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Google founder Larry Page on how he learned to run a business
When asked how he learned to run a business, Google cofounder Larry Page responds:
“I read a lot of books.”
He joked:
“[When renaming Google to Alphabet] I read like three books on naming—which is more than anyone else had read. So I decided I was the expert . . . and actually that was useful. I recommend reading things.”
It’s an important mindset that is often overlooked. One of the richest ways to learn something is reading things written by people who deeply understand their subject matter.
Even Elon Musk was able to teach himself about the fundamentals of rocket design and astrodynamics by reading books. He is often quoted on this topic:
“I read books and talked to people. I mean that's kind of how one learns anything. There's lots of great books out there and lots of smart people.”
Building a startup is an infinite set of problems that are being thrown at you.
Next time you’re facing one of those problems, I’d recommend finding the best book or blog post you can on the topic and reading it.
You don’t need an MBA from a fancy school to be an expert in business or startups.
You just need to sit down and read.