Best books for founders and investors

Your reading list

ShortlistThe best matches for everything you told us, ranked.

The best matches for everything you told us, ranked.

1
Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini · 1984
4.21184,290 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes", and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of…
On Amazon Audible
2
Never Split the Difference
Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
Chris Voss · 2016
4.33227,027 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating – effective in any situation. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator…
On Amazon Audible
3
The Age of Persuasion
How Marketing Ate Our Culture
Terry O'Reilly · 2007
3.80556 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationMarketing and growthCompany building
About the book
The ad men behind CBC Radio’s The Age of Persuasion combine lively social history and years of industry experience to show how the art of persuasion shapes our culture. Witty, erudite and irrepressibly irreverent, The Age of Persuasion provides a hugely…
On Amazon Audible
4
How To Stop Worrying And Start Living & How To Make Friends And Influence People
Dale Carnegie · 2016
4.23361 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
This carefully crafted "How To Stop Worrying And Start Living & How To Make Friends And Influence People (Unabridged)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living – The book's goal is…
On Amazon Audible
5
Methods of Persuasion
How to Use Psychology to Influence Human Behavior
Nick Kolenda · 2013
4.141,591 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
Best known for his viral video, "Chat Roulette Mind Reading," Nick Kolenda is finally revealing some of the psychological secrets behind his so-called "mind reading" feats.Using principles from cognitive psychology, Nick has developed ways to subconsciously…
On Amazon Audible
6
Under the Influence
A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism
James R. Milam · 1981
4.16440 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
Ten of millions Americans suffer from alcoholism, yet most people still wrongly believe that alcoholism is a psychological or moral problem, and that it can be cured by psychotherapy or sheer will power. Based on groundbreaking scientific research, Under The…
On Amazon Audible
7
Start with NO...The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don't Want You to Know
Jim Camp · 2002
4.102,761 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
Start with No offers a contrarian, counterintuitive system for negotiating any kind of deal in any kind of situation, the purchase of a new house, a multimillion-dollar business deal, or where to take the kids for dinner. Think a win-win solution is the best…
On Amazon Audible
8
Triggers
How to Use the Psychological Triggers of Selling to Motivate, Persuade & Influence
Joseph Sugarman · 1999
4.21318 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationFirst salesCompany building
About the book
Joseph Sugarman, recognized as one of the nation’s top copywriters, marketers and catalog pioneers, has sold millions of dollars’ worth of products through the power of his pen. In Triggers, Sugarman takes the principles he learned from direct marketing and…
On Amazon Audible

The books most about negotiation.

1
Becoming a Person of Influence
How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others
John C. Maxwell · 2012
4.275,573 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
John Maxwells Great InfluenceJohn Maxwell is recognized as the worlds best instructor in leadership. It is a book that tells you that even ordinary people can build influence and become influential to someone. Influences, which were thought to be exclusive to…
On Amazon Audible
2
Negotiate This!
By Caring, But Not T-H-A-T Much
Herb Cohen · 2003
3.92352 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
Master negotiator and New York Times bestselling author of You Can Negotiate Anything returns with this long awaited and essential guide to the art and practice of negotiation in the 21st century. As a result of his extensive negotiating experience and…
On Amazon Audible
3
Negotiating the Impossible
How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts
Deepak Malhotra · 2016
4.17863 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
Negotiating the ImpossibleHow to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (without Money or Muscle) Some negotiations are easy. Others are more difficult. And then there are situations that seem hopeless. Conflict is escalating, people are getting…
On Amazon Audible
4
Men of Influence
The Potential of the Priesthood to Lift the World
Robert L. Millet · 2009
4.28185 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
In this sequel to his bestselling book Men of Valor, Robert L. Millet describes how men can become men of influence, thereby blessing their families and neighborhoods even the world. How are we enabled to receive the Lord s power? Brother Millet explains that…
On Amazon Audible
5
The Small Big
Small Changes That Spark Big Influence
Steve J. Martin · 2014
3.781,240 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
At some point today you will have to influence or persuade someone - perhaps ask a colleague a favour, negotiate with a contractor or get your spouse to put out the recycling. In the small BIG, three heavyweights from the world of persuasion science and…
On Amazon Audible
6
Essays in Persuasion
John Maynard Keynes · 1931
3.99393 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
The essays in this volume show Keynes's attempts to influence the course of events by public persuasion over the period of 1919-40. In the light of subsequent history, Essays in Persuasion is a remarkably prophetic volume covering a wide range of issues in…
On Amazon Audible
7
Becoming Bulletproof
Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly
Evy Poumpouras · 2020
4.1310,159 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
Former Secret Service agent and star of Bravo’s Spy Games Evy Poumpouras shares lessons learned from protecting presidents, as well insights and skills from the oldest and most elite security force in the world to help you prepare for stressful situations,…
On Amazon Audible
8
Trust Agents
Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust
Chris Brogan · 2009
4.1111,170 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
How to tap the power of social software and networks to build your business In Trust Agents, two social media veterans show you how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand's influence, reputation, and, of course, profits. Today's online…
On Amazon Audible

