Zero to One by Peter Thiel
A must-read that challenges founders to build something truly new instead of competing in crowded markets. Encourages bold thinking, long-term strategy, and belief in original ideas.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
A raw and practical book about surviving the realities of building a startup. Offers reassurance, mindset tools, and concrete lessons from a founder who’s lived through it.
Y Combinator Library
A free and respected collection of startup guides, founder stories, tactical advice, and launch strategies from the startup accelerator behind Airbnb, Stripe, and Dropbox.
Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
Candid interviews with iconic startup founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple) and Max Levchin (PayPal), showing the real and messy journey behind major companies. Makes success feel human and achievable.
Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas
A simple but powerful visual tool for organizing a startup idea into a full business model. Makes the process of “how to actually start” feel clear and manageable.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
A deeply reflective book on building wealth, thinking clearly, and designing a life through leverage and ownership. Highly inspirational for founders who want more than just a business.
Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Core framework for hypothesis-driven product development and validated learning.