Blue Ocean Strategy

I also liked "Never Split the Difference", I rarely read and enjoy books in that category. Related, I got a lot out of "Blue Ocean Strategy", though that was more than a decade ago.

I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years. emyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org) getting to yes (negotiation) influence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation) spin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler) You cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales) 5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books) first break all the rules (management) accounting for dummies purple cow (differentiation) blue ocean strategy (differentiation) traction (strategy/operations) rocketfuel (strategy/operations) for professional services: managing the professional services firm getting naked

Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim As a software engineer, I've come to really love how good products are built and how to explore new markets. While I don't think it's a life-changing book, it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused (also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One)

Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs. Creating uncontested market space for yourself and making the competition irrelevant. Visual Communication -- old book currently out of print but timeless principles for effective communication. Visual communication is often more effective than words. Eat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape. You do not need to live on steamed broccoli and granola to do this! Lots of bland foods are unhealthy and lots of healthy foods are actually tasty. You just need to know which ones. How to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'. Read it to to build a community around http://AfriTech.org Positioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place Writing Non Fiction -- another old book that is out of print but lots of good ideas on how to communicate effectively

The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore Business Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Also, see: http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs) http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read) http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads) and http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Business Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder

I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation: The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker Marketing High Technology by William Davidow Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg For an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf) There is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf

some that haven't been mentioned: - the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen - blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful - high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info - negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini (useful for more than just startups) - maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham) - founders at work (livingston) to get inspired +1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start blogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki -drew