Quentin Tarantino forged himself into a legendary filmmaker by watching literally thousands of films. Every scene in a Tarantino film draws on storylines, themes, techniques, and cinematic shots from films throughout the decades.
Likewise, we developed our ability to launch and grow successful businesses by reading books by the savviest entrepreneurs out there. We’ve read hundreds of books, but you’re on a tight schedule, so we’ve narrowed the list to five crucial books you really, really, really should read.
#5: Mastery by Robert Greene
Mastery synthesizes the years of research Robert Greene conducted while writing the international bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction. It demonstrates the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. By analyzing the lives of such past masters as Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Leonard da Vinci, as well as by interviewing nine contemporary masters, including tech guru Paul Graham and animal rights advocate Temple Grandin, Greene debunks our culture’s many myths about genius and distills the wisdom of the ages to reveal the secret to greatness. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters.
#4: Choose Yourself by James Altucher
The world is changing. Markets have crashed. Jobs have disappeared. Industries have been disrupted and remade before our eyes. Everything we aspired to for “security,” everything we thought was “safe,” no longer is: College. Employment. Retirement. Government. It’s all crumbling down. In every part of society, the middlemen are being pushed out of the picture. No longer is someone coming to hire you, to invest in your company, to sign you, to pick you. It’s on you to make the most important decision in your life: Choose yourself!
This book will teach you to do just that. With dozens of case studies, interviews and examples–including the author, investor, and entrepreneur James Altucher’s own heartbreaking and inspiring story–Choose Yourself illuminates your personal path to building a bright, new world out of the wreckage of the old.
#3: Built to Sell by John Warrillow
Most business owners started their company because they wanted more freedom—to work on their own schedules, make the money they deserve, and retire on the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, most owners find that stepping out of the picture is extremely difficult because their business relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, their company—no matter how big or profitable—is essentially worthless. When they leave, the lights go out.
The good news is entrepreneurs can take specific steps—no matter what stage a business is in—to create a valuable, sellable company. Warrillow shows exactly what it takes to create a solid business that can thrive long into the future.
#2: First Things First by Stephen Covey, Roger Merrill and Rebecca Merrill
So you’re getting more done in less time, but you’re lacking rich relationships, inner peace, and balance. Not to mention the confidence that what you’re doing actually matters and is being done well? First Things First can help you understand that our first things often aren’t first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you’re headed is more important than how fast you’re going.
#1: The Startup Equation by Us!
The Startup Equation is the first ever visual guide to launching and growing startups. We crafted it to serve as the comprehensive guide to the entrepreneurial life. Then we packed it with graphics, case studies, and the best entrepreneurial practices. We drew on interviews, case studies, and all those books we’ve read.
We included:
Yeah, we’re biased. We wrote it. But check out a few sample pages and we think you’ll be excited to join us for the entrepreneurial plunge. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it’s a lot easier than reading hundreds of books.
Reading the five above books won’t just make you well-spoken on business at the next cocktail party (which it will also do). It will help you figure out if the entrepreneurial life is for you, and if so, how to live it to the max.