7 must to read books for entrepreneurs
TRANSCRIPT
7 MUST-TO-READ BOOKS FOR
EntrepreneursGanesh Samarthyam
START WITH WHY
➤ Why do leaders like Steve Jobs inspire action (and why many others don’t)?
➤ Answer: They start with “why” - the complete opposite to everyone else.
➤ Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle: “WHY -> HOW -> WHAT”
➤ Watch his TED talk (“How great leaders inspire action”) that captures the essence of this book.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek, Portfolio, 2011
HOW TO GET IDEAS
➤ We live in times when ideas can be turned into a service or a product faster than ever before; but how to get ideas?
➤ This is a fun to read book on getting ideas
➤ Has nice cartoons, practical suggestions (“Give yourself a deadline, the shorter the better!”), and catchy phrases (e.g., “Different questions, different answers, different solutions”)
“How to Get Ideas”, Jack Foster, Larry Corby, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2007
THE LEAN STARTUP
➤ Most startups fail by burning out cash too quickly!
➤ Startups operate under extreme uncertainties
➤ Fundamental idea: Startup == Experiment
➤ Lean thinking defines value as providing benefit to the customer (everything else is a waste!): “Success is not delivering a feature; success is learning how to solve the customer’s problem.”
“The Lean Startup”, Eric Ries, Crown Business, 2011
ZERO TO ONE: NOTES ON STARTUPS
➤ Book from venture capitalist and the billionaire co-founder of PayPal
➤ Discusses how to create a game-changing company that goes from nothing to something (instead of running “yet-another” business)
➤ Many insights; example: “Every great entrepreneur is first and foremost a designer”
➤ Bold ideas; example: “Every startup should start with a very small market. Always err on the side of starting too small”
“Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future”, Peter Thiel, Blake Masters, Crown Business, 2014
RICH DAD POOR DAD
➤ Most of us are “financial illiterates”
➤ Our schooling system does teach us how to handle money (even when we earn money, we don't know how to deal with it)
➤ Key points: “The poor and the middle class work for money but the rich have money work for them”; “financial literacy is the key to financial freedom”
“Rich Dad Poor Dad”, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Plata Publishing, 2011
THE POWER OF LESS
➤ Most of us are hyperactive with our lives filled with unnecessary work and distractions - 24 hours a day doesn’t seem enough
➤ We live only in weekends!
➤ A 4-hour work-week is certainly attractive
➤ Essence of this book: “Simplicity boils down to two steps:
1. Identify the essential.
2. Eliminate the rest.”
“The Power of Less”, Leo Babauta, Hachette Books, 2009
THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP
➤ “Everything rises and falls on leadership” is my favourite quote by John C. Maxwell
➤ This books condenses the wisdom about leadership in the form of “laws”
➤ Has colourful examples, interesting anecdotes and pithy quotes
➤ Example: Law of Influence (law #2); Mother Theresa as a leader is understandable, but Princess Diana was also a leader because of her influence
“The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson, 2007
Read at least one of these books!
[email protected] www.designsmells.com @GSamarthyam