Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built


Duncan Clark - 2016
    Alibaba’s $25 billion IPO in 2014 was the largest global IPO ever. A Rockefeller of his age who is courted by CEOs and Presidents around the world, Jack is an icon for China’s booming private sector and the gatekeeper to hundreds of millions of middle class consumers.Duncan Clark first met Jack in 1999 in the small apartment where Jack founded Alibaba. Granted unprecedented access to a wealth of new material including exclusive interviews, Clark draws on his own experience as an early advisor to Alibaba and two decades in China chronicling the Internet’s impact on the country to create an authoritative, compelling narrative account of Alibaba’s rise.How did Jack overcome his humble origins and early failures to achieve massive success with Alibaba? How did he outsmart rival entrepreneurs from China and Silicon Valley? Can Alibaba maintain its 80% market share? As it forges ahead into finance and entertainment, are there limits to Alibaba’s ambitions?  How does the Chinese government view its rise?  Will Alibaba expand further overseas, including in the U.S.?Clark tells Alibaba’s tale in the context of China’s momentous economic and social changes, illuminating an unlikely corporate titan as never before.

First, Break all the Rules, Summary


Marcus Buckingham - 2011
    This is a summary of First Break all the rulesThe complete book can be found here: First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams


Jeff Walker - 2014
    Whether you've already got a business or you're itching to start one, this is a recipe for getting more traction.Think about it: what if you could launch like Apple or the big Hollywood studios? What if your prospects eagerly counted down the days until they could buy your product? What if you could create such powerful positioning in your market that you all but eliminated your competition? And you could do all that no matter how humble your business or budget?Since 1996 Jeff Walker has been creating hugely successful online launches. After bootstrapping his first Internet business from his basement, he quickly developed an underground process for launching new products and businesses with unprecedented success.But the success-train was just getting started; once he started teaching his formula to other entrepreneurs, the results were simply breathtaking. Tiny, home-based businesses started doing launches that sold tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars in sales with their launches.Launch is the treasure map into that world; an almost secret world of digital entrepreneurs who create cash-on-demand paydays with their product launches and business launches.Whether you have an existing business, or you have a service-based business and want to develop your own products so you can leverage your time and your impact, or you're still in the planning phase, this is how you start fast. This formula is how you engineer massive success.Now the question is this : are you going to start slow, and fade away from there? Or are you ready for a launch that will change the future of your business and your life?

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You


Sherry Walling - 2018
     You run a business. And running a business is hard. It can ruin your health. It can ruin your relationships. It can ruin your life. But only if you don’t equip yourself for the journey. The burden of responsibility, the weight of stress and the loneliness of running your business are a far cry from your friends who work salaried jobs. The stress and loneliness are real. Sometimes too real. The path of least resistance is to let the stress and isolation of starting, running and growing a business infiltrate most aspects of your life. Trust us, we’ve seen it. Over and over we’ve watched our fellow entrepreneurs succumb to the mental toll and chaos of running a business. We’ve also experienced it firsthand as we’ve launched and grown our own businesses. Odds are good that you’ve been overwhelmed at some point. Maybe you’ve tried talking to your spouse. That can work for a while… but your spouse is not your therapist. And placing them in this role inevitably leads to misunderstandings, fatigue and arguments. Maybe you’ve talked to friends. But if they aren’t entrepreneurs, they likely don’t understand what you’re going through. Or maybe you’ve read self help books only to find that books about stress management typically don’t take into account the unique experience of entrepreneurs. Or they’re ‘lifehacks’ written by a blogger with no formal training or credentials, offering advice based on anecdotes, not science. Why do I need this book? You want to invest in yourself (and consequently, your business). You want to learn proven strategies, tactics and techniques to overcome the challenges that cause you heartburn and headaches. You want to get off the treadmill of stress, anxiety and isolation that entrepreneurship brings. You want to prevent burnout, depression, isolation, and the emergence of damaging coping strategies and self-sabotaging choices. Every aspect of this book is a pairing of psychological expertise with decades of entrepreneurial experience. Here are just a few things you will take away from this book: New ways to deal with the freedom, responsibility and existential fear that go along with being an entrepreneur How to overcome the single biggest challenge every entrepreneur faces How a single shift in mindset can make a lifelong difference in your success, happiness and fulfillment Why knowing yourself and where you came from is crucial to your success How to succeed as an entrepreneur no matter your personality type How to keep stress from ruining your life and relationships Identifying and dealing with depression, anxiety, burnout, ADHD and other common psychological burdens How to get more things done – and faster – by dealing with procrastination, distraction and muddled priorities Staying connected with your significant other, friends and key colleagues How to deal with overwhelming success and (seemingly) massive failures How to find personal calm in the midst of chaos And much more...

