Rob Fitzpatrick has written the most essential book on validating your business ideas correctly and in a way that is practical and will save you time, money, and heartbreak. It's a short book that basically says that you shouldn't ask anyone if your business is a good idea, because it's a bad question and everyone is bound to lie in varying degrees. It's not their responsibility to tell you the truth, but yours to extract it correctly. And this book can teach you how.
Just as laws govern nature and physics, Al Ries and Jack Trout decode the laws that govern marketing in their book. Learn about the law of Leadership, Category, the Mind, and more to help yo sell your products successfully and build a valuable business. Violate these laws at your own risk.
Ben Horowitz knows how hard it is to run a business, and he is brutally honest about it. The cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz draws on his experiences in founding, running, selling, and investing in companies. The book offers essential advice and practical wisdom for navigating the toughest problems in running your venture that business schools don't cover.
Coming up with great product or brand names is hard. Alexandra Watkins shows you the SMILE and SCRATCH methodology to create memorable and effective brand names, even if you're a noncreative.
Another fantastic book by Ryan Holiday where he uncovers that there is a defined formula for success that is timeless, and you can follow it too. To quote Marcus Aurelius, "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."
A step-by-step, encyclopedic reference manual by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf on how to build and scale a successful startup. Best to read this book in parts and reference it whenever you need help with a particular section.
