Clayten Christensen seminal book is based on the Jobs to be done framework, and insight that when we buy a product, we essentially “hire” it to make progress and get a job done. And if the product hired to do the job does it well, we hire it again. And if not, we “fire” it and look for an alternative. Christensen argues that when companies truly understand the job their customer is hiring their product or service to do, is when companies can drive innovative solutions forward.
Applicable to any kind of business, Matt Watkinson's book provides you with a mental framework for evaluating and refining product and service ideas, reduce risk by thinking broadly of strategic decisions, identifying root causes of business challenges, anticipating market changes and its impact on your business, and collaborating more effectively with your team.
Another fantastic book by Ryan Holiday where he uncovers that there is a defined formula for success that is timeless, and you can follow it too. To quote Marcus Aurelius, "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."
How many likes? How many purchases? How many email subscribers? It's easy to get lost in the numbers. As entrepreneurs, we have to remember that there are people behind all that data. People who are looking for someone they trust, someone who has their best interests in mind. Pat Flynn shows a path to becoming that trustworthy person and creating a tribe of superfans around the world.
Learn the path Tony Hsieh took at Zappos, which he joined and became CEO after selling LinkExchange to Microsoft, to grow the company to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in less than ten years. A great book on creating the a strong and customer-oriented company culture.
Perhaps the best book on positioning to come out in recent times, learn from April Dunford on how you can understand your customers and use it to position your product to success. Learn her five components of positioning, how to instantly connect your offering's value proposition to an audience, choosing the best markets for your product, and more.