What founders at seed need most: company building, finding product-market fit, raising money, first sales, marketing and growth.

1
The User Experience Team of One
A Research and Design Survival Guide
Leah Buley · 2013
4.191,657 ratings · Goodreads
Finding product-market fitCompany building
About the book
UX Team of Oneb Theory and Practice for Designers Responsible for Holo UX b This book presents ways to achieve greater impact than standardized UX work results with less time and resources do. Whether youre looking to turn to the UX field, or an experienced…
On Amazon Audible
2
Get Backed
Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams
Evan Baehr · 2015
4.36356 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
HOW DO YOU LAUNCH THE VENTURE OF YOUR DREAMS? Get Backed isn’t just about startup fundraising. It’s a handbook for anyone who has an idea and needs to build relationships to get it off the ground. Over the last 3 years, entrepreneurs Evan Loomis and…
On Amazon Audible
3
80/20 Sales and Marketing
The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More
Perry Marshall · 2013
4.191,904 ratings · Goodreads
First salesMarketing and growthCompany building
About the book
Stop "Just Getting By" ... Master The 80/20 Principle And Make More Money Without More Work. When you know how to walk into any situation and see the 80/20's, you can solve almost ANY marketing problem. 80/20 can demolish any sales and advertising problem.…
On Amazon Audible
4
Selling the Invisible
A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Harry Beckwith · 1997
3.9410,059 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building
About the book
You can't touch, hear, or see your company's most important products... So how do you sell, develop, make them grow? That's the problem with services. This "phenomenal" book, as one reviewer called it, answers that question with insights on how markets work…
On Amazon Audible
5
Risky is the New Safe
The Rules Have Changed . . .
Randy Gage · 2012
3.86348 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER Risky Is the New Safe is a different kind of book for a different kind of thinking--a thought-provoking manifesto for risk takers. It will challenge you to think laterally, question…
On Amazon Audible
6
Achieving Excellence in Fundraising + Website
Eugene R. Tempel · 2003
4.02249 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
The third edition of this acclaimed resource, Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, explains the fundraising profession's major principles, concepts, and techniques. With contributions from noted experts in the field, and filled with illustrative examples,…
On Amazon Audible
7
UX Strategy
How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want
Jaime Levy · 2014
3.941,224 ratings · Goodreads
Finding product-market fitCompany building
About the book
How do you bridge the large knowledge gap between user experience design and business strategy? This practical book introduces lightweight strategy tools and techniques that will help both your design team and your client come to a shared understanding of the…
On Amazon Audible
8
Venture Deals
Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
Brad Feld · 2011
4.1117,486 ratings · Goodreads
Raising moneyCompany building
About the book
Praise for Venture Deals"My biggest nightmare is taking advantage of an entrepreneur without even realizing it. It happens because VCs are experts in financings and most entrepreneurs are not. Brad and Jason are out to fix that problem with Venture Deals.…
On Amazon Audible Author's Podcasts

Leading and managing a team as the company grows.

