What are some good books to read?

[MarkWebsterJr]

What are some good books to read? (must reads for business people / entrepreneurs ) and how many books have you read this year (2006) ?

And list what magazines you read every month.

[EntrePR]

If you want to change the way you think about your brain, read anything by Chris Argyris. His theorys of Model 1 and Model 2 behavior are a bit difficult to really grasp, but if you do, they explain so much about human behavior and professional interaction it's scary.

Richard Branson's Bio if you want to be inspired.

Dan Kennedy has very good and straight to the point advice.

I also highly recommend studying the field of decision theory. We tend to make too many of our business decisions by gut, even when we think we are being rational. Decision theory can train you to make better decisions in a more consistent manner.

Books not to read: Anything that does not have actionable advice. Books about thinking yourself rich tend to make you feel good, but have almost no real world value. I read 30-40 business books a month and most of them fall into this category. I personally think the 7 habits kind of books also have little real world value, even though they do have some advice you can follow. The problem is, most of the advice is just wrong.

Sometimes you will read a book that is mostly fluff, but does contain nuggets of wisdom. Take Rich Dad Poor Dad for example. Extremely fast read and most of the words are unnecessary fluff. There are , however, a few pieces of extremely useful advice, the primary one being "don't spend your money on depreciating assets or doodads".

[SSM]

Yeah I vote Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

Also "Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion" good for anyone that needs to pitch, sell, or market anything.

[JPO]

Other than standards like The Art of War and How to Win Friends and Influence People, I'd highly recommend How Customers Think, Status Anxiety, The Culture Code, and Who Owns Tommorow.

[akula]

what not to read:

do not read anything written by entrepreneurs. an average entrepreneur has normally only started <10 businesses, they started them at a different time, in a different industry (compared to you) and they did not experience a lot of failure (otherwise, they wouldn't be writing). Plus, these books are full of egocentric puffery

what to read:

read material written by academics and venture capitalists, for venture capitalists. these guys participate in starting hundreds of ventures over their careers, across multiple industries and have a much deeper and more meaningful understanding of how to succeed in this game

the pepsi challenge:

think I'm kidding? I'm not

try it and see

go to your library and pick up a book on due diligence

then, pick up a book written by an entrepreneur (i.e. Richard Branson or what ever)

compare the two side by side and make up your own mind which book is more useful

I guarantee you it will not be the latter

[kaibong]

I'm reading "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. This book was recommended by Warren Buffett.

[akula]

it's a good book

you'll find that fundamental analysis and value investing is incompatible with modern portfolio theory

there's nothing wrong with the book, except you'll find it mighty difficult to consistently profit from bargains

security analysis and Graham's other works were written at different time when the state of communications technology and disclosure laws allowed for markets to be inefficient

that's an important consideration if you want to critically evaluate The Intelligent Investor

[EntrePR]

read material written by academics and venture capitalists, for venture capitalists. these guys participate in starting hundreds of ventures over their careers, across multiple industries and have a much deeper and more meaningful understanding of how to succeed in this game

akula,

Excellent point about academics. Entrepreneurial books can be inspirational, but what little wisdom is in there tends to be hidden between page after page of puffery. Case in point for VC books: "A Good Hard Kick in the Ass" seems like a typical entrepreneurial book...it even has "Entrepreneur" right on the cover. Inside, however, is a serious wakeup call from the minds behind a successful a VC incubator. Not quite a technical as some purely academic texts, but definitely low ego and high value.

Of course, some academic books can be a little too academic. I'm reading (among others), "The Art of Decision Making" (Morton Davis). Fascinating and entertaining examples of counter-intuitive logic. Useful? Not sure yet, which means not likely. Entertaining? Yep.

Those reading bio's of entrepreneurs should keep in mind that the bio is not a how to manual for success, but rather proof that success is achievable under what may seem like impossible circumstances.

[JPO]

Those reading bio's of entrepreneurs should keep in mind that the bio is not a how to manual for success, but rather proof that success is achievable under what may seem like impossible circumstances.

This is a great point that should come as a disclaimer on the back of every single biography ever written. I'm tired of watching people write a business plan based entirely on other peoples success in completely different times and markets.

[made4success]

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill "This Book Could Be Worth A Million Dollars To You" Famous, and successful business men from around the world have read this book and applied the "Proven formula" only to become successful.

