The season is winding down, and we are getting ready for summer break. On that note, let me give you some summer reading. Here are five books you can read while you wait for next fall's next season.
1. The Art of the Start By Guy Kawasaki
When I was younger, I wanted to be Guy Kawaski. The former Apple evangelist and legendary angel investor, Kawaski's books are always on the top of my startup reader. The Art of the Start, forces the reader (and entrepreneur) to stick to grounded first principles in thinking through their potential opportunity. Kawaski's no BS prose is easy to digest even if you think Apple is still only a fruit.
2. Do More Faster By Brad Feld and David Cohen
In this latest tech bubble, Tech Stars is becoming a big name. With half a dozen locations across America this seed fund seeks to mentor and house the next generation of tech gods. Feld and Cohen have asked their best investments to share what they have learned from the process.
3. Founders at Work By Jessica Livingston
My father says "If you don't learn from others, you will learn from failure" and that's premise of this collection of founder stories. Livingston, a partner at y combinator in Silicon Valley, sits down with more than two dozen startup founders to discover what it takes to become the next Jobs, Gates or Zuckenberg. A fascinating first person read.
4. The Startup Game By William Draper
Draper, a legendary venture capitalist, walks through the relationship between founder and funder. Coming from a guy whose family had a hand in funding: Skype, Hotmail, OpenTable, and many other companies, this guy knows his stuff. In these pages, Draper explores how to evaluate innovative ideas and the entrepreneurs behind those ideas, and he shares lessons from Yahoo, Zappos, Tesla Motors, and Activision. If you want to better understand the investors' perspective start here.
5. Dragons' Den: Success From Pitch To Profit by Duncan Bannatyne
Some fans are amazed to learn that CBC didn't invent Dragons' Den. Fans are often more amazed to hear that the show has dozens localized versions, including: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Finland, Japan and Israel. By far the most famous version comes from our friends at the BBC in the United Kingdom. Having been a top hit for years, the UK Dragons' sit down with host Evan Davis to share views from their side of the stage. A fascinating read for fans and pitchers alike.
So what will you be reading this summer as you await next season? Share with me below in the comments. Best suggestions wins a copy of my book, How to be a Business Superhero.
Posted on Apr 1, 2011 7:00:00 AM
