5 Books Every Startup Founder Needs To Read

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”
― Margaret Fuller

How often do you read daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly?

As a leader in your startup, you have to be a reader; there are no two ways about it.

Reading helps to broaden your horizons and shape your mind. Reading the right books gives you knowledge, it challenges you and teaches you what you may not have known before now.

Inc. Magazine reports that Mark Cuban reads about 3 hours a day because it gives him a level of comfort and confidence in his business. He shares that growing up; he read “every book or magazine I could get my hands on because 1 good idea would pay for the book and could make the difference between me making it or not.”

Look around you; you will find out that there are so many of the startup leaders or founders who are great readers.

Here are 5 books that can help you achieve more and become better at running your business.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek: If you haven’t watched Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on “Start With Why,” then you should definitely do so. The TED Talk is rated the 3rd most popular TED video of all time. This book is one of the major books startup founders should reader in order to inspire great work.

One of the fundamental questions Simon Sinek starts with is “Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others?” This book makes you understand that people don’t buy a product or pay for your service just for the sake of it; they buy it because of your “WHY.” The “WHY” behind what you are doing.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: This book helps you answer why high-achievers are different.

You will find out how we pay too little attention to high-achievers and what stands them out.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: In this popular book, Stephen Covey helps us to understand “a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity — principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.”

It gives you insights on how to solve personal and professional problems based on principles.

The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz: As a startup founder, you are bound to making choices. You will make a lot of choices daily concerning your business.

This book helps you understand choices and how to eliminate some of them and focus on others.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: This book introduces business owners to the new approach adopted by different companies in building and launching new products globally.

This book gives you insight on ways to test your vision and keep evolving before it is too late.

What are some of the books you recommend? Please drop your comments below!