Reading List

The books for what you are building.

Tell us your business model, industry and stage, or how you invest, and get the books worth your time, picked from 30,000 on building and backing companies. Chosen by ratings and what they are about.

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Atomic HabitsJames Clear · 4.31★FreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt · 4.01★The Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell · 4.01★Rich Dad Poor DadRobert T. Kiyosaki · 4.08★BlinkMalcolm Gladwell · 3.96★Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman · 4.16★The Art of WarSun Tzu · 3.94★
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The best matches for everything you told us, ranked.

  • 1

    Thinking, Fast and Slow

    Daniel Kahneman · 2011

    4.16616,355 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Smart Choices

    A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions

    John S. Hammond · 1998

    4.016,527 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Where should I live? Is it time to switch careers? What is the best course of action for me? Decisions shape our experiences, from choosing which job offer to accept, to buying the right car, to selecting a good accountant. How do we know which choice is the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Forecasting

    principles and practice

    Rob J. Hyndman · 2013

    4.39319 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Forecasting is required in many situations. Deciding whether to build another power generation plant in the next five years requires forecasts of future demand. Scheduling staff in a call centre next week requires forecasts of call volumes. Stocking an…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Super Thinking

    The Big Book of Mental Models

    Gabriel Weinberg · 2019

    4.022,684 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    A Wall Street Journal Bestseller! "You can't really know anything if you just remember isolated facts. If the facts don't hang together on a latticework of theory, you don't have them in a usable form. You've got to have models in your head." - Charlie…

    On AmazonAudibleAuthor's Podcasts

  • 5

    Radical Uncertainty

    Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers

    John Kay · 2020

    3.861,074 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Some uncertainties are resolvable. The insurance industry’s actuarial tables and the gambler’s roulette wheel both yield to the tools of probability theory. Most situations in life, however, involve a deeper kind of uncertainty, a radical uncertainty for…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

    The 30 Minute Expert Series · 2012

    3.91350 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Decisions: You make hundreds every day, but do you really know how they are made? When can you trust fast, intuitive judgment, and when is it biased? How can you transform your thinking to help avoid overconfidence and become a better decision maker?…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 7

    You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake

    How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them

    Olivier Sibony · 2019

    4.04747 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Discover nine common business decision-making traps -- and learn practical tools for avoiding them -- in this "masterful," research-based guide from a professor of strategic thinking. (Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow) We all make decisions…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 8

    The managerial decision-making process

    E. Frank Harrison · 1975

    45 Open Library reading lists

    Judgement and decisions

    On AmazonAudibleOpen Library

The books most about better decisions.

  • 1

    The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making

    Scott Plous · 1993

    4.17674 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    THE PSYCHOLOGY OF JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING offers a comprehensive introduction to the field with a strong focus on the social aspects of decision making processes. Winner of the prestigious William James Book Award, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF JUDGMENT AND DECISION…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Design for Cognitive Bias

    David Dylan Thomas · 2020

    4.40230 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    We humans are messy, illogical creatures who like to imagine we’re in control, but we blithely let our biases lead us astray. In Design for Cognitive Bias, David Dylan Thomas lays bare the irrational forces that shape our everyday decisions and, inevitably,…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Uncertainty Solution

    How to Invest with Confidence in the Face of the Unknown

    John M. Jennings · 2023

    4.45250 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    A better approach to investing​This is not a typical investment book. It is an experiential guide on cultivating the mindset and behavior necessary to weather inherently uncertain and unpredictable markets. It doesn’t just tell you how to invest but how to…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Misbehaving

    The Making of Behavioral Economics

    Richard H. Thaler · 2016

    4.1624,354 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    Nobel laureate Richard H. Thaler has spent his career studying the radical notion that the central agents in the economy are humans, predictable, error-prone individuals. Misbehaving is his arresting, frequently hilarious account of the struggle to bring an…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    The Power of Intuition

    How to Use Your Gut Feelings to Make Better Decisions at Work

    Gary Klein · 2002

    3.86513 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    At times in our careers, we've all been aware of a "gut feeling" guiding our decisions. Too often, we dismiss these feelings as "hunches" and therefore untrustworthy. But renowned researcher Gary Klein reveals that, in fact, 90 percent of the critical…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Yes or No

    The Guide to Better Decisions

    Spencer Johnson · 1993

    3.801,254 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisions

    About the book

    "Yes" or "No," from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Spencer Johnson, presents a brilliant and practical system anyone can use to make better decisions, soon and often -- both at work and in personal life. The "Yes" or "No" System lets us: focus…

    On AmazonAudible

Published in the last three years, newest first, for what you told us.

