Inspiration
We see because we stand on the shoulders of giants. These are the books and people that inspire us. A virtual bookshelf that we will keep adding to over time.
Business
7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy
Mihir: An important book, which if you genuinely sit with, you might realize that very few businesses truly have power, i.e. the ingredients that might allow it to scale, be great, and earn super-normal profits. And if you do find a business that has those ingredients, and is early in its growth curve, you have the makings of something truly meaningful.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy
Mihir: A book which made me realize that growth is not a strategy - and that the term strategy is quite often used frivolously. Strategy is fundamentally about tradeoffs, and about accurately identifying the fundamental issue that the business is grappling with. It is highly contextual, and what matters above all else is clarity and focus. What you choose not to do is just as important as what you choose to do.
Investing
The Investor's Anthology
Mihir: An out-of-print and under-rated book. A collection of over fifty articles from Adam Smith to Peter Bernstein to PT Barnum. Timeless perspectives on business, money, and investing.
Biographies
Made In America
Mihir: The quintessential American success story. Part retail masterclass, part memoir of one of the most competitive entrepreneurs that walked the earth. A satisfying read as he takes you from the first store to the national enterprise that Walmart is today. Built on the simple insight of putting the customer value-proposition first, and engaging and rewarding your employees.
Performance
The Art of Learning
Mihir: One of the most influential books I've read. As Josh realized that he could connect the disparate arts of chess and Tai Chi Chuan, I realized perhaps I could lean on my background as an engineer as I navigated the world of investing. And the purity of craft, and all-in mindset with which he pursues whatever he takes on is a genuine source of inspiration.
Philosophy
Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance
Mihir: A book I wish I had read earlier in life. But perhaps I might not have been ready to receive it then. The takeaway for me from this book was that perhaps the quality of thr journey is just as important as getting to the destination. That the means matter just as much as the end. And perhaps even more so.