I admit it. I’m an online ‘snack’ addict. After all, with the digital era has come an endless selection of cheap, easy and addictive pieces of online content for us to readily consume: tantalizing Buzzfeed-y headlines, irresistible top-10 lists (like this one), teaser photos of your friend’s latest vacation album on Facebook, etc.
When it comes to content, snacking is fun, but it shouldn’t replace full meals. We need to remember to consume long, nourishing content from time to time.
Numerous studies have proven that reading can improve brain function; some have even suggested they can make you a better person. So instead of funny cat GIFs and Instagram, dive into some of the great “long reads” — the kind of well-researched stuff that actually changes how you look at the world.
These 10 books have had a profound influence on how I look at entrepreneurship and growing a company. They’ve all played a key role as I’ve worked to build Hootsuite from just an idea to the world’s most widely used social relationship platform, with 15 million users and growing (including more than 800 Fortune 1000 companies).
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Author Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, one of the top venture capital firms in Silicon Valley.
So for fledgling entrepreneurs, this book is a must-read. Full of advice on building and running a startup, it’s a great mix of theory and tactic for current and future business leaders.
Delivering Happiness
Written by my friend Tony Hsieh (the guy who transformed a virtually unknown shoe retailer called Zappos into a $1.2 billion company), Delivering Happiness is a book about his journeys as a successful entrepreneur. It’s chock full of advice, anecdotes and interesting business ideas.
Getting Real (37 Signals)
This quick read is essentially a business manual about how to build great web products — that touches on things like design, programming, and marketing.
I encourage all of my new employees to read it, for important insights into lean product development and how to make a great, successful product through sacrifice and discipline.
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
My friend Chris Hadfield is one of the most courageous and inspirational people I know.
Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think
Where the Wild Things Are
Born to Run
Creativity Inc.
The Long Walk
Ender’s Game
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