LeapTakersPodcast_#21 - Christmas Giveaway & Best Startup Books

Remo Kyburz: [00:00:00]   Hello, dear listeners and Merry Christmas to everyone. This episode is the somewhat special ed cert since first of all, it's Christmas today. So I hope you're all enjoying it. And that you can spend some time if you were the last ones, despite the current COVID situation. And second today is also somewhat of a special episode. 
Since it's not an interview. This is going to be more of a small experiment today.  So this episode will be a lot shorter than usual.  It will be mainly me talking and I will also include a small Christmas present from me to you. At the end of this episode. So, what will I talk about in this episode, as you know, I love books and the common theme with most of my guests. 
Is that they also like to read books since often it's a source of knowledge on how to build great companies, spot trends, leadership, new ideas. Et cetera, but books can also help you to get inspired and motivated to take action, to build something. Or as I call it to take the leap. Thereof in this episode, I will introduce you to five of my favorite books, but also my guest's favorite business and startup books. 
I've read these books over the last few years. And all of them were also highly recommended by various guests of this podcast. So if you're a startup founder, or if you think about starting your own company side-project, or you just need motivation to do something, to build something, to start a side business, or a side hustle. 
I'm sure one of these books will speak to you. Moreover, since it's Christmas, I'm also doing a little giveaway. In which I will send to some lucky winner. A book of his or her choice from the list of books. I'm going to talk about. So, all you got to do is to go to leap takers podcast. On Apple podcasts or iTunes. 
And give it a five star rating. You can also write a comment with it, but you don't need to. So all you got to do is give a five star rating and then just send me a quick email with a screenshot or including the link to this review that you wrote. As proof to remo.kyburz1@gmail.com. 
So that's R E M O . K Y B U R Z 1. @gmail.com. That's my full name in case he didn't know. But so yeah, if you want to enter the raffle to win one of those books, As a Christmas present from me to you. Just write a quick review, give it a rating and send me confirmation to the above email. 
And if you're lucky, you will get a message from me. And you can choose one of these books. 
So, yeah. This is just a little, thank you for me to you. Dear listeners. I'm very grateful that you seem to enjoy these podcasts that I put out there. I'm really happy with this year I had some great guests on the show and I will have a few really exciting ones coming up very soon. So thank you for your continued support. And I hope that you enjoy these books and that they will help you or inspire you in some way going forward. 
Then let's get started with the books on my list first. Is principles by Ray Daleo. Ray Dalio is the founder of the world's largest hedge fund Bridgewater associates, and one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs. And his books principles. He shares the unconventional principles that he developed refined and used over the past 40 years to create unique results in both life and business. 
And which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals. 
So Ray Daleo shares what he's learned over the course of his remarkable career. He basically argues that live management economics and investing can all be systemized. Into rules and understood like machines. So he has a very interesting approach of thinking about this. The book includes hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his corner stone of radical truth and radical transparency. 
In which Ray Daleo lays out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions. Approach challenges and to build strong teams. So I highly enjoyed this book and especially if you want to get into the mind of really one of the world's most successful investors. And to find out how he runs his company. 
And how he understands , this concept of radical transparency. Which I find very fascinating. I can highly recommend to read this book. So that's principles by Ray Daleo. The first book on this list. 
Second is the lean startup. How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses written by Eric Ries. So you might be  familiar with this books because I think it has been mentioned by two or three guests of this podcast. And it's definitely one of the must reads. If you want to start your own startup. 
Because most startups fail. As you probably know. But many of those failures are probably preventable. The lean startup is one of the most recommended books to read as a startup founder, since it changed the way companies are built and new products are launched. The book Introduces an approach. 
That. Foster's  companies.  to be Both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. It is inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing. It relies on validated learning. Rapid scientific experimentation as well as a number of counter intuitive practices that shortened product development cycles. 
Measure actual progress. Without resorting to vanity metrics and learn what customers really want. It enables the company to shift directions with agility, alternate plants  minutes by minutes. So. As you heard , it introduced this whole idea of pivoting and doing this rapid changes as you learn in your product and to experiment. So. If you want to learn more about that's highly recommended. And I think it speaks definitely to entrepreneurs or. People that want to start a company of all sizes, companies of all sizes. That wants to test their vision continuously. To adopt and a chance the business. Continuously before it's too late or before you fail. 
So. This is definitely classic. I can highly recommend it. From my point of view, it's a must read if you want to start a company  or if you're a founder or a CEO of an early stage startup. So that's the lean startup by Eric Ries 
Third up is the hundred dollar startup reinvent the way you make a living, do what you love and create a new future. By Chris Guillebeau. At least that's how I think you pronounce his name. So Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning 50,000. 
Us dollars or more from a modest investment. In many cases, just with $100 or less that they got started with. And then he focuses on the 50 most intriguing case studies out of those. In this book in nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized. 
And were able to restructure their lives in ways that give them greater freedom and fulfillment. 
To hand the taller startups is an easy to use guide. That includes the most valuable lessons from those. Who've learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment, but building a side business. Or by bootstrapping a company. If you think about building a small startup. On the side. 
