There was a lot of lively discussion a couple of weekends ago about books for entrepreneurs on Fred Wilson’s blog. The result was a wiki page listing several dozen suggested volumes, compiled from the discussion that the blog gave rise to. The assortment ranged from the usual suspects – which one would expect to see on business reading lists… recent business best sellers, and Ayn Rand always seems to find her way into these mixes – to more surprising but at the same time refreshing suggestions: Machiavelli and Plato among others. There was the assortment of popular and less popular fiction also thrown into the mix… going by memory, I recall Moby Dick, Catch-22, The Great Gatsby, and Absalom, Absalom!.
As a great fan of such literature myself, and a contributor to said discussion, I would never question any selection of books… the more the better. But I couldn’t help wondering, as I was perusing the result, what do Ayn Rand, Plato’s Republic, Catch-22, and The Great Gatsby have in common with William Faulkner, as seen from the perspective of the prototypical entrepreneur? It is true that most literature has something to teach almost anyone, including entrepreneurs no doubt, but judging from the variety of styles, genres, ideas, and vintages on the list in question, one may as well surmise that entrepreneurs need to read everything… give or take. Which may be true enough, but of course the suggestion is not practical, and may even be discouraged by investors anxious for, among other things, a liquidity event.
To help organize our thought process and prioritize, speaking on behalf of both entrepreneurs and those who wish for their success, we may first want to consider, before making reading recommendations to already super-occupied people, a more fundamental question: What is an entrepreneur? (A related question: what makes entrepreneurs different from other individuals?)
I wonder if such a discussion would cause some to realize that, lo!, they have been entrepreneurs for all these years. Conversely, I wonder if some who are commonly revered as such, may warrant a more careful scrutiny. Being all that as it may, the “reading list” which so often reflects the nature of the individual, could increase, decrease, change, or, by miracle, remain exactly and precisely in its current wiki form. Truth be told, I hope not. Absalom, Absalom! could make for painful reading when you’re trying to think of ways to motivate the sales force.
