The Best Books For Early-Stage Founders

Starting a business from scratch can be exciting- but also a little scary. At the start, your brain will be buzzing with things to consider:

What funding do we need?

How do we build the product?

What should the branding look like?

What team should I employ?

The truth is, at the start, you’re probably going to be juggling 100 questions at once.

Luckily, hundreds of successful founders have put pen to paper to talk through the thought processes that helped them build successful businesses from the ground up.

Here, we take a look at some of the best.

 

Getting Into The Founder Mindset

 

Zero to One – Peter Thiel

 

 

Peter Thiel, one of the biggest brains in the startup world, talks about how to build companies that create something entirely new.

His idea is that the best businesses aren’t about competition, but about creating entirely new categories.

For founders looking to challenge convention and not only disrupt sectors but create them, this book is for you!

The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz

 

 

The hard thing about hard things is all about what it takes to start a business. He talks openly about how founders should act and prepare for when things go wrong.

The truth is, starting a business can be messy – and this book prepares founders for the bumpy ride ahead.

The Art of the Start 2.0 – Guy Kawasaki

 

 

The art of the start is all about how to create and launch new products. The book take readers through everything, from branding to fundraising, recruiting and more.

He talks about working out where to focus in order to succeed, keeping founders on the right track.

 

 

Refining Your Offering

The Lean Startup – Eric Ries

 

 

The lean startup is all about building what it says on the tin – a company that adapts quickly, listens to customers and stays agile.

The book is a great way to focus founders on how to deliver real value and continuously improve their offering in line with what their customers want. This principle is what Ries believes builds the best businesses.

The Mom Test – Rob Fitzpatrick

 

 

Everyone thinks their idea is a good one – but the Mom test helps founders understand what people really think.

Built around the idea that you shouldn’t ask your mum if a business idea is good, the test focuses on creating questions about your idea that even your mum can’t lie to you about.

This way, founders are able to get better insight into their idea’s potential success and limitations, as well as information about their customer’s world views.

Will It Fly? – Pat Flynn

 

 

Pat Flynn lays out the number 1 question every entrepreneur should ask themselves: will it fly? The book talks about how important it is for founders to question whether a business actually has merit and whether there is real-world demand for it.

Through his 5 chapters, Flynn talks through how to validate if your business is a good idea – and crucially – how to make it fly!

 

How To Execute

 

The Startup Owner’s Manual – Steve Blank & Bob Dorf

 

 

The startup owner’s manual talks through 9 deadly sins that destroy a startup’s chance of success.

The book talks through how to drive a company towards profitability, how to get, keep and grow your customer base and how to build a business that is truly scalable.

Traction – Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares

 

 

A lot of businesses are good ideas, but without traction they are unlikely to take off. This book is all about the insights and strategies that help startup and product managers drive growth.

The book talks through what channels to use, how to scale and how to build the right customer base to drive traction for your business.