startup reading list

PONIES.txt

categories (order of importance):

what can I expect, being part of a startup?
  Is it the kind of life I'll be satisfied with?

what kills startups and what are the early warning signs?
  How many of them do we have?  How many are curable?

How does a culture form, what's good and what's bad?
  how are my personality flaws going to be amplified into culture?  how to avoid this?

How should a startup work?
  more money coming in than going out.  how hard can it be?

What business basics should I be aware of?
  corporate structure, tax basics, stocks/options, governance, finance, strategic planning

how to deal with current customers (tech support, business changes)

how to sell a product that I believe in

living on a budget (personal)


links:
http://www.quora.com/Book-Recommendations/What-books-should-entrepreneurs-read
http://steveblank.com/books-for-startups/

- stages -
stage 1: is 3h's concept structurally sound, does it have a good chance of succeeding?
The Lean Startup - seminal book on startups, danger, process, etc
The Founder Factor - what makes a founder tick
Four Steps to Epiphany - biz dev, strategy, "customer development"
Business Model Generation - what's our business model?

stage 2: what can and is likely to kill it?
Founders At Work - stories and advice from the trenches
The Checklist Manifesto - "use a checklist" (might not be much more to it than that)
The Entrepreneurial Mindset - how to find and systematically make use of opportunities
Dealing with Darwin - what "innovating" means for companies at different stages of maturity
The Knowing-Doing Gap - how to turn good ideas into action

stage 3: pricing, business law/structure, finances, how not to get screwed
High-Tech Ventures - best available operating manual for startups; read piecemeal (like a Bible)
Strategy and Tactics of Pricing - pricing, ironically pretty spendy 
Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law - what it says on the cover, apparently
http://www.scribd.com/doc/55945011/An-Introduction-to-Stock-Options-for-the-Tech-Entrepreneur-or-Startup-Employee

stage 4: sales/marketing, develop the product, business, culture
Word of Mouth Marketing - quick read, shaping and learning from what people say about your product
SNAP Selling - framework for selling to frazzled/impatient customers
The No Asshole Rule - recognizing assholes and what kind of damage they can cause

stage 5: international tax law?

stage X: financing (will we need this, and to what degree?)
Engineering Your Startup - startup financing for engineers
Mastering the VC Game - demystifying VC for engineers
Venture Deals - complete overview of the VC process and how to raise money
Term Sheets and Valuations - how to grok all-important financing details


Engineering Your Start Up - engineer's guide to building a company, I guess