If you had to recommend 1 book - what would it be?
There's a ton of great books out there. But what if you had just one book you could recommend to Indie hackers starting a new business?
Mine would be Start Small, Stay Small by @robwalling. I love the opinionated approach of avoiding outside capital and keeping things simple. I think it's a great fit for people with the Indie Hacker mentality.
What would you recommend?
The Personal MBA, by Josh Kaufman, is the best book I know about understanding Businesses, People and Systems at a fundamental level. Once I read it, no business industry/idea felt "scary" anymore. Great place to start, and revisit often.
As it is for maker-advice, I'll have to stick to 'Getting Real' by 37 Signals (Jason Fried & DHH). Just the best no-nonsense book full of practical tips you can use straight away. Also very short and easy to read.
https://basecamp.com/books/Getting Real.pdf
As for 'a good startup story', I'd pick 'Delivering Happiness' by Tony Hsieh, founder of online shoe company Zappos. His story of selling a former startup for multiple millions, then enjoys spending the money for a while, rans into someone which he starts Zappos with, from there the whole Zappos rollercoaster begins with big focus on customer service (including some super cool stories around customer service). Super interesting, best (hidden) HR book out there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqNIvcJUyzs
Absolutely! I recall "Getting Real" as the first book I actually bought many copies of and gave as a gift to friends as a "you have to read this"-book.
Haha did the exact same thing! And lend my own version out many times, so many that I don't own it anymore... haha
Getting Real was my second option. DHH and Jason Fried were the first ones to be so outspoken about finding a simpler way to run your business. I think it changed many people's way of thinking.
Delivering Happiness is great too
REWORK by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson!
It's almost 9 years since the first edition was published, but still the only book I gift people who wishes to start building something - irrespective of the field.
Totally agree
ANTIFRAGILE by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
It influenced how I approach risk taking, acquire information in uncertain situations, and benefit from uncertainty while still being insulated from the downsides. I highly recommend it to all indie makers & small business owners.
Sounds good. I read it's part of a series. Did you read the previous book as well, or can I start with Antifragile?
I read all of them, and I recommend them all. But Antifragile is probably my favorite. It can still be read on its own.
Lost and Founder of Rand Fishkin (founder of MOZ) for a great learning on startup challanges.
Yup, loved that one too. Great insights into the struggles of an entrepreneur.
I haven't read super-widely in this space, but really enjoyed "Company of One" by Paul Jarvis. Thought provoking without forcing any idea down your throat.
On my list: "Profit First" and "Atomic Habits"
+1 for both Atomic Habits and Company of One. Haven't read Profit First, but the other two are super solid. I just finished my second read through of Atomic Habits!
Good one, read that one too!
If you are looking for more recommendations, I posted this discussion to Twitter and there are some responses there too.
The average is over.
That one was impressively prescient.
If I really had to only pick one I'd say Atomic Habbits by James Clear left a good mark on me.
Lean Analytics
You gotta focus on the right metrics early on and track your progress accurately.
Hmm tough one, can I pick two?
The Lean Startup is a classic, and I've recently picked up The Founder's Dilemma and love it.
No you can't, that's the whole point;-)
Didn't know Founders Dillema, looks interesting!
It is! It's a bit heavy, the person who wrote it analyzed 10k startups to see what makes them tick, and pitfalls to avoid so def something to read a bit here and there to get through it all
Was also going to come in here and recommend Start Small Stay Small, but you beat me to it!
Yeah, it's a great book!
Zero to One from Peter Thiel is also a good one that really makes you think
Since the Coronavirus started I have become an avid reader of dozens of entrepreneurship books, this are one of the best books I have ever read:
I am sure you will love this ones,
Take care fellows
S.Brooks
www.protegerphp.com/en
Just finished 'Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhowser' - read that and see how a great leader gets things done; may put into perspective the relatively small problems you/we are trying to solve by comparison on a daily basis.
Also found it fascinating how he dealt with the many difficult personalities / leaders and how he managed to negotiate with them and get things done even though in many cases he had no direct authority over the many people involved.
Fascinating read - doubley so if you are a history buff.
I just read Outcomes over Outputs by Josh Seiden. It's a bit more targeted at enterprise, I think, but the lessons are critically important for folks on shoestring budgets and trying to get something off the ground. It's not about what you build, it's about what behaviors you empower in your users.
I also read it entirely on my mobile phone while at a concert, so it's a short and engrossing read that might also make your wife very mad at you. ¯\(ツ)/¯
That must have been a boring concert:-)
Marie Curie by Eve Curie. Read it.
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill
For Indie Hackers, I would recommend Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
This memoir covers the early years of Nike, when Knight was basically trying to bootstrap his "Crazy Idea" into existence. It is the most honest memoir I've ever read. You will cringe at Knight's awkwardness throughout.
While it's not supposed to be a "tactical manual" for business, it conveys what I think is the most important lesson a builder can internalize: despite the obstacles (including your own inadequacies) just keep believing and keep pushing.
Difficult to say but "Anything you want" by Derek Sivers was important. You "can go big or you can go small", "Only do what makes you happy" and "Make your personal dream come true" even that sound all cliche but are necessary trues when creating a business
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