With the week coming to a close and the weekend just a few hours away, we thought we would take the opportunity to recommend a few books for the entrepreneur looking to do some weekend reading. Whether you’ve got a lot of time to sit and read, or just a little time in the car to listen to an audiobook, find some time to knock these off your reading list.
Perhaps the most well known and most vocal venture capitalist is Guy Kawasaki, author of the aptly named blog How to Change the World and the books The Art of the Start and the more recent Reality Check, among others. If one was to enroll in Startup Entrepreneurialism 101, Kawasaki’s books would likely be required reading. Kawasaki’s years of experience from the early days at Apple and the Silicon Valley VC scene provides a wealth of information for the eager entrepreneur.
Former Economist writer turned Wired editor-in-chief Chis Anderson is also the author of popular online business books perfect for the budding entrepreneur. The Long Tail was Anderson’s first book and was adapted from an article he wrote in Wired. In it, Anderson describes how online marketplaces have opened up the door for small niche businesses to thrive. In his second book, Free, he examines how sometimes giving away your product can make you more money in the end – the so-called “freemium” model. Anderson used this model to sell the book, offering it for free as an online download while at the same time selling the hardcover version in stores and online.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is one of my favorite novels of all time and it recently found itself included in Business Insider‘s list of 15 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read. One would not expect a work of fiction to be included on a list littered with business strategy books, but Rand’s philosophy of individualism versus collectivism at the core of this novel can be easily applied to entrepreneurialism. Written in 1943, the novel is the story of an architect’s struggle to be true to his creative beliefs and not conform to traditional practices. Entrepreneurs looking to change the world should free up few open weekends to finish Rand’s dense but worthwhile novel.
Still can’t get enough entrepreneurial books? Under30CEO has an excellent list of 10 Books Every Entrepreneur Must Read From 2009, and David Siteman Garland has a great list on his blog The Rise to the Top of 13 Must Read Books For Every Entrepreneur. Have some suggestions for further reading? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Flickr user Horia Varlan.
