Top 10 Best Books on Entrepreneurship

Books are a great source of wisdom as they offer a way to learn things that others learned the hard way—by making mistakes that cost them time, resources, and sometimes the success of their companies. However, at the moment, Amazon offers 3000 books on entrepreneurship. This is huge!

According to ChatGPT, it will take 56.5 years to read all of them, 8 hours a day.

You don't have much time when racing against the clock to get your idea to product-market fit. Also, chances are there aren’t 30,000 different ideas in these books, but there is a certain overlap. So, how do you find the most impactful ones without reading all of them? Easy, we handpicked them, so you don’t have to.

We ordered this selection by the order in which you may need them, from the early days of your idea's inception to setting up a continuous product innovation process that leads to a stream of successful ideas.

1. The Right It

Author: Alberto Savoia
Published: 2019
Topics: Pretotyping, Innovation, Product Testing, Risk Reduction, Lean Development
Key Concept: How to test your ideas and products before spending time and resources on full-scale development by using "pretotype" testing to reduce risks of failure.

One of the most common reasons startups fail is a lack of product-market fit. This can usually be traced back to building the wrong product—a product for which there is no demand.

The Right It goes through evolving and shaping your idea so that the final product solves a real problem.

2. The Mom Test

Author: Rob Fitzpatrick
Published: 2013
Topics: Customer Interviews, Market Validation, Entrepreneurship, Feedback Techniques, Lean Startup
Key Concept: How to conduct customer interviews and validate your business idea by asking questions that lead to actionable feedback rather than false validation, avoiding biased feedback.

Validating your idea requires real-world feedback from potential customers. Unfortunately, talking to customers can also be affected by opinions, emotions, and personal relationships, which can skew the validation data.

The Mom Test gives a method for talking to customers so they mislead you, and the conversations provide insights you can rely on.

3. The Lean Startup

Author: Eric Ries
Published: 2011
Topics: Lean Startup, MVP (Minimum Viable Product), Innovation, Business Strategy, Pivoting
Key Concept: Applying lean principles to startups through validated learning, rapid experimentation, and leveraging customer feedback to build a sustainable business with minimal waste.

The lean principles have been around for quite some time, back when Toyota’s assembly line was invented. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries applies the same battle-tested principles for building successful startups. If you are interested on the topic, check out The Lean Startup Methodology Guide for deep dive into the Lean principles.

4. Zero to One

Author: Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Published: 2014
Topics: Innovation, Monopolies, Competition, Startup Strategy, Entrepreneurship
Key Concept: Creating unique, innovative businesses that break new ground ("going from zero to one") by focusing on monopolistic opportunities and avoiding competition.

Zero to One focuses on building groundbreaking and innovative products rather than improving existing products and ideas. The book covers the process of getting from an idea to a product-market fit and how to create sustainable and innovative companies that dominate their market.

5. Built to Sell

Author: John Warrillow
Published: 2011
Topics: Business Scalability, Selling a Business, Entrepreneurship, Business Systems, Business Exit Strategy
Key Concept: How to build a business that can operate without you and is appealing for sale by focusing on creating a scalable, repeatable model with processes and systems.

The book Built to Sell provides a roadmap for building a scalable, repeatable business model with processes and systems that make the company more attractive for sale. The story of a fictional business owner emphasizes the importance of specializing, simplifying services, and focusing on creating value that can run independently of the owner.

6. Inspired

Author: Marty Cagan
Published: 2008
Topics: Product Management, Technology, Innovation, Product Development, User-Centered Design
Key Concept: Building successful tech products by focusing on strong product management practices, including vision, strategy, and prioritizing user needs.

Inspired emphasizes the importance of a clear vision, user-centered design, and team collaboration to create products that customers love. The book also covers how to structure product teams, develop strategies, and prioritize features that bring real value. It's a must-read for tech companies aiming to innovate and deliver impactful products in fast-paced markets.

7. Crossing the Chasm

Author: Geoffrey A. Moore
Published: 1991
Topics: Technology Marketing, Innovation Adoption, High-Tech Products, Business Growth, Market Segmentation
Key Concept: To scale a successful business, how to market high-tech products and overcome the “chasm” between early adopters and mainstream customers.

Crossing the Chasm covers a product's whole lifecycle and gives the profile of the typical buyer in each stage. The focus is on the most critical step (also called the Chasm), transitioning from early adopters to the early majority of customers.

8. Building a StoryBrand

Author: Donald Miller
Published: 2017
Topics: Brand Storytelling, Marketing, Business Communication, Customer Engagement, Branding
Key Concept: Using the power of storytelling to clarify your business message, making it easier to connect with customers and grow your brand.

Validating your idea and building an amazing product is insufficient for market success. You need to tell a compelling story to your audience about their problems and how your product can help them solve them. This might be one of the most overlooked steps - “we will build a great product, and customers will come” will never happen unless you reach out to the customers at the right time, through the right channel, and with the right message.

9. The Innovator’s Dilemma

Author: Clayton M. Christensen
Published: 1997
Topics: Disruptive Innovation, Business Strategy, Technology, Organizational Change, Market Disruption
Key Concept: Why do successful companies fail to adopt disruptive innovations, and how can they embrace disruptive technology to stay relevant and competitive?

After you become a market leader - what’s next? According to the Innovator’s Dilemma, you are bound to be displaced by a disruptor like you disrupted other incumbents. That might sound depressing, but Christensen offers a way out of the Innovator’s Dilemma.

10. What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture

Author: Ben Horowitz
Published: 2019
Topics: Company Culture, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Historical Case Studies
Key Concept: The book emphasizes that a company’s culture is defined by its actions rather than its stated values. Horowitz argues that leaders' behaviors and decisions shape the organizational culture, which is crucial for long-term success.

In What You Do Is Who You Are, Ben Horowitz explores the vital role of culture in business success. He asserts that culture is not merely a collection of slogans or mission statements; it is formed through consistent actions and decisions by leaders and employees. The book is a practical guide for leaders seeking to create a strong organizational culture of innovation that aligns with their values and drives success.

Bonus: Let My People Go Surfing

Let My People Go Surfing is the personal story of Yvon Chouinard who creates an amazing company driven by his mission and grounded in his values and principles. While it may not contain recepies for success, it's an inspiring and motivating examples to pursue our internal callings.

These are all amazing books. However, we are often left wondering - what's next after reading them. How to put that knowledge into action? Icanpreneur is the easiest way to put all this knowledge into practice and start making progress on your idea.