Look! We Have Got 16 Resources For You To Build A Better Startup

Hope you find them helpful-

1. Getting Real

Getting Real from Basecamp is not overwhelming though it talks on the complex world of startup.

From developing a web application to build the startup and scaling it to an organization, the book covers A to Z of startup.

Get the Book here .

Why this book is so important? Hear it from the brain behind of the book-

“Getting Real is packed with keep-it-simple insights, contrarian points of view, and unconventional approaches to software design. This isn’t a technical book or a design tutorial, it’s a book of ideas. Anyone working on a web app — including entrepreneurs, designers, programmers, executives, or marketers — will find value and inspiration in this book.”

2. Rework

Another gem from the house of Basecamp.

Rework takes the conversation of Getting Real to the next level. The book will rekindle your fire in belly and pop every bubble around the startup.

Grab your copy here.

Rework is highly recommended by some of the biggest names in startup culture. This is what Mark Cuban, co-founder HDNet, owner of the Dallas Mavericks has to say on Rework-

“If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must read for every entrepreneur.”

3. Seth Godin

Seth Godin should be read and learned in business school, this is what we at DreamToIPO believe.

Every word comes out from Seth’s keyboard is full of resonance for startups and entrepreneurs.

If you are yet to learn the subtle catalysts of building a better startup from Seth’s hordes of books and a great blog repository, you can start from here- The Four Elements of Entrepreneurship.

4. Gapingvoid

Gapingvoid wears multiple hats. Sprouted from Hugh MacLeod’s napkins, the Gapingvoid promises to “Transfer business through sketches”.

In hindsight, you will find their sketches funny, quirky and light. Study and grasp the hidden messages of those cartoons and you will understand the perils and greatness of startup culture and joy of offering a solution to change lives.

Image Courtesy

Dive deep in the world of Gapingvoid here.

5. Elon Musk

Elon Musk is an overwhelming figure. He is not just an entrepreneur but a conqueror of the biggest problems in our world.

It’s always good to study Musk but make sure you have a good resource. Our pick is Tim Urban. Why?

Let’s hear out from Tim-

“In 2015, I got a call from Elon Musk. Not something you expect to happen. What ensued was a six-month deep dive into the world of Elon and his companies and four long articles about what I found”

Have you ever visualized this avatar of Elon? Image Courtesy- Waitbutwhy.com

Tim is honest. He is not an expert trying to analyze or criticize Musk’s efforts. As an outsider Tim dives deep inside Elon’s world and his articles give us the opportunity to understand Elon’s Why, When, What and How.

Get all of Tim’s works here.

6. Anna Vital Infographic:

Tired of reading? Let’s have some breather with Anna Vital.

With icons and micro copies Anna depicts some of the most exciting journeys of successful startups, founders, and entrepreneurs.

Image Courtesy

Dive in here & here.

7. Intercom Blogs

Intercom has emerged when startup is no more a buzzword but a very part of our lexicon.

This is where most of the tech startups have suffered to sustain. But, not Intercom.

What have they done right? How did they scale up their one simple chat bot to a scalable business dwarfing juggernaut like Facebook?

We are lucky, Intercom is tirelessly documenting their insights, process and learnings with us-

Find your answers here & here.

8. Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary is not for faint-hearted. Neither startups.

He may not help you to build your products like Intercom but he will help you to pull you up in your worst days.

If you can withstand his unabashed self-promotion, beautiful lesson on startup journey will await for you.

Consuming and filtering Gary’s content is a herculean task.

You can start from here .

9. All of Jeff Bezos’ Letters to Shareholders: (1997–2017)

When startup was not a buzzword, Amazon was there. When startup is a buzzword, Amazon is one of the biggest competitors of all startups.

Now there are billions of resources which try to understand the hacks behind Amazon’s massive growth. We will not drag you there but leave you with the words of the man behind the empire.

In his annual letters to shareholders, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has shared his hunger, aspiration and insights to level up their game to be the numero uno destination of every online customer.

Get all of them here .

10. New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s letter

From success to survival, startups is a full circle. So is our resources.

If Jeff’s series of letters helps you to understand the BIG DREAM of an organisation, New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi’s letter to his employees will drag you to the uncertain world of startups, internal confusion and efforts to rectify everything or starting from the scratch.

Read it now.

11. Yuval Noah Harari Books:

Yuval Noah Harari writes on us, the homo sapiens, from history to future.

His excellent take on the emergence of the superior race and their future adventure raise questions on the steps taken today.

Now, where do your startup fit here? Answer lies in Noah’s latest book, Homo Deus, a bold take on the future of the Homo Sapiens.

Your tech startups have the power to change the world. What if this is more of a warning than a silver lining? So, it’s better we try to understand the traps, take a responsible step today and hustle not to win but develop better apps and business for better future.

Will the future tech startups are willing to process this going beyond sales funnel and chasing investors?

Explore here.

12. MailChimp

MailChimp may not be one of your celebrated startup. They don’t even operate from Silicon Valley. But, if we study the journey of MailChimp, we will find an outstanding product and a strong startup from the core, unleashing everything to make a difference.

Read now.

13. Style Guides

Often we don’t understand how the startups are playing their games. What subtle changes are they bringing on the table, what are they doing right, a comprehensive study of them will definitely help you to build a better startup.

On a same page with us? What if we help you to unlock repository of real life pattern libraries, code standards documents and content style guides of some of the most successful startups?

Sounds good? Dive in now.

14. Biography of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is a cult figure in the world of startup. With his relentless innovation, the man has set the standard really high for the future entrepreneurs.

At DreamToIPO, our initial take on Steve Jobs is what we can learn from the great man. Walter Isaacson’s biography on the legendary innovator has been a great asset here.

Grab your copy here.

It’s breathtaking and takes us to the whirlwind journey of Steve Jobs, the game changer. This is a must study for every entrepreneur before kick starting their journey of building a great business.

15. Paul Graham

One of the old wise owls to write on startup, Paul Graham is even relevant today with his great understanding of the startup culture. Every essay penned by him is gem for the future startup founders.

Brush off your startup reasoning here.

16. Signal vs Noise

We admit we are biased of Basecamp people. Besides building a great product, they also share their insights and belief.

If you have loved their books, you will love their Medium profile more where they are constantly taking on some of the biggest myth of startup world, from “Obsession over Hustle” to the “Synchronous Work”.

Jason Fried & Co. is the ultimate destination to refine your definition of startup and build one that matters.

Start with this.

An honest confession

We are not promising you will build the next big startup, disrupt the status quo or build the next movement with our resources. We are also not promising it’s the best resource for the startups.

But, our resources will help you to have a better idea on your work, figure out the immediate task at hand,envision the bigger picture and put the efforts that matter.

Have you liked this list or found it out frustrating? What have we missed?

Share your every feedback with us.