The Real Deal: My Story from Brick Lane to Dragons' Den


James Caan - 2008
    Armed with this advice, natural charm and the Yellow Pages, he built a market-leading business with a turnover of £130 million and swiftly became one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs.From Caan's childhood as a Pakistani immigrant to the phenomenal success of his first company and beyond, The Real Deal traces both his financial and personal achievements. It offers a frank account of what success at thirty really signifies and brings us right up to the present, including his impact on Dragons' Den and what his charity work, from saving a hospital in London to building a school in Lahore, means to him. Ultimately, it is a story of learning what money is really worth, told by one the country's most insightful businessmen.

The Victory Project: Six Steps to Peak Potential


Saurabh Mukherjea - 2020
    And yet, the generation that propelled this growth is facing rising levels of stress and depression. Furthermore, the new generation entering the workforce today dreams big but faces a highly competitive work environment. How can both these generations fire on all cylinders and lead fulfilling lives? This book attempts to answer this question by using the principles of Simplicity, Specialization, Creativity and Collaboration. It delves into a treasure trove of material from global gurus as well as from highly successful Indian and American professionals, and it draws on the authors' own careers to show how readers can apply these principles to the fields of business and investment, even to life itself. The Victory Project is the ultimate guide to surviving and thriving in the professional and social domains, which are increasingly becoming tough, competitive, often cutthroat and deeply political.

How to be The Startup Hero: A Guide and Textbook for Entrepreneurs and Aspiring Entrepreneurs


Tim Draper - 2017
    To make that move. To fulfill your vision. I want to take you closer to your goal, whether that be starting a billion-dollar unicorn, building a revolution, or just helping you better understand that change of any kind starts with you. You can be the Startup Hero. Startup Heroes are the ones that drive progress, and whether you bring us to another planet or make your neighborhood a nicer, happier place, you can become a Startup Hero. This book is the first step. It helps you take that first step. The step will be different for everyone. It might be to call that customer. It might be to draw up a design concept. It might be to talk to your boss. With this book, I hope to guide people to think big, drive change and go full speed ahead. I am giving them a pledge to do their work for good, and I am giving them some of the tools they need to accomplish their goals. This book is hard. It takes you through a variety of activities, questions, stories and challenges (even puzzles and poems) working both the right and left side of your brain and all the parts in between. The activities I propose are challenging and sometimes even embarrassing. The questions I ask are probing and provoking. The stories I tell are used as examples to guide you toward what I call Startup Heroism. So, why would you read this book? Well, I have worked for 30 years for entrepreneurs. I have supported, funded and coached Startup Heroes all my working life. And I have tested the concepts of this book on the students at Draper University and they have come out to be some of the most interesting, dynamic, and motivated people the world has ever seen. In fact, we have had about 1000 students from over 60 different countries come through the program at this writing, and they have started more than 300 companies! I wrote this book so that some of the thinking that I applied to Draper University could be spread wider, in hopes that these messages would reach other potential Startup Heroes (maybe you) who might make an impact on the world, be proactive about their work, or at the very least, improve their lives. So, I implore you. Read this book, try this book, do this book, play this book, absorb this book, experience this book. It might surprise you. It might thrill you. It might drive you. It might kill you. At the very least, I hope it will give you a perspective on how real progress is made, and at the very best, it might just change your life.

One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com


Richard L. Brandt - 2011
    It can almost be summed up by the button on every page: "Buy now with one click."Why has Amazon been so successful? Much of it has to do with Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder, whose unique combination of character traits and business strategy have driven Amazon to the top of the online retail world.Richard Brandt charts Bezos's rise from computer nerd to world- changing entrepreneur. His success can be credited to his forward-looking insights and ruthless business sense. Brandt explains: Why Bezos decided to allow negative product reviews, correctly guessing that the earned trust would outweigh possible lost sales. Why Amazon zealously guards some patents yet freely shares others. Why Bezos called becoming profitable the "dumbest" thing they could do in 1997. How Amazon.com became one of the only dotcoms to survive the bust of the early 2000s. Where the company is headed next.Through interviews with Amazon employees, competitors, and observers, Brandt has deciphered how Bezos makes decisions. The story of Amazon's ongoing evolution is a case study in how to reinvent an entire industry, and one that anyone in business today ignores at their peril.

