10 must-read inspiring business leader biographies _ slideshow _ entrepreneur
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2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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BY LINDSAY LAVINE | February 13, 2013 |
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10 Must-Read Inspiring Biographies ofBusiness Leaders
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Starting a business from the ground up
can be at times lonely, stressful and all-
consuming. Take a break and read the
advice from successful entrepreneurs
who've mastered the fields of technology,
fashion, retail, real estate and more.
These men and women have been in your
shoes and lived to tell the tale. Read on
to find inspiration in their trials and
triumphs.
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Steve Jobs
(Simon & Schuster , 2011)
By Walter Isaacson
What began in Steve Jobs’ parents’ garage in the 1970s laid the groundwork for revolutionary
innovation in technology. From personal computers to animated films, how we listen to and
purchase music, use our phones and even read books, Jobs left his indelible print on how we
communicate, entertain and live. Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs himself and
hundreds more with those who knew him, this no-limits, warts-and-all biography sheds light on a
complicated man and his vision for how technology could be.
Inspirational Quote: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid
the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not
to follow your heart." -- Steve Jobs
Related: Remembering Steve Jobs: One Year Later
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
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Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had
Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing
Business My Way (Crown Business,
2011)
By Richard Branson
Don’t be intimidated by the more than 600
pages in this entertaining autobiography.
In Losing My Virginity, Branson, founder of
the Virgin Group, shares how his early
experiences shaped his later business
ventures. When he met with “experts” who
advised he not enter an already crowded
field, Branson followed his gut, with his
trademark slogan, “Oh, screw it. Let’s do
it.” Part memoir, part business guide for
entrepreneurs, Branson’s belief that
customer service reigns supreme is a
theme throughout his businesses, from
airlines to mobile and beyond.
Inspirational Quote: "Most 'necessary
evils' are far more evil than necessary." --
Richard Branson
Related: Richard Branson on Entrepreneurial Determination
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to
$30 Billion
Built from Scratch by Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus
2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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(Crown Business, 1999)
By Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, with
Bob Andelman
In 1978, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank
were executives who'd just heard the two
words that strike fear in the hearts of
employees everywhere: You’re fired. Their
perspective changed, however, when a
friend told them they'd "been kicked in the
a** with a golden horseshoe." The firings, in
fact, were a blessing in disguise. Built from
Scratch is the inside story of how two
determined executives constructed the Home
Depot empire from the ground up.
Inspirational Quote: "You want a formula
for success? Take two Jews who have just
been fired, add an Irishman who just walked
away from a bankruptcy and an Italian
running a no-name investment banking firm."
-- Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits,
Passion and Purpose
(Business Plus Hachette Book Group,
2010)
By Tony Hsieh
Tony Hsieh's entrepreneurial spirit
emerged when he was just nine years old
and launched his first business -- a worm
farm. When that didn’t pan out, he moved
on, undeterred, to businesses ranging
from publishing a newsletter and selling it
to classmates and running garage sales,
all before high school. In 1998, at age 24,
he sold his company LinkExchange, an
online banner advertising program, to
Microsoft for $265 million. He joined
Zappos shortly after and helped create a
company culture that infuses the science
of happiness into its business model. That
vision statement, to deliver happiness to
the world, has drawn new and repeat
customers to the site.
Inspirational Quote: "We wanted to run
our own business, and be in control of our own destiny. We had no idea where it would lead us,
but wherever it was, we knew it had to be better than feeling bored and unfulfilled. We were
ready for an adventure." -- Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hseih
By Invitation Only by Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis
Wilson
2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt
and Changed the Way Millions Shop
(Penguin Group, 2012)
By Alexis Maybank and Alexandra
Wilkis Wilson
Fashionistas, rejoice! The co-founders of
Gilt Group, the first invite-only online trunk
show brought excitement to thousands of
savvy shoppers and brought the thrill of a
daily sample sale to the masses when it
started in 2007. What began as a
friendship at Harvard Business School
over a shared love of fashion blossomed
into a business reportedly valued at over
$1 billion. With chapters ranging from how
to hire an effective team to dealing with the
recession, By Invitation Only shares the
inspiring true story of one of the most
successful startups of the past decade.
