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Ask YC: Business books actually worth reading?
I'm curious if fellow YCers can recommend business books that they found were worth reading (whether focused on startups/entrepreneurship or more broadly).
Given the vast swamp of business literature out there, it is hard to tell the signal from the noise (and it is definitely mostly noise).
- neilc 17y agoTo get the list started, "Founders at Work" was outstanding -- by far the best business book I've read. Guy Kawasaki's "The Art of the Start" was okay, but it was too superficial / trite for my taste.
- dawie 17y agoHackers and Painters Go It Alone How to get Rich - Dennis Felix
- sghanizada 17y agoHow to Win Friends and Influence People -Dale Carnegie, definitally one of my top 10
- Wump 17y agoLife Entrepreneurs (Christopher Gergen, Gregg Vanourek)-- the title sounds gimmicky, but the content is excellent and gets you thinking about how to create the life you want, not just the business you want. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (Mike Michalowicz) -- solid, practical advice. Goes beyond the usual business-book cliches.
- david927 17y ago"Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey Moore "Classic Drucker", edited works of Peter Drucker
- zacman85 17y agoThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
- Mz 17y agoBooks by Paul Hawken, like "Growing a Business" http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Business-Paul-Hawken/dp/0671671642 http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Business-Paul-Hawken/dp/067167...
- tjr 17y ago"Thou Shall Prosper" by Rabbi David Lapin. One of my favorites. "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Yeah, really. Both this book and the author have been the recipient of a good amount of criticism, but this book help me a lot to increase my thinking beyond a 9-5 job as the primary way of making money. That said, the book is more inspirational and vague than a concrete plan on how to do anything in particular.
- davidw 17y agoThe ones that I have rated highly here: http://www.squeezedbooks.com http://www.squeezedbooks.com The problem is that there are many that are good books by smart guys with good ideas - just that the ideas are really something that could be summed up in a few pages. I would second the recommendation for 'Growing a Business' and 'Founders at Work', which is impossible to really summarize because it's full of interviews.