1
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Follow Them and People Will Follow You
John C. Maxwell · 1998
4.1658,060 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
You'll learn the key principles of successful leadership such as vision, influence, responsibility and commitment. It highlights ways to set goals for yourself and your team while maintaining emotional balance during difficult times. Each law is backed up by…
On Amazon Audible
2
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
Leading and managing
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 Amazon Audible
3
The Outsiders
Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
William N. Thorndike Jr. · 2012
4.2214,412 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
”It is impossible to produce superior performance unless you do something different.”, John TempletonWhat makes a successful CEO? Most people call to mind a familiar definition: a seasoned manager with deep industry expertise. Others might point to the…
On Amazon Audible
4
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog
Leadership Made Simple
William H. McRaven · 2023
4.408,634 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Make Your Bed, a short, inspirational book of advice and leadership lessons that Admiral McRaven collected over his four decades as a Navy SEAL. The title “Bullfrog” is given to the Navy SEAL who has served the…
On Amazon Audible
5
All It Takes Is a Goal
The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential | Achieve Your Resolutions and Find Success
Jon Acuff · 2023
4.552,450 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
"This is my new favorite book about goals!" -- Mel Robbins , podcaster and New York Times bestselling author of The High 5 Habit What if you could have a fulfilling career, a thriving marriage, strong friendships, and rewarding hobbies, all while being in…
On Amazon Audible
6
Creativity, Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Ed Catmull · 2014
4.20105,625 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
“What does it mean to manage well?” From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business, sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath.…
On Amazon Audible
7
Rising Strong
The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution
Brené Brown · 2015
4.2590,292 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability, the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome, is the only path…
On Amazon Audible
8
The Manager's Path
A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
Camille Fournier · 2017
4.2510,686 ratings · Goodreads
Leading and managing
About the book
Managing people is difficult wherever you work, but the tech industry as a whole is pretty bad at it. Tech companies in general lack the experience, tools, texts, and frameworks to do it well. And the handful of books that share tips and tricks of engineering…
On Amazon Audible

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

1
Fight Less, Win More
How Master Negotiators Influence Hearts, Minds, and Deals
Jonathan B. Smith · 2026
4.69145 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
Your handbook for mastering the negotiating skills in the multimillion-copy bestseller Never Split the Difference. You're in a negotiation right now. In fact, you've been negotiating all day. That email to your boss? Negotiation. That conversation with your…
On Amazon Audible
2
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 Amazon Audible
3
Possible
How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict
William Ury · 2024
4.21402 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
The author of the world’s best-selling book on negotiation draws on his nearly fifty years of experience and knowledge grappling with the world’s toughest conflicts to offer a way out of the seemingly impossible problems of our time. Conflict is increasing…
On Amazon Audible
4
The Illusion of Choice
16½ psychological biases that influence what we buy
Richard Shotton · 2023
3.88581 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
The compelling new book by Richard Shotton, author of The Choice Factory. Every day, people make hundreds of choices. Many of these are What shampoo to pick? How much to spend on a bottle of wine? Whether to renew a subscription. These choices might…
On Amazon Audible
5
Magic Words
The New Science of Language for Persuasion, Communication, and Driving Action
Jonah Berger · 2023
3.891,885 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB 'MUST-READ' New York Times bestselling author Jonah Berger’s cutting-edge research reveals how six types of words can increase your impact in every area of from persuading others and building stronger relationships, to boosting…
On Amazon Audible
6
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 Amazon Audible
7
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 Amazon Audible
8
Money Machine
A Trailblazing American Venture in China
Weijian Shan · 2023
4.42232 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
An extraordinary tale of an American firm’s astounding success in China In Money A Trailblazing American Venture in China, Weijian Shan delivers a compelling account of one of the most significant deals in private equity the first and only foreign…
On Amazon Audible

