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Purple Cow

By Seth Godin

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This book has 12 recommendations

Dragos Novac (CEO/Nordic 9)

Then, again when I was younger, at the beginning of 2000s, Seth Godin’s Purple Cow and The Cluetrain Manifesto were two pieces of work I’d always refer to, as well as Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup, later on when I was looking at how to become a better tech entrepreneur.

Robert Katai (Founder/Instagramology)

I have 2 books that resonate with me and my work. The first one is a book written by Rick Warren called “The Purpose-Driven Life” and the second one is “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin. These are the books that I can read over and over again, because they always remind me what’s my purpose in this life, in my daily job and what I can do with my projects and work to create a purple cow effect. And guess what? I don’t have the “Purple Cow” book but I’ve read it several times on my laptop or on my smartphone (yeah). But in the future I want to buy it and make it my own by taking my personal notes on it (outlined, writing my ideas). [...] Start with “Purple Cow” from Seth Godin if you want to do something different in your industry. Then subscribe to his newsletter and read everything he publishes on his blog.

Noah Kagan (Founder/Sumo)

A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book.

Jessica Lauria (Co-Founder/By Karen and Jess)

If you are going into advertising and marketing, remember that you want to make an impact in the world and not just be another mediocre brand.

Marvin Liao (Partner/500 Startups)

My list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make sense of life and Science fiction to picture what the future could be like (not always utopian).

Catherine Molloy (Director/Auspac Business Advantage)

When asked about the books that had the biggest impact on her, Catherine replied: "Inspirational Leadership / Purple Cow as I can take these concepts and implement for our training, I love Tom O’Toole for customer service and Richard Branson for teams."

Aaron Watson (CEO/PiperCreative)

Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path?

Answer:

  • Purple Cow by Seth Godin
  • End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson
  • Rework by Jason Fried & DHH
  • Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday
  • The Complacent Class by Tyler Cowen
  • The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
  • Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson

Vincent Pugliese (Author & Professional Photographer)

Question: What books would you recommend to young people to be prepared for the future workplaces?

Answer: So many! So many by Seth Godin (Linchpin, The Icarus Deception, Purple Cow) Essentialism by Greg McKeown, Deep Work by Cal Newport, The Choice by Og Mandino, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, No More Dreaded Mondays and 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller, The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran, Will It Fly by Pat Flynn, The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews, QBQ by John Miller, The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Wow, there are so many more, but that’s a start.

Adam Lawrence (Co-Founder/ClearHat Marketing)

Question: What’s your favorite book and why?

Answer: [...] Purple Cow by Seth Godin.

Lori Cheek (Founder & CEO/Cheekd)

As an avid guerrilla and creative startup marketer/ tech startup founder, my favorite business book is The Purple Cow by Seth Godin. It’s all about standing out from the masses and transforming your business by being remarkable. One of my favorite quotes out of this book: "You must design a product that is remarkable enough to attract the early adopters – but is flexible enough and attractive enough that those adopters will have an easy time spreading the idea.

Gennady Batrakov (CEO & Founder/Strivechat & BubblesPlanner)

I am currently reading Purple Cow by Seth Godin. I find it fascinating. I realize what I have done wrong in the past, mistakes that I made. It makes me entirely rethink the approach to marketing.

Brian Burkhart (Founder & Chief Word Guy/SquarePlanet Presentations & Strategy)

Another is Seth Godin, who wrote “Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable.” The entire Godin experience, his books, videos, podcasts, blogs, is all about making waves. He’s made an extraordinary career for himself telling people to stop being like everyone else. His concepts are a form of validation for me. Here’s a guy who’s clearly doing well, has an amazing client roster and experience, and he’s saying the same things I’d been thinking for years. It’s like Michael Phelps telling you you’re a good swimmer.

Amazon description

The cult classic that revolutionized marketing by teaching businesses that you’re either remarkable or invisible.

Few authors have had the kind of lasting impact and global reach that Seth Godin has had. In a series of now-classic books that have been translated into 36 languages and reached millions of readers around the world, he has taught generations of readers how to make remarkable products and spread powerful ideas. In Purple Cow, first published in 2003 and revised and expanded in 2009, Godin launched a movement to make truly remarkable products that are worth marketing in the first place.

Through stories about companies like Starbucks, JetBlue, Krispy Kreme, and Apple, coupled with his signature provocative style, he inspires readers to rethink what their marketing is really saying about their product. In a world that grows noisier by the day, Godin's challenge has never been more relevant to writers, marketers, advertisers, entrepreneurs, makers, product managers, and anyone else who has something to share with the world.

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See more books recommended by

Dragos Novac, Robert Katai, Noah Kagan, Jessica Lauria, Marvin Liao, Catherine Molloy, Aaron Watson, Vincent Pugliese, Adam Lawrence, Lori Cheek, Gennady Batrakov, Brian Burkhart

See more books written by

Seth Godin

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