01
The Lean Startup
Test an idea through small experiments, customer feedback and measurable learning before committing more time or money.
Best forTesting your first business idea.
The reading library
BUSINESS & SIDE HUSTLES · 25 BOOKS
Turn an idea into a useful next step.
25 reads selected from Patrick Bet-David’s published entrepreneur recommendations. Explore testing an idea, finding customers, building systems and leading a team.
Showing books and podcasts
Choose one useful next read.
Start with the first three picks if you’re new to this topic, or use “Best for” to find the book that fits your goal. Read one idea, then try one small action.
A selection of books on starting a business, testing ideas, leadership and growth. Some titles use the current or expanded edition. Amazon links are ordinary links with no affiliate commission. New titles’ review counts are not yet verified against the 400-ratings threshold; check the edition and current reviews before buying.
02
The E-Myth Revisited
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
Explore how repeatable systems and clear responsibilities can help a small business depend less on its owner doing every task.
Best forBuilding a business around repeatable delivery.
03
Built to Sell
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
A business story about turning an owner-dependent service into a more focused, repeatable offer that other people can deliver.
Best forClarifying and standardising a service.
04
Zero to One
Consider differentiation, competition and the assumptions behind a new venture. Its technology-startup perspective may need adapting to a small side hustle.
Best forFinding a distinctive offer.
05
Blue Ocean Strategy
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
Explore ways to rethink what customers value and how an offer could compete on something other than the same features or price.
Best forLooking for a different way to serve customers.
06
Business Model Generation
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
Use a visual framework to connect customers, value, channels, activities, costs and revenue. Turn assumptions into questions you can investigate.
Best forSketching how an idea could work as a business.
07
Made to Stick
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Explore why some ideas are easier to understand and remember. Apply the principles to explaining a service or customer problem clearly.
Best forCommunicating what your business does.
08
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
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Consider how people categorise brands and how an offer can occupy a clear place in a customer’s mind. Some examples reflect an earlier advertising era.
Best forMaking your offer easier to distinguish.
09
The One Thing
A framework for narrowing your attention to a priority and protecting time for it. Use it to choose one practical business action this week.
Best forMaking progress alongside an existing job.
10
Principles: Life and Work
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
A personal framework for decisions, feedback and working relationships. Examine which ideas fit your own team and circumstances rather than adopting every rule.
Best forWriting down your decision-making principles.
11
High Output Management
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Explore management practices around meetings, feedback, responsibilities and team output. More relevant as a solo project grows into a team.
Best forManaging people and delivery.
12
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
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A founder’s perspective on difficult decisions, uncertainty and leadership. Venture-backed company examples offer lessons to assess in your own context.
Best forUnderstanding the difficult side of running a company.
13
The Founder’s Dilemmas
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Explore early choices about co-founders, roles, ownership and funding, and how those choices can affect a venture later.
Best forThinking carefully before starting with a partner.
14
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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A structured view of identifying opportunities and turning change into an enterprise. Use its questions to look beyond an exciting idea to a useful need.
Best forRecognising and evaluating opportunities.
15
Competitive Strategy
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An analytical approach to industries, competitors and strategic choices. A more demanding read for someone ready to study their market in depth.
Best forUnderstanding the market you want to enter.
16
Only the Paranoid Survive
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Explore how major changes can disrupt a business and how leaders recognise turning points. Reflect on the assumptions your own offer depends on.
Best forPreparing for shifts in customers or competition.
17
Built to Last
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A study of established companies and the practices associated with their longevity. Treat the examples as ideas to examine, not a guarantee of success.
Best forThinking beyond the first sale.
18
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
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Explore priorities, measures and meeting rhythms for a growing company. Begin with one lightweight practice rather than adding unnecessary administration.
Best forCreating a regular operating rhythm.
19
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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A leadership story about trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and results. Useful for reflecting on how partners or a small team work together.
Best forImproving teamwork and accountability.
20
Multipliers
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
Explore how leadership behaviours can encourage or restrict the contribution of others. Consider how you ask questions and delegate responsibilities.
Best forHelping other people do their best work.
21
Trillion Dollar Coach
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Lessons from Bill Campbell’s work with technology leaders, focusing on coaching, trust and team relationships. Adapt the examples to your business size.
Best forUnderstanding coaching and leadership relationships.
22
The CEO Next Door
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
Explore behaviours associated with leadership, including decisions, reliability and adaptation. Choose one behaviour to practise in your current work.
Best forDeveloping leadership habits.
23
Originals
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Explore how people develop and champion new ideas, handle uncertainty and challenge established approaches. Useful for questioning how an idea can be tested.
Best forMoving an unusual idea towards an experiment.
24
Decisive
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
A decision-making framework for widening options, checking assumptions and preparing for uncertainty. Apply it before a major business commitment.
Best forMaking a business decision with more perspective.
25
The Five Temptations of a CEO
Check current reviews and the edition on Amazon.
A short leadership story about choices that can distract leaders from accountability and results. Reflect on how you handle feedback and difficult conversations.
Best forRecognising unhelpful leadership patterns.
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE, ON THE GO
Five different perspectives.
Listen on a walk, on your commute
or when you have a moment to yourself.
business
PBD Podcast
With Patrick Bet-David
Interviews and discussions spanning business, finance, politics and current affairs. Choose episodes relevant to your business question; it is not solely a business tutorial.
Explore the podcastbusiness
Side Hustle School
With Chris Guillebeau
Short stories about building an extra income stream alongside existing work. Look for one small experiment you could adapt rather than expecting the same earnings.
Explore the podcastbusiness
How I Built This
With Guy Raz
Founder interviews exploring the decisions, setbacks and experiences behind businesses. Use the stories to ask better questions about your own idea.
Explore the podcastbusiness
My First Million
With Sam Parr and Shaan Puri
Conversations about business ideas and company-building. Treat ideas and earnings examples as prompts for research, not forecasts for your own venture.
Explore the podcastbusiness
Masters of Scale
With Reid Hoffman, Jeff Berman and guests
Conversations with founders and business leaders about growing companies. Consider which lessons suit a small business and which depend on a larger team or funding.
Explore the podcastLinks go to creator websites or official podcast feeds. These are editorial suggestions, not paid placements or endorsements by the hosts.
Put one idea into practice.
Choose one customer problem and a small experiment you can try this week.
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