Business can learn much from nature. This book is a classic.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0060533226
Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition
by B. Joseph Pine
One of my favorite books of all time. I've read it three times.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0875843727
Think and Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill
Your mind is the most powerful asset you have. Never forget it.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/1585424331
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer or Venture Capitalist
by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
You have to know the art of term sheets if you're going to get money from a VC.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0470929820
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler
Everyone needs to learn to tell a story. Write one too. This is the book that teaches you fundamental principles of storytelling.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/193290736X
The Richest Man in Town: The Twelve Commandments of Wealth
by W. Randall Jones
You want to know how the rich got to be rich. This book provides the secrets of how some of the richest men in town got there. Entertaining and inspirational.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0446537837
Unleashing the IdeaVirus
by Seth Godin
Anything Seth writes, you must read it. Although this is one of his earlier books, it’s a classic. Buy all his books – you’ll thank me later.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0743504224
Profit Patterns: 30 Ways to Anticpiate and Profit from Strategic Forces Reshaping Your Business
by Adrian J. Slywotzky, David J. Morrison, Ted Moser, Kevin A. Mundt and James A. Quella
Enabling entrepreneurs to detail some of the possible patterns and scenarios in any business sector. At the end of the day, a venture — whether a startup or not, has to figure out how to make money.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/B000093TQI
Competitive Strategy
by Professor Michael Porter
The best strategy business book; a classic that should be read every year. This book is painful and wonderful at the same time. It is painful because it forces you, whether you want to or not, to think about competitive strategy for your business, and wonderful because you can get ideas on how to compete in the market.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0684841487
Competing Against Time: How Time-Based Competition is Reshaping Global Markets
by George Stalk, Jr. and Thomas H. Hout
You’ve only got so much time to launch your venture, launch your product or service, raise that money and make it big. Sure, you may think you’re competing against other competitors in the marketplace but you’re also competing against time — time of the market.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0029152917
Turtles, Termites and Traffic Jams
by Mitchel Resnick
The best way to learn the distributed way of thinking is by studying turtles, termites and traffic jams.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0262680939
Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation
by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones
This book stands the test of time. It is highly inspiring and educational because it teaches entrepreneurs how to become lean and efficient using the principles of the great Taiichi Ohno.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0743249275
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life
by Mihaly Csikszenthmihalyi
In
Finding Flow
, one of the key points that you learn is that life is not about happiness but actually achieving flow in your personal and business life. Don’t worry -- this is not a self-help book based on hype. It is more of a guide to achieving optimal flow.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0465024114
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan
No matter how great of an idea you have, at the end of the day, you have to be able to execute.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/B000Q9IR0A
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions
by Guy Kawasaki
I’ve met Guy a few times. He’s a likeable guy and this is a cool book. And that’s the point of this book but let me not ruin it. Buy and find out yourself.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/B0049U4INC
Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy
by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer.
This book will keep you thinking. The authors look at how three factors in the wired world —speed, connectivity, and intangibles —are driving the increasing rate of change in the business marketplace.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0446675334
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
by Jim Collins
This is a book about visionary companies. Much can be learned from studying it.
http://astore.amazon.com/entrepreneurdex-20/detail/0060566108
Recommended media, blogs and other entrepreneur
resources
If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you need to consume as much information about entrepreneurship and investing from as many sources as you can. Enclosed are the sources I find extremely helpful for any entrepreneur.
MEDIA SOURCES
Tech Crunch | techcrunch.com
One of my favorite entrepreneur and investor resources. Acquired by AOL. It’s focused on high tech but it’s for any entrepreneur who wants to learn about entrepreneurship and investing.
Wall Street Journal | wsj.com
If you’re going to be in business, you must subscribe to Wall Street Journal.
Business Insider | businessinsider.com
Excellent source for business news. Competes directly with Tech Crunch and Wall Street Journal.
Forbes | forbes.com
C’mon, you have to subscribe to Forbes.
Inc | Inc.com
Excellent information and source for entrepreneurs at any stage of the company’s life cycle.
Business Week | businessweek.com
Acquired by Bloomberg, they have revamped their efforts. You should subscribe.
Fortune | fortune.com
More corporation-based information but still a good resource for entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur | entrepreneur.com
Good resource for startup entrepreneurs and less experienced entrepreneurs.
Wired | wired.com
Excellent source for technology trends and thought proving articles.
Fast Company | fastcompany.com
Good source for entrepreneurs in various sectors and industries. Competes indirectly with Inc. and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Vator.tv
High tech focused media and community. Excellent source for information.
Economist | economist.com
A must read for entrepreneurs and investors to quickly grasp the global dynamics played out weekly that could affect their business.
Time | time.com
Excellent source for entrepreneurs and investors to look for large trends in various sectors.
Worth Magazine | worth.com
Inspires you to own the material things discussed and advertised.
Harvard Business Review | Hbr.org
Excellent management articles.
Technology Review, published by MIT | technologyreview.com
Good source for technology information
eMarketer | emarketer.com
Excellent source of research and data for entrepreneurs and investors.
The Funded | thefunded.com
Excellent source of research and data for entrepreneurs about investors.
Mercury News | mercurynews.com
You have to read the paper of Silicon Valley — even if you don’t live there.
BUSINESS BLOGS
Gigaom.com
Research and resource hub for entrepreneurs and investors. It reminds me of Net Market Makers but they are broader. I read their thoughtful articles religiously. Every entrepreneur and investor should subscribe to their daily information.
Seth Godin | SethGodin.com
Blog about business, marketing, social media, life, etc. Probably the best marketing guy in the business — any business. The only other marketing wizard to equal Seth is Ed Sullivan from Sullivan Media Group. Subscribe to Seth’s email. He writes often and makes you think. His advice can be priceless.
Mark Suster | Both Sides of the Table | bothsidesofthetable.com
Business blog by an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist. Insightful articles about entrepreneurship and investing. I like to read his blogs because he has been on both sides of the fence like me.
Fred Wilson | avc.com