The Startup Owner's Manual

The startup playbook. All the basics: https://playbook.samaltman.com/ The Startup Owner's Manual: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/09... (https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/0984999302) Nobody seems to recommend this because nobody has finished reading it, but it's meant to be acted on, not finished. There are literally checklists. It's also hard to get a soft copy, but th soft copies are useful for printing out the checklists. Paul Graham has changed the definition of a startup, but I still love the one from here - the goal of a startup is to have a scalable and repeatable business model. Startup=Growth, by Paul Graham https://paulgraham.com/growth.html I'd recommend the whole site, and many do. But start here. Many don't understand that startups are about growing assets, not revenue. And exponential is a funny word for "very slow". If you wanted to grow to a million dollars, do anything but a startup and don't raise VC money. But this shows how the math works. High Growth Handbook: https://growth.eladgil.com/…

If you've read the right books, you will be motivated. I started a startup after binging through Paul Graham's essays and The Startup Owner's Manual; it made the whole idea of a startup seem like an easy step-by-step process. Some people do the same after reading CTCI and applying for FAANG. I'd argue too many read the simple books. You have to slog through the tough content, actually apply the content to your work, and find a book that fixes the next problem you hit. Action is the spark that ignites the fire, but knowledge is the fuel. I've worked almost 10 years in startups and I wish the people who ran them read books other than Rich Dad Poor Dad.

> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany Good (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models. > - The Lean Startup An excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)