5 Recent “Must Read” Books About Entrepreneurs

Twitter to Nike, Buzz Lightyear to bananas— there’s some great lessons out there.

I’m a nerd, and I like reading. Between regular commutes to Palo Alto and lazy weekends in Dolores Park, I’ve recently found time to continue filling out my library. I’m often asked by friends (many from startups and business school) if there are books about entrepreneurs worth checking out. Glancing at my bookshelf, it sure feels like the publishing world has eagerly fed into the recent entrepreneurship frenzy. Among the many new titles, here’s five books that rise above the rest:

(1) Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull (2014)

Any list of great books about starting a business should begin with Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc., the story behind the founding of Pixar. Early in his career, Catmull becomes obsessed with the idea of using computers to tell stories — a concept so “out there” at the time that not even Lucasfilm (where Catmull worked) would embrace it. Over the following decades, inspiration blossoms into a business that changed the way movies are made. In Creativity, Inc., Catmull takes readers behind-the-scenes on his personal voyage of discovery. The payoff is a better understanding of what it takes to build a lasting, creative organization.

Among the most valuable lessons, a few stick out for me: follow your passion, encourage people creatively, and create a culture of candor. These lessons are learned through examples large and small. For example, the hiring of a young artist named Jon Lassiter helps Pixar embrace the importance of storytelling in its creation. A culture of candor creates a system for giving constructive and honest feedback to its directors. Some of the most memorable movie moments wouldn’t have existed without the right people and processes in place.

Creativity, Inc. is also fun. Readers triumph at the release of Toy Story and Pixar’s subsequent $140 million initial public offering. Steve Jobs looms as a larger-than-life figure as he swoops in to finance the struggling company and negotiate its $7 billion sale to Disney. It’s fascinating to hear how movies like A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E became reality. It’s important for creative organizations to better understand how to create enduring success. As Pixar continues to thrive today, this is a great book to find answers.

(2) Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton (2013)

Some companies have inspirational founding myths, others have somewhat darker stories of Machiavellian maneuvering and Shakespearian tragedy. Twitter is among the latter. Behind the rise of the little blue bird is a tale filled with strained friendships, hurt egos, and heart-wrenching betrayal all set to the backdrop of Silicon Valley wealth and excess. None of the book’s main characters emerges unscathed.

The book navigates through the lives and early stories of the Twitter founding team: Ev Williams, Noah Glass, Jack Dorsey, and Biz Stone. It circles through the struggles and inner tensions of Odeo, Inc., the podcasting company that directly preceded Twitter and ultimately failed. Somewhere amid the drunken nights of vodka Red Bull and growing office tensions, the inspiration for a 140-character “status updates” emerges that would change the way people communicate. It’s also at this point that the narrative turns darker turn. It’s not enough to have the right product at the right time — a phenomenon Twitter enjoyed from 2008–2011 — you must also have a great team capable of working together. Twitter simply did not.

The remainder of the book is a whirlwind of secret meetings, inglorious firings, and internal breakdowns. Characters jockey for control of Twitter and credit for its creation. The company cycles through four CEOs in a matter of years. By the end of the book, I felt like I was holding something dirty. The characters — founders, investors, employees — are both hard to stomach or turn away from. The book is a valuable lesson on the importance of establishing a trusting team capable of working together and just how human people become in times of great stress.

(3) The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen (2013)

Entrepreneurs don’t give up and Samuel Zemurray never did. In Rich Cohen’s gripping (and sometimes sensationalized) biography, I learned about the life of one of America’s most tenacious corporate characters and his fruit empire. The Fish That Ate the Whale is the story of one hell-raising entrepreneur taking on the world.

Zemurray begins the story as a humble American emigrant and ends it as a Central American “banana king” who lends his influence to help found the country of Israel. Through grit and action, he constantly works to secure a larger piece of the American dream for himself, even if that means stepping on toes along the way. Stories in this book include sending mercenaries to another country to foment revolution and launching a boardroom takeover of a former competitor: the United Fruit Company.

While it’s worth questioning whether there’s too much hyperbole and bravado in the writing style, it’s a gripping tale and among the better biographies I’ve read. I didn’t know who Zemurray was coming into the book, but I don’t think I will ever forget his story.

(4) The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries (2011)

I work at eShares, Inc., and each new employee is encouraged to read Eric Ries’ book expounding the principles of continuous innovation and lean manufacturing. Within it’s pages, we learn about Ries’ failures at two companies and the learnings he takes away from these experiences.

After unsuccessful stints at two previous startups — Catalyst Recruiting and There, Inc. — Ries begins to question why he works the way he does. Is it possible to build better, more useful products and features quickly? What emerges is a new worldview on developing products: the lean startup model. Rather than build towards large launches with what he thinks users might want, he begins to release hypothesis-driven products at a much smaller scale. After validating learnings from each experiment, Ries releases another small test to learn just a bit more. Eventually this iterative approach helps unlock what users really care about.

This book reads more like theory than narrative, but the message is invaluable for those looking to learn and build products quickly. Since The Lean Startup’s release, it has become a staple among software businesses and seen its author become a well-regarded thinker in the space. For those looking to build their own ideas, this book is a great starting point to structure that journey.

(5) Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight (2016)

Bill Gates included the memoir by Nike’s founder among his favorite books of 2016, which is where I first heard of it. The biography follows Phil Knight from his earliest days in Oregon through the founding of the company that would change the sports world. It’s a whirlwind tale that navigates deftly through one man’s incredible journey to turn his passion for shoes into something bigger.

The story builds from Nike’s tumultuous beginnings to its ultimate glory. In addition to the thrills that come from creating the brand behind the swoosh, Knight includes candid glimpses into Nike’s stormier side: near mental breakdowns, constant cash flow issues, corporate espionage, firings, and even the death of close friends. It’s the author’s deeply introspective and honest insight that elevates it to greatness, something Gates appreciated:

Readers looking for a lesson from Knight’s book may leave this book disappointed. I don’t think Knight sets out to teach the reader anything. There are no tips or checklists. Instead, Knight accomplishes something better. He tells his story as honestly as he can. It’s an amazing tale. It’s real. And you’ll understand in the final pages why, despite all of the hardships he experienced along the way, Knight says, “God, how I wish I could relive the whole thing.” — Bill Gates, 12/05/2016

Shoe Dog beautifully combines lessons from other books on this list. It features the same creative inspiration felt in Creativity, Inc. and the turmoil of Hatching Twitter. Bill Bowerman’s use of a waffle iron to test a shoe prototype echoes The Lean Startup while Phil Knight’s never-say-die spirit rings of The Fish That Ate The Whale. It’s a powerful book that touches on what it takes for an entrepreneur to just do it. It’s real, it’s human, it’s wonderful.