Book picks similar to
Building on Bedrock by Derek Lidow


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Hipster Business Models: How to make a living in the modern world


Priceonomics - 2014
    Yet, today’s young people have much more to offer. If half of the hipster stereotype is a consumer who tries to show off how cool he is based on his tastes, the other half of the stereotype is ‘The Maker’ -- the person out hawking homemade cheese, knitting sweaters for your beard, or repurposing steel-framed bicycles. The hipster business model is distinctive: Make a product you love so much that you’ll make it yourself. See if anyone wants it. Try again. When they want to build apparel companies, they teach themselves how to sew. When they dream of producing toys, they learn how to use 3D printing software. When they don’t know investors who will back their restaurant concepts, they open food trucks. All the while, they are guided by books, instructional videos, and intuition; only later do they move production to real factories, or hire lawyers. They frequent public parks to see if anyone will buy their custom, typewritten stories. They use crowdfunding websites to raise money from customers before their products even exist. They post their ideas to massive web forums to gauge interest, or set up online shops the second they have a product to sell. In their world, sales come first, not last. While each entrepreneur featured in this book embarked on his or her own unique quest, their stories share a common thread: like true hipsters, they were not afraid to try new things.

Jack Ma: A Biography of the Alibaba Billionaire


Ryan Gardner - 2017
     He is one of China's richest men, as well as one of the wealthiest people in Asia. He has become a global icon in business and entrepreneurship, one of the world's most influential businessmen, and a philanthropist known for expounding his philosophy of business. Ma is one of the world's most powerful people, and has been a global inspirer and role model to many, he also gave numerous lectures, enlightenments and advices throughout his life career.

Brand Strategy 101: Your Logo Is Irrelevant - The 3 Step Process to Build a Kick-Ass Brand


Michael R. Drew - 2013
    No really, it is. Let me explain.It turns out that drooling dogs and ringing bells are far more important than a logo (thank you Pavlov).Sure, successful businesses have logos--easily recognizable logos. Playboy, McDonald's, Coke. But there's far more to their success than bunny ears, golden arches or a certain shade of red. Stripped of all the marketing lingo, branding is pretty simple: Your brand is all the associations that come to mind when your potential customers see or hear your name.Whether your focus is on personal branding or on branding your company culture--you've got to have more than a fancy logo and edgy color scheme to create brand stickability (you know, a brand your customers can't get out of their heads).Well, there’s a process to capturing attention and getting your foot in the door of your customers’ minds. Here's a taste of some of the personal branding advice you'll find in this book:You must become the first solution your customer thinks of when they have a problem you can solve. How?The first step is to figure out what your audience cares about. What keeps them up at night? What problems can you help them solve? From there, you need to apply these three steps:1) Frequency2) Repetition3) AnchoringIn this e-book, we’ll show you how to figure out what your customers really want. Then we will show you how to apply these three steps to help you become the trusted resource that comes to mind first when your customer’s itch needs to be scratched.Is real and authentic branding going to happen overnight? Probably not. But ask yourself this: Do you want short-term results that lose effectiveness? Or are you willing to invest a bit more time and effort to create long-term results that get better and better?If you're looking for a branding book that promises a quick fix, this isn't the book for you. But if you want to create a brand that sticks like superglue--read this book!Go ahead and let the wimps and whiners have the get-rich quick schemes that fizzle and fall flat like a wet firework. You want to ignite a branding bonfire.

The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond


Matthew Luhn - 2018
    Former Pixar and The Simpsons Animator and Story Artist Matthew Luhn translates his two and half decades of storytelling techniques and concepts to the CEOs, advertisers, marketers, and creatives in the business world and beyond. A combination of Luhn’s personal stories and storytelling insights, The Best Story Wins retells the “Hero’s Journey” story building methods through the lens of the Pixar films to help business minds embrace the power of storytelling for themselves!

