Gimme 5
…INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS BOOKS
The Gospel of Wealth
Andrew Carnegie
The original wealthy capitalist’s bible, Carnegie’s book explains that growing rich by making well-thought out business decisions is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s among the most patriotic things you could possibly do – as long as you pay your taxes.
The Dilbert Principle
Scott Adams
Entrepreneurs often like to define themselves in opposition to big corpoations. And there’s no better way of reinforcing this identity than reading Adams’s brilliant satire of middle management – or “nature’s way of removing morons from the productive flow,” as he puts it.
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie’s book, first published in 1936, has helped countless budding entrepreneurs pluck up the courage to pitch to a venture capitalist over networking drinks. It’s no surprise Warren Buffet has his “Carnegie diploma” hanging in his office.
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
Isaacson’s biography of the late Steve Jobs illustrates how today’s startup founders are often motivated by the power of tech to change people’s lives. The ups and downs of one of the most influential businessmen of our time make for inspiring reading.
The Long Tail
Chris Anderson
Few people grasp the impact of the internet on business as well as the former Wired editor. He wrote about the implications of Big Data before we understood Excel. Here, he argued that e-commerce is fundamentally altering distribution, making low volume goods commercially viable.