Best books on startup products

8 books I recommend to startup founders and their teams for product building and product management.

1. Inspired by Marty Cagan

Offers a step-by-step approach to crafting products that customers not only use but develop a fondness for.

2. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

Learn to ask the right questions to real people, not just potential customers, to uncover true needs and validate your product idea before you invest heavily.

3. Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres

Emphasizes the importance of building a company culture that constantly learns and experiments to ensure your product keeps evolving to meet customer needs.

4. Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

Not all strategies are created equal, and this book helps you differentiate between a clear and actionable plan for success and vague wishful thinking.

5. Empowered by Marty Cagan

Equips product managers with the leadership skills and knowledge to effectively guide cross-functional teams toward building great products.

6. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffery Moore

Explores the challenges of taking a product from initial niche adoption to widespread mainstream appeal.

7. The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt

Introduces a business management theory called Theory of Constraints (TOC) that focuses on optimizing the flow of materials and information throughout a company to achieve overall goals.

8. Lean Startup by Eric Ries

This influential book advocates for an iterative product development approach where you build, measure, and learn from customers quickly to avoid wasting time and resources.