I can always count on my wife to give birthday gifts that speak to my core identity and push me forward. This year was no exception! Alongside some awesome waterproof gear to keep me dry while walking the dog this winter was a stack of books by founders about founding. I’ve always been driven to innovate in my work. I’ve even had a failed run at trying to start a software venture. The struggles I experienced helped shine light into the gaps I needed to fill to reach my goals. While that was about 6 years ago, this stack of books hit close to home in the best ways.
Peter Thiel is an interesting character, so I dove into Zero to One first. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down! Peter starts with a challenge to the reader and one he uses when interviewing,
“What important truth do very few people agree with you on?”
Bam! Right out of the gate with a thought-provoking question. It’s delightful and refreshing to be pushed to think hard about something while reading a business book. Too often, information is simply presented.
I started to examine the things I am passionate about in my work. Particularly where I’ve needed to influence those around me to come along and try something new. The hard truth was that very few of my ideas are actually unconventional. I’m still thinking about this question days later. And I probably will for a long time. I will also be reading this book many times again.
Peter makes some strong statements about when it is worthwhile to invest in a potential innovation. Many helped me gain confidence in my product ownership and engineering approach. And others challenged me to think more clearly and with less bias about investment criteria. I’ll definitely be referring back to this book when analyzing markets, differentiators, and opportunities.
Another stand-out for me was his dive into distribution and how critical but often overlooked it is to a product’s success. His analysis of the role of sales and sales types, given potential value, was illuminating.
Peter had me thinking, laughing, and, most importantly, examining my own thoughts and actions from the first page to the last. If you have any entrepreneurial leanings or work in product management, I highly recommend Zero to One!