The E-Myth Physician: Why Most Medical Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It


Michael E. Gerber - 2003
    Gerber, bestselling author of The E-Myth Revisited shares his powerful insights to lead independent physicians to successful practices and enriched lives.Michael Gerber has dedicated much of his professional life to the study of entrepreneurship and business dynamics. His E-Myth Academy is renown in the entrepreneurial world for its business insight and guidance as well as its inspirational advice.In the E-Myth Physician, bestselling author Gerber returns to his roots in order to provide indispensable advice to doctors who own and run their own practices. Gerber provides excellent business insights into topics such as streamlining systems, effective small-business management practices, healthy patient relations and managing cash flow, all with the goal of freeing physicians from the daily grind of running a business and leading them to a happier and more productive life while doing the job they love - practising medicine.

Entrepreneurship: Theory/Process/Practice [With CDROM]


Donald F. Kuratko - 1994
    Using exercises and case presentations, you can apply your own ideas and develop useful analytical skills. Cases found throughout the text present the venture creations or managerial ideas confronted by real-world companies.

Start It Up: Why Running Your Own Business is Easier Than You Think


Luke Johnson - 2011
    Running your own business is nowhere near as tough as you might think. So what are you waiting for? Luke Johnson is Britain's busiest tycoon, with a personal fortune estimated at £120 million. From Pizza Express and Channel 4 to his incisive Financial Times column, Johnson has spent two decades on the business frontline. In Start It Up, Johnson sets out to inspire - and guide - every budding entrepreneur. He tackles the issues that really matter: finding the right idea, sourcing funds, and getting the best from the people you meet on the way - chiefly yourself. 'A must-read for inspiring entrepreneurs, probably the best book available on the subject' John McLaren, Management Today 'Part rant, part outpouring of useful knowledge gleaned from 20 very successful years in business. There is a great deal here that is good' Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, Financial Times 'For the budding entrepreneur, this clear, thoughtful and passionate how-to guide will be an excellent first investment' Economist Luke Johnson is one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs with an estimated personal fortune of £120 million. He is Chairman of Risk Capital Partners and The Royal Society of Arts, and a former Chairman of Channel 4 Television. He writes columns for the Financial Times and Management Today. In the 1990s he was Chairman of PizzaExpress, which he grew from 12 restaurants to over 250; he also founded the Strada pizzeria chain and owns Giraffe and Patisserie Valerie. He lives in London and is married with three children.

If You Build It Will They Come?: Three Steps to Test and Validate Any Market Opportunity


Rob Adams - 2010
    In If You Build It Will They Come, business professor and strategy consultant Rob Adams shows you how to make sure you hit your target market before you spend a lot of money. He shows you the fast, systematic and proven approach of performing Market Validation in advance of making a large product investment.Adams outlines a simple and effective market validation and testing strategy that is proven, giving entrepreneurs and managers the ability to dramatically improve the prospect of product success. He explains how to quickly gather information on competitors, directly interview members of your target market, and figure out what the market really wants to buy, versus what customers say they want.The steps to quickly understanding the viability of your market Where to go to gather the information needed to hit the market requirements How to follow through with the right product launched in the right way Adams cuts through the fancy terms and expensive market research that gives lots of data but no real product oriented information about usage, pricing, features and competitive forces. In the end you'll produce results on your first release of a far more mature product, shipped in a faster timeframe with features customers will actually use. This book is for anyone involved with designing, developing and launching new products. Its examples and advice cover everything from the fledgling start-up that needs their first product to work just to survive to the successful Fortune Class company establishing new worldwide markets. Examples cut across all major industrial sectors including consumer, retail, manufacturing, technology, life sciences and services. This book offers the step-based guidance you need to make sure failure is not an option.

