For this compilation, I asked some of Silicon Valley’s top startup CEOs, VPs, and VCs for their recommendations on the best resources for scaling a company.
The result, as you’ll see below, is a list of inspiring and informative blogs, blog posts, books, videos, and influencers that will provide you with powerful advice and insights to scale your organization.
Ready? Let’s get started.
4 Must-Read Blog Posts to Scale Your Startup
#1: Aaron Levie of Box on How to Scale 10x as a CEO and Build a Billion Dollar Business
Box is the quintessential startup success story. What began in a proverbial garage now enables over 150,000 businesses to share files and collaborate anywhere in the world. In this First Round Town Hall talk, Aaron Levie (@levie) shares what he’s learned about scaling a company as a first-time founder and CEO.
#2: 16 lessons on scaling from Eric Schmidt, Reid Hoffman, Marissa Mayer, Brian Chesky, Diane Greene, Jeff Weiner, and more
Notes by Chris McCann on Stanford University’s CS183C course—Technology-enabled Blitzscaling—taught by Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman), John Lilly (@johnolilly), Chris Yeh (@chrisyeh), and Allen Blue (@allenb).
#3: The Do’s and Don’ts of Rapid Scaling for Startups
Another First Round Review article on the challenges of cognitive load and the complexity of scaling companies.
#4: The HubSpot Culture Code: Creating a Company We Love
Started as an internal document, HubSpot published this slide deck of the HubSpot Culture Code. A great example on how to create a company culture your employees love, no matter the size.
6 Blogs and Online Magazines You Should Subscribe to to Scale Your Business
#1: Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a general management magazine. HBR’s articles focus on areas such as leadership, organizational change, negotiation, strategy, operations, marketing, finance, and managing people.
#2: First Round Review
This project is from venture capital firm First Round Capital and is seen as the Harvard Business Review for startups. Articles focus on startup management, product, people & culture, and sales & marketing.
#3: Sequoia Capital
The blog center from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital provides insight into leadership, management and product.
#4: Saastr.com
Started in 2012 as a WordPress blog, SaaStr.com has developed into one of the largest web communities of SaaS founders and entrepreneurs.
#5: AVC.com by Fred Wilson
Since 2003, Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) from Union Square Ventures has been posting daily to provide useful insights into the experiences and thoughts of a VC.
#6: Tomasz Tunguz
Tomasz Tunguz (@ttunguz) is a partner at Redpoint and writes data-driven blog posts about key questions startup CEOs face, addressing topics like fundraising, benchmarks, management, best practices, and team building.
7 Indispensable Books on Scaling a Startup
#1: Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don’t by Verne Harnish
In “Scaling Up,” Harnish (@agilescaleup) and his team share practical tools and techniques for building an industry-dominating business. These approaches have been honed over three decades of advising tens of thousands of CEOs and executives and helping them navigate the increasing complexities (and weight) that come with scaling up a venture.
#2: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz (@bhorowitz), cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular Ben’s Blog.
#3: The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a Fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees.
#4: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business by Patrick M. Lencioni
In this book, Lencioni (@patricklencioni) brings together his vast experience and many of the themes cultivated in his other best-selling books and delivers a first: a cohesive and comprehensive exploration of the unique advantage organizational health provides.
#5: Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman
A thought-provoking, accessible, and essential exploration of why some leaders (“Diminishers”) drain capability and intelligence from their teams, while others (“Multipliers”) amplify it to produce better results.
#6: The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
The Four Steps to the Epiphany is one of the most influential and practical business books of all time. The book offers the proven four-step Customer Development process for search and offers insight into what makes some startups successful and leaves others selling off their furniture.
#7: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
The visionary CEO of Zappos (@Zappos) explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.
3 Must-Watch Videos to Scale Your Organization
#1: Leading at Google
A great collection of videos on leadership from The Talks at Google.
#2: Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire actions
Simon Sinek (@simonsinek) has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership, starting with a golden circle and the question: “Why?”
#3: True University
An amazing collection of videos of best practices and thought leadership only few people know about.
13 Brilliant Influencers to Follow to Scale Your Firm
Many thanks to these brilliant and inspiring people for revealing their top resources:
#1: Aaron Ross
Author, “Predictable Revenue” and “From Impossible To Inevitable” | @motoceo
#2: Andrew Lee
Co-Founder & CEO, Esper | @_andrewlee
#3: Christiaan Vorkink
Vice President, True Ventures | @cvorkink
#4: Christina Kelly
Partner Operations Manager, First Round Capital
#5: Christoph Janz
Managing Partner, Point Nine Capital | @chrija
#6: David Goudreau
Vice President of Engineering, Pivotal Labs, West Coast
#7: Jeremy Banon
Analyst, Javelin Venture Partners | @jeremybanon
#8: Promise Phelon
CEO, TapInfluence | @PromisePhelon
#9: Ross Hale
Director, Pivotal Labs
#10: Tommy Leep
Advisor & consultant, ThriveOn, Patreon, Haystack | @leepnet
#11: Tony Cappaert
Co-Founder & COO, Contactually | @cappaert
#12: Vijay Nagappan
Investment Analyst, MHS Capital
#13: Zvi Band
Co-Founder & CEO, Contactually | @skeevis
Your Turn
Alright, that’s it from us! But what about you? What are your top resources on scaling a startup? Share them in the comments below! They may just make their way onto the next list.
