[motohagiography]

If you are reading a book instead of talking to and connecting with people to find out what they truly personally need, does it really matter what book you are reading?

Sounds rough, but I'd recommend weighing any recommendation against this.

[jrockway]

I don't think talking and connecting to your customers tells you about how file taxes, stay in compliance with labor laws, etc. There is the product and there are the mechanics of the business. You have to do both, and books are probably a good jumping-off point for the latter.

[randomsearch]

No no no. Most SaaS nerd founders make the same set of mistakes. Reading just “the mom test” or “running lean” can potentially save those people years of wasted time making the mistakes.

[benatkin]

So you're recommending that instead of the book, they read these two sentences from you and start from there?

How about a book that motivates people to do that, like four steps to the epiphany? It isn't an either-or proposition.

[motohagiography]

I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, I would go so far as to guarantee that my previous two sentence comment is more valuable than %99 of all business books.

You can conclude the above after absorbing the opportunity cost and burn of reading a few thousand pages of anecdotes from newly wealthy people post-hoc moralizing their luck, or you can start with it as an axiom that provides the only demonstrable path to success.

However, it's the only advice I have.