8 ms·

Books on Entrepreneurship

57 points by kpgrio 12y ago

rokhayakebe 12y ago
An Inquiry Into The Nature And Causes of The Wealth of Nations. Adam Smith 1776
- xaetium 12y ago
  Haha - I think maybe only the directors of The Adam Smith Institute have read the original. Fortunately, after one of them did, he wrote this: http://www.adamsmith.org/sites/default/files/resources/condensed-WoN.pdf http://www.adamsmith.org/sites/default/files/resources/conde...
davidw 12y ago
I'd actually recommend avoiding The Lean Startup if you read anything at all and have been paying attention to blogs and the news. It doesn't say anything you haven't already heard, and is kind of high level (or "hand wavy" if you want to be harsher). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startup http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startup contains most of what you need to know.
- piker 12y ago
  Moreover, with a few exceptions, many modern entrepreneurship books simply assimilate and tune content that the authors have already presented online.
- hackerboos 12y ago
  I read HN daily and I found the Lean Startup a good book, much better than the "patchwork quilt" of advice you get online.
nickgrosvenor 12y ago
I really like the book Different by Youngme Moon.
Excluse 12y ago
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh Zero to One by Peter Thiel
JohnLen 12y ago
Lean analytics is one of the highly recommended book to read. In fact, most of the book by Eric Ries are worth to read especially for startup entrepreneur.
iolothebard 12y ago
I'd say reading a book on interpersonal relationships is better, then sales, then finance/accounting, THEN some entrepreneurial startup books. 1. How to win friends and influence people 2. 7 habits 3. Any good sales book (I liked http://www.amazon.com/10-Steps-Sales-Success-Shorten/dp/081447165X http://www.amazon.com/10-Steps-Sales-Success-Shorten/dp/0814... ) http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Cold-Call-Selling-Examples/dp/0814477186/ http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Cold-Call-Selling-Examples/... 4. Accounting for dummies or something like that, same with finance (I have a degree in Finance, was much more helpful than I realized) 5. One or so of these books (Parent listing). Most people don't realize every job involves selling. Relationships and communicating effectively along with having good understanding over the whole business is helpful. If you don't think any of the sales stuff applies to you, I wish you good luck :-)
- vldx 12y ago
  Also worth mentioning in this context is To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink.
  - kpgrio 12y ago
    Haven't read it, but heard very good things about it. Definitely on my reading list now :)
- kpgrio 12y ago
  Definitely! I particularly liked "How to win friends and influence people". And you're right, every job does involve selling and getting along with others :)
sinful 12y ago
http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
varunjuice 12y ago
Having helped start a business & taken it from no revenue to mid 7 figures in revenue, I think what's missing from this list is books that convey how 1/ uncertain & dark the days of building a business are 2/ you're at the mercy of randomness (despite having a strong sense of agency) In that sense, a few books that tell you that darkness is a rite of passage for building great companies would be 1/ Soul of a New Machine - http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp/B005HG4W9W/ http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp... 2/ Fooled by Randomness - http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incerto-ebook/dp/B001FA0W5W/r http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incer... 3/ Coders at Work - http://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programming-ebook/dp/B002RHN7RM/r http://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programm... 4/ The Innovators - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856367-the-innovators https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856367-the-innovators 5/ The Hard thing about hard things - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18176747-the-hard-thing-about-hard-things https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18176747-the-hard-thing-... 6/ Are your lights on? - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11221270-are-your-lights-on https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11221270-are-your-lights...
- kpgrio 12y ago
  Totally agree with you there. Will certainly check out those books and keep the list updated. Thanks for the suggestions :)
patrickxb 12y ago
Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Making-Awesome-Kathy-Sierra/dp/1491919019 http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Making-Awesome-Kathy-Sierra/dp/...
- kpgrio 12y ago
  Thanks for sharing, that looks like pretty cool book to read and recently published too :)
Turukawa 12y ago
About 15 years ago, I developed a startup challenge for micro-enterprises called the Thousand Rand Challenge (about $100 at the time). That became a large-scale project, starting 1,000 businesses simultaneously. We Creative-Commons the results here: http://startup.wikia.com/wiki/Thousand_Rand_Challenge http://startup.wikia.com/wiki/Thousand_Rand_Challenge
wj 12y ago
Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling is the one that spoke to me in my position the most: http://smile.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-Launching/dp/0615373968/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427913930&sr=8-1&keywords=start+small+stay+small http://smile.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-Launchin... He has a podcast, Startups For the Rest of Us, that you can listen to for free on iTunes.