And think about bootstrapping. So financing it, if your own money. thought down to venture capital route where you raise external financing from, you know, like venture capital investors. Take an ownership in your company , but give you money for it and help you build the business. So if you don't want to do that, but you want to sell finest startup and start small, maybe start on the side, don't go full in from the beginning. 
This book is definitely a highly recommended read. I was a very inspirational and can give you a lot of ideas of, of what you could do. So yeah, this is the hundred dollar startup by Chris Guillebeau. Number three. 
Fourth is the hard thing about hard things. Building a business when there are no easy answers written by Ben Horowitz. 
You might have heard this name, Ben Horowitz. So he's the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. One of the most successful VCs in the us and probably in the world. And he's also one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs. 
In his book, the hard things about hard things. He offers you basically essential advice on building and running a startup. Practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems. That you might run into, if you have a company. As a CEO or in a leadership position in the company. That's probably business school. 
Didn't teach you or that doesn't cover it there. So a very practical guide Ben analyzes the problems in this book that confront leaders every day, and he shares his insights. He gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in and supervising technology companies. 
There are a lot of war stories in this book. And his advice on how to act when things really go downhill. So this book definitely speaks more to a veteran entrepreneurs and founders. Maybe rather than people that just got started or that. I think about starting a company, but still, I think there's also a lot of value in it for aspiring entrepreneurs. 
To see that life as a startup founder, it's not always just very happy, shiny, and bright, but they're also really tough decisions and tough moments you need to go through. And this book definitely shines a light on that. And it's very helpful if you want to learn more about that part of the startup life as well. So that's the hard thing about hard things by Ben Horowitz. 
Lastly number five Shoe Dog, a memoir by the creator of Nike. Written by bill Knight. . In this book. Nike founder and board chairman, Phil Knight offers a rare and revealing. Look at the notoriously media shy man behind Nike. Illuminating his company's early days as an interpret startup. And then its evolution into one of the world's most iconic and game-changing and profitable brands. 
This book is amazing and very inspirational. Phil Knight tells his personal story as honestly as he can with all the ups and downs. And it's very truthful accord. Of. You know, his work and how he started Nike and how it became one of the biggest sports wear brands in the world today. 
So if we're looking for some inspiration or motivation, this is also another great read. So this is shoe dog by. Phil Knight. 
And actually I will just throw in one more. As a little bonus. Since I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago. So this book is called delivering happiness by Tony. Hsieh. 
So delivering happiness was written by the former Zappos CEO, Tony. Who shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life. Starting from starting a worm farm. To running a pizza business through link exchange Zappos and more. So in case you don't know. Zappos. Zappos is like the us. Version of Zalando here in central Europe. So it's one of the first business that pioneered Delivery of first of shoes to, to customers over the internet. it's definitely one of the. Most iconic, you know, e-commerce businesses and startups being built in the last 20 years. 
Or so. And. 
Yeah. So this book has really spoken to me and very tragically though. It has to be mentioned is that Tony just passed away a few weeks ago in an accident. In the U S  but nevertheless, I still believe that this book carries some really important messages even further. And then all's onwards to the next generations. 
And what stood out to me most personally in this book is how down to earth and . Honest Tony was in this book and. It was very motivational for me to hear his stories of how he founded all these companies. To hear his lessons firsthand. And. Especially the first, I would say two third of the book. I enjoy it a lot. It's because they're so motivational and you hear him. You know, talk about how he thinks all the side hustles he did. And how he came up with the idea for, for SAP posts or like how he got into it, first of all, and then he shares his lessons along the way. The second part of the book or the last one, third of the book. 
Focuses more on how. To build a corporate culture. A positive corporate culture. And includes a lot of his advice around that. So, especially if you're a founder that might. Be very important advice for you as well, because I believe. And also Tony believes that. Corporate culture is one of the most important. 
Aspects of a business, especially if you plan to build a business that is still here in 10 years or in 20 years, or even a hundred years. So. Corporate culture is very important to get right. It is very hard as well. So he has some very helpful advice in there as well. 
So delivering happiness by Tony Hsieh is the last book in this list. That I wanted to mention. 
We've thought a complete this list. I hope you enjoyed this experiment of an episode. I'd be really curious to hear what you think. So you can just write me on Twitter. At TheRemoKyburz on Twitter Or you can also just send me an email or contact me over the website, lea Lastly, remember the Christmas present. So the gift away. If you. Want to get one of these books, just review the podcast. On Apple podcast slash iTunes. And sent me a quick email, just the one liner. 
Just paste in either. A screenshot of the review or send me the link to the review. Or the rating that you did, and then from all the people that submitted, I will pick randomly one lucky winner. And then I will contact you. I will ask you which book you would enjoy the most. And I will send it to you as a Christmas present from me to you. 
So just write me an email to remo.kyburz1@gmail.com. So that's the number one there at the end. Okay. Having said that. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and already a happy new year now. I hope you keep on listening to the LeapTakers podcast. Also next year in 2021. 
Since I have a lot of really exciting guests lined up. And let's hope all that 2021, it gets a lot better than 2020. So, yup. Cheers to you all. And Merry Christmas again. Bye-bye.