The founder's bookshelf
I love reading thought-provoking books – usually by listening to an audiobook while out walking in the countryside, away from the desk. But if I’m honest, it’s often hard to remember the key lessons. Sometimes the real-life applications come later – by which time I’ve forgotten the important bits!
So I’m trying something new. As I come across books that actually shift my perspective, I’m going to share a short, practical breakdown of the ‘why’ and ‘how.’ I’m hoping it might help me – and maybe it will help a few others along the way. These are the books that I wish I'd read and digested when starting out as a founder. The links will take you to a short LinkedIn article about each book.
So I’m trying something new. As I come across books that actually shift my perspective, I’m going to share a short, practical breakdown of the ‘why’ and ‘how.’ I’m hoping it might help me – and maybe it will help a few others along the way. These are the books that I wish I'd read and digested when starting out as a founder. The links will take you to a short LinkedIn article about each book.
1. the founder's mindset: Scout or Soldier
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Julia Galef’s The Scout Mindset.
Being a successful founder isn't about having all the answers; it's about building the most accurate map. By adopting a Scout Mindset, you replace brittle defensiveness with the resilient curiosity needed to navigate the fog of a startup. |
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2. What You Do Is Who You Are: Building a Culture in Your Start-up
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Ben Horowitz's 'What You Do is Who You are'.
Your business culture isn't your mission statement or the posters on your wall. It's defined by what you and your team actually do every day. To build a healthy business, you must nurture an authentic culture through your actions – maybe backed up by some shocking rules! |
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3. Hell Yeah or No: Thinking About the Basics
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‘Hell Yeah or No’ by Derek Sivers.
Finding time and approaches to work on the basics (culture, motivation, goals, innovation) can be the key to building something that makes a difference. |
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4. Build: The Art of Making Things Worth Making
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Build by Tony Fadell
The gap between a great idea and a great product isn't talent or technology. It's discipline – the discipline to check you're solving a real pain, to let the idea prove itself, and to keep a heartbeat going until you actually ship. |
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5. The Checklist Manifesto: Making Space for What Matters
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The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.
Checklists aren’t bureaucratic box-ticking exercises. They’re a discipline that makes sure your team’s brilliance isn't wasted on basic, preventable errors. |
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6. The Mom Test: Are Your Customers Telling You the Truth?
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The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
A customer who tells you they love your idea has given you nothing. A customer who gives you something they'd hesitate to give – that's a real piece of evidence. |
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7. This is marketing: Who are you Trying to Help?
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This is Marketing by Seth Godin
Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve their problem. Building something isn't enough – you haven't made an impact until it's actually reached the person who needs it. If you don’t tell them, you’re letting them down. |
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8. Thinking in Bets: How Sure Are You, Really?
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Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
You can't control how a decision turns out. But you can control how well you played the hand you were dealt. Getting good at telling those two things apart – and building in a bit of honest doubt and outside challenge along the way – is what good decision-making actually looks like. |
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