If you are a rookie entrepreneur or a wannabe entrepreneur, I’d highly recommend that you read the following :
• The art of the start - Guy Kawasaki If you had to read only one book, this should be it. I read this book initially, sort of understood the key points and then find myself going back to it time and again, when I need specific information. No nonsense, practical advice.
• Founders at work - Jessica Livingston A pretty good compilation of interviews with founders (sabeer bhatia (hotmail), Craig Newmark (Craiglist), Joel Spolsky (Fogcreek) for example). Every once a while, when you get those “knots in the stomach”, it is good to know that the feeling isnt unique to you and that almost every successful company has gone through a similar phase.
• Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation - Andrew Metrick — Read Chapter 6 to get a great overview of all the technical terms involved in the VC funding.
• Getting Real - 37signals While this is a relatively new book, its advocacy of simplicity and “release early, release often” principle won me over.
• Noam Wasserman’s blog - You will have to figure out sooner or later as to how you are going to divvy up the equity. This is a great (only?) resource that gives you data on startups.
I wanted to keep the list short and focused, and picked my must-haves. Please add your suggestions in the comments. Happy Bootstrapping
