The Personal MBA
Master the Art of Business
by Josh Kaufman
Should I read this?
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in E Commerce, Business Finance, and New Business.
Master the fundamentals, hone your business instincts, and save a fortune in tuition. The consensus is clear: MBA programs are a waste of time and money. Even the elite schools offer outdated assemblyline educations about profitandloss statements and PowerPoint presentations. After two years poring over sanitized case studies, students are shuff...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in E Commerce, Business Finance, and New Business.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Derek Sivers
Author; founder of CD Baby
“Wow. A masterpiece. This is now the one ?START HERE? book I'll be recommending to everybody interested in business. An amazing overview of everything you need to know. Covers all the basics, minus buzzwords and fluff. Look at my notes for an example, but read the whole book. One of the most inspiring things I've read in years. Want proof I asked the author to be my coach/mentor afterwards. It's that good. | Wow. A masterpiece. This is now the one “START HERE” book I'll be recommending to everybody interested in business. An amazing overview of everything you need to know. Covers all the basics, minus buzzwords and fluff. Look at my notes for an example, but read the whole book. One of the most inspiring things I've read in years. Want proof I asked the author to be my coach/mentor afterwards. It's that good.”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Recommended by 60 sources.
“A blunt, conversational tour through the worst parts of building a company. Horowitz shares personal stories from his own startup failures and recoveries, offering practical wisdom on layoffs, pivots, CEO loneliness, and managing when times are bad. The value is in the honest, experience-based insight you won't get from business school. The limitation is its narrow focus on venture-backed tech startups—if you're not in that world, some advice may feel irrelevant. Reads like a wise mentor telling you what nobody else will.”
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Jay AbrahamHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
The Personal MBA
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