📔 READING LIST
Every book mentioned in the build diary — the ones shaping how we think about business, money, and building this app.
- Busy reading
Bill Perkins
Die With Zero
A book that challenges the default assumption that saving is always good. Perkins argues for being intentional with how and when you save relative to the life phase you're in — because having money saved doesn't help if you're too old to actually do the things you were saving for. A constructive challenge to a lot of standard finance advice.
Busy readingBill Perkins
Die With Zero
A book that challenges the default assumption that saving is always good. Perkins argues for being intentional with how and when you save relative to the life phase you're in — because having money saved doesn't help if you're too old to actually do the things you were saving for. A constructive challenge to a lot of standard finance advice.
- Busy reading
Aaron Ross & Jason Lemkin
From Impossible to Inevitable
Going to be honest — this is a dense read. It gets quite technical in places. But it's the book that pushed me to stop assuming and start actually talking to real users. The chapter on nailing your niche gave me a clear framework: what interviews to do, in which order, and what kind of data to collect. I followed it step by step and it directly shaped the user research I did over the past few weeks. Still working through it — it's the kind of book you take slowly because every chapter has something worth applying.
Busy readingAaron Ross & Jason Lemkin
From Impossible to Inevitable
Going to be honest — this is a dense read. It gets quite technical in places. But it's the book that pushed me to stop assuming and start actually talking to real users. The chapter on nailing your niche gave me a clear framework: what interviews to do, in which order, and what kind of data to collect. I followed it step by step and it directly shaped the user research I did over the past few weeks. Still working through it — it's the kind of book you take slowly because every chapter has something worth applying.
- Completed
Rob Walling
The SaaS Playbook
I did a lot of research on the most recommended SaaS books for beginners, and this one kept coming up for good reason. It's a really nice overview of the SaaS business model, and what I love most is that Rob isn't pushing the dream of some big exit. He's writing for bootstrappers who want to build a sustainable business, which is exactly what I'm trying to do. He has this conversational way of explaining things that makes even the more technical concepts feel accessible. The chapter on churn was an eye-opener: reducing churn by even 1% has a bigger impact on growth than doubling your marketing budget. His take on pricing stuck with me too. Most founders underprice by 2-5x, which is exactly what I coach my creative clients on. And the chapter on building in public is what ultimately pushed me to launch this landing page and start the build diary. It was a quick, really readable book. I actually had the chance to go through it twice and make a lot more notes the second time around. He's realistic and level-headed throughout. No overpromising, no hype. Just a very grounded approach to building something that lasts. Highly recommend as a starting point if you're exploring SaaS for the first time.
CompletedRob Walling
The SaaS Playbook
I did a lot of research on the most recommended SaaS books for beginners, and this one kept coming up for good reason. It's a really nice overview of the SaaS business model, and what I love most is that Rob isn't pushing the dream of some big exit. He's writing for bootstrappers who want to build a sustainable business, which is exactly what I'm trying to do. He has this conversational way of explaining things that makes even the more technical concepts feel accessible. The chapter on churn was an eye-opener: reducing churn by even 1% has a bigger impact on growth than doubling your marketing budget. His take on pricing stuck with me too. Most founders underprice by 2-5x, which is exactly what I coach my creative clients on. And the chapter on building in public is what ultimately pushed me to launch this landing page and start the build diary. It was a quick, really readable book. I actually had the chance to go through it twice and make a lot more notes the second time around. He's realistic and level-headed throughout. No overpromising, no hype. Just a very grounded approach to building something that lasts. Highly recommend as a starting point if you're exploring SaaS for the first time.
