Friday, February 17, 2012

What books are on your "must read" list for web startups?



  1. Startups Open Sourced (Jared Tame- This is a really great collection of interviews and promises to share some insight into some of the most interesting stories you typically won't hear on HN.
  2. The Thank You Economy (Gary Vaynerchuk- This book attest that your relationship with your customers will define your business's success.
  3. Designing for the Web (Mark Boulton- This material was eye opening from a developer's perspective because it helps you understand the designer's process. This is great from a designer's perspective because it covers 80% of the ground that make most web designers great! (Not to mention it's FREE to read online!)
  4. The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)This seems to be the entrepreneur's bible to business development. 
  5. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development: A Cheat Sheet to the Four Steps to the Epiphany (Brant Cooper , Patrick Vlaskovits) - I understand that this book really dissects the Customer Development process.
  6. Business Model Development: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers (Yves Pigneur and Alex Osterwalder) - Excellent book which walks you through developing your business model and efficiently pivoting until you achieve product-market fit.
  7. Founders at Work (Jessica Livingston) - Case studies on some of the great businesses and their founders of our day. Fascinating insight from people who have walked the walk.
  8. Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur (Pamela Slim) - I haven't gotten to this book personally, but I'm told there are some great takeaways. I've seen Pam speak on several occasions and have high expectations from her book as well.
  9. My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley (Ben Casnocha) - Another book I haven't gotten to, though the hot spot that is Silicon Valley has been a personal interest for me. I'm expecting a first-hand experience of what a new company in the Valley goes through.

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