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the best entrepreneurship books

The entrepreneurship and startup books most often recommended by founders themselves — from Y Combinator partners to public-company CEOs. Hand-curated canon plus the contemporary operator-favourites.

36 books, ranked by how many of the 4,800 notable readers in our index have publicly recommended each one.

  1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
    58 people

    The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

    Ben Horowitz · 2014

    58 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  2. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
    54 people

    Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

    Peter Thiel · 2014

    54 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  3. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
    52 people

    Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

    Phil Knight · 2016

    52 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  4. High Output Management
    36 people

    High Output Management

    Andrew S. Grove · 1995

    36 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  5. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
    33 people

    The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

    Eric Ries · 2011

    33 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  6. Steve Jobs
    29 people

    Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson · 2011

    29 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  7. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
    28 people

    Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

    Ashlee Vance · 2015

    28 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  8. Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
    21 people

    Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

    Ed Catmull · 2014

    21 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  9. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
    21 people

    Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

    Simon Sinek · 2009

    21 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  10. The E-Myth Revisited : Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What to Do About It
    19 people

    The E-Myth Revisited : Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What to Do About It

    Michael E. Gerber · 1995

    19 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  11. Sam Walton: Made in America
    17 people

    Sam Walton: Made in America

    Sam Walton · 1993

    17 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  12. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
    16 people

    Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

    Geoffrey A. Moore · 2006

    16 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  13. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2)
    15 people

    Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2)

    Jim Collins · 2004

    15 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  14. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
    14 people

    The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

    Brad Stone · 2013

    14 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  15. ReWork: (Vermilion Life Essentials)
    13 people

    ReWork: (Vermilion Life Essentials)

    Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson · 2010

    13 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  16. Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
    10 people

    Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

    Jessica Livingston · 2007

    10 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  17. Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
    9 people

    Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

    Brent Schlender · 2015

    9 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  18. Venture Deals
    9 people

    Venture Deals

    Brad Feld · 2011

    9 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  19. Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
    9 people

    Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future

    Blake Masters · 2014

    9 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  20. Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business
    8 people

    Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business

    Paul Jarvis · 2019

    8 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  21. Anything You Want: 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur
    7 people

    Anything You Want: 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur

    Derek Sivers · 2015

    7 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  22. Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
    7 people

    Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

    Geoffrey A. Moore · 2014

    7 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  23. Remote: Office Not Required
    6 people

    Remote: Office Not Required

    David Heinemeier Hansson & Jason Fried · 2013

    6 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  24. The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
    6 people

    The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

    Walter Isaacson · 2014

    6 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  25. Elon Musk
    5 people

    Elon Musk

    Walter Isaacson · 2023

    5 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  26. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
    5 people

    The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

    Chris Guillebeau · 2012

    5 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  27. Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere
    3 people

    Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere

    Tsedal Neeley · 2021

    3 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  28. Made in America
    2 people

    Made in America

    Sam Walton · 2018

    2 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  29. The Mom Test
    2 people

    The Mom Test

    Rob Fitzpatrick · 2019

    2 recommenders

    AmazonBookshop
  30. Built to Last
    1 person

    Built to Last

    Erin Hahn · 2022

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  31. Made in America
    1 person

    Made in America

    Bill Bryson · 2001

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  32. Remote
    1 person

    Remote

    Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson · 2013

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  33. Steve Jobs
    1 person

    Steve Jobs

    Jessie Hartland · 2015

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  34. Steve Jobs - iLeadership
    1 person

    Steve Jobs - iLeadership

    Jay Elliot · 2011

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  35. Steve Jobs & the Next Big Thing
    1 person

    Steve Jobs & the Next Big Thing

    Randall E. Stross · 1993

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop
  36. The Lean Startup: A Complete Summary For Busy People
    1 person

    The Lean Startup: A Complete Summary For Busy People

    Vocreo Publishing · 2015

    1 recommender

    AmazonBookshop

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Methodology: each book is ranked by the number of recommenders in our index who have publicly endorsed it. Curated topics use a hand-picked book list; year-stamped pages query our index by publication year. More on methodology →