As much as I would like to, unfortunately I can’t profess to doing that. That said, when I do read I find my creativity and focus grows. I have been fortunate enough to learn from others about the importance of building a creative mindset, which can help many startups and scale ups to achieve great things consistently. I hope that my recommendations below might inspire you and your startup in some way. 

Purple Cow - Transform your business by being remarkable, Seth Godin 

Serial entrepreneur and author Seth Godin defines the execution of a great product as the ‘purple cow’. Yet after generating a steady revenue stream we default to ‘playing it safe’ and fail to prioritise new ideas. He showcases businesses that think in new ways by ‘going for the edges’ and how to better attract ‘sneezers’ (your early adopters). This is a great book for anyone interested in thinking practically about continuing to iterate the customer and  employee experience. 

Ctrl Alt Del, Mitch Joel 

This book encouraged me to ‘make it happen’ and took me way out of my comfort zone. You could easily assume that this book was written for a post-COVID world yet it was first published in 2013. Joel says that failing to take ownership for yourself will lead you to being unemployable within the next five years. He stresses that businesses should obsess about data and make themselves ‘one screen friendly’. A must read for anyone that seeks excitement from making their product or service offerings simplistic & irresistible.   

Irresistible, Adam Alter

Why is the game ‘Candy Crush’ so addictive? This is a revolutionary book by Adam Alter on how businesses tap into our personalities and internal happiness to help make their product offerings compelling. Alter provides his definition of ‘reverse engineering behavioural addiction’ to help communicate and set boundaries for the good of our well-being.

Rebel Ideas - The Power of Diverse Thinking, Matthew Syed

The Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller by a superb journalist, speaker and consultant, Matthew Syed. He encourages the reader to reflect as to why we are often subconsciously disposed to conformity and the consequences affiliated. I most enjoyed his perspectives on ‘rebels vs clones’, constructive dissent and how that hinders our ability to innovate. This book is a thought provoking work of art. 

WORK RULES, Lasloz Bock 

“We spend more time working than doing anything else in life – it’s not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumanising”. Laszlo Bock launches both barrels in this popular book. Bock says all employees should be encouraged to think like Founders and should feel empowered to help create the type of business that they want to work for. He believes that being an employee centric business isn’t hard to replicate, and done successfully will create opportunities that transform how we can all live and lead forever. 

So there you have it - these are just some of the books that I chose to share with as many folks that might be interested. As a new year is now upon us, I hope that at least one of  these books sparks an interest, helps you chip away at that all encompassing problem statement or at least leaves you with some inspiration as you continue to pursue your startup journey.