The Messy Middle
Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture
by Scott Belsky
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“First book of the year: The Messy Middle by @scottbelsky. I recommend this book for anyone pushing through (longer) projects/ventures. Short insights that are applicable to sw projects, engineering careers, managers and entrepreneurs. Progress is never as easy as you hope. | This is such a great book. Highly recommend it!”
Source →Recommended by 3 notable people, including Jackie Vullinghs and Gergely Orosz
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Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership.
Entrepreneur, Chief Product Officer at Adobe, and product advisor to many of today's top startups Scott Belsky believes we focus too much on the start and the finish of any project, ignoring the most important partthe messy middlewhere success is truly determined. Creating something from nothing is a volatile journey. The first mile births a n...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Jackie Vullinghs
“First book of the year: The Messy Middle by @scottbelsky. I recommend this book for anyone pushing through (longer) projects/ventures. Short insights that are applicable to sw projects, engineering careers, managers and entrepreneurs. Progress is never as easy as you hope. | This is such a great book. Highly recommend it!”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Good to Great by Jim Collins. Recommended by 32 sources.
“The book walks you through a multi-year research project, contrasting spectacular performers with mere survivors. The core insight—that sustained greatness hinges on disciplined people, thought, and action—feels sturdy and actionable. But the book’s arguments rely on retrospective selection of companies, and some of its darlings later faltered. You’ll find a methodical, almost monastic tone that rewards patience but may irritate if you want contemporary, tech-savvy lessons.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.