Best books on starting, growing business

One of the most frequently asked questions I received when I worked at the Kauffman Foundation was: “What books should I read if I want to start a new firm or grow an existing one?” I had a small list then and have a longer list now. Here it is.

“Street Smarts” by entrepreneur Norm Brodsky and journalist Bo Burlingham, in my opinion, is the best all-purpose book about starting and running a business. For those who want their entrepreneurial advice in novel form: Try Missouri entrepreneur Diana Kander’s “All in Startup.”

Super-entrepreneur and university lecturer Steve Blank will tell you that whatever business you plan to launch, you first should ask potential customers. The details are in his “The Startup Owner’s Manual.”

If you’re into information technology, then read Eric Ries’ “The Lean Startup.” It tells how to get your “minimum viable product” (or app) out quickly, and then continuously improve it by testing different variations (such as the color of your webpage) along the way.

Former tech CEO and now venture capitalist Ben Horowitz’s “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” is the best guide I know to growing a tech business but is also great on difficult human-relations issues. A great example: how founders should handle initial employees or even their co-founders when it becomes clear they may not be suited for the company’s growth phase.

For those more academically inclined, the class of the field is “The Founder’s Dilemmas” by University of Southern California business school professor Noam Wasserman. Its lessons are based on the author’s database of about 10,000 companies, which he mines for every useful nugget of advice you could possibly want.

In Wichita there has been a resurgence of entrepreneurship, encouraged by such networking events as 1 Million Cups. Even before 1MC was launched by the Kauffman Foundation, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Brad Feld in Boulder, Colo., had been leading similar informal meetings of entrepreneurs. His book “Startup Communities” has become the bible for communities seeking to emulate Boulder’s success.

Finally, for those into entrepreneurship policy, a great guide is Steve Case’s “The Third Wave.” Case strikes a balance between having government foster the right environment for innovative entrepreneurs. Increase funding for basic research and development, of the kind that made Google and other tech companies possible, but avoid excessive regulation that can stifle entrepreneurship. One tidbit: Case’s first job after graduating college was working for Pizza Hut in Wichita.

School may be out for kids, but these books will help current and budding entrepreneurs throughout the year.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Best books on starting, growing business."