Startup Club’s Best 25 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in 2025

1. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

2. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

3. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

4. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

5. The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki

6. Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.: Serial Entrepreneurs’ Secrets Revealed! by Colin C. Campbell

7. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime by MJ DeMarco

8. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

9. The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup by Noam Wasserman

10. The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

11. Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki

12. Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur

13. Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz

14. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz

15. The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

16. Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson

17. The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you by Rob Fitzpatrick

18. Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

19. The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman

20.Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

21. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The Tell-it-Like-it-is Guide to Cleaning Up in Business, Even if You Are at the End of Your Roll by Mike Michalowicz

22. The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen

23. The Lean Entrepreneur: How Visionaries Create Products, Innovate with New Ventures, and Disrupt Markets by Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits

24. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau

25. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone

This list was generated based on knowledge of popular and influential books in the “Starting a Business” category. Here’s is the methodology that was used:

  1. Bestseller Status: Books listed on Amazon as bestsellers with positive reviews were considered. 
  2. Impact: The list includes books that have influenced startup founders and have been recognized by book awards, business educators, recommended by successful entrepreneurs. 
  3. Wide Range of Topics: The list included books that cover a wide range of topics with expertise.
  4. Author Recognition: Well-known authors like Eric Ries, Peter Thiel, and Michael E. Gerber have a significant following and are often cited.
  5. Cross-Referencing: The list was cross-referenced with lists from other platforms, mentioned in business discussions to ensure a comprehensive yet focused selection.
  6. Reputation and Reviews: Books with a strong reputation for providing practical advice, insights, or foundational knowledge in entrepreneurship were favored.

Based on results produced by third party sources unaffiliated with Startup Club. 

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