Startup Business Books That are Worth your Time

There are about a billion business books out there. Some good, some downright awful, some we’ve read over and over and some we’ve never even picked up, but the point is, there’s a lot out there, for every category of business, every stage of growth. For startups, there are a wealth of books for getting your business off the ground, building a strategy, finding investors, selling out, so how do you know what’s worth your time? Well you can start with this list. We’ve put together our list of Startup Business books that are worth your time. Check it out and let us know what you’re reading and love! 

1. No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton: We love this book and it is our main rule for working at Book+Street: no assholes allowed. Seems simple (it is!) but you’d be surprised how unique “being an asshole” is to everyone. This book helps you manage stress to avoid being the asshole, how to deal with difficult people (the assholes) and how to deal with conflict. 10/10 recommend! 

2. Zero to One by Peter Thiel: Even though it may seem like there’s an invention, solution, app for everything, there are still loads of things that need inventing. In this book, Peter Thiel, prolific entrepreneur and investor teaches you how to create these new things. 

3. The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: In this book, Ben Horowitz, cofounder of legendary venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, offers advice on building and growing a startup. He keeps it real on how difficult it is to actually run a business and integrates his love of rap music to introduce each chapter. 

4. Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin: He may have the traditional looking founder success story, but Rand Fishkin is no stranger to struggle. His book Lost and Founder shares wisdom about what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur and his hard fought lessons in being a successful entrepreneur at any stage of your company’s life. 

5. What You Do is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz: All about culture, Ben Horowitz uses this book to explain how to make your company culture purposeful. He uses four leadership models from history, comparing them to modern day leaders and offers advice for companies to build and understand their culture strategy. 

6. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: In this book, Ries argues that any sized business can think like a startup, all it takes is a “mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.” He suggests that rather than creating an elaborate business plan, entrepreneurs and business leaders should test their vision continuously and adjust minute by minute. 

7. Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman: Every entrepreneur wants to be the creator of the next Facebook or Amazon, but we all know for every one of those there are thousands of brands that fail. Hoffman proposes that the secret is blitzscaling: a technique for scaling up at a dizzying pace, taking your business from zero to one billion as quickly as possible. Does this sound like something you want to do? This book is for you. 

8. 7 Powers: Foundations of Business Strategy by Hamilton Helmer: Build your toolset with 7 Powers. In it, Helmer, an investor and Stanford professor, develops a theory of strategy rooted in power. He uses real-world examples to characterize what your business must do to create power, which it needs to survive and grow. This book is for you if you’re facing a crossroads in your business. 

9. Valuation Workbook by McKinsey: While not a “book” per se, this workbook will help you determine valuation of your and other businesses, and goes hand-in-hand with McKinsey’s Valuation.

10. Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson: Curious how the venture capital process works? Why not learn from some of the best and most experienced VCs in the game. The founders of the Foundry group, which has invested in hundreds of early stage and Series A round startups, share their insight and wisdom on VC structure, language, and relationship building.  

11. Secrets of Sandhill Road by Scott Kupor: referencing the famed VC hub Sandhill Road, Kupor shares how and why VCs invest in some companies and not others. Filled with practical advice from a career as a lawyer turned entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, Kupor has written a guide every entrepreneur needs. 

These are just some of our favorites - what are you reading and loving right now? Let us know in the comments!