Building a Startup? Here are 8 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

The first on our list is this classic which made the concepts “minimum viable product” and “pivoting” a common term in the startup community. The book essentially teaches you how to build products using minimal resources while still aiming to create something big and disruptive. It also teaches entrepreneurs to put customers at the center of the process, listening and learning from their feedback.

Ries’ lean approach, although initially designed for building tech startups, also opened the doors for other types of businesses – social enterprises, small businesses, and traditional corporations – to follow suit and start innovating. Eric Tomacruz, PhilDev’s Executive Vice-Chairman, considers this book as a must-read as it “emphasizes continuous innovation to succeed”.

Ever thought about a valuable company that nobody is building? Peter Thiel, Co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, asks in Zero to One this contrarian question to teach entrepreneurs to think that in building companies, it isn’t enough to create value. Peter writes, “You also need to capture some of the value you create.”

This recommendation was from Kevin dela Cruz, PhilDev’s Entrepreneurship and Incubation Manager. He wrote, “The book provides insights that help in how startups can be launched successfully from an idea to a venture that has a sustainable impact. Also, this is a reference that is made available for all entrepreneurs who want to not just earn profit, but to be large enough to be adopted as a groundbreaking solution for local and global market frontiers.”

An entrepreneur works 24/7. Most often, we see them juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, whether that be building a product while managing business finances, while also marketing, and onboarding new teammates. You can almost imagine the chaos happening inside their minds.

If you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, you may want to consider reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. Deep Work teaches readers how mastering focus can help you become more productive and yield better results. 

Bella Angela Del Rio, PhilDev’s Communications Assistant, writes, “I think there are times where we associate busyness with productivity, where we batch small tasks that don’t create much value in the world. This book taught me how to set aside distractions and deliberately focus on the work that can add value to my life or someone else’s life.”

Every entrepreneur dreams of the time when their startup turns into a “scaleup”. But what makes a startup successful? Hoffman and Yeh note that it’s not because of the founders nor venture capitalists, but the ability to blitzscale. 

This must-read book offers a framework that will show you how you can build a company and capture markets at lightning speed, especially when competition is tough. It’s packed with case studies from startup experiences and actionable pieces of advice from Hoffman and Yeh.

Eric further notes a lesson he learned after reading the book, “When a market is up for grabs, the risk isn’t inefficiency — the risk is playing it too safe.”

Former United States’ Navy SEAL officers, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, offer a unique take on building high-performance teams in startups and organizations. Serving in the Navy for years, Willink and Babin’s rich experience led them to writing the book Extreme Ownership which codified the mindset and leadership principles they learned in the battlefield. 

This piqued the interest of Martin Pascual, a PhilDev Trustee. He shares that the book ultimately teaches readers about responsibility and accountability even when the times are tough. “[It’s a] great book on taking full responsibility and ownership. There are no shortcuts to resourcefulness and hard work and going above and beyond what is needed,” Martin added.

They say books are a thing of the past, but we can learn a lot from peoples’ past experiences and lessons. This is exactly what Viktor Frankl’s memoir did. Experiencing life not just in one but four Nazi camps, Frankl vividly narrated his suffering and the challenges that went his way. Man’s Search for Meaning documented how because of these experiences, Frankl made a realization that changed the way people view their lives forever.

Whether reading Frankl or not, these life lessons can also be applied in building startups. Martin notes,” [The book] empowers entrepreneurs to discipline and take control of situations and accept ultimate accountability for their actions.”

Untamed is another New York Times bestselling memoir about the journey of a woman to empowerment and finding her truest self. The book teaches readers about the various challenges women face in their daily lives and how these limit them from truly living.

Jonesy Castro, PhilDev US’ Executive Director, shares that the book is a must-read not just for entrepreneurs but for everyone. “A great book for all the women out there! (Actually, good for all the men too – fathers, brothers, colleagues, and boyfriends/husbands). [It’s about] finding your voice and your truest self and how to navigate life amidst the expectations society has set for women,” Jonesy added.

The last on our list is a book that offers a way for startups to work more transparently and efficiently. John Doerr’s Measure What Matters puts forth the OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) approach to goal-setting. According to Doerr, OKRs surface the most important work in an organization or company. It teaches entrepreneurs like you the value of working together towards a common goal and the mechanism to do just that.

This is a must-read for me especially if you’re just starting to build your company. This book will help you focus and prioritize the most important things to accomplish first for your startup. The OKR approach will also help you foster a transparent and collaborative culture within your team early on.