100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Enjoy overnight NZ-wide delivery from our NZ-owned independent bookstore! 🎉

Tim’s 15 Books for Starting & Growing your Business

I’ve always been interested in business and entrepreneurship. Although I think you learn far more by actually trying to build something than you ever could from a book, I also believe the best business books can still give you a huge head start. You can learn from people who have already made the mistakes, solved the problems and built businesses before you.

These are some of the books I’d recommend to anyone starting or growing a business. They cover everything from finding an idea and getting your first customers to building a team, managing people, making better decisions and eventually scaling. Some are practical guides, while others are stories of companies and founders that I think you can learn just as much from!

All these items are in stock!

Get the complete list delivered overnight across NZ

$55099
Elsewhere:
$61994
1
Zero to One
Tim's Pick Tim's Pick

Zero to One

ByBlake Masters and Peter Thiel
Tim WZero to One is a short book, but there are a lot of controversial and interesting ideas in it! Thiel's argument is the best businesses aren't trying to do what everyone else is already doing slightly better... they're creating something new and trying to become so good at it that they don't really have competition. There's plenty in here you can disagree with, and Thiel definitely has strong opinions, but that's also what makes it worth reading. He makes you question some of the standard advice about startups, competition and what actually makes a business valuable. In fact I did a podcast with a friend all about the different ideas from this book! (Good luck finding it) I've read a lot of business books that could have been...
$2500
Elsewhere:
$3000
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
2
Good To Great
Tim's Pick Tim's Pick

Good To Great

ByJim Collins
Tim WA foundational read for anyone interested in business. The ideas of getting the right people on the bus before figuring out where it’s going and focusing relentlessly on what you can be the best at have shaped how I think about strategy and even my career.
$5400
Elsewhere:
$6000
Hardback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
3
The Lean Startup
Alastair's Pick Alastair's Pick

The Lean Startup

ByEric Ries
AlastairEmbracing the concept of the "minimum viable product" from this book was a game-changer. It dispelled my fear of failure and empowered me to rapidly iterate on ideas, everything can be improved. Instead of spending months in prep and design, I could now implement change in its rawest form and swiftly discern what works.
$3600
Elsewhere:
$4000
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
4
High Output Management

High Output Management

ByAndrew S. Grove

High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove is a practical guide on how to be an effective and efficient manager. It covers key management techniques such as decision-making, performance measurement, and productivity enhancement, and provides insights on how to build and sustain high-output teams.

$3200
Elsewhere:
$3700
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
5
The Founders
Tim's Pick Tim's Pick

The Founders

ByJimmy Soni
Tim WThe Founders is the story of the people behind PayPal and the intense work behind building one of the early internet companies. What makes it interesting is the group of people involved... Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman and others who would go on to build or invest in some of the biggest technology companies in the world. At the time though, they were young, ambitious and trying to keep a company alive while dealing with competitors, fraud, technical problems and dealing with each other! If you're interested in business or startups, it's a great read. More than anything, it shows how messy the early days of a company can be!
$2799
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
6
Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0

Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0

ByJim Collins

Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0 by Jim Collins provides a blend of timeless principles and new insights for leading a business. It focuses on turning a good company into a great one by cultivating visionary leadership and enduring success. The book offers practical advice for entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to innovate and grow sustainably.

$5300
Elsewhere:
$6000
Hardback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
7
Sprint

Sprint

ByJake Knapp and John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz

Sprint by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz details a unique five-day process to solve tough problems, test new ideas, and achieve successful outcomes for businesses. Created by Google Ventures, this methodology helps teams focus on user-centric design and swift decision-making, offering practical insights to drive innovation in any industry.

$3800
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
8
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

ByBrad Stone

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone chronicles the rise of Amazon from a humble online bookseller to a global retail giant. The book provides an in-depth look at Jeff Bezos's relentless ambition, innovative strategies, and the impact of Amazon on the retail landscape. It offers a comprehensive view of the company's journey and its transformative role in e-commerce.

$2400
Elsewhere:
$2799
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
9
Traction

Traction

ByGino Wickman

Traction by Gino Wickman is a business guide that introduces the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). It offers practical methods for running a successful company by addressing issues related to vision, people, data, issues, process, and traction, helping entrepreneurs achieve consistent growth and improvement.

$3400
Elsewhere:
$4000
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
10
The Hard Thing About Hard Things

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

ByBen Horowitz

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is a candid, insightful guide on the challenges of building and running a startup. Drawing from his own experiences as a CEO, Horowitz provides practical advice on navigating the complexities of leadership, decision-making, and maintaining resilience in tough times.

$5200
Elsewhere:
$5799
Hardback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
11
Delivering Happiness
Alastair's Pick Alastair's Pick

Delivering Happiness

ByTony Hsieh
AlastairThis a timeless guide to service delivery in the business world. Tony Hsieh, with his company Zappos, set the gold standard for customer service in e-commerce. He made customer satisfaction the cornerstone of his business, and this book continues to shape my understanding of customers and business.
$3100
Elsewhere:
$3499
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
12
The Personal MBA

The Personal MBA

ByJosh Kaufman

The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman is a comprehensive guide designed to provide essential business knowledge without the need for a formal MBA programme. It distils complex business concepts into straightforward, practical advice that can be applied to any entrepreneurial endeavour or professional career. The book covers topics such as marketing, sales, negotiation, strategy, and operations, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their business acumen.

$3000
Elsewhere:
$3500
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
13
Losing My Virginity
Tim's Pick Tim's Pick

Losing My Virginity

ByRichard Branson
Tim WLosing My Virginity will always have a special place on my shelf because it was the first book that made me think I'd like to build something of my own one day. I read it as a teenager, and Richard Branson's stories of starting businesses, taking risks and figuring things out as he went along were unlike anything I'd read before. Looking back, he was the original entrepreneur before startup culture became a thing! He saw opportunities, backed himself and wasn't afraid to have a go. It's full of stories, some unbelievable, that make you realise most successful businesses aren't built by people who have all the answers. They're built by people who are willing to take the first step, learn along the way and keep going when...
$3300
Elsewhere:
$3800
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
14
How Big Things Get Done

How Big Things Get Done

ByBent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

Best Books of 2023 - The Financial Times and The Economist Shortlisted for Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2023 Important, timely, instructive and entertaining - Daniel Kahneman, bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow World expert Bent Flyvbjerg and bestselling author Dan Gardner reveal the secrets to successfully planning and delivering ambitious projects on any scale. Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant new reality. Think of how Apple's iPod went from a project with a single employee to an enormously successful product launch in eleven months. But such successes are the exception. Consider how London's Crossrail project delivered five years late and billions over budget. More modest endeavours, whether launching a small business, organising a conference, or just...

$2400
Elsewhere:
$2799
Paperback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details
15
Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition
Tim's Pick Tim's Pick

Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition

ByW. Chan Kim and Rene A. Mauborgne
Tim WThis book changed how I think about competition and how to create markets with zero competition. The idea of value innovation and the visual tools like the strategy canvas have stuck with me. It’s essential reading for anyone trying to build something different.
$5700
Elsewhere:
$6499
Hardback
In Stock
Ships tomorrow
View details