Books like The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
If you liked The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, here are 8 non-fiction books to read next — hand-matched on shared themes and authors, not an algorithm. Each links to where to get it.
#1The Lean Startup
by Eric Ries
Validation foundation. Build-measure-learn + MVPs solve the most common failure: building something thoroughly that nobody wanted.
Shared theme: startups + business + the operator mindset
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you.
#2The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business Is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying to You
by Rob Fitzpatrick
Customer development. How to talk to customers without getting useless data. The precursor to Lean Startup.
Shared theme: startups + business + the operator mindset
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you.
#3Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Strategic-bet layer. The best startups create monopolies. Thiel forces you to articulate why your startup deserves to exist.
Shared theme: startups + business + the operator mindset
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you.- Blue Ocean StrategyW. Chan Kim#4
Blue Ocean Strategy
by W. Chan Kim
Another business & startups pick — same territory as The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you. - Built to LastJim Collins#5
Built to Last
by Jim Collins
Another business & startups pick — same territory as The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you. - Good to GreatJim Collins#6
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
Another business & startups pick — same territory as The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you. - Measure What MattersJohn Doerr#7
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
Another business & startups pick — same territory as The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you. - ReworkJason Fried#8
Rework
by Jason Fried
Another business & startups pick — same territory as The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
You have the gist — now hear the whole argument. Free with a 30-day Audible trial, cancel anytime.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, Read Stacks earns from qualifying purchases and Audible trials at no extra cost to you.
Appears in these topics
The Hard Thing About Hard Things is part of this curated reading list — each a “best books on X” cluster with a synthesis on how the books fit together.