Charterhouse Entrepreneurship Diploma
Read the top tips for the best books, podcasts and newsletters for the aspiring entrepreneur, from our Head of Business and Entrepreneurship, Mr Bennett.
There is so much content and media out there for the aspiring entrepreneur – it can be pretty difficult to figure out what you should spend your time on. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of ‘useful’ advice and ‘inspirational’ startup stories. That’s why I have put together a few of my favourite startup and entrepreneurship resources. Whether you have an idea that you want to turn into a business, or simply like the idea of startups and entrepreneurship, some of the below newsletters, podcasts and books might help you learn more about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur.
Newsletters
Lots of newsletters are a waste of time. Most take the form of indirect advertising for the company producing the newsletter – these tend to be uninformative and repetitive. The below list, however, manages to cut through the noise and deliver high quality advice, stories and news for the aspiring entrepreneur.
Good if: you want an irreverent and opinionated view on venture capital and US startups with some interesting founder insights.
Good if: you want long-form interviews and journalism with great founders, focusing on key startup issues.
Good if: you want a very intelligent, highly opinionated view on all things business, technology and startups.
Good if: you want lots of choice in the different types of news and insight you want to receive. Their Morning Report and Future Newsletters are particularly good.
Good if: you want a daily newsletter which keeps you informed with everything going on in the world of technology, business and startups.
Good if: you want non-technology focused business news and startup profiles – the focus is on makers, creators and retailers.
Y Combinator
Good if: you want gold standard insight from the world’s foremost startup accelerator.
Podcasts
Like newsletters, podcasts can be a massive waste of time. There are some, however, that are worth taking a look at. I recommend that you try a number of the below podcasts out and see which ones you like – often something as silly as the presenter’s voice, or structure of the podcast can put you off. Also, try to isolate some time to listen to the podcasts – long journeys, exercise, a wind down before going to bed, are all good options!
Good if: you want inspiration from leading entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Good if: you want interviews with startup founders, discussing their business successes, trials and challenges.
Good if: you want to get under the skin of famous startups to figure out what makes a startup successful, and what factors contribute to its failure.
Good if: you want interviews with company founders who discuss their startup journeys.
Good if: you want an enjoyable and highly opinionated view on the world of startups, business and technology, usually containing an interview with a thinker, founder, or politician.
Good if: you want to hear from some very smart entrepreneurs about strategy and major startup challenges.
Good if: a deep dive into a key technology trend or innovation.
Good if: you want to become more informed about frontier technology which could form the basis of future big business.
Books
I really like reading books about entrepreneurs and have included Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight in the list. There are some wonderful founder biographies out there, from Steve Jobs to JD Rockefeller that give you an insight into the founder mindset. I have also included more popular guides to entrepreneurship and startups which are worth dipping into. All of these are in the School library.
Good if: you want a white knuckle adventure through the birth, growth and domination of one of the world’s most famous companies, Nike.
Good if: you want to read this generation’s most influential book on how to start and build a startup.
Good if: if you want a mad-cap, contrarian view of how to conceptualise problems and start big companies.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
Good if: you want the truth about running a startup, the shocking lows and the difficult decisions. Warning: this book may put you off ever running a startup!
Good if: you want a tale of startup hubris and founder folly. Follow Elizabeth Holmes as she lies and deceives her way to an $800m fraud.
Good if: you want a more UK focused view on startup up non-technology companies.
The $100 Startup - Chris Guillebeau
Good if: if you want to start a company, but don’t have much startup capital. There are some great tales of brilliant companies, started on a shoestring.
