There's no doubt that knowledge is power and the books below are a must read for those starting their own online business. In fact, these books have been selected exclusively for Internet startups. They're divided into two categories – those for startups in the concept stage and for those startups in launch mode. With Christmas around the corner, they also make great gifts! Note: These are in no particular order.

Concept Stage:

1. "The Art of the Start"
   by Guy Kawasaki - Guy Kawasaki is a Silicon Valley icon who knows how to start businesses. His "pitch deck" format has become a staple in most entrepreneurial engagements. He also talks about the rough road of dealing with Venture Capitalists.



2. "Crossing the Chasm"
   by Geoffrey A. Moore - How do you identify your early markets and your earliest customers? How do you get to that market quickly and grow to a "real company"? This book provides the roadmap.



3. "Good To Great"
   by Jim Collins - The home of the Sweet Spot Analysis used in many Team and a Dream conversations. Some call it the HedgeHog Principal. Find out why some companies have continuing growth and some don't. What is it that makes them different? Based on 5 years and thousands of man-hours of research.



4. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"
   by Stephen R. Covey - Covey details seven habits, if implemented, help people improve themselves. These habits can also help entrepreneurs deal with the unstable and unpredictable world of startups.



5. "The World Is Flat"
   by Thomas L. Friedman - Important reading for anyone wanting a good overview of how the world is changing in dramatic ways. Globalization is here. You decide what to make of it.



6. "Founders at Work"
   by Jessica Livingston - A look into the minds of the founders of Apple, PayPal, Flickr and many more as they tell in their own words what life is like hour after hour behind the keyboard, developing technologies and bringing them into market.

Launch Stage:

1. "The Tipping Point"
   by Malcolm Gladwell - Eye popping insights into viral marketing, the world of cool and why some things catch on and others don't.



2. "Artful Making"
   by Lee Devin and Robert Austin - What managers need to know about how software teams work. Taking lessons from the theatre and other art venues, authors Rob Austin and Lee Devin drive home some important ideas of working in a more creative way, while still making deadlines.



3. "The Rise of the Creative Class"
   by Richard Florida - Big trends book on how a new breed of the knowledge worker is coming into its own.



4. "The Flight of the Creative Class"
   by Richard Florida - Why America needs to be wary of the cultures it creates for today's knowledge workers. We want to encourage creative people and growth of cultures around them. Instead, we are chasing them from our shores.



5. "A Whole New Mind"
   by Daniel H. Pink - Left brain and right brain will combine to create the ideal worker of tomorrow. Dan Pink outlines some terrific ideas on how to get your creative side in gear for today and tomorrow's business world.



6. "Guerilla Marketing"
   by Jay Conrad Levinson - Find out how to achieve successful marketing results using non-traditional marketing tactics to make your company stand out.

Honorable mentions go to "The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson, "The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen, "Four Steps to the Epiphany" by Steve Blank and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. No time to read? Pick up an audiobook version and listen to it in your car - you'll save some trees as well!