Some books are inexhaustible sources of inspiration to develop your business. We have selected 10 of them and develop them below:

Our reading recommendations
Our reading recommendations

Recommendation 1 : From Impossible To Inevitable: How Hyper-Growth

Jason Lemkin, a serial entrepreneur

Jason Lemkin is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He was CEO ofEchoSign, which was acquired by Adobe. He is a graduate of Harvard and Stanford. 

Aaron Ross is a speaker and entrepreneur. He has worked in a number of leadership roles at Salesforce.com.

A key book to develop your business

Why is it that some companies achieve unprecedented growth while others never break even? The former follow a well-defined pattern that leads systematically to growth.

In order to create growth, there are certain steps that must be taken, such as mastering a niche in a given market. It is also necessary to create a system to continuously generate new leads. The book develops both operational strategies and advice on how to deal with adversity.

Why is it necessary to read From Impossible To Inevitable?

More than just a book, From impossible to inevitable is a real manual in which the reader will find valuable advice on how to find his or her growth model.

Recommendation 2: Not everyone was lucky enough to fail in school

Olivier Roland, a jack of all trades

Olivier Roland created his first company at the age of 19 and is now, among other things, a blogger, Youtuber, amateur archaeologist, diver, airplane pilot, globetrotter and lecturer.

A personal development book that helps you develop your business

We can only recommend this book to develop your business. Olivier Roland breaks the myths linked to the educational system, to the wage-earning system and gives tools to boost one's education, one's motivation, to create one's own business, etc.

A real tool for personal development, the book gives tools to act on one's environment and habits. In the second part, the book discusses entrepreneurship: why the fear of undertaking must be overcome? What is the right state of mind when starting a business? How to make your business grow?

Why do you have to read it?

This book demystifies many taboos and motivates all those who wish to launch their entrepreneurial adventure, or simply gain freedom by freeing themselves from the dictates of society.

Recommendation 3: Rich father, poor father

Robert Kiyosaki, entrepreneur and author

Robert Kiyosaki is an American entrepreneur and author specializing in personal development and financial education. Sharon L. Lechter is an American accountant, author and businesswoman.

A more personal book to develop your business

A true bible for business development, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is also the story of a lifetime. In recounting his childhood experiences, Robert Kiyosaki shares valuable lessons on the mindset and tools to succeed and create your own wealth.

Robert Kiyosaki discusses many tools that should help the reader gain financial freedom. For example, the book containsa lot of advice on negotiation or on the mindset to adopt in order to be good in business. A clear difference is made between buying a house (primary residence) and investing in a house (rental investment).

Why do you have to read it?

With approximately 37 million copies sold, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a monument to personal development and financial literacy.

Recommendation 4: The 4-hour work week

Timothy Ferriss, serial entrepreneur

Timothy Ferriss is a serial entrepreneur and visiting lecturer at Princeton University. He has been featured in The New York Times, NBC and Maxim. Mr. Ferriss is a graduate of Princeton. 

Break the routine to develop your business

Most people stay employed all their lives, working 9 to 5 for 40 years and retiring at least 60. Tim Ferriss explains how to break this pattern.

With a 4-step method (DEAL - Definition, Elimination, Automation, Liberation), this book gives us the tools to replace certain conventions with new principles in line with our desires and goals. It provides a multitude of tips to be more productive, ignore unnecessary distractions, delegate to free ourselves from constraints and live better.  

Why do you have to read it?

The 4-hour weekis a book that allows the reader to realize that it is possible to regain control of one's time in order to be able to flourish. 

Recommendation 5: Zero to One

Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal

Peter Thiel founded PayPal in 1998 and has invested in Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, etc. He is a managing partner of Founders Fund, which has invested in SpaceX, Airbnb and many other startups. 

Blake Masters is co-founder of Judicata. He is a graduate of Stanford and Duke.

An inspiring book to develop your business

Creating a better Facebook or optimizing an existing business is not enough. To really innovate, you need to create an innovative and still unknown product or service.

In this book, Peter Thiel gives us his understanding of economics and innovation. He shows why the desire to create a monopoly is a good thing, insists on the crucial role of work behind success, and gives his point of view on the new opportunities allowed by technological evolutions.

