Ola Olusoga

PAST & CURRENT

READINGS

Below are a collection of books that have greatly influenced my thinking & perspective when it comes to life, business & entrepreneurship. I believe growth happens in two ways: through life experiences & reading books (vicariously gaining experiences through others). If you’re interested in growing EXPONENTIALLY in business & personal life, I strongly recommend giving these books a read.

“Obviously the more hard lessons you can learn vicariously, instead of from your own terrible experiences, the better off you will be.”
– Charlie Munger

 

Top 12

  • Personal MBA

    One of the best business books I’ve read. It contains most/all the mental models/frameworks you need to understand business. Perfect for individuals looking for a holistic overview.

  • Influence

    Usually recommended to marketers. Influence dives into cognitive psychology and helps us understand human behavior + how to influence individuals into making a decision.

  • Antifragile

    With the world becoming more unpredictable, Nassim Taleb analyzes the current fragilities of the world and suggests ways of building up our robustness + antifragility.

  • Running Lean

    A MUST READ for entrepreneurs. Maurya covers all the steps required to launch. From creating a lean business model canvas to getting feedback from your target audience w/ an MVP.

  • Sapiens

    A MUST READ! Yuval Noah Harari helps with contextualizing the human (sapiens) journey. This book helps with clarity on how we got to where we are today, and what triggers/pivotal moments led to now.

  • Elon Musk

    Tesla, Space X, Pay Pal, Zip2 & Solar City. Elon Musk is a tried and true entrepreneur. A risk taker, a person who commits to an idea and execute without fail. Read this book!

  • Titan

    The name Rockefeller is ingrained in American society. JD Rockefeller. Sr. was truly a Titan. A must read for all entrepreneurs. Covers risk, uncertainty and strategy.

  • DEBT

    Debt, The first 5,000 years, is a deep dive into the evolution of transactions, debt & currency. Graeber breaks down & slowly rebuilds the financial system starting w/ the first barter.

  • 4hr Work Week

    Another must read for online entrepreneurs, Ferris does a thorough walkthrough on how to launch an online business and fully automate it, giving you time for other things.

  • Man’s Search for Meaning

    We all seek answers to the meaning of our life. After surviving concentration camps during the holocaust, Viktor Frankl gives suggestions on how we can live life & give it meaning.

  • On the shortness of life

    Seneca’s essays on the shortness of life gives light to an asset we all tend to squander, TIME. He reminds us of the importance of time and offers wisdom on how to use it.

  • Think & Grow Rich

    Napoleon Hill was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to interview the most successful men of their time & find commonalities. This book was the output of his research.

DESIGN

  • Graphic Design Thinking

    Want to understand design/design strategy? Give this book read. A great book for diving into big picture thinking when it comes to design. Also filled w/ useful case studies.

  • Elements of Type Style

    The typography bible. A bit tough to get through, but worth it. If you want an in-depth look at the art of typography and type composition give this book a read.

  • UX Team of One

    A must read for all/anyone interest in UX. The first half is pretty rudimentary, but it picks up within the second half. The book is filled with useful methodologies for any design team.

  • Grid Systems

    What is design without a grid? Chaos. Design is for communicating, and grid systems introduce order into what was once chaos. Grid system is a great read on “grid systems” and ways of composing them.

  • Undercover UX

    Need a better understanding of a design roadmaps/sprint cycles? Give this book a read. Undercover UX takes you from the start of a project (ideation) to the end of the road.

  • 100 Things

    Design without reason is useless. Understanding why people respond & designing for that reason gives your work meaning. 100 things helps you understand what people respond to.

  • Design of Everyday things

    Some designers put aesthetic before usability which can cause dissonance in functionality when the product is used. Don Norman dives into the psychology of designing for the user.

  • Designing for the Digital Age

    The UX bible. Over 700 pages of design-speak. Designing for the digital age goes both high and low, covering EVERYTHING you need to know on user experience design.

  • Don’t make me think

    A great guide on web usability. Steve Krug does a great job walking us through the thought process and behavior of a person when viewing your website.

Business

  • The Personal MBA

    One of the best business books I’ve read. It contains most/all the mental models/frameworks you need to understand business. Perfect for individuals looking for a holistic overview.

  • Business Model Generation

    The perfect book to help understand business models & the logistical frameworks behind each. If you’re aiming to launch a business one day, give this book a read.