Doing Business by the Good Book: 52 Lessons on Success Straight from the Bible


David L. Steward - 2004
    Steward founded his company, Worldwide Technology, Inc., on a shoestring budget and borrowed money, well aware of the high-risk nature of the venture he was undertaking. Despite the fact that he was a novice entrepreneur, he was certain he would succeed. Steward believed intensely that God wouldn't let him down.Doing Business by the Good Book shares the inspiring lessons culled straight from the Bible, that Steward used to build his privately held billion-dollar company into a global information technology enterprise.

Enter The Dragon: How I Transformed My Life And How You Can Too


Theo Paphitis - 2008
    Now, in his revealing & controverisal memoir, he not only takes the reader behind the scenes on 'Dragons' Den', he explains how he made his fortune.

Kellogg on Marketing


Alice M. Tybout - 2000
    This is a must-have marketing reference.

Flip Your Future: How to Quit Your Job, Live Your Dreams, And Make Six Figures Your First Year Flipping Real Estate


Ryan Pineda - 2018
    Flip Your Future is for anyone wanting to break free from the nine to five and live the life of their dreams. Whether you're new or experienced in real estate investing, Flip Your Future will teach you everything you need to know about flipping houses to ensure maximum profitability—and security for your future.

Everything I Know about Marketing I Learned from Google


Aaron Goldman - 2010
    Aaron Goldman has written an essential book that goes beyond telling us how Google became so important to explaining why the revolution it's leading will affect everyone in media and marketing." --Brian Morrissey, Digital Editor, Adweek"An insightful tour of the elements that have made Google successful combined with a usable guide on how to apply this learning to your business." --Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, VivakiAbout the BookYou know you've hit it big when your name becomes a verb--and no one knows that better than Google. In just over 10 years, Google has become the world's most valuable brand, consistently dominating its category and generating $6 billion in revenue per quarter.How does Google do it? In a word: marketing.You may not think Google does much marketing. Indeed, it doesn't do a lot of what has traditionally been viewed as marketing. But in today's digital world, marketing has taken new shape--and Google is at the cutting edge.In Everything I Know about Marketing I Learned from Google, digital marketing expert Aaron Goldman offers 20 powerful lessons straight from Google's playbook. Taking you deep into the inner workings of the Googleplex (which are simpler than you think), Goldman provides the knowledge and tools you need to build and grow your brand (which is also simpler than you think).Along the way, he shows how Google's tactics are being used by a wide range of successful corporations, from Apple to Zappos. Key principles include:Tap into the Wisdom of Crowds: Get the signals you need directly from your customersKeep It Simple, Stupid: Craft messages people can grasp in a nanosecond and pass alongDon't Interrupt: Join the conversation-- but avoid disrupting itAct Like Content: Provide value, not sales pitchesTest Everything: Take no detail of your program for granted; you can always improveShow Off Your Assets: Distribute your brand everywhereThe beauty of it all is that these Googley lessons can be applied to every aspect of marketing, in organizations of any size. Whether you run a PR department in a multinational corporation or serve as the sole marketer in a small business, these tactics work.In its mission to "organize the world's information," Google has rewritten the book on marketing. Use Everything I Know about Marketing I Learned from Google to remake your own organization's marketing--and engage more customers than ever.

CustomerCentric Selling


Michael T. Bosworth - 2003
    This book outlines an approach to selling, one that is based on: engaging in directed conversations instead of making presentations, and asking relevant questions.

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon


Brad Stone - 2013
    But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn't content with being a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become the everything store, offering limitless selection and seductive convenience at disruptively low prices. To do so, he developed a corporate culture of relentless ambition and secrecy that's never been cracked. Until now. Brad Stone enjoyed unprecedented access to current and former Amazon employees and Bezos family members, giving readers the first in-depth, fly-on-the-wall account of life at Amazon. Compared to tech's other elite innovators--Jobs, Gates, Zuckerberg--Bezos is a private man. But he stands out for his restless pursuit of new markets, leading Amazon into risky new ventures like the Kindle and cloud computing, and transforming retail in the same way Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing.The Everything Store will be the revealing, definitive biography of the company that placed one of the first and largest bets on the Internet and forever changed the way we shop and read.