We are born entrepreneurs.
And then we spend the next 12 years at industrialised schooling which quickly whips any kind of creative free thinking spirit out of us. Yes, we learn to conform, follow rules, colour inside the lines, fill in the boxes and get told that the idea of collaborating is actually cheating. Yes, the one thing that makes us such a dominant species (division of labour and skill sharing) is called cheating at school, yet in life and startups it is a fundamental element to success.
Needless to say, once we leave school, and potentially leave an employer for the first time we need to go through some unlearning. I found I had to retrain my thinking to become an entrepreneur again. Yes, all people are born entrepreneurs and it gets knocked out of us in the formal schooling years. I’m pretty sure I was one (an entrepreneur) when I was a little boy digging around in the backyard, exploring and making mistakes and trying things, finding out how things work. And then I forgot that part of the human spirit once I entered the large institutional enclaves of modern society. But I did make a comeback to the spirit we are all born with.
So here’s a list of books which helped me do it. They’re in no particular order. I’ve provided a one-sentence summary of what they taught me as well to see if they might help you.
- Linchpin by Seth Godin: That business is becoming more like art, and that every single one of us is an artist.
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The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki: A no bulldust guide on how to get things done quickly, cheaply and in market.
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Focus by Morle & Liubinskas: A startup reality guide with a succinct scientific approach, which helps you test, learn, fail and win through focus.
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The Long Tail by Chris Anderson: A great summary of the emerging economic system, which is more about niche than it is mass.
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A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink: Helped me see that the future is more suited to creative minds, than rule following left brain logic which is being outsourced to the microchip.
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Freakonomics (series) by Levitt & Dubner: Teaches the power of thinking counter intuitively to see the real world.
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The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris: The ultimate system hacking guide which teaches short cuts using the tools of the internet.
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Antifragile by Nassim Taleb: Helped me see that letting old redundant systems break or be broken (Think finance industry and GFC) is the only way better things can emerge.
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Rework by Jason Fried: Redefining how we can all do great work in the internet generation.
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Brand Hijack by Alex Wipperfurth: The book that defined the power of a creative participating community long before the word crowdsourcing was even invented. Compelling reading.
We so often think about becoming thought leaders in our industry, that we forget how to get there. The best way to do that is to first be a thought follower. We learn from the smart people around us sharing their thoughts and experiences, take what we learn and mash it up into our own viewpoint. Reading some great books is a nice place to start, especially when we have to unlearn some old world thinking.