  • Delivering Happiness

    Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos) gives us an inside look at the story behind Zappos. Apart from being a biography, it’s a great book for understanding how to build a successful company.

  • Elon Musk

    Tesla, Space X, Pay Pal, Zip2 & Solar City. Elon Musk is a tried and true entrepreneur. A risk taker, a person who commits to an idea and execute without fail. Read this book!

  • How to get rich

    Felix Dennis, a British billionaire, gives us an inside look at how he built his fortune. Not only an inside look, but gives us the framework & key insights on how to build wealth.

  • Rework

    Not business as usual. Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of 37signals, flip standard business advice on it’s head and offers a new way of running/growing your business.

  • Win at Business

    A short, powerful book written by billionaire Mark Cuban. One excellent quote from the book: “In business, to be a success, you only have to be right once.” Read This!

  • The 4hr Work Week

    Another must read for online entrepreneurs, Ferris does a thorough walkthrough on how to launch an online business and fully automate it, giving you time for other things.

  • The Automatic Customer

    Want to start a successful subscription model business? Read this book. Warrilow breaks down all the different methods of running a subscription based business.

  • Hard Thing about

    Starting & running a business is not easy, IT IS HARD. Ben Horowitz gives us a look at his time as the CEO of opsware during hard times. A MUST READ for all business owners & entrepreneurs.

  • Antifragile

    With the world becoming more unpredictable, Nassim Taleb analyzes the current fragilities of the world and suggests ways of building up our robustness + antifragility.

  • Anything You Want

    A short, powerful read on starting + running a business written by Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby. Strongly recommend reading this book if you’re a business owner or plan on starting one.

  • Running Lean

    A MUST READ for entrepreneurs. Maurya covers all the steps required to launch. From creating a lean business model canvas to getting feedback from your target audience w/ an MVP.

  • Win Friends, Influence People

    At the core of all interactions is humanity. Everything is created for human interaction & relationship. This book helps with just that, managing your interactions & relationship.

Marketing

  • Traction

    A MUST READ for anyone interested in learning marketing or growth hacking. Tractions runs through a framework for successful targeting and examines all forms of marketing channels.

  • Trust Me, I’m Lying

    Ryan Holiday uncovers the manipulative & deceptive tactics used by companies to gain some PR exposure. Great read for learning & understanding the black arts of PR.

  • Web Analytics 2.0

    Less marketing, more analytical. Digital Marketing is combination of persuasion, knowing the tools and how to analyze received data. Read this book to get better at the data part.

  • 80/20 Sales & Marketing

    Perry Marshall is a big name in the digital marketing space and his book 80/20 sales & marketing is powerful. Learn how to gain the most from 20% of your leads.

  • Confessions of An Ad Man

    A classic that still holds true today. Ogilvy removes the fluff in advertising and advices on how to run successful advertising. Hint: it’s not about aesthetics.

  • Conversion Code

    You have a business, now how do you get leads that convert? This book helps with that. A great read on digital marketing & sales. Runs through how to gain online leads & convert them.

  • Dotcom Secrets

    A great book on driving traffic to your site, setting up email automations & drip campaigns, plus how to get into the mind of your target audience. Though a bit sale pitch-ish, still a great read.

  • Hooked

    A perfect read for digital product owners, designer and/or developers. Hooked walks us through the key factors needed to elicit an addictive behavior when it comes to products.

  • Influence

    Usually recommended to marketers. Influence dives into cognitive psychology and helps us understand human behavior + how to influence individuals into making a decision.

  • Lean Analytics

    Another analytics books. Data is key when it comes to digital marketing. The ins, outs and performance can make or break your business, so having an astute understanding of data is crucial.

  • Ogilvy on Advertising

    Years after confessions of an ad man, Ogilvy released this second book after major success in the ad industry. The advice and suggestions in this book are extremely useful.

  • Positioning

    Positioning’s a great book to help better understand how to position your business/or self in an overcrowded marketplace. If you’re looking for a way to standout, read this book.

  • Made To Stick

    How do you make an idea stick? In this book the Heath brothers break down the composition of stickiness and share a framework for creating ideas that spread.

  • FB Advertising

    Need to learn how to market on facebook? Instead of browsing countless blog posts online, get this book for a deep dive into the tools & strategy for promoting/selling on facebook.

  • Google Adwords

    Adwords is a great PPC channel. Need to understand how it works? This book is a great aid for getting up and running with google advertising.

