A quick post to note references for two books that I found to be gems in a sea of trashy business books. If the words rich, money, fast, or easy appear on the cover, it’s a safe bet to assume the book has no real content other than cheap ploys to draw on underlying human desires.
Hawken, P. (1988). Growing a Business. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sahlman, W. A. Stevenson, H. H., Roberts, M. J., & Bhide, A. (Eds.). (1999). The Entrepreneurial Venture (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Paul Hawken’s book really reflects the values that I hold in running a business. After reading tons of the same business books, Hawken’s really stood out because of its principles, even if it is a little dated. The Sahlman book is a little more technical—it’s a collection of papers that one would probably find in a graduate course, but it’s definitely got substance—a lot more than anecdotes and myths that I find in most every other supposed “how-to” guide out there.
