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

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

    Stephen R. Covey · 1989

    4.16843,480 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceCompany building

    About the book

    In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    The Power of Consistency

    Prosperity Mindset Training for Sales and Business Professionals

    Weldon Long · 2013

    4.25644 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceFirst salesCompany building

    About the book

    How to achieve wealth, happiness, and peace of mind through personal responsibility The Power of Consistency is based on the fundamental premise that private declarations dictate future actions. In other words, we tend to take actions with the thoughts and…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Ultimate Sales Machine

    Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies

    Chet Holmes · 2007

    3.979,181 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceFirst salesCompany building

    About the book

    Chet Holmes has been called “one of the top 20 change experts in the country.” He helps his clients blow away both the competition and their own expectations. And his advice starts with one simple concept: focus! Instead of trying to master four thousand…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Power of Discipline

    How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals

    Daniel Walter · 2020

    4.128,370 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceCompany building

    About the book

    Have you spent weeks, months, or even years trying to achieve your goals but keep failing? Have you given up on becoming successful because your futile efforts have led you to believe that success is only for the select few? If you have answered “yes”…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Business Made Simple

    60 Days to Master Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Execution, Management, Personal Productivity and More

    Donald Miller · 2021

    4.192,054 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceFirst salesMarketing and growth

    About the book

    Is this blue book more valuable than a business degree? Most people enter their professional careers not understanding how to grow a business. At times, this makes them feel lost, or worse, like a fraud pretending to know what they're doing. It's hard to be…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    80/20 Sales and Marketing

    The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More

    Perry Marshall · 2013

    4.191,904 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceFirst salesMarketing and growth

    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 AmazonAudible

  • 7

    The Wealth Money Can't Buy

    The 8 Hidden Habits to Live Your Richest Life

    Robin Sharma · 2024

    4.206,440 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    A groundbreaking book redefining success to show readers how they can create truly abundant and fulfilling lives by following Sharma’s model of the eight forms of wealth, growth, wellness, family, craft, money, community, adventure, and service, from the #1…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 8

    The Thousand Weeks

    Time Management for Mortals

    Oliver Burkeman · 2021

    4.18123,505 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    Simplified Chinese Edition of [Four Thousand Weeks ]

    On AmazonAudible

The books most about focus and resilience.

  • 1

    The Power of Habit

    Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

    Charles Duhigg · 2012

    4.13576,931 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    In "The Power of Habit", award-winning "New York Times" business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Million Dollar Habits

    Proven Power Practices to Double and Triple Your Income

    Brian Tracy · 1999

    4.003,669 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    A guide to winning habits in business shows readers how to set and achieve goals quickly, organize their life, manage time, increase income, and tap inner power reserves--all in the service of improved productivity.

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Focus On-Off

    Fuel Your Attention, Get More Done

    Mark Tigchelaar · 2019

    4.061,861 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Focus

    Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence

    Heidi Grant Halvorson · 2013

    3.961,067 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    We all want to experience pleasure and avoid pain. But there are really two kinds of pleasure and pain that motivate everything we do. If you are promotion-focused, you want to advance and avoid missed opportunities. If you are prevention-focused, you want to…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Bit Literacy

    Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload

    Mark Hurst · 2007

    3.702,567 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    "Bit Literacy" is essential reading for anyone who has experienced "digital overload" the daily flood of e-mail, multiple todo lists, a cluttered desktop, documents in various file formats, and the constant distraction of cell phones and other devices. More…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Manage Your Day-to-Day

    Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind

    Jocelyn K. Glei · 2013

    4.0129,778 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilience

    About the book

    Stop doing busywork. Start doing your best work. Are you over-extended, over-distracted, and overwhelmed? Do you work at a breakneck pace all day, only to find that you haven't accomplished the most important things on your agenda when you leave the…

    On AmazonAudible

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

  • 1

    Intentional

    How to Finish What You Start

    Chris Bailey · 2026

    3.86368 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceCompany building

    About the book

    From author of Hyperfocus and productivity expert Chris Bailey, a new approach to finishing what you start.Most of us have no problem setting goals. We know what we want, and we have a pretty good sense of what it takes to get it. But consistently making…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 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

    Focus and resilienceMarketing and growthFirst sales

    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

  • 3

    Slow Productivity

    The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

    Cal Newport · 2024

    3.6627,060 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceCompany building

    About the book

    Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality. From the New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, a groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload. Our current…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Lean Marketing

    More Leads. More Profit. Less Marketing.

    Allan Dib · 2024

    4.31452 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceMarketing 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

  • 5

    The First-Time Manager

    Sales

    Mike Weinberg · 2023

    4.43282 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceFirst salesCompany building

    About the book

    The First Time Manager Series has sold over 500,000 copies and is a go-to guide for new and aspiring sales managers on what to expect and how to succeed. The jump from sales superstar to sales manager has made or broken many a sales career. As a…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Reset

    How to Change What's Not Working

    Dan Heath · 2025

    4.123,193 ratings · Goodreads

    Focus and resilienceCompany building

    About the book

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Made to Stick, Switch, and The Power of Moments comes a revolutionary guide to fixing what’s not working, in systems and processes, organizations and companies, and even in our daily lives, by identifying…

    On AmazonAudible

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

  • 1

    Veeck As In Wreck

    The Autobiography of Bill Veeck

    Bill Veeck · 1962

    4.132,173 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    Bill Veeck was an inspired team builder, a consummate showman, and one of the greatest baseball men ever involved in the game. His classic autobiography, written with the talented sportswriter Ed Linn, is an uproarious book packed with information about the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    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

  • 3

    Disney High

    The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire

    Ashley Spencer · 2024

    3.949,197 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    The first unauthorized look at the inner workings―and ultimate breakdown―of the Disney Channel machine For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in prime time…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    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 AmazonAudible

  • 5

    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

  • 6

    Going Infinite

    The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

    Michael Lewis · 2023

    3.8437,422 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    From the #1 best-selling author of The Big Short and Flash Boys, the story of FTX’s spectacular collapse and the enigmatic founder at its center. When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby.…

    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

    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 AmazonAudible

  • 4

    To Sell is Human

    The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

    Daniel H. Pink · 2012

    3.8726,914 ratings · Goodreads

    Company buildingFirst sales

    About the book

    From the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising--and surprisingly useful--new book that explores the power of selling in our lives.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day…

    On AmazonAudible

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From the record

Written by the people who write the cheques

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