For Mentors
The mentor list intentionally combines startup methodology with inquiry, finance, psychology, ethics, and judgment. A mentor who understands only startup tools may become formulaic. A mentor who possesses only general experience may fail to recognize the distinctive uncertainty of an early-stage company.
Foundational Set
The Mom Test
This is one of the shortest and most practically useful books on customer interviews.
The Lean Startup
This is one of the most influential books in modern entrepreneurship and remains a useful introduction to validated learning, minimum viable products, Build-Mea…
Competing Against Luck
This is the most accessible full treatment of Jobs to Be Done theory.
Testing Business Ideas
This is one of the most useful practical reference books for designing startup experiments.
Humble Inquiry
This short book is highly relevant to VMT mentoring.
Helping
Schein examines why attempts to help often fail because the helper acts before understanding what kind of help is needed.
The Founder’s Dilemmas
Based on extensive research, this book examines co-founder selection, equity, control, hiring, relationships, and the tradeoff between wealth and control.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Horowitz addresses the painful, ambiguous decisions that conventional management books often avoid: layoffs, executive failures, organizational politics, founde…
Advanced Set
Continuous Discovery Habits
This is one of the strongest books on making discovery a continuing operating practice rather than a one-time prelaunch exercise.
Obviously Awesome
This is one of the most practical books on positioning, particularly for B2B technology.
Founding Sales
This is one of the most useful books for technical or product-oriented founders who must learn founder-led B2B sales.
Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs
This is an excellent introduction for founders who do not come from accounting or finance.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
This is a broad and demanding book on judgment, heuristics, bias, and decision-making.
The Fearless Organization
This is the leading practical treatment of psychological safety in organizations.
Practical Wisdom
This book examines the judgment required to apply rules, experience, ethics, and human understanding in circumstances too complex for formulas.
The Trusted Advisor
Although written for professional advisors, this is useful for mentors because it examines credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation.