The 3 Books Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Can’t Stop Talking About — 2023

Good morning sunshine!

The next three works of non-fiction are treasured in the valley and may be of great worth to you on your journey.

I was in Silicon Valley over the summer on a research trip. I spent all my time working with, interviewing, and being around entrepreneurs. Most of the successful founders I met are avid readers. During my trip, three books repeatedly came up in conversation.

I have read countless books on entrepreneurship. Many of them overlap or offer simple lessons that may as well be common sense.

These books are different. If you want to pick up the language of entrepreneurship, understand technicalities, and start or grow your business, these books are for you. Each book contains unique information and is worth the read twice over.

1. Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet

This book is an absolute must-have if you are in the ideation phase and struggling to get going. Bill Aulet is a professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT. Here, Bill has created the ultimate roadmap for turning entrepreneurial ideas into viable start-ups.

The book is structured with 24 unique steps for you to complete. I have used this book to evaluate multiple business ideas. If they couldn’t pass the test of this book, I knew the ideas had little luck of growing into a scale-up one day.

This book is best for those who have not founded a successful start-up before and want to structure the early phases.

2. Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman

This book is the foundation of the entire elective course on Entrepreneurship at USC. No wonder this book was quoted left and right during my entire summer in Silicon Valley. Founder’s Dilemmas prepares you for making the right decisions as a founder. Concepts are simply explained and backed by validated data.

When you begin your entrepreneurial journey, huge challenges await. Should you try solo-preneurship or bring in a co-founder? Will you boot-strap or seek out an investor?

All choices carry pros and cons. This book prepares you for making the right decisions for you and your startup.

3. Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson

Once you have decided on your founding team compensation and if/when you want external funding, Venture Deals becomes invaluable. This book really shines later in the entrepreneurial journey. This is also the book I have been recommended the most in Silicon Valley.

Once you begin seeking external funding, the only person that can screw up the deal is yourself.

This book ensures that you are making the right decisions. If you are not a term sheet expert or understand the difference between control and wealth terms, pick this book up now.

Thank you for reading

If these recommendations helped you in any way, please clap, follow and comment. Your support means the world.

Happy reading

Nikolai Shukhov