Adam Grant whose book "Originals" is a main topic in this this article gave a great Ted Talk on "Originals" here:

"The surprising habits of original thinkers"

https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_the_surprising_habits_o...

Not me - but, I think one of the prime examples is Warby Parker. At least according to 'Originals' by Adam Grant.

Mr. Grant scoffed at the founders meekness at not going full ahead and passed an opportunity to invest. After WP became successful Mr. Grant realized he had no idea how to gauge peoples tendency to succeed - which prompted him to write the book. Which is an excellent read.

Here are some books I listened to on Audible in the last year and a half, listing those that I enjoyed the most. Each of these books changed me in some ways, I never thought how much fun it is to listen to biographies and how many lessons there are.

0. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition

1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

2. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

3. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

4. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

5. What Got You Here Won't Get You There

6. The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage

7. The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

8. The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over

9. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

10. Pre-Suasion: Channeling Attention for Change

11. Thinking, Fast and Slow

12. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

13. Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life

14. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

15. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

16. Sapiens

17. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

18. If you like space: Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery

19. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

20. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

21. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

22. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations

I really disagree. I think you haven't even tried reading the article or any of these books. To be true I was one of these people who thought all these "self-help" books are quite useless. I used to hate the word "self-help"

But these books changed my mindset. Let me share some insights from these books:

1) Fastlane Millionaire
Told me that if I want to be a "Millionaire" then it's highly unlikely I will be one by working for others (a job) unless my job is super high paying. Also by having a job I am playing an almost no risk and less reward game. Instead if I just increase the risk profile lil bit my rewards will be must more increased. It's hard to explain everything in 2 lines, hence this books is number 1.

2) Creativity Inc
How can creativity be nurtured and promoted.

3) Range
I am one of those people who like to do multiple things and mostly mix my different passions and make something new.

6) The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Startups don't need to be started with a lot of money. People are making it big.

7) Originals by Adam Grant
Lessons from others that it is okay to think differently and it is okay to do things others might tell you not to.

These are some lessons I owe to these books.

One thing that Adam Grant writes about in his book, "Originals", is how it's a bit of a fallacy that founders often dive head first and risk it all when starting their companies. Could be somewhat of a confirmation bias but he gives some great examples of how risk averse many founders actually are when starting their companies (Warby Parker was the main example if I remember correctly).

http://www.adamgrant.net/originals

Suggested readings:

"The Culting of Brands"
- https://www.amazon.com/Culting-Brands-Turn-Customers-Believe...

Blueprint for Revolution (as mentioned in Adam Grant's Originals)
- https://www.amazon.com/Blueprint-Revolution-Nonviolent-Techn...

Tribes by Seth Godin
-https://www.amazon.com/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead/dp/1491514736

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
- https://www.amazon.com/True-Believer-Thoughts-Nature-Movemen...

I've read the first three. The fourth is on my short list. The common theme? Start in a tight niche and establish a core of "fanatics". With a niche and a core your odds of traction and sustainability drop off.

If it helps, use any major religion as a reference point. That is, Christianity wasn't always the dominate (?) force it is today. But it started very small and tight.

A community isn't much different. Perhaps less extreme (?), but the same basic elements remain.