7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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7 MUST-TO-READ BOOKS FOR Entrepreneurs Ganesh Samarthyam

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Page 1: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

7 MUST-TO-READ BOOKS FOR

EntrepreneursGanesh Samarthyam

Page 2: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 3: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 4: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 5: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 6: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 7: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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

Page 8: 7 must to read books for entrepreneurs

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