We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John Busch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.

Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

“Why don’t more people love to read books?”

It was the height of the 2020 pandemic lockdowns in Chicago and many people, including myself, felt bored, isolated, and wondering how to get the most out of this strange year. I turned to the stack of unread books in my room and decided to get back into reading. 8 months and 45 books later, I was obsessed with reading again. I read everything from business to sci-fi to self-help to philosophy, psychology, history and biographies.

The few guests I invited over that year immediately stopped at my bookshelf and would always strike up a conversation about books. Which ones did I recently finish? Which ones did I enjoy? Why? What books do I recommend? What books should I read next? I never trusted the digital ads, trending lists, or anonymous reviews on Amazon or Goodreads for book recommendations, but these word-of-mouth discussions with friends and family always ended up being my best source of new book recommendations. If I could see my friends’ bookshelves of their favorite books at any time and they could see mine, we’d have a lifetime of book recommendations and discussion to share with each other. Does this digital bookshelf exist today? The lightbulb went off.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My story:
10 years ago, I read a book that changed my life. I had recently graduated from the University of Illinois and was happy to start my career in the high-prestige, high-competition field of management consulting. I had worked hard for years to get that job, but I was miserable. For reasons I cannot recall, this book appeared in my possession.

Page 36 began to explain my circumstances: “Higher education is the place where people who had big plans in high school get stuck in fierce rivalries with equally smart peers over conventional careers like management consulting or investment banking.” My life hasn’t been the same since I read that line. Zero to One shook me to my core and truly changed my life with its concise wisdom: Definite Optimism. The PayPal Mafia. Startups and the extreme duality of founders. Monopolies. Secrets. Contrarian truth. “What important truth do very few people agree with you on?” I have been thinking of that question for 10 years.

12 months ago, I finally made the leap to become a full-time founder and give it everything I have. Zero to One was the first book that changed my life and led me to fall back in love with reading. But why don’t more people share this love of books? Sure, many people just think it’s boring, but that didn’t stop Duolingo from building a decacorn with the premise of getting people to spend their free time on a boring goal.

When asked, many people have aspirations to read more, but no one wants to waste their time on a bad book. And many casual or non-readers just don’t know where to start. Our goal for ILIAD is to create the first source for trusted book recommendations. If we’re successful, we’ll inspire the world to read more books.

Our mission:
The destruction of the Library of Alexandria was one of humanity’s greatest losses. The lost books, wisdom, knowledge, stories, and ideas set us back in an unknown way.

After reading this Atlantic article: “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books” (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/)

I fear something similar will happen. No, not the loss of physical books. I fear that we might lose our shared love of books.

I hope ILIAD brings others hope for a continued love of books in our future.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I’m a former product manager and startup exec. My cofounder runs a top-tier software development company with a team of great engineers and designers. We started by asking, “What would a book platform look like it if was designed by Steve Jobs?” We’ve brought that level of detail, simplicity, and intention to everything we build for our members.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

When it comes to books, I can talk about this all day! I’ve had many books that have transformed the way my brain works. Literally transformed. I’m not the same person after reading them.
– The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. This book taught me how to channel my creative energy.
– High Output Management by Andy Grove. This book is a masterclass on the true role of management.
– Build by Tony Fadell, the inventor of the iPod. This is a masterclass in how to think about building and designing groundbreaking products with the user experience prioritized.
– The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Every entrepreneur goes through periods of mental suffering. Most don’t talk about it, but it’s OK to feel that way. Keep your mental health in check to improve your business’ health.
– And of course, the bible of innovation, Zero to One, by Peter Thiel. You must be an optimist to start your own business. Optimists need to read this book.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://iliad.co
• Instagram: @iliadbooks
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/johnbuschvi
• Twitter: @johnbuschvi
• Other: ILIAD app:

  iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/iliad-books/id6479362501
  ​Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.techstack.iliad&hl=en_US