Startups are companies or ventures founded by one or more entrepreneurs to develop a product or service for which they believe there is a demand in the market. These ventures often face high risks and uncertainties as more than 90% of startups fail. They also have to deal with fundraising, creating a business model, legal structures, and so on. Below we shared the list of 10 best startup books that help entrepreneurs in different stages of starting a successful startup including launching a great unique product, startup valuation, and more.
The List of 10 Best Startup Books
Here we listed the 10 best startup books that will provide you with the knowledge and guidance you will need to become a successful entrepreneur.
1. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future By Peter Thiel
Success in business comes from the monopoly that results from creating something new and not copying anyone else. If the product is similar to others, the competition becomes high and profit goes low. In this book, Peter Thiel, the founder of Paypal and Palantir and investor in hundreds of startups, describes how to build companies that create new things. As per him, successful people see opportunities in unexpected places and they do this by thinking of first principles instead of formulas.
2. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future By Chris Guillebeau
The author Chris Guillebeau is still young but quite successful in business. He has traveled to almost every country and has been leading an adventurous life though he never had a full-time job. He is a genius in turning his ideas into income. In this book, Chris points out 1500 individuals who made significant money from investments of as little as $100 or less. He also illustrates 50 case studies, in every case, people with no special skills find fulfillment and freedom by monetizing aspects of their personal passions. You will also find practical lessons from people who succeeded in earning money from their expertise, what amount of money they needed to do this, what mistakes they made during their journey, and so on.
3. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup By John Carreyrou
This book illustrates one of the biggest corporate frauds in history which took place in promising Silicon Valley. In 2014, a brilliant Stanford dropout and Theranos Founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes formed a startup ‘unicorn’ which promised to revolutionalize the medical industry by performing a whole range of medical tests from a single drop of blood. Theranos raised $9 billion by selling shares through a fundraising round which made Holmes worth $4.5 billion. However, the technology did not work in the end, putting patients in danger and giving false findings. Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, are even accused of threatening people who raised their voices against the happenings.
4. Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup By Bill Aulet
Entrepreneurs are not born but they simply make great products. This book teaches how to create a successful startup by creating an innovative product. It offers a comprehensive and proven 24 steps framework that any hardworking person can follow to form a successful startup. The book also talks about why focus is important for entrepreneurship, the common obstacles for entrepreneurs and solutions, and how to use innovation to make yourself stand out.
5. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses By Eric Ries
As per Eric Ries, a startup is an organization that tries to create something new under extreme uncertainties. Most startups fail, but The Lean Startup approach can change the situation by changing how companies are formed and new products are introduced. This book helps shorten the product-development cycle through validated learning, rapid scientific experimentation, and a number of counter-intuitive practices. It enables companies to assess their situations realtime, and alter and adjust their plans as quickly as possible.
6. The Startup of You (Revised and Updated): Adapt, Take Risks, Grow Your Network, and Transform Your Career (2022) By Reid Hoffman
In this book, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Ben Casnocha state how we can treat our career as a startup business to succeed in today’s competitive world. Like entrepreneurs, professionals also need to invest in themselves, build their professional network, and take advantage of the uncertainty and volatility of work. This book teaches you how to apply these entrepreneurial strategies to your career. You will also learn to adapt your career plans, take proactive risks, and accept life-changing career opportunities.
7. Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle By Dan Senor
This book addresses the most sought-after questions about Israel’s success in creating startups despite being in constant war and devoid of natural resources. The country is even far ahead of other peaceful and stable countries like China, Japan, and India in creating successful startups. In this book, foreign policy insiders, Senor and Singer identify the lessons of the country’s adversity-driven culture, flat hierarchy, and innovation-friendly government policies as the main reasons. Many diverse economies such as Ireland, Singapore, and Dubai are following Israel’s policy.
8. The 7-Day Startup: You Don’t Learn Until You Launch By Dan Norris
The 7-day Startup is the Bible for you if you are launching a new product from scratch. Dan’s story will teach you how failure can be the road to your success and how you can build a profitable business in just 7 days. This book will also teach you how to evaluate your business idea, how to market your business quickly, and more.
9. Founder’s Pocket Guide: Startup Valuation By Stephen R. Poland
This book comes with a startup valuation explorer calculator. It covers different types of valuation methods, how to respond to investor queries, and option pool impact on valuation. The book provides a quick reference to key terms and definitions such as pre-money, post-money, and dilution. You will learn about investors’ views of your valuation and what they expect from it, how your valuation fits with the target raise amount, and more.
10. Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Become an Entrepreneur By Mark Cuban
This book is for kids who want to be entrepreneurs. It shows how to find out a business idea and how to get it off the ground. The book provides ten kid-friendly business ideas such as starting a lemonade stand, launching an Etsy art store, and more. You can also explore your own ideas and become a billionaire soon!
Conclusion
So we have shared our list of the 10 best startup books that offer practical guidelines to startup founders as they progress through their entrepreneurship journey. These books talk about important factors such as launching unique products, obstacles and challenges, startup valuation, product development cycle, venture capital funds, and more.