Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup

I can't recommend that first book enough. It's still the best thing I've read for bootstrappers. Sooner or later, it'll date itself, as it's got lots of practical ideas and numbers and things that don't make for a "timeless classic". But then again, you wanted to start a business rather than have a book to show off on your bookshelf, right?

1. "59 Seconds" http://amzn.to/12DMx27 A good no-nonsense self-help book. Outlines set of strategies for dealing with challenging situations in everyday life, touching on areas such as Parenting, Career, Dating. Author also looks into common misconceptions about how we function and which mental tricks are efficient and which are not so much. 2. "Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup" http://amzn.to/12DMzHt I actually have a blog post on it here - http://blog.nimblegecko.com/when-your-drugs-wear-off/ - in short it's a book for developers that focuses on how to start building an online product, with heavy emphasis on market, and marketing. It also addresses some of the common mistakes we, as developers, tend to make when conceiving and carrying out the execution of an idea. 3. "The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company " ebook - http://amzn.to/V3BxWq dead tree book - http://amzn.to/12DNfwd…

While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read. - Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ - Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/ These are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe. - Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824) This isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor! - Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/) This book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'. Finally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)

In my opinion this is the best book out there I've read relevant to starting your own start up! http://www.startupbook.net/ I've read quite a few and where some are in sightful / useful when scaled or when funded, this book is the best I've read for a typical software developer to have a successful start up business! It is also written by a fellow HN'er Rob Walling - so you know it'll be full of great information! Check out his blog 'SoftwarebyRob' for a taster. http://www.softwarebyrob.com/

http://www.custdev.com/ - Learn how to do Customer Development, an essential component of the Lean Startup philosophy. Learn how to: Find prospects and how to approach them, Develop and iterate your "Minimal Viable Products" (MVPs), Segment markets, position products and when to pivot, Validate before scaling" http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/startup-lessons-learne... (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/startup-lessons-learned-season-one-2008---2009/10286294) - "Written by Eric Ries, one of BusinessWeek's Best Young Entrepreneurs of 2007, Startup Lessons Learned is a collection of 128 essays originally published at StartupLessonsLearned.com from 2008-2009. Each essay, or blog post, is unmodified and presented chronologically, rather then thematically, so that the reader can see ideas develop over time. Eric Ries provides actionable insight and advice on how to build successful products by listening to and learning from your customers. Startup Lessons Learned is a must-read for anyone trying to build a company in this new economy." http://www.startupbook.net/ - "Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup"