Books Recommended by Iulia Ghita
Read the interview: Alexandra Stroe and Iulia Ghita
6 books recommended by Iulia Ghita
The Lean Startup
by Eric Ries
Iulia: I think every young entrepreneur should start with these two books (we call them the Bookster “bibles”): The Lean Startup and Scaling Up.
The Lean Startup taught us how to validate our business assumptions using small batches and MVPs and, most valuable of all, how to learn something from every failure.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t
by Jim Collins
On the leadership side, my favorite concept is Jim Collins’ “Level 5 Leadership” from Good to Great. Level 5 Leaders look out the window when things go well, to find the reason for success or progress. At the same time, they look in the mirror when things go poorly, taking responsibility, never blaming bad luck.
How Will You Measure Your Life?
by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, Karen Dillon
Christensen’s writings are so powerful that they make you rethink your life and your business strategies. How Will You Measure Your Life taught me that it’s easier to hold on to my principles 100% of the time than it is to hold on to them 98% of the time. Made me realize there is no “just this once” in life.
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
My favorite business book is Scaling Up by Verne Harnish; and people hear me talking about it all the time. It’s the book that helped us grow Bookster into what it is today: 65,000 readers in over 700 companies. Scaling Up is not an easy… Read the full quote
My favorite business book is Scaling Up by Verne Harnish; and people hear me talking about it all the time. It’s the book that helped us grow Bookster into what it is today: 65,000 readers in over 700 companies. Scaling Up is not an easy read, it has a lot of very specific information, much like a handbook for your own business. I keep Scaling Up on my desk and even though I’ve read it time and again, every time I open it I find new insights and information I may have overlooked the previous times. [...]
Scaling Up helped us align and organize Bookster. I believe it’s a must read for every company that wants to grow fast.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
I like Milan Kundera’s books with his philosophical digressions that sometimes remind me of my own dilemmas, with The Unbearable Lightness of Being as my favourite. I find Kundera’s stories awfully sad, but yet so real, so close to human nature. I admit, I’m not a fan of happy endings, I prefer thought provoking endings.
Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps, and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind
I’m not a morning person and all my life I’ve struggled with waking up early Monday to Friday, and sleeping until noon during the weekends and then waking up with my head in a whirl. The book that really helped me overcome this bad habit… Read the full quote
I’m not a morning person and all my life I’ve struggled with waking up early Monday to Friday, and sleeping until noon during the weekends and then waking up with my head in a whirl. The book that really helped me overcome this bad habit was Sleep by Nick Littlehales. It has two simple rules: wake up every day at the same hour and sleep in 90 minutes cycles. I’m still not a morning person and never will I be, but these simple habits helped me sleep less, but rest more.