Philosophy

  • 48 Laws of Power

    Human history and behavior is filled with manipulation tactics. In this book Greene walks us through case studies and tactics used by people through out time to acquire power.

  • On the Shortness of Life

    Seneca’s essays on the shortness of life gives light to an asset we all tend to squander, TIME. He reminds us of the importance of time and offers wisdom on how to use it.

  • Man’s Search for Meaning

    We all seek answers to the meaning of our life. After surviving concentration camps during the holocaust, Viktor Frankl gives suggestions on how we can live life & give it meaning.

  • Meditations

    The inner thoughts of a Roman emperor. A student of Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius writes on how to be better, how to temper ones emotions and other personal battles one must conquer.

  • The Alchemist

    “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” A short fiction about finding your treasure through journey/quest.

  • Letters from A Merchant

    Life wisdom from a self-made millionaire to his son who’s coming of age & entering the family business in 1890. The advice given is VERY GOOD & still hold true today. Strongly recommend.

  • Think & Grow Rich

    Napoleon Hill was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to interview the most successful men of their time & find commonalities. This book was the output of his research.

  • Bed of Procrustes

    A compendium of aphorisms that restate ideas that are dissipated throughout the works of Nassim Taleb. All aphorisms touch on our narrative fallacy, uncertainty, unpredictability and irrationality.

Biographies

  • Sam Walton

    Sam Walton’s the man behind Walmart. From humble beginnings he scaled Walmart into the billion dollar company it is today through sheer hustle, work ethic and strategy.

  • Elon Musk

    Tesla, Space X, Pay Pal, Zip2 & Solar City. Elon Musk is a tried and true entrepreneur. A risk taker, a person who commits to an idea and execute without fail. Read this book!

  • Delivering Happiness

    Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos) gives us an inside look at the story behind Zappos. Apart from being a biography, it’s a great book for understanding how to build a successful company.

  • Steve Jobs

    Apple, NeXt & Pixar, Steve Jobs was one of the Titans of our century. Get an inside look at the story behind the man who brought us the iPhone, iPad and a streamlined digital interface.

  • Titan

    The name Rockefeller is ingrained in American society. JD Rockefeller. Sr. was truly a Titan. A must read for all entrepreneurs. Covers risk, uncertainty and strategy.

  • The Hard Thing

    Starting & running a business is not easy, IT IS HARD. Ben Horowitz gives us a look at his time as the CEO of opsware during hard times. A MUST READ for all business owners & entrepreneurs.

  • Anything You Want

    A short, powerful read on starting + running a business written by Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby. Strongly recommend reading this book if you’re a business owner or plan on starting one.

Economics

  • Thinking Fast & Slow

    The behavioral economics bible on how we think. Learn the ins and outs of your cognition. Kahneman walks through all the biases & errors our brains make. A MUST READ.

  • Debt

    Debt, The first 5,000 years, is a deep dive into the evolution of transactions, debt & currency. Graeber breaks down & slowly rebuilds the financial system starting w/ the first barter.

  • Fooled By Randomness

    The first arc in his three part thesis on unpredictability, uncertainty, luck, human error and risk. Nassim Taleb explores the idea of randomness and how we are bad at predicting.

  • Predictably Irrational

    Another great book on behavioral economics. Ariely dives into the irrational decisions we make when faced with choices, going against the argument that we are “rational” creatures.

  • The Black Swan

    Taleb dives back into unpredictability, uncertainty and the improbable. He highlights on our flawed behavior of systemizing + waxing about improbabilities after the fact.

  • Undercover Economist

    A broad look at the economical dynamics of our global society. Harford does a deep dive into the logistical decisions that have to be made to keep the economy afloat.

  • Antifragile

    With the world becoming more unpredictable, Nassim Taleb analyzes the current fragilities of the world and suggests ways of building up our robustness + antifragility.

Finance

  • Financial Intelligence

    A MUST READ for entrepreneurs. Do you understand the ins and outs of your income statement, cashflow statement, balance sheets? If not, give this book a read asap.

  • Millionaire Next Door

    A study of millionaires and their behavioral traits. Filled with practical advice, insights and learnings that can be used to help increase your net worth.

  • Richest Man in Babylon

    A brilliant tale of the “richest man in babylon”. A short book with powerful, timeless wisdom that can help you manage + accumulate wealth.