Why do you have to read it?

The reader will find in this book elements of reflection on the major innovations to come, but also interesting points of view on the role of technology in our societies.

Recommendation 6: Influence and manipulation

Robert Cialdini, Professor of Psychology and Marketing

Robert Cialdini is a professor of psychology and marketing. He has been a consultant for Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Bayer, Coca-Cola, etc. 

The best persuasion techniques to develop your business

Why and how are we led to do things against our will? This book details the best persuasion techniques and how they can be foiled. 

The book reveals the 6 psychological secrets. Evoking concepts such as social proof, reciprocity or symbols of authority, Robert Cialdini teaches us how to thwart the multiple stratagems to avoid being fooled.

Why do you have to read it?

This book is a best-seller in which the reader can find techniques to become a better negotiator, but also understand human psychology.

Recommendation 7: Never split the difference

Chris Voss, expert in negotiation techniques

Chris Voss is an expert in hostage negotiation techniques. He teaches negotiation at several universities and law enforcement institutions.

Tahl Raz is an award-winning journalist and co-author of the 2005 New York Times bestseller on networking, Never Eat Alone.

Emotional tactics and strategies to develop your business

From his experiences in the FBI, Chris Voss has developed a set of principles, tactics, and emotional and communication strategies that can disarm even the most recalcitrant interviewer.

From tips on body language, mindset and language, Never Cut the Beans gives the reader a range of tools to use to become a better negotiator. For example, we learn the importance of listening, observing and evoking the emotions of our interlocutor to give a constructive meaning to the negotiation. 

Why do you have to read it?

This book provides the best tools for success in any negotiation. Abundant with examples, it teaches how to conduct constructive exchanges and how to avoid tensions.

Recommendation 8: The tools of the giants

Timothy Ferris, still at the top of our best books to develop your business

Timothy Ferriss is a graduate of Princeton. He is a serial entrepreneur and best-selling author. His books include The 4-Hour Workweek

A book to understand successful personalities

What are the habits, lifestyles, and states of mind that characterize successful people? This book reveals their secrets.

With stories from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Dorsey (founder of Twitter), Ed Catmull (co-founder of the Pixar studio) and many others, this reading evokes, for example, intermittent fasting, meditation techniques or the cold morning shower ritualized by famous actors or athletes. 

Why do you have to read it?

This book is an excellent source of inspiration for adopting a different lifestyle to become, in turn, a "giant".

Recommendation 9 : Lean Startup

Eric Ries, serial entrepreneur

Eric Ries is a serial entrepreneur. He has been a strategic advisor to venture capital firms and large corporations, including GE. 

A book to develop your business for sure

The success of startups can be ensured by following a method that promotes continuous evolution: the Lean Startup

In this book, Eric Ries presents his three-step methodology (Build, Measure, Learn) and illustrates it with numerous examples. The reader is guided through the choice of a vision for his company, the measurement of the enthusiasm for his product with the creation of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). He then describes the right indicators to study and discusses the strategies to adopt based on the results.

Why do you have to read it?

Lean Startup is a method that has proven itself in large companies and technology startups. It is a must read!

Recommendation 10: Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster

Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz

Alistair Croll is a serial entrepreneur, author and speaker.

Benjamin Yoskovitz joined GoInstant in 2011 as vice president of product, less than a year before the company was acquired by Salesforce.com. 

A book to develop your business thanks to your data

How to validate your initial idea, find the right customers, monetize your business? Lean analytics gives us the tools to answer these questions through data analysis. 

Lean Analyticsprovides concrete information on the key indicator to adopt according to the company's business model(SaaS, marketplace, mobile application, etc.) and its development phase (seed, loyalty, virality, etc.). 

The book also provides tools for readers to set achievable goals.

Why do you have to read it?

Following on from the book Lean Startup, Lean Analytics provides tools for mastering data analysis to validate the right strategies to adopt.

To go further, don't hesitate to discover our article on the 8 SaaS podcasts to listen to.

Karmen is a French startup founded in 2021 and offers a non-dilutive financing solution called Revenue Based Financing (RBF) that is aimed at SaaS and digital companies in particular.