Think Bigger: Strategy, Innovation & Competitive Advantage
Read these books when you’re thinking long-term—ready to differentiate your business, stay ahead of disruption, and build a moat your competitors can’t cross.
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy – Richard Rumelt
Read this when your current plan feels vague or bloated—this book shows how to create a clear, focused strategy that actually drives results.
7 Powers – Hamilton Helmer
Read this when you want to build long-term strategic advantage—this book reveals the seven types of business “moats” that lead to durable market dominance.
Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Read this when you want to escape cutthroat competition and create uncontested market space where you can win on your own terms.
The Disruption Formula – Derek Johnson
Read this when you’re ready to disrupt your industry by delivering a dramatically better, faster, or cheaper experience that expands the market.
The Innovator’s Dilemma – Clayton Christensen
Read this when you want to understand why great companies fail—and how to stay relevant when disruptive innovation changes your market.
Thinking in Systems – Donella H. Meadows & Diana Wright
Read this when you’re making decisions in a complex business and need to understand how systems actually behave—this book teaches you to see patterns, loops, and leverage points that most leaders miss.
Only the Paranoid Survive – Andy Grove
Read this when you’re facing a major shift or threat—this book helps you recognize strategic inflection points before it’s too late.
The Art of Strategy – Avinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff
Read this when you want to outthink your competition—this book applies game theory to real-world decisions, negotiations, and strategic positioning.
The Cold Start Problem – Andrew Chen
Read this when you’re building a product or platform that relies on network effects—and need to get past the hardest part: starting.
The Innovation Stack – Jim McKelvey
Read this when you’re launching something truly disruptive—this book shows how Square beat Goliaths by stacking simple innovations that competitors couldn’t copy.
Crossing the Chasm – Geoffrey Moore
Read this when your product has early adopters but hasn’t gone mainstream—this book shows how to move from niche to scalable growth.
Play Bigger – Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead & Kevin Maney
Read this when you want to create—and dominate—a new category. This book lays out the science of “category design,” showing how companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Qualtrics didn’t just compete—they redefined the game.
Platform Revolution – Geoffrey Parker, Marshall Van Alstyne & Sangeet Paul Choudary
Read this when you’re building or competing with a platform business—this book explains the rules of network effects, marketplaces, and the new digital economy.
Rework – Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Read this when you’re ready to challenge conventional business rules and build something simpler, leaner, and more focused.
Good to Great – Jim Collins
Read this when your business is doing “fine” but you want to build something enduring and exceptional—based on what separates great companies from the rest.
Be 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship) – Jim Collins & Bill Lazier
Read this when you’re evolving from entrepreneur to long-term builder and want a roadmap for scaling leadership alongside strategy.
Built to Last – Jim Collins & Jerry Porras
Read this when you’re thinking about legacy—this book explores the core traits that help visionary companies thrive for decades.