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

1
Personal History
A Memoir
Katharine Graham · 1997
4.0925,181 ratings · Goodreads
Founder stories
About the book
Madrid. 22 cm. 557 p. Encuadernación en tapa blanda de editorial ilustrada. Graham, Katharine 1917-2001. Traducción de María Luisa Rodríguez Tapia y José Manuel Calvo Roy. Título Personal history .. Este libro es de segunda mano y tiene o puede tener marcas…
On Amazon Audible
2
Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson · 2023
4.3281,328 ratings · Goodreads
Founder storiesCompany building
About the book
From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era, a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles,…
On Amazon Audible
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 Amazon Audible
4
Bad Blood
Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
John Carreyrou · 2018
4.40285,283 ratings · Goodreads
Founder storiesCompany building
About the book
The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers. In…
On Amazon Audible
5
The Situation Room
The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
George Stephanopoulos · 2024
4.3211,278 ratings · Goodreads
Founder stories
About the book
George Stephanopoulos, former senior advisor to President Clinton and for more than 20 years anchor of This Week and co-anchor of Good Morning America , recounts the crises that decided the course of history, from the place 12 presidents made their…
On Amazon Audible
6
Source Code
My Beginnings
Bill Gates · 2025
4.1515,248 ratings · Goodreads
Founder storiesCompany building
About the book
The origin story of one of the most influential and transformative business leaders and philanthropists of the modern age. The business triumphs of Bill Gates are widely known: the twenty-year-old who dropped out of Harvard to start a software company that…
On Amazon Audible
7
Coming Up Short
A Memoir of My America
Robert B. Reich · 2025
4.502,794 ratings · Goodreads
Founder stories
About the book
From political economist, cabinet member, beloved professor, media presence, and bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good, a deeply-felt, compelling memoir of growing up in a baby-boom America that made progress in certain areas, fell short…
On Amazon Audible
8
Margaret Thatcher
The Autobiography
Margaret Thatcher · 2013
4.00865 ratings · Goodreads
Founder stories
About the book
A newly edited, single-volume commemorative edition of ‘The Path to Power’ and ‘The Downing Street Years’; this is Margaret Thatcher in her own words. Margaret Thatcher was the towering figure of late-twentieth-century British politics. Now following her…
On Amazon Audible

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 Amazon Audible
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 Amazon Audible
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 Amazon Audible
4
Building A Story Brand
Donald Miller · 2017
4.2726,500 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthCompany building
About the book
New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller uses the seven universal elements of powerful stories to teach readers how to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses. Donald Miller’s StoryBrand process is a proven…
On Amazon Audible
5
The Long Tail
Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Chris Anderson · 2006
3.8330,263 ratings · Goodreads
Company buildingFirst sales
About the book
The New York Times bestseller that introduced the business world to a future that s already here -- now in paperback with a new chapter about Long Tail Marketing and a new epilogue. Winner of the Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book of the Year. In…
On Amazon Audible
6
Rich Dad Poor Dad
What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money, That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Robert T. Kiyosaki · 1997
4.08761,349 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
Rich Dad Poor Dad is Robert's story of growing up with two dads, his real father and the father of his best friend, his "rich dad", and the ways in which both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing. The book explodes the myth that you need to…
On Amazon Audible
7
The Richest Man in Babylon
George S. Clason · 1926
4.23253,560 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
The Richest Man in Babylon is an early twentieth century classic about financial investment and monetary success. Through a series of enlightening parables set in the heart of ancient Babylon, Clason provided his readers with economic tips and tools for…
On Amazon Audible
8
The Lean Startup
Eric Ries · 2011
4.11374,139 ratings · Goodreads
Company building
About the book
Most new businesses fail. But most of those failures are preventable.The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that's being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Essential reading for any…
On Amazon Audible

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Which books we recommend never depends on it: they are chosen from their ratings and what they are about.

Reading list: the books for what you are building

Your reading list

Written by the people who write the cheques

Read what the people you are pitching read.