(1) THE ART OF THE START
The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
In The Art of the Start, Guy Kawasaki brings two decades of experience as one of business’s most original and irreverent strategists to offer the essential guide for anyone starting anything. At Apple in the 1980s, Kawasaki helped lead one of the great companies of the century, turning ordinary consumers into engaged evangelists. As founder and CEO of Garage Technology Ventures, a venture capital firm, he has field-tested his ideas with dozens of newly hatched companies. And as the author of bestselling business books and articles, he has advised thousands of people who are making their startup dreams real.
From raising money to hiring the right people, from defining your positioning to creating a brand, from creating buzz to buzzing the competition, and from managing a board to fostering a community, this book will arm you with the tips and strategies to take your business to the next level.
(2) FAIL FAST OR WIN BIG
The Start-Up Plan for Starting Now
Entrepreneurs have long been taught that to be successful, they need to spend months perfecting a business plan and finding investors before they can finally launch their business. But with the marketplace changing at lightning speed, this notion is not only outdated – it’s costly. Today’s entrepreneurs must embrace the idea of “failing fast.” They need to connect with real customers and determine quickly whether their idea is worth pursuing, needs new direction, or should be abandoned altogether.
Fail Fast or Win Big shows entrepreneurs how to create a rapid prototype of their product, develop a business model instead of a business plan, test it repeatedly with customers so they can spot failure early, refine the model based on customer interactions, and leverage their network in order to run lean. As an added bonus, Schroeder highlights real-life examples of entrepreneurs who set out to fail fast and ended up winning big.
(3) CRUSHING IT!
How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Businesses and Influence – and How You Can, Too
Four-time New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk offers new lessons and inspiration drawn from the experiences of dozens of influencers and entrepreneurs who rejected the predictable corporate path in favor of pursuing their dreams by building thriving businesses and extraordinary personal brands.
Crushing It! is a state-of-the-art guide to building your own path to professional and financial success, but it’s not about getting rich. It’s a blueprint for living life on your own terms. Gary Vaynerchuk offers advice on how to follow the Crush It! principles and become a business success on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Spotify, Soundcloud, and iTunes.
(4) NEVER BET THE FARM
How Entrepreneurs Take Risks, Make Decisions – and How You Can, Too
In Never Bet the Farm two leading entrepreneurs, Anthony Iaquinto and Stephen Spinelli, turn much of the so-called expert advice for entrepreneurs on its head. They show that by preparing for setbacks and using a framework that can help reduce risks and simplify decision making, entrepreneurs can increase their probability for success. They refute the idea that there is an ideal entrepreneurial “type,” and show that luck can be as important as a business plan in many enterprises. Above all, they emphasize that entrepreneurship is a career, not a one-time event, and winners are those who can keep themselves in the game.
Never Bet the Farm is an easy-to-understand and attractive tool for anyone who has a business idea, but who might be wary of the risks implied in starting their own business.
(5) EAT PEOPLE
And Other Unapologetic Rules for Game-Changing Entrepreneurs
The era of easy money and easy jobs is officially over. Today, we’re all entrepreneurs, and the tides of change threaten to capsize anyone who plays it safe. Taking risks is the name of the game – but how can you tell a smart bet from a stupid gamble?
Andy Kessler has made a career out of seeing the future of business, as an analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. He evaluated the business potential of the likes of Steve Jobs and Michael Dell before they were Steve Jobs and Michael Dell. His eye for what’s next is unparalleled. In Eat People, Kessler explains how the world’s greatest entrepreneurs don’t just start successful companies – they overturn entire industries. Whether you’re at a big corporation or running a small business, you’re now an entrepreneur.
There are hundreds of quality books that have been written about starting a business. Here are a few more that just missed out on making our Top-5 list:
2) Your Next Big Thing: Creating Successful Business Ideas from Scratch
3) Lost in Startuplandia: Wayfinding for the Weary Entrepreneur
4) Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup
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