place to begin. It covers everything with a very pragmatic approach and is very easy to read. "The Power of Unfair Advantage" is a great book that I don't often hear people talking about. I just don't think it's that well known. I highly recommend it.
  - wh 18y ago
    Thanks!

dmix 18y ago

For high-tech start-ups: - Innovators Dilemma - Finding Fertile Ground - Myths of Entrepreneurship - Blue Ocean Strategy - Made to Stick

fusionman 18y ago

For startups, -Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki -Blue Ocean Strategy -High Tech Startup by John Nesheim -The Power of Unfair Advantage by John Nesheim -Crossing the Chasm These are all helpful for startups.

olefoo 18y ago

Information Rules (Varian and Shapiro) Economics of network industries (Shy) Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Mackay) The information Rules book belongs on your bookshelf if you want to understand how information goods are priced and how competition works in information driven industries. (Varian is now google's chief economist.) The second one goes deep on the math of price-setting and standards wars. And Mackay's work is a classic study of financial bubbles and panics.

phil_KartMe 18y ago

-Art of the Start -How to win friends and influence people [this title pains me] -Tipping point -Design of every day things [not business..but product]

comatose_kid 18y ago

how to get rich by Richard dennis. Softwar - A bio on Larry Ellison, one where he writes footnotes responding to the biographer's text Made in japan - Akio Morita and sony - written by Akio Morita - founder describes early days of the company

boardrider_99 18y ago

Art of the Start- Guy Kawasaki Go It Alone- Bruce Judson (Yale professor of Management) Mark Cuban's blog (blogmaverick or something like that) Anything by or about Warren Buffet

known 18y ago

http://personalmba.com/recommended-business-books/ http://personalmba.com/recommended-business-books/

tbrooks 18y ago

The best business book I've ever read is The Seven Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler. I was turned onto Semler after Jason Fried recommended the book on one of 37signals live sessions. http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Day-Weekend-Changing-Work-Works/dp/1591840260/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221624852&sr=1-3 http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Day-Weekend-Changing-Work-Works/...

rodrigo 18y ago

Founders at Work (completely agree w PG on this), also The Undercover Economist, for economic indsigths. I found in this book a LOT of things to take home, business and entrepeneurial wise.

utnick 18y ago

somebody a while ago recommended Titan, the bio of John Rockefeller, its good, very long and dry at parts, I stopped reading after he became the richest man in the world, but his journey from poor boy in small shack to richest man in the world is pretty neat.