57 points by kpgrio 12y ago

rokhayakebe 12y ago

An Inquiry Into The Nature And Causes of The Wealth of Nations. Adam Smith 1776

xaetium 12y ago
Haha - I think maybe only the directors of The Adam Smith Institute have read the original. Fortunately, after one of them did, he wrote this: http://www.adamsmith.org/sites/default/files/resources/condensed-WoN.pdf http://www.adamsmith.org/sites/default/files/resources/conde...

davidw 12y ago

I'd actually recommend avoiding The Lean Startup if you read anything at all and have been paying attention to blogs and the news. It doesn't say anything you haven't already heard, and is kind of high level (or "hand wavy" if you want to be harsher). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startup http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startup contains most of what you need to know.

piker 12y ago
Moreover, with a few exceptions, many modern entrepreneurship books simply assimilate and tune content that the authors have already presented online.
hackerboos 12y ago
I read HN daily and I found the Lean Startup a good book, much better than the "patchwork quilt" of advice you get online.

nickgrosvenor 12y ago

I really like the book Different by Youngme Moon.

Excluse 12y ago

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh Zero to One by Peter Thiel

JohnLen 12y ago

Lean analytics is one of the highly recommended book to read. In fact, most of the book by Eric Ries are worth to read especially for startup entrepreneur.

iolothebard 12y ago

I'd say reading a book on interpersonal relationships is better, then sales, then finance/accounting, THEN some entrepreneurial startup books. 1. How to win friends and influence people 2. 7 habits 3. Any good sales book (I liked http://www.amazon.com/10-Steps-Sales-Success-Shorten/dp/081447165X http://www.amazon.com/10-Steps-Sales-Success-Shorten/dp/0814... ) http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Cold-Call-Selling-Examples/dp/0814477186/ http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Cold-Call-Selling-Examples/... 4. Accounting for dummies or something like that, same with finance (I have a degree in Finance, was much more helpful than I realized) 5. One or so of these books (Parent listing). Most people don't realize every job involves selling. Relationships and communicating effectively along with having good understanding over the whole business is helpful. If you don't think any of the sales stuff applies to you, I wish you good luck :-)

vldx 12y ago
Also worth mentioning in this context is To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink.
- kpgrio 12y ago
  Haven't read it, but heard very good things about it. Definitely on my reading list now :)
kpgrio 12y ago
Definitely! I particularly liked "How to win friends and influence people". And you're right, every job does involve selling and getting along with others :)

sinful 12y ago

http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

varunjuice 12y ago

Having helped start a business & taken it from no revenue to mid 7 figures in revenue, I think what's missing from this list is books that convey how 1/ uncertain & dark the days of building a business are 2/ you're at the mercy of randomness (despite having a strong sense of agency) In that sense, a few books that tell you that darkness is a rite of passage for building great companies would be 1/ Soul of a New Machine - http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp/B005HG4W9W/ http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp... 2/ Fooled by Randomness - http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incerto-ebook/dp/B001FA0W5W/r http://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incer... 3/ Coders at Work - http://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programming-ebook/dp/B002RHN7RM/r http://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programm... 4/ The Innovators - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856367-the-innovators https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856367-the-innovators 5/ The Hard thing about hard things - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18176747-the-hard-thing-about-hard-things https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18176747-the-hard-thing-... 6/ Are your lights on? - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11221270-are-your-lights-on https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11221270-are-your-lights...

kpgrio 12y ago
Totally agree with you there. Will certainly check out those books and keep the list updated. Thanks for the suggestions :)

patrickxb 12y ago

Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Making-Awesome-Kathy-Sierra/dp/1491919019 http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Making-Awesome-Kathy-Sierra/dp/...

kpgrio 12y ago
Thanks for sharing, that looks like pretty cool book to read and recently published too :)

Turukawa 12y ago

About 15 years ago, I developed a startup challenge for micro-enterprises called the Thousand Rand Challenge (about $100 at the time). That became a large-scale project, starting 1,000 businesses simultaneously. We Creative-Commons the results here: http://startup.wikia.com/wiki/Thousand_Rand_Challenge http://startup.wikia.com/wiki/Thousand_Rand_Challenge

wj 12y ago

Start Small Stay Small by Rob Walling is the one that spoke to me in my position the most: http://smile.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-Launching/dp/0615373968/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427913930&sr=8-1&keywords=start+small+stay+small http://smile.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-Launchin... He has a podcast, Startups For the Rest of Us, that you can listen to for free on iTunes.