The project took 20 years to complete, and the result was a proven formula of clearly delineated success principles. The book includes insights from Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and President Roosevelt (to name a few) His 13 Principles has changed millions of lives — and made Napoleon Hill a legend for all time.

You can download it free here.

http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/tagr.htm

[EntrePR]

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill "This Book Could Be Worth A Million Dollars To You" Famous, and successful business men from around the world have read this book and applied the "Proven formula" only to become successful.

The project took 20 years to complete, and the result was a proven formula of clearly delineated success principles. The book includes insights from Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and President Roosevelt (to name a few) His 13 Principles has changed millions of lives — and made Napoleon Hill a legend for all time.

You can download it free here.

http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/tagr.htm

Ok, I might get some flack for this, but I just have to do it.

I call absolute, 100% complete BS for the entire book. There is practically nothing actionable between the covers. There is no formula.

Some nuggets of wisdom from the book:

FAITH is the head chemist of the mind. When FAITH is
blended with the vibration of thought, the
subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration,
translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and
transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case
of prayer.

This book should not be called "think" and grow rich but "pray" and grow rich.

FAITH is the basis of all ‘miracles,’ and all
mysteries which cannot be analyzed by the rules of
science!
FAITH is the only known antidote for FAILURE!
FAITH is the element, the ‘chemical’ which, when
mixed with prayer, gives one direct communication
with Infinite Intelligence.
FAITH is the element which transforms the ordinary
vibration of thought, created by the finite mind of
man, into the spiritual equivalent.
FAITH is the only agency through which the cosmic
force of Infinite Intelligence can be harnessed and
used by man.

Ok, if you really believe that vibration of thought is the key to success, I guess that's your prerogative. I tend to lean towards more concrete and repeatable patterns of behavior.

NO THOUGHT, whether it be negative or positive, CAN
ENTER THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WITHOUT THE AID OF THE
PRINCIPLE OF AUTO-SUGGESTION, with the exception of
thoughts picked up from the ether.

Ok, granted this was written a very long time ago, but anyone with a cursory understanding of modern psychology or cognitive science could rip this whole section to shreds. Auto suggestion has potential, but come on. Willing yourself to believe something that is just not true can't possibly be a good formula for success.

You were instructed, in the last of the six steps
described in the chapter on Desire, to read ALOUD
twice daily the WRITTEN statement of your DESIRE FOR
MONEY, and to SEE AND FEEL yourself ALREADY in
possession of the money!

Do we really need help with the "want" side of the problem? How about the "how"?

there is a universal demand and an ever-
increasing opportunity for the person capable of
helping men and women to sell their personal services
advantageously.

OK, I do agree with this point Looks like it snuck in between the transmutation and the sixth sense.

Do not become discouraged if you do not fully
comprehend all that has been stated. Unless you have
long been a student of the mind, it is not to be
expected that you will assimilate all that is in this
chapter upon a first reading.

Sounds like nonsense? Don't worry, it's not me, it's you. Just keep repeating and it will make sense. Wait, what does he have to say about repetition?

If a man repeats a
lie over and over, he will eventually accept the lie
as truth. Moreover, he will BELIEVE it to be the
truth.

Hmmmm. That is interesting. You would think that since he knows the power of repetition to convince the mind of something, regardless of it's truthfulness, he would be very careful to make absolutely sure his advice is true and testable beyond "faith".

Here's my point. Real advice that you can build a business and life around should be testable. The assumptions should be clear and each one should stand up under intense scrutiny. Under no circumstances should one build their business on a set of assumptions that make little sense individually and are even admitted by the author to only coalesce when packaged as a vague whole and repeated ad nauseum.

So, that was just part one. If anyone would like to debate specific points in the book, I'm more than open to it. Keep in mind though that arguments will be held up to a strict scientific standard. Personal testimonials will only count if it is shown that specific and actionable advice in the book led to a predictable and repeatable outcome. Simply stating "I read the book and now I am rich" sadly does not hold much water.

[giorgioarmani]

Rich Dad, Poor Dad was a great read.

Just got TRUMP 101 for christmas. Being my fourth Trump book (3 read this year) I would also recommend any of them.

[kbud124]

i read the following magazines..they are interesting

Inc
Entrepreneur
Fast Company

I have heard Fortune - Small business is good too but I dont have a subscription to that..too much to read