The Method Entrepreneur

David Ogilvy created and lead the advertising agency Ogilvy and Matter, a global company responsible for many impressive pieces of advertising around the world. 

David wrote a book to explain his vision about methodical advertising. I believe he wrote it for anyone to read but mostly for his clients and his employees. Writing this kind of book can save a lot of time arguing, and will attract clients that share similar vision of methodical business practices.

The author is an extraordinary copywriter. I rarely finish a book without skipping a few paragraphs or chapters. But not this one, the amount of knowledge and wisdom in this book is overwhelming and you don't want to miss anything. 

What is my key takeaway?

The art and science of advertising applies to everything related to selling with pictures and/or words, including: marketing, social media, and simple email communication.The importance of research and data is not a new thing, it just became easier.

You must read this book if you are in anyway related to selling a product. It brings you back to the fundamentals: Telling your reader what a product does for him or her.

And if you work on a product, there is all you need to know about selling.

When you don't manage to get a customer.

When your customer base does not scale as planned.

Here is what you do: Validate by doing things that don't scale.

Only worry about the next order of magnitude. Get 1 client, then 10, then 100 using appropriate technics.

Starting a Startup is very hard, but Y Combinator has found the formula and will share through multiple classes.

This one gives you an overview of what is a startup, and how it works.

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

Lean Startup is the approach we use to develop products by validating with customers.

Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean Series)

How we conduct consumer interviews and validate our assumptions at every step of our development.

The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business

Why market behave the way they behave under disruption. Helps you understand your opportunity.

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

How we build our products for a niche audience first, get traction (or not) and evolve it to get to a bigger market.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Amazing modern design book for our consumer products especially. Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition)

A classic on psychology.

Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster (Lean Series)

If lean startup is not technical enough for you, some concrete examples and stories of lean startups. Shows how to use metrics, analytics and other very pragmatic and analytical tools.

The Lean Entrepreneur: How Visionaries Create Products, Innovate with New Ventures, and Disrupt Markets

If you want more stories around Lean Startup to get inspired, go for it.

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization