Best books for founders and investors

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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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5
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…
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6
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…
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7
The Science of Selling
Proven Strategies to Make Your Pitch, Influence Decisions, and Close the Deal
David Hoffeld · 2016
3.99749 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationFirst salesCompany building
About the book
The Revolutionary Sales Approach Scientifically Proven to Dramatically Improve Your Sales and Business Success Blending cutting-edge research in social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, The Science of Selling shows you how to align the way…
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8
Win Bigly
Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don't Matter
Scott Adams · 2017
3.735,335 ratings · Goodreads
NegotiationCompany building
About the book
From the creator of Dilbert, an unflinching look at the strategies Donald Trump used to persuade voters to elect the most unconventional candidate in the history of the presidency, and how anyone can learn his methods for succeeding against long odds. Scott…
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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…
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2
Getting Past No
Negotiating in Difficult Situations
William Ury · 1991
3.996,856 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
We all want to get to yes, but what happens when the other person keeps saying no? How can you negotiate successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate customer, or a deceitful coworker?In Getting Past No, William Ury of Harvard Law School’s Program on…
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3
Negotiate Without Fear
Strategies and Tools to Maximize Your Outcomes
Victoria Medvec · 2021
4.31195 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
The tools you need to maximize success in any negotiation, at any level With Negotiate Without Strategies and Tools to Maximize Your Outcomes, master negotiator, Kellogg professor, and accomplished CEO Victoria Medvec delivers an authoritative and practical…
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4
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…
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5
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,…
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6
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…
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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…
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2
How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi
Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite
Chris Balakrishnan · 2024
3.61766 ratings · Goodreads
Negotiation
About the book
The co-founders of the global science organization Nerd Nite bring readers a collection of wacky, yet fascinating STEM topics. For twenty years Nerd Nite has delivered to live audiences around the world the most interesting, fun, and informative…
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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…
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4
Hey, Hun
Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing
Emily Lynn Paulson · 2023
3.5814,654 ratings · Goodreads
Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building
About the book
She signed up for the sisterhood, free cars, and the promise of a successful business of her own. Instead, she ended up with an addiction, broken friendships, and the rubble of a toppled pyramid . . . scheme. Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the…
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5
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…
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6
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…
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How companies like yours were actually built, from the people who built them.

1
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…
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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…
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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…
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4
Sam Walton
Made in America
Sam Walton · 1992
4.1527,178 ratings · Goodreads
Founder storiesCompany building
About the book
As Sam Walton himself said, this is "...a story about entrepreneurship, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there. And it's a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other…
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5
Finding My Virginity
The New Autobiography
Richard Branson · 2017
4.073,696 ratings · Goodreads
Founder storiesCompany building
About the book
Global business icon Richard Branson has written many books, but none have been more popular than his first memoir, 1998's Losing My Virginity. Now he's finally publishing his second volume of memoirs, covering all of his fascinating ups and downs of the past…
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6
The Jordan Rules
The Inside Story of One Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
Sam Smith · 1992
4.2519,445 ratings · Goodreads
Founder stories
About the book
Sam Smith’s seminal, New York Times bestselling “eye-opener” ( The San Diego Union-Tribune ) on Michael Jordan and the 1990-1991 Chicago Bulls team, perfect for fans of ESPN’s hit documentary series The Last Dance. This is the book that changed the way the…
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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…
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2
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…
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3
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…
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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…
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The books for what you are building.

Your reading list

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