The SaaS industry is still relatively young, but we have seen many changes in the past ten years.
The tools and best practices for building successful software companies are constantly evolving.
If you want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments, there are some books for Entrepreneurs in the SaaS Industry to read.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things By Ben Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz, Ben Horowitz, one of the driving forces behind Netscape, Loudcloud (one of the first business to adopt the software-as-a-service model), is uniquely qualified to speak to this subject.
This book sheds light on the tactics, challenges, and insights in entrepreneurship for founders across diverse industries. The author’s wit and personal perspective make this book an invaluable read for anyone with experience in being a leader.
The Lean Startup By Eric Ries
Startup founders and entrepreneurs all over the world have benefitted from Eric Ries’ Lean Startup series.
In this framework, the business owner oversees a rigorous planning process to validate their idea’s prediction with exhaustive testing.
Lean Analytics By Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz
The Lean series of books, championed by author and entrepreneur Eric Ries, teaches both readers and entrepreneurs how to take several tactics to achieve success.
It starts with publishing the concept of prioritization: you choose one key performance metric that will be improved with each action required along the path to achieving your goal- then you use this as
For a startup founder trying to improve everything at once, the book Lean Analytics (and its 30+ case studies) is invaluable for helping you quickly figure out where your time should be focused.
Crossing the Chasm By Geoffrey Moore
Few ideas can constantly withstand the world of startups’ rapid pace of change, but despite its age (more than 25 years old), Crossing the Chasm’s central argument is more relevant today than ever before.
Entrepreneur Geoffrey Moore talks about the adoption of novel and disruptive technology and how founders have to hurdle a huge obstacle: getting people on their side for its early market while they’re still just small visions, then having them agree with its late market offering when it’s already big.
The Innovator’s Dilemma By Clayton Christensen
What are some of the most important skills to teach employees when a company deals with high-risk and fast-paced change? And how can you avoid disruptor status yourself without spending all your time building up defenses?
Clayton Christensen’s seminal book on the SaaS industry, “The Innovator’s Dilemma”, explores the need for startups to innovate continually and the inertia that stops most big businesses from challenging the status quo.
Packed full of examples from different industries, it is both an actionable handbook and a prescient warning for any SaaS entrepreneur.
How to Castrate a Bull By Dave Hitz
One of the most popular books in Silicon Valley is How to Castrate a Bull, which follows NetApp’s founder Dave Hitz and his journey from young cow-tipping entrepreneur to billionaire data storage tycoon.
Despite being on the less-famous side of this list, this book offers an unparalleled insight into one of the valley’s most resilient companies. Dave Hitz shares insights throughout from Surviving the DotCom Crash to Building a $4 Billion ARR Business.
From Impossible to Inevitable By Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin
From Impossible to Inevitable sets out to prove a simple hypothesis, many of the world’s best-known SaaS companies were founded with an unchanging formula that you can replicate on your own.
With examples and anecdotes from the likes of Brooklyn-based Zenefits, San Francisco-based Salesforce and co-author Jason Lemkin’s very own EchoSign, this book offers a clear exploration of the phenomenon of exponential growth.
Four Steps to the Epiphany By Steve Blank
The Four Steps to the Epiphany is something of a paradox—it’s a tough read with squishy pages responsible for starting the “lean startup” movement, including Eric Ries’ book The Lean Startup.
Steve Blank explains in his new book that the ultimate goal of any startup is not to sell a product – it’s to create and build an enduring customer base with whom the company will need to do business for years.
The Science of Selling By David Hoffeld
The David Hoffeld book cuts through the mystique and disinformation of traditional sales, offering straightforward strategies for applying neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology to the sales process.
Zero to One By Peter Thiel
In his book, Thiel concerns himself with the question of why it’s easier to copy an existing business model than it is to create one. He argues that companies need to go from 0-1 and create a new paradigm in order for true innovation to happen.
As a co-founder of PayPal, one of the first investors in Facebook, a partner in Y Combinator and the founder/president/investor of six other companies, Peter Thiel has proven to be an innovative thinker. In Zero to One: Notes on Startups, Thiel offers valuable advice for any entrepreneur looking to compete in their business niche.
Conclusion
Since you have read this article, you are related to SaaS Industry. If you know any other books to recommend for SaaS Entrepreneurs, leave them in the comments.
Do share with your SaaSy friends.
