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Bryce G Hoffman
American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company
How Ford Motor Company was saved from near bankruptcy and went on to become one of the most profitable car companies in the world? Although most entrepreneurs hope to never face the herculean task of saving their companies from bankruptcy, most new businesses will undergo financial difficulties at some point, and American Icon offers guidance on how to steer the course.
Recommended by Frederic Kerrest, COO of Okta.
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T.J. Stiles
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
A detailed life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. This is a story of adventure, self-authorship, and grasping the essence of emerging business models before others. As such, it is full of rich parallels to the technology leaders of today.
Recommended by Matt Calkins, co-founder and CEO of Appian
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David Ogilvy
Confessions of an Advertising Man
The tactics and techniques outlined by Ogilvy in this book have been absolutely essential to my growth as a CEO and marketer, and have totally shifted the way I think about advertising. Marketing and advertising are often something that entrepreneurs think of too late in the game, and this book changed my perspective on brand and messaging distillation.
Recommended by John Furneaux, the co-founder and CEO of Hive
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Doris Kearns Goodwin
Leadership: In Turbulent Times
What makes a successful leader during times of crisis? In 2020, we are certainly all being tested on our ability to maintain our productivity, our creativity, and even our sanity. While many of us are focused on the future and how our world is changing, there is much to be learned from leaders of our past. For any entrepreneur or aspiring leader, this book is an insightful read that will inspire.
Recommended by Vanessa Colella, the Head of Citi Ventures.
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Gabriel Weinberg
Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
COVID-19 has brought about so much disruption, but it is also a time of abundant opportunity. Deciding where to channel your limited energy on, can be intimidating. This book simplifies this by introducing a simple yet effective process that breaks marketing and sales down in to a series of experiments that use data to help you find the right channel(s) for your business.
Recommended by Saher Shodhan, CEO of Traktion
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L.A.Cunningham&W.Buffett
The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Fifth Edition
A must-read for anyone who starts, manages or invests in businesses. The author has organized excerpts from Buffet's annual letters into chapters covering topics such as: corporate governance, investing and valuation, executive compensation, mergers & acquisitions, and taxes. A fantastic foundational grounding for entrepreneurs as they embark on their journeys.
Recommended by Bruce Hogan, co-founder and CEO of SoftwarePundit.
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Ashlee Vance
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance. Everyone sees the glitzy press releases and news events, but very few people have understood the almost insurmountable hurdles Musk has gone through to achieve success. This book serves as a reminder of the type of grit it takes to aim high and keep moving forward.
Recommended by Sri Gaddam, founder of Bansuri Media
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Fred Lager
Ben & Jerry's: The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor
A great summer read for entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. An insider's perspective on building a business and a brand while highlighting all the missteps and successes in an engaging and humorous way. It also takes a deep dive into designing a corporate social responsibility program integrated into company strategy.
Recommended by Debika Sihi, associate professor at Southwestern University
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Minda Harts
The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table
With the current state of the world, The Memo is the much-needed career advice guide for women of color specifically, finally ending the one-size-fits-all approach of business books that lump together women across races and overlook the unique barriers to success for women of color. Minda Harts brings her entrepreneurial experience as CEO of The Memo to the page.
Recommended by Katie Kern, partner at MediaFrenzy Global.
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Elad Gil
High Growth Handbook
A great way to start thinking about your startup as an organism that isn't merely fighting for survival, it's fighting to thrive. This thrive mode now has a very different structure than the ‘just surviving’ mode of early seed. You need other people to join the organization that have outside skills that don't help in the early ‘just hack something that people want’ time. HGH helps you understand what that is and when to do it
Recommended by Scott Stephenson, CEO and co-founder of Deepgram