  • 1

    Strong Ground

    The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit

    Brené Brown · 2025

    4.138,259 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time when uncertainty runs deep and bluster, hubris, and even cruelty are increasingly framed as acceptable leadership, Brown delivers practical, actionable…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    How Big Things Get Done

    The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between

    Bent Flyvbjerg · 2023

    4.2710,670 ratings · Goodreads

    Judgement and decisionsCompany building

    About the book

    The secrets to successfully planning and delivering projects on any scale, from home renovation to space exploration, by the world’s leading expert on megaprojects   “This book is important, timely, instructive, and entertaining. What more could you ask…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Simple Marketing For Smart People

    The One Question You Need to Win Customers without Gimmicks, Hype, or Hard Selling

    Billy Broas · 2024

    4.35305 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building

    About the book

    Why do so many smart people struggle with marketing? The answer is smart people love complexity, and complexity brews problems. Does your marketing feel like it has way too many moving parts? If so, Simple Marketing for Smart People is the solution you’ve…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Personal Branding for Introverts

    Goldie Chan · 2025

    4.41211 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    A top expert in personal branding shows introverts how to leverage their unique strengths to get ahead    To build a career, you need a personal brand to showcase your distinct skills, experience, and expertise. Building that brand can feel…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Lean Marketing

    More Leads. More Profit. Less Marketing.

    Allan Dib · 2024

    4.31452 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    Bigger Results with Less Marketing You keep being told to do more marketing―more complex, more aggressive, and more expensive marketing. Chasing the latest bright, shiny object is exhausting. Increased efforts keep leading to disappointment. The overwhelm…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    The Pricing Roadmap

    How to Design B2B SaaS Pricing Models That Your Customers Will Love

    Ulrik Lehrskov-Schmidt · 2023

    4.43207 ratings · Goodreads

    Finding product-market fitCompany building

    About the book

    "The definitive resource on SaaS pricing, I absolutely can not recommend this book enough." Viktor Heide, COO of Contractbook.com, Forbes "30 under 30" A foolproof method to achieve skyrocketing sales, growth, and profits for your software as a service…

    On AmazonAudible

How companies like yours were actually built, from the people who built them.

  • 1

    The Ride of a Lifetime

    Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

    Robert Iger · 2019

    4.4099,495 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    A grand vision defined: The CEO of The Walt Disney Company shares the ideas and values he has used to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life. In 2005, Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Heartland

    A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

    Sarah Smarsh · 2018

    3.7616,921 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    During Sarah Smarsh’s turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country’s changing economic policies solidified her family’s place among the working poor. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Shoe Dog

    A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

    Phil Knight · 2016

    4.45389,310 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson · 2011

    4.161,391,990 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    Walter Isaacson's worldwide bestselling biography of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Bitter Brew

    The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer

    William Knoedelseder · 2012

    4.056,011 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    “Bitter Brew deftly chronicles the contentious succession of kings in a uniquely American dynasty. You’ll never crack open a six again without thinking of this book.”, John Sayles, Director of Eight Men Out and author of A Moment in the Sun The creators of…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Never Finished

    Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within

    David Goggins · 2022

    4.3850,509 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    This is not a self-help book. It's a wake-up call! Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins' smash hit memoir, demonstrated how much untapped ability we all have but was merely an introduction to the power of the mind. In Never Finished, Goggins takes you inside his…

    On AmazonAudible

What founders at seed keep coming back to, if you have not read them yet.

  • 1

    Crossing the Chasm

    Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

    Geoffrey A. Moore · 2002

    4.0332,109 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany buildingFirst sales

    About the book

    Here is the bestselling guide that created a new game plan for marketing in high-tech industries. Crossing the Chasm has become the bible for bringing cutting-edge products to progressively larger markets. This edition provides new insights into the realities…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Inspired

    How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

    Marty Cagan · 2008

    4.2226,350 ratings · Goodreads

    Company buildingFinding product-market fit

    About the book

    Learn to design, build, and scale products consumers can't get enough of How do today's most successful tech companies–Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla–design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

    Violate Them at Your Own Risk

    Al Ries · 1993

    4.0522,738 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    There are laws of nature, so why shouldn't there be laws of marketing? As Al Ries and Jack Trout, the world-renowned marketing consultants and bestselling authors of Positioning, note, you can build an impressive airplane, but it will never leave the ground if…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Lok Vyavhar

    Diamond Books · 1936

    4.221,157,905 ratings · Goodreads

    Company building

    About the book

    This is the translation of famous - HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE - a classic book that gave birth to the self-help industry. Through this book, Dale Carnegie offers practical and proven advice on how to deal with people and understand them in order…

    On AmazonAudible

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