


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.

Using data the right way can help you steer your business away from mistakes and towards the promised land of customers and profits. This book steers you in the right direction with case studies and insights that show you how to validate your initial idea, find the right customers, decide what to build, how to monetize your business, and how to spread the word and get customers.

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.

Joey Coleman's book isn't about focusing on marketing, or closing the sale. Rather it is to undergo the customer journey in their first 100 days and manage all the interactions and experiences of the customer that can turn them into a lifelong customer. Coleman's system is presented through research and case studies showing how best-in-class companies create remarkable customer experiences at each step in the customer lifecycle.

Most companies think they deliver great customer service, but only 8 percent consumers agree. With smartphones and social media, haters can now express displeasure faster and more publicly than ever. Jay Baer talks about how to deal with the two kinds haters through hilarious examples of haters gone wild, and companies gone crazy, as well as inspirational stories of companies responding with speed, compassion, and humanity.

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."