A Practical Way to Get Rich . . . and Die Trying: A Memoir about Risking It All


John Roa - 2020
    His account of his rise from a self-described below-average student, to becoming a poster boy for the ambitious, successful young entrepreneur, to nearly destroying himself in the process is the subject of A Practical Way to Get Rich . . . and Die Trying. Roa's twenty-year-long journey from being dead-broke to wealth he never imagined is an absurd and often comical story of talent, luck, risk, rapidly changing technology, larger-than-life personalities, sex, gambling, and excessive alcohol and drug consumption. Roa's intention for his memoir is not to present a glamorous rags-to-riches saga, but, instead, to serve as a cautionary tale of the toll that entrepreneurship can take on ambitious young people unprepared for the physical and mental costs that "making it" can take. Those pitfalls eventually took their toll on Roa, who, in the face of round-the-clock pressure and risk taking, ultimately suffered a psychotic breakdown from which he almost didn't walk away. As he healed in the aftermath, he began to question the ethos that had brought him to that dark place, and he learned from other entrepreneurs that they, too, had experienced similar debilitating issues that they felt unable to admit, let alone discuss.A Practical Way to Get Rich . . . and Die Trying is a compelling memoir and the foundation for a campaign of honesty and vulnerability in an industry that currently allows neither. Roa aims to be the bridge to helping young leaders confront the mental health issues and abuse that too often accompany the tech startup that so many have embraced as their salvation for their future.

One Simple Idea for Startups and Entrepreneurs: Live Your Dreams and Create Your Own Profitable Company


Stephen Key - 2012
    Now, the next step is to take action--and that's exactly what One Simple Idea for Startups and Entrepreneurs is all about.Stephen Key, one of the world's leading experts on getting business ideas off the ground, revealed in his groundbreaking book One Simple Idea just how simple it is to make a fortune by selling or "renting" your great ideas.Now, he helps you live the entrepreneurial dream by delivering a proven, straightforward process for starting, growing, and running a business--without the need for an MBA or millions of dollars in funding. As an inventor and successful business owner, Key brings a unique and fully rounded perspective to the subject, teaching you how to:Develop, test, and protect your ideaPlan and launch your businessManufacture, package, market, sell, and distribute your productManage and grow your businessPrepare for and implement your endgameKey draws on his own experience as a billion dollar inventor to offer how-to's and other takeaways you can use to get off the ground and into the black. Case studies, tips, and advice from other successful entrepreneurs underscore key principles to make it easier than ever for you to achieve your business and life dreams.You don't need millions of dollars or a business, engineering, or manufacturing background to develop, produce, and sell your own product idea. All you need is one simple idea--and the passion to make it happen.Praise for One Simple Idea"This book is straight-forward, no-nonsense information for how to start a successful company. Read it!"--Barbara Corcoran, investor/shark on ABC's reality hit Shark Tank"The ideas in this book are key to creating the kind of enterprise that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the future. The goal of entrepreneurship is to reduce the risk of failure as detailed in this book."--Nolan Bushnell, inventor of Pong(R) and founder of Atari(R)Kudos!! One Simple Idea for Startups & Entrepreneurs is brilliant !! A must read for those that have the courage to dive into their dreams. This is a true Road Map for those that have the passion to achieve their Freedom. Truly something that I wish would have been there for me 33 years ago.--Russ Hornsby, toy industry veteran, 2010 Toy of the Year award winner in seven different countries, and creator of hit toys ZhuZhu Pets(R), XiaXia Pets(R), DeGeDar(R) and others"I took one of those simple ideas and turned it into a company that now has its products in over 35,000 doors of retail distribution. With One Simple Idea for Startups & Entrepreneurs, Stephen gives us the tools we need to take an idea from your Head to the Store shelf." --Todd Basche, inventor of Word Lock(R), the #1 selling word combination lock"Any inventor or entrepreneur who wants to make money without risking hundreds of thousands in design, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution would be well served to take advantage of the practical wisdom offered up in Stephen's most recent work, One Simple Idea for Startups & Entrepreneurs." --Ron Hazelton, former home improvement editor for ABC's Good Morning America and leading authority in the do-it-yourself home improvement field

How to Write a Great Business Plan


William A. Sahlman - 2008
    Yet nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, often the more elaborately crafted a business plan, the more likely the venture is to flop.Why? Most plans waste too much ink on numbers and devote too little to information that really matters to investors. The result? Investors discount them.In How to Write a Great Business Plan, William A. Sahlman shows how to avoid this all-too-common mistake by ensuring that your plan assesses the factors critical to every new venture:· The people—the individuals launching and leading the venture and outside parties providing key services or important resources· The opportunity—what the business will sell and to whom, and whether the venture can grow and how fast· The context—the regulatory environment, interest rates, demographic trends, and other forces shaping the venture's fate· Risk and reward—what can go wrong and right, and how the entrepreneurial team will respondTimely in this age of innovation, How to Write a Great Business Plan helps you give your new venture the best possible chances for success.

