Here, I’ve listed the articles and books I most often recommend to anyone interested in solving problems.
These aren’t affiliate links—I’m sharing them because I’ve found them genuinely valuable and hope you will too.
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For any college student considering startups.
Why Not to Start a Startup by Paul GrahamI've pointed a lot of people to this article. Underclassmen being pulled in a million directions? Thinking that startups seem cool and you're not really sure what they actually are? Start here, then explore the rest of his essays.
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People will lie to your face and tell you your idea is good.
Book: Talking to Humans by Giff ConstableBefore interviewing people about the problem you care about, take a moment to read this short book. It’ll help you avoid wasting hours on interviews affected by bias you may unwittingly cause.
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For anyone wanting to connect people.
Book: The Cold Start Problem by Andrew ChenThis is about how to get your app or platform to grow, starting from zero. It provides you with the tools and vocabulary to better understand the seemingly magical and elusive buzzword of "network effects." Some of the most loved and despised companies in the world leveraged network effects to grow, like Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Uber, Credit Cards, and even the phone system.
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Selling for engineers.
How to do sales with no experience by James HawkinsRead this, and know that while we are complete strangers, I believe in your ability to find people who deal with a problem that interests you, and then to talk with them.
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Learn from others' failures.
The Failory GraveyardSome great pre-bed reading. They also have a great guide on pitch deck design...just remember that the point of a startup is not to make a pitch deck, it is to solve a problem.
