So, you’ve got an idea. It’s a big one, and you know that if you can bring it into the world, your lofty dreams of entrepreneurship and a “unicorn” startup might really come true.
But before you get started, how can you learn from the creative, driven men and women who once stood in your shoes? That’s where we come in—and we recommend checking out the seven groundbreaking books below.
The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion
By Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell
The definitive story of the rise and fall of WeWork, by the real-life journalists whose Wall Street Journal reporting rocked the company and exposed a financial system drunk on the elixir of Silicon Valley innovation. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell, in the Next Big Idea App
Hangry: A Startup Journey
By Mike Evans
The founder of GrubHub reveals the inside story of how he grew a multibillion-dollar behemoth that changed the way we eat. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Mike Evans, in the Next Big Idea App
Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You’re Not a Rich White Guy
By Kathryn Finney
For all the Builders striving to build their businesses in a world that has overlooked and underestimated them: this is the essential guide to knowing, breaking, remaking, and building your own rules of entrepreneurship. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kathryn Finney, in the Next Big Idea App
Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind
By Andy Dunn
Burn Rate is an unconventional entrepreneurial memoir, a parable for the twenty-first-century economy, and a revelatory look at the prevalence of mental illness in the startup community. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Andy Dunn, in the Next Big Idea App
The Soul of an Entrepreneur: Work and Life Beyond the Startup Myth
By David Sax
An award-winning business writer dismantles the myths of entrepreneurship, replacing them with an essential story about the experience of real business owners in the modern economy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Sax, in the Next Big Idea App
The Unicorn Within: How Companies Can Create Game-Changing Ventures at Startup Speed
By Linda Yates
Imagine if the multinational hotel groups had founded Airbnb, or the big auto companies had launched Uber, or Blockbuster had created Netflix. Large companies can start new ventures. You have ideas, talent, brand, and capital, and you can strike back. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Linda Yates, in the Next Big Idea App
Exit Path: How to Win the Startup End Game
By Touraj Parang
An exit strategy, if implemented early, is the surprising secret to ultimate startup success. Find out why—and how to develop one—in this comprehensive, practical guide from a veteran Silicon Valley dealmaker. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Touraj Parang, in the Next Big Idea App
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