Inspirational Quote: "On that first day we
sensed something revolutionary was
happening: people were genuinely excited
about Gilt. We had created a website that could potentially change the rules of retail, for both
shoppers and brands." -- Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder
of Microsoft
(Penguin Group, 2011)
By Paul Allen
In 1974 at 21 years old, Paul Allen teamed
up with childhood friend Bill Gates to
create programming language for the first
personal computer. They worked together
since their teens on professional
programming jobs, but believed they were
the ones who could write the code that, at
the time, engineers didn’t believe was
possible. The famously private Allen opens
up about the founding of Microsoft, as well
as his adventures after he stepped down
from the company he helped create
(advances in space travel and brain
mapping, to name a few).
Inspirational Quote: "Any crusade
requires optimism and the ambition to aim
high." -- Paul Allen
Idea Man by Paul Allen
Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic
Wild Company by Mel and Patricia Ziegler
2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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(Simon & Schuster, 2012)
By Mel and Patricia Ziegler
When Mel and Patricia Ziegler met (in the newsroom
of the San Francisco Chronicle) they wanted to travel
the world, but as a young writer and artist they
lacked the money or means to do so. Wild Company
tells the story of how the pair, armed with creativity
and passion (but no business training), built an
empire from military surplus clothing finds plucked
from their travels to create Banana Republic.
Inspirational Quote: "The only asset we had was
our own oblivion. That would keep us blissfully
ignorant of the bewildering and arbitrary impediments
that would entangle us until we became so embroiled
that quitting was no longer a possibility." -- Mel
Ziegler
Start Something That Matters
(Spiegel & Grau, 2011)
By Blake Mycoskie
In 2006, Blake Mycoskie traveled to
Argentina to take some time off from his
fourth startup and explore the culture of
another country. What he found was a
great need among children’s charities for
shoes. Mycoskie knew he had to help, and
the idea for TOMS shoes was born. The
concept for the company is simple: Sell a
pair of shoes today, give a pair of shoes to
a child in need tomorrow. Mycoskie shares
with readers lessons learned while
creating TOMS, how to develop and tell
your company’s story, and how to be
resourceful without having resources.
Inspirational Quote: "You don't have to
have a lot of money, a complicated
business plan, or a great deal of
experience to start something." -- Blake
Mycoskie
Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie
Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 Into a Billion Dollar Business
(Penguin Group, 2011)
By Barbara Corcoran with Bruce Littlefield
Before becoming one of the Sharks on ABC’s Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran held 22 jobs by the
age of 23. It was number 23, a small real estate company that would eventually lead her to
founding the Corcoran Group, a $6 billion dollar company. Combining lessons learned from her
childhood in New Jersey among nine brothers and sisters with lessons from the cut throat world
Shark Tales by Barbara Corcoran with Bruce Littlefield
2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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of New York real estate, Corcoran offers
entrepreneurs valuable advice for starting
their own business.
Inspirational Quote: "The story of my
billion-dollar business starts like this: I
borrowed $1,000 from a friend." -- Barbara
Corcoran
The Martha Rules
(Rodale, 2005)
By Martha Stewart
The Martha Rules consists of ten rules
and a roadmap for entrepreneurs to
create their own successful businesses.
The book started as a project to help
fellow inmates during her incarceration in a
federal prison in 2004. The Martha Rules
examine the importance of passion,
quality, growth and taking risks. The first
chapter, for example, is devoted to finding
your passion and developing a business.
Later chapters tout the importance of
continued learning, innovation, and
surrounding yourself with the right people.
Inspirational Quote: "Build your business
success around something that you love --
something that is inherently and endlessly
interesting to you." -- Martha Stewart
The Martha Rules by Martha Stewart
Best Inspirational Words From Business Leaders in
2012
Also See...
2/27/13 10 Must-Read Inspiring Business Leader Biographies | Slideshow | Entrepreneur.com
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+1
Richard John 10 days ago
0
.it is really a good stories of the great men of the modern time. how they worked in
critical ways and achieved their goals.
Great piece #Lindsay_Lavine! After reading your information, I've placed my request to
my local library for books by #Mel Ziegler #Martha_Stewart #Barbara_Cochran
#Paul_Allen & #Richard_Branson. #Steve_Jobs' book is on hold... 5 people are ahead of
me. :-/
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