The Founder Bookshelf
Books founders recommend to each other. Browse by topic or by where you are as you grow, mark what you've read, and add what's next.
8 books on Sales for idea & validation
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A practical playbook for validating B2B products fast.
Lean B2B adapts lean startup and customer development specifically to the business-to-business context, where buyers and users differ and sales cycles are long....
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Win the deal by controlling the frame, not just the facts.
Klaff presents his STRONG method for pitching, built on the idea that every interaction is a collision of psychological frames and the stronger frame wins. He draws on...
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Win the war for a spot in your customer's mind.
Ries and Trout argue that marketing is a battle fought not in the market but in the prospect's mind, where being first and owning a single clear idea beats having a...
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Treat advertising as a measurable, testable science.
A foundational 1923 text arguing that advertising should be judged by measurable results, not opinion or art. Hopkins champions testing, tracking, coupons, and sales...
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Stop pushing harder and start removing the barriers to change.
Berger argues that the best way to change minds is not to push harder but to reduce the barriers and friction that hold people back. Drawing on research and real...
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The core of a business education without the tuition.
The book argues that the essential ideas of business can be learned on your own, and it organizes them into clear mental models across value creation, marketing,...
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Your inner game of selling matters more than any technique.
Tracy argues that the psychology and self-image of the salesperson drive results more than tactics do. He covers building confidence, understanding buyer motivations,...
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Great storytellers turn passion into performance.
Gallo profiles entrepreneurs, TED speakers, and business legends to reveal how compelling storytelling drives ideas, brands, and movements forward. He argues that...
Questions, answered
What books do founders recommend?
Founders on the eChai network recommend titles like Lean B2B, Pitch Anything, and Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. The bookshelf ranks books by how many founders have read them.
Where can I find a startup reading list?
The eChai founder bookshelf is a curated, founder-recommended reading list you can browse by topic (fundraising, product, hiring) and by stage.
How is the bookshelf ordered?
By recommendation: the more founders mark a book read, the higher it ranks. You can also sort by newest or A to Z.
