For SaaS founders and CEOs, it is important to keep learning from books for SaaS founders and CEO. By reading as many books as you can on business, marketing and more specifically books from other entrepreneurs, you not only learn from other people’s experiences, opinions and knowledge but you also pull yourself into a state that is primed to learn. It is undoubtedly helpful to read books that guide you on your path and assist you in making good decisions

Billionaire Warren Buffett claims that he spends 80% of every day reading, insisting that in order to find success we should be reading at least 500 pages a day. “That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest”.

Nearly all of us who are building a SaaS company feel like we are stretching ourselves beyond our limits at times. We may feel that every decision we make could be the wrong one and sometimes the responsibility that we shoulder is felt to be easier managed when shared with another. It doesn’t matter that another can simply be referencing a great book or going over a chapter again that got you thinking. We all know that books are a perfect way to help us reset our perceptions and misperceptions as well as help us garner belief in ourselves from other’s experiences.

With that all said and living proof of the benefits of a well-rounded and informative book by your side, this article presents you with the top ten must read books for any SaaS founder. Make this 2019 a monumental year and push yourself to new limits with your entrepreneurial endeavors.

Please note: these books are not listed in any particular order or rank.

10. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

An older book published in 1993, this timeless book asks important questions that help you to focus on what your brand is that you are trying to build and will shed light on why it may not be panning out the way you want it to. The book makes some bets in which you can now see prove to be right or wrong and there are interesting snippets on iconic brands and names such as Apple or IBM. This is the go-to book for SaaS founders as it will help you build your branding properly from the beginning.

9. eSCAPE: The 4 Stages of Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur by Anik Singal

Thanks to the outstanding reviews, this low-cost kindle edition is making a mark on the business world by providing you information on the 20 characteristics and behaviors essential to a successful entrepreneur. Building over 6 companies and selling more than $200 million worth of products, you should certainly want to take a leaf or two out of Singal’s book.

8. High Output Management by Andrew Grove

This little gem contains so much invaluable information on how to manage and run a team correctly. Many of us self-made professionals missed out on working our way up the ladder and learning through experience how to manage a team. You will find yourself checking back through this book regularly to implement key tricks and ideas that this book is stuffed with. Many startups have underestimated the importance of building a well-functioning team until it's too late. Therefore, High Output Management is the book for any SaaS founder to read from early stage.

7. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

Knowing that most startups fail isn’t the greatest thing to hear when throwing caution to the wind and stepping out on your own. Knowing that most of those failures could be avoided however is something you need to know about. This book offers a way for any entrepreneur to constantly test their vision, allowing them to adjust accordingly resulting in successful startups. This book has been the highly recommended book for any startup founder in so several years. If you haven't read it, this is a must-read book for you.

6. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles By Steven Pressfield

Sometimes, we can hit a wall and not know how to move on through to find ourselves in a new and exciting point in our business plan. This book has everything you need to know to help you push through any creative barriers that you find yourself stumped with. Beautifully worded with impressive reviews, I will continue to look out for more work by Pressfield. This book is a must-read book for any entrepreneur including SaaS founder as it taught so much about our inner resistance.

5. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Dubbed an essential manual for business and living, understanding our habits and how to break bad ones will help us to view our lives in a completely different way. With captivating snippets of life in the boardroom of Procter and Gamble alongside forceful and eye opening reminders of why we do the things we do, this book has changed many lives for the good.

4. Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street by John Brooks

Brooks has a superb way of creating potentially eye-glazing themes into funny and interesting reads. Through his ornately drawn characters during iconic events, he provides deep insights about business that are timelessly relevant for any SaaS founders.

3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

With a refreshing and honest look at the difficulties of running a business, Horowitz shares insights that he has learned throughout his successful career. Uplifting and funny with life lessons built around his favorite rap songs, be prepared to be sobered and inspired from this essential business book.

2. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

Yes, what an odd choice right? Well, we all know that David Ogilvy is known as the ‘father of advertising’, it is said that he attributes his success to his meticulous research into consumer habits. Any lesson taught from such a figure in advertising is a lesson well learned for any business owners to persuade and influence consumers and the audience.

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

A book from the founder of Nike should have you scratching to find out the secrets of such a successful business. You will find out that you know nothing about the world’s most valuable sports brand. This is a brilliantly written book that reinforces the ideas of hard work, passion and sacrifice as the foundations to success. So, a good book for founders is a book written by a founder, right? :)

Here are some of our picks for our books for founders to read in 2019. Share your picks for this year!

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