Fall Reading: From our Founders and CEOs

As we head into fall (and winter), we’d like to equip you with some recommended reads from our TVP Founders and CEOs. Although we’ll be spending more time inside, we’re hoping to make the most of this time of social distancing and staying at home. And for those who missed it, you may also want to check out The Early Stage Founder’s Reading List, our summer reading on management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. While this list is by no means comprehensive, it is a good place to start putting yourself into an entrepreneur’s mindset.

Here’s our Fall Reading from our TVP Founders and CEOs:

1. Matt Gillis, CEO at Clean.io

The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

“I am (re)reading The Hard Things About Hard Things. It is riddled with common sense and is truly a guidebook for CEOs on pretty much every topic you would need immediate advice on.”

2. David Klein, CoFounder and CEO at CommonBond

Powerful by Patty McCord

“I resolved towards the end of the year to read more books in 2020. The Mueller Report sits idle on my nightstand, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah I’m half-way through and look forward to finishing, and Powerful by Patty McCord is a classic that I’m looking to make an annual reading tradition this year (it’s gold for any entrepreneur or leader).”

3. Antonio Tomarchio, Founder and CEO at Cuebiq

Traversing the Traction Gap by Bruce Cleveland

“Currently, I’m reading the following: Traversing the Traction Gap by Bruce Cleveland, What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz, and The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple.”

4. John Furneaux, CoFounder and CEO at Hive

Little Gidding by T.S. Eliot

“Satya Nadella put out a list of his 10 favorite books…and I want to read them all. I’m kicking off by properly digesting Little Gidding by T.S. Elliot. My father raised me on poetry, and it has been too long since I escaped into a poem for an afternoon.”

5. Zohar Levkovitz, CoFounder and CEO at L1ght

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

“I’ve recently enjoyed some good books by Malcolm Gladwell.”

6. Jacob Ross, CEO at PebblePost

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“On my nightstand now: (i) What You Do Is Who You Are — company culture and really understanding the power of good culture is so critical, especially in the current environment, (ii) The Black Swan — Black Swan events are a surprise, have a large impact, and in retrospect could potentially have been predicted. 2020 is rife with examples. Worthwhile pushing ourselves to be better at handling exigent events, and (iii) Difficult Conversations — a classic I have meant to get to for a while, about how to better approach difficult conversations of all sorts. It’s really about people, how we work, and what we need.”

7. Philip James, Founder and CEO at Penrose Hill

The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky

“I read a lot across all formats (digital, audio, and real books still)…I recommend The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky. Scott is an angel investor in Penrose Hill. He was a founder, had a successful exit, and is now a VC. Again, a clear title. Everyone likes to hear about how a company was started or how it ends up, but Scott dives in and helps the reader make sense of how to fix the hardest part of any business, which is the day to day in between.”

8. Scot Wingo, Founder and CEO at Spiffy

Think Like Amazon by John Rossman

“I’m re-reading Ben Horowitz’ The Hard Thing About Hard Things, specifically the chapter on the Wartime CEO. That’s a great take on where we are right now. Another great one that I’ve enjoyed as an Amazon geek is Think Like Amazon. There are some great management tools from Amazon that we’ve borrowed at Spiffy.”

9. Charles Bonello, CoFounder and CEO at Vivvi

The Great Bridge by David McCullough

“At this point, I really only read poetry and history or biographies. I love poetry because there are very real constraints and every line has to be packed with meaning. And I love biographies because I find it comforting that no matter what I’m going through, there’s someone who has experienced something similar (or worse) before, and I can draw on those experiences to learn.”

10. Sam Caucci, Founder and CEO at 1Huddle

Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory by Adrian Goldsworthy

“I like war books. Currently, I am reading Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory.”