The Entrepreneur’s Library
- Dan Ahchow
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Books and conversations that quietly shape how serious business builders think. They have most definitely had a positive impact on myself and the development of Eaco.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about hustle, tactics, or the latest growth hack. At its core, it’s about how you see the world. How you understand people. How you make decisions under uncertainty. And how you design systems that can scale beyond you.
Over the years, a handful of books and long-form conversations keep surfacing among founders who actually build enduring things. Not because they’re trendy — but because they permanently upgrade how you think.
Below is a curated entrepreneur’s library. These are resources worth reading slowly, re-reading often, and arguing with over a coffee.
The Books
Wanting
A sharp exploration of mimetic desire — why we want what we want, and how much of it isn’t really ours to begin with. Hugely important if you’re trying to build something original rather than chase someone else’s scoreboard.
The Long Tail
A foundational text for anyone building platforms, marketplaces, or niche-driven businesses. It explains why distribution beats hits, and why small markets add up to big outcomes.
The Effective Executive
Pure management gold. Drucker doesn’t teach you how to do more — he teaches you how to decide what actually matters. Essential once your time becomes the scarcest resource.
It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small… It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow
A reminder that speed of learning, speed of execution, and speed of decision-making routinely beat scale. Particularly relevant in markets being reshaped by software.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Often misunderstood, but still powerful. At its heart, this is a book about leverage, systems, and questioning default assumptions about work.
BE 2.0
A modern update to Collins’ thinking on leadership. Less about charisma, more about disciplined execution and building something that outlasts you.
The Lean Startup
The book that normalised experimentation, fast feedback, and learning before scaling. Still essential if you’re building anything new in uncertain conditions.
Predictably Irrational
A practical tour of human irrationality. If you sell, price, negotiate, or design user experiences, this book will change how you see behaviour.
Unreasonable Hospitality
A masterclass in turning service into strategy. It shows how going further than expected builds loyalty, culture, and long-term advantage.
The Tipping Point
A classic on how ideas, behaviours, and products spread. Still incredibly relevant when you’re trying to move markets, not just sell to them.
The Diary of a CEO
Raw, reflective, and modern. This one resonates because it blends ambition with vulnerability — something many founders quietly experience.
Manifesto for a Moral Revolution
A powerful reminder that capital, when used well, can solve meaningful problems. Particularly relevant if you’re building with impact in mind.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Timeless for a reason. This book teaches human dynamics that never go out of date — persuasion, trust, and genuine connection.
The Black Swan
A sobering look at uncertainty, randomness, and why most forecasts fail. Essential reading if you’re making big bets in an unpredictable world.
Leading Beyond the Walls
Leadership without hierarchy. Influence without authority. Particularly relevant in modern, networked organisations.
The Podcasts
These are long-form conversations that reward patience. They’re where you hear how people actually think — not just what they present on stage.
20VC
Deep dives with founders and investors at the sharp end of technology and capital.
Akimbo
Short, thoughtful, and philosophical. A podcast about culture, markets, and making things that matter.
My First Million
Energetic, idea-driven conversations that spark new ways of seeing opportunity.
How I Built This
Founder stories told honestly, including the messy middle that usually gets skipped.
All-In
Opinionated, sharp, and often controversial. A window into how influential operators think about power, money, and technology.
The Tim Ferriss Show
Deconstructing world-class performers across disciplines. A masterclass in learning from the best.
This Week in Startups
Fast-moving commentary on startups, founders, and the venture ecosystem.
Hard Fork
A smart, accessible take on how technology is shaping society, business, and politics.
The James Sinclair Podcast
Practical, grounded insights into building real businesses — especially retail and property-backed ventures.
The Daniel Priestley Podcast
Clear thinking on entrepreneurship, leverage, and building businesses that work without burning you out.
The Diary of a CEO
This isn’t a hustle podcast, and that’s exactly why it works. Steven Bartlett has a knack for creating conversations where people drop the armour. Founders, athletes, psychologists, performers — they all end up talking about the things that actually drive outcomes: identity, fear, discipline, self-belief, and the quiet pressure of expectation.
What makes Diary of a CEO stand out is that it treats entrepreneurship as a human experience, not just a commercial one. You come away with better questions rather than neat answers — about ambition, balance, money, ego, and what success really costs over time.
If you’re building something big and want to stay psychologically sharp (and grounded) while doing it, this one’s a ripper to keep in rotation. It’s reflective, occasionally confronting, and consistently useful.
