Books that influenced our thinking
Books are one of the best ways to really go deep and understand an area properly.
Learning quickly is central to what we do at Skyamo — so here are the books that helped us to understand startups, growth and the world better:
Startups
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The Mom Test
Teaching you to ask the right questions + talk to users.
Lean Startup
Bible for startups.
Hacking Growth
Everything you need to know about creating a growth process.
Lean Analytics
How you need to think about analytics. Must read for all startups.
Web Analytics 2.0
A little dated but most concepts you can use every day.
Marketing
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Ogilvy on Advertising
The guide to advertising by the Godfather of advertising.
Purple Cow
Stand out. Be memorable.
Tipping Point
Find a superconnector and get your messages spreading quickly.
Contagious
Apply these principles to make things go viral
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Learn how to persuade.
Traction
You just need to nail one marketing channel to grow. How to find it.
Mindset
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Zero to One
How to think about the future + think bigger. You can always think bigger.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Do less so you can do more.
Papillion
Never give up
Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson
How to be a leader and make great people greater.
Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking
Make clever moves and know which waves you need to ride.
Making Ideas Happen
Framework for making sure you execute.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
The world will be a far better place when more women are in boardrooms. Here’s how women can take steps there and men can help enable it.
Damn Good Advice
Be an independent and bold thinker. Let creativity seam through everything you do.
A Long Walk to Freedom
There are people and systems that will tell you that you’re wrong. Don’t listen, stay true to your beliefs and fight to show them you’re right. They’ll end up looking stupid.
Product
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Hooked
Build addictive products with this. Scarily effective.
Sprint
Practical guide on bringing teams together to deliver great products.
Intercom on Onboarding
First impressions are key and nailing onboarding is a must for a product to be truly great.
Don’t Make Me Think
Make your product as simple as possible.
Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty
Understanding design systems gives you an edge. Value good design.
Sales
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Predictable Revenue
Use this to create a scalable sales process.
Spin Selling
Ask questions. Make sales by listening and asking the right questions.
Rapid learning is central to how we make startups grow and we make sure that books are part of our learning process
You can learn more about Skyamo here: www.skyamo.com