Coach: The A. L. Williams Story


Art Williams - 2006
    Williams and it "ragtag army of part-timers" took on a Goliath-sezed insurance industry.

Burning Entrepreneur: How to Launch, Fund, and Set Your Startup on Fire


Brad Feld - 2012
    Renowned tech investor and start-up guru Brad Feld lights YOU on fire with this insider's book that will teach you how to launch, fund and run your own company. If you're already an entrepreneur or have always dreamed of being one, douse yourself in “Feld Thoughts” and catch the spark. You'll be burning, entrepreneur, with this e-book!. Brad's blog is a backstage pass to the 24/7 rock show that is tech startups. It is a master class in startup investing for givers and takers of funds. It is a rolling critique of tech products vast and simple (with enough edge to make the most scathing restaurant critic in Manhattan blush). And it is the journal of a peripatetic marathoner who still believes he will crack the four-hour mark someday. From such Feld Thoughts, we have constructed “The Burning Entrepreneur,” the e-book on startups that you would take to a desert island if it had electricity, a decent Internet connection and angel investors. “The Burning Entrepreneur” illuminates the actions and attitudes required to launch, fund and ignite your startup. Brad Feld is on fire. Find out what happens when you stand too close. TABLE OF CONTENTS - Introduction - Be on Fire - Be In Love With Your Business - Don't Be in the 99% - Ignorance Is Success - Meet the New Boss, NOT the Same as the Old Boss - Hire the Right People - It's the Product, Stupid! - Learning to Program: A Case Study - I Don't Hate Marketing: Neither Should You - OK, It's Really the Money, Stupid - Keeping Your You-Know-What Together - Burning Examples - Conclusion - Recommended Books for Burning Entrepreneurs GREAT EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK It was during that car ride that my dad hit me with words that would prove to be fundamental for me: “If you aren’t standing on the edge you are taking up too much space.” Thirty years later that line continues to be a defining characteristic for how I live my life. I’m constantly pushing, looking for the edge of whatever I do. (pg 14) Over time, I’ve learned that none of the short-term moves in the stock market matter at all in my life. It’s occasionally entertaining to turn on CNBC and see my friend Paul Kedrosky in the octobox telling all the other people that they don’t actually understand macro-economics, but it’s no different than watching McEnroe when he’s announcing a Nadal–Federer match. It’s just sport. (pg 33) I don’t create products anymore (I invest in companies that create them), but I’m a great alpha tester. I’ve always been good at this for some reason — bugs just find me. While my UX design skills are merely adequate, I’ve got a great feel for how to simplify things and make them cleaner. (pg 58) If you are someone who spends 30 minutes or more a day “organizing yourself,” I encourage you to step back and think about what you could change and how that might shift you from focusing on organizing to working toward outcomes. It’s liberating. (pg 103) ...buy a copy to read more!

FAQ ME


James Altucher - 2012
    I've then compiled the best questions, expanded my answers, and provided much original material to create this book, "FAQ ME".

Elon Musk: Lessons in Life and Business from Elon Musk


Ryan Foster - 2015
    It is an inspirational short read that will offer you a concise insight of his life, not only as a simple biography but also as a guide for self-improvement and innovative thinking. The main facts gathered here are drawn from interviews, articles and books about him and explain the simple principles, which he used to build his vast fortune. At the end of each chapter, you will find summarized tips that you can quickly access when you need inspiration or useful advice. Learn the most significant skills and qualities that made Musk one of the most famous and creative entrepreneurs of our time and follow his lessons.