Books Recommended by Nicole Baldinu

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. It’s become like a bible for me. I’ve referred to it to get me out of a business rut or dealing with a business dilemma or I’ve used it as a reminder on "how to" do something in our business - like conducting a really great interview. I’m so grateful for the wealth of knowledge and the straightforward and honest delivery of this book. The amount of times I refer to this book in business conversations is a testament to how impactful it has been. A must read for every founder.

This is a superb book. So well-written, colorful, raw and gritty, and a window into the culinary world from one of the best chefs. But it’s more than that, it’s an insight into mastery, what a great work ethic looks like, and the fascinating people that are drawn into this world as well. It makes you appreciate how different industries and the people within them can operate in vastly different ways to your own.

I didn’t want this book to end. And I’ve gone back and listened to the audio version in Italian too. I’m lucky that my second language is Italian, as I got to enjoy it twice over! This book was wildly successful and for good reasons, it has everything you’d want in a story, love, friendship, history, humor, sadness and tragedy. All in four delicious volumes that, again, you wish would keep going and going.