Traction
Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares
Most startups fail because they can't get traction. Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares teach the nineteen channels you can use to build a customer base and how to pick the right ones for your business. Drawing on interviews with over forty successful founders including Jimmy Wales and Alexis Ohanian, the book provides a framework to test various traction channels and identify the best one for any startup.
Score based on developer article recommendations — not sales data or reviews.
🟢 Developer Verdict
Learn a systematic approach to customer acquisition, exploring 19 channels and a framework for testing them to gain startup traction.
Read this if
- ✓ You are an aspiring entrepreneur launching a new software product.
- ✓ You need a systematic framework to test various customer acquisition channels.
- ✓ You want to explore 19 distinct strategies for gaining startup traction.
Skip this for now if
- ✗ You are seeking hands-on technical content or coding tutorials.
- ✗ You are working in an established company, not a startup.
- ✗ You prefer theoretical business concepts over practical growth tactics.
📊 Why Developers Recommend
It helps developers think more intentionally about professional growth.
Referenced by multiple developers, suggesting consistent practical value.
Valued for its practical approach — concepts connect directly to real-world engineering decisions and daily work.
💬 What Developers Say
"Another great read, but I only recommend it if you want to have your own software product to market."
— brendanmulhern · 5 Best Digital Marketing Books to Make You A Marketing Wizard · Dec 11, 2025
"And here you have our list with his favorite entrepreneur books, each one of them brings something different to the table."
— apium_hub · Entrepreneur books that made Apiumhub grow · Dec 29, 2020
"Recently, we read Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth."
— erik_df43be0db3da3f32f636 · Day 1: Why We're Building a Screenshot API · Jan 1, 2026
👤 Who Should Read This
Best for
- • Career changers transitioning into software engineering
- • Developers looking to grow their careers
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Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares
Mentioned in 4 articles · #223 overall
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Recommended in 4 Articles
Entrepreneur books that made Apiumhub grow
Day 1: Why We're Building a Screenshot API
What I read in 2018
5 Best Digital Marketing Books to Make You A Marketing Wizard
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