biography of great businessman

This free Notion document contains the best 100+ resources you need for building a successful startup, divided in 4 categories: Fundraising, People, Product, and Growth.

This free eBook goes over the 10 slides every startup pitch deck has to include, based on what we learned from analyzing 500+ pitch decks, including those from Airbnb, Uber and Spotify.

This free sheet contains 100 accelerators and incubators you can apply to today, along with information about the industries they generally invest in.

This free sheet contains 100 VC firms, with information about the countries, cities, stages, and industries they invest in, as well as their contact details.

This free sheet contains all the information about the top 100 unicorns, including their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.

The 25 Best Business Biographies For Entrepreneurs 2024

Description

Everything you need to raise funding for your startup, including 3,500+ investors, 7 tools, 18 templates and 3 learning resources.

Information about the countries, cities, stages, and industries they invest in, as well as their contact details.

List of 250 startup investors in the AI and Machine Learning industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

List of startup investors in the BioTech, Health, and Medicine industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

List of startup investors in the FinTech industry, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

Entrepreneurs and founders must constantly adapt and learn from every possible source, and books are no exception.

This is especially true for business biographies, as they tend to be personally written by the most powerful and game-changing people in the business world.

Below there’s a list of the best 25 business biographies, carefully picked to satisfy everyone’s taste.

25 Best Business Biographies

1) alibaba: the house that jack ma built.

Name of book : Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built

Description of the book : This excellent entrepreneur biography tells the ultimate story about the world-famous Chinese entrepreneur and founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma. 

The author, Duncan Clark, was an early advisor to Jack Ma in early 1999 when Alibaba was founded. You can read everything about Jack Ma, his breakthrough idea, and the impact it made in the e-commerce sector.

Entrepreneurs can also read about the humble beginnings of Alibaba, how Jack overcame his Silicon Valley rivals, and the story of Alibaba’s domination, with 80% of the market share. 

Author : Duncan Clark

Length : 304 pages

‍Notable quote : “Customers first, employees second, and shareholders third.”

2) Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Name of book : Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Description of the book : Onward is an excellent entrepreneur biography that presents the story of the popular coffee brand Starbucks and how they managed to stay on ‘top of their game’ during the 2008 crisis. 

The former CEO Howard Schultz describes his return after 8 years and the methods he implemented afterward. 

The biography offers a deep look at how Howard overcame all odds during the most challenging economic times in history and how Starbucks saved its soul and regained its profitability without sacrificing anything.

Author : Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon

Length : 350 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Beverages have to be created. And they’re created by looking at what trend is in, say, the fashion industry – what color’s hot right now.”

3) Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Name of book : Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Description of the book : Steve Jobs is a well-presented entrepreneur autobiography regarding one of the most influential founders ever. The book is based on over 40 interviews with Steve Jobs, his family members, and colleagues. 

You can see how Steve Jobs got his ideas and how he rose above the challenges throughout time. Walters shows how Jobs revolutionized multiple industries, including music, animated movies, phones, and tablet computers.

As an entrepreneur, you will undoubtedly find this book quite helpful as it shows Steve's methods and work ethic during his journey and how to maintain your sanity during extreme times.

Author : Walter Isaacson

Length : 627 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.”

4) Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

Name of book : Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Description of the book : Nike’s CEO and founder Phil Knight decided to open up and tell his story behind one of the most iconic brands today, Nike. 

His idea to sell high-quality and cheap-priced shoes imported from Japan was born in 1962. Knight shares all details from his journey, including obstacles he overcame, risks he took, and the sacrifices made for Nike to become what it is today.

You can also read plenty about the first partners and relationships with his employees, proving to us that everything is possible through teamwork and loyalty.

Author : Phil Knight

Length : 400 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Let everyone else call your idea crazy... just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.”

5) Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Name of book : Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Description of the book : Have you ever wondered how Rockefeller gained his reputation and wealth? Well, award-winning biographer Ron Chernow explored that subject and wrote a book about it, too. 

Titan shows the impressive story behind the most controversial family in the US and their place in history. Chernow tells us a detailed story about John D. Rockefeller, Sr, and his ruthless methods and ethics that made him the world’s first billionaire.

You can clearly see how Rockefeller founded the most powerful and feared monopoly in American history, Standard Oil , all the way to his demise at the behest of President Teddy Roosevelt.

Author : Ron Chernow

Length : 832 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Success comes from keeping the ears open and the mouth closed”

6) Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony

Name of book : Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony

Description of the book : Made in Japan takes you on a journey behind Sony Corporation , from its co-founder, Akio Morita. 

As one of the best entrepreneur biographies, you can take a deep look at Japan’s business techniques and methods and how the Japanese think, which can be priceless information for founders.

The story narrated by the authors is centered on how Sony was built, from its humble beginning after World War II to its meteoric post-war rise as the most influential company for music entertainment, and multimedia.

Author : Akio Morita , Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shimomura

Length : 352 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Curiosity is the key to creativity.”

90% of startups fail. Learn how to not to with our weekly guides and stories. Join 40,000+ founders.

7) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Name of book : The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Description of the book : The Everything Store is the definitive biography of Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos. Brad Stone narrates the story of Jeff Bezos’s corporate culture and the methods he implemented at Amazon . 

You will read what it took for Jeff to build this company and how he changed how we shop and read... Forever!

Author : Brad Stone

Length : 384 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Some of these investments will pay off, others will not, and we will have learned another valuable lesson in either case.”

8) Sam Walton: Made in America

Name of book : Sam Walton: Made in America

Description of the book : This is considered one of the greatest entrepreneur biographies because it describes the origin story of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club . You will read how Sam founded the biggest retail stores in history and the largest private employer in the world. 

The authors clearly state what it took for Sam to create Walmart and what techniques he used in that process. Also, you will read about all methods regarding the planning and hiring process that attracted many workers. Today, Walmart is the largest corporation in terms of revenue.

Author : Sam Walton and John Huey

Length : 346 pages

‍Notable quote : “Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who’s going to have a great idea.”

9) Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Name of book : Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Description of the book : Ashlee Vence presents the detailed life of Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX . It gives you a deep look into Musk’s ideas and innovations about the future he envisioned. Everything changed when Elon sold PayPal and shifted his focus on future investments, like clean automobiles and space programs.

Musk’s story is used to explore the question: can inventors still compete in today’s fierce global competition?

Author : Ashlee Vence

Length : 392 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Good ideas are always crazy until they’re not.”

10) The Snowball; Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Name of book : The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Description of the book : The Snowball presents the story of Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history and the founder of Berkshire Hathaway Holdings.  

Alice Schroeder narrates this well-read CEO biography about the life of Warren Buffett and the idea to create a holding company that owns stocks in multiple famous corporations like Coca-Cola, American Express, and Apple.

As an entrepreneur, you will find important information about Warren’s secrets despite living in privacy for most of his life.

Author : Alice Schroeder

Length : 960 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Time is the friend of the wonderful business, the enemy of the mediocre.”

11) Morgan: American Financier

Name of book : Morgan: American Financier

Description of the book : One of the best business biographies, Morgan gives you a never-before-seen insight about J. Pierpont Morgan, one of the greatest investors in US history. 

In this book, you will read how Morgan reorganized the nation’s railroad and appointed himself as a one-man central bank. The author also guides the reader into Morgan’s life outside his business.

Author : Jean Strouse

Length : 816 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.”

12) Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles

Name of book : Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles

Description of the book : Here, There and Everywhere is one of the best business biographies regarding The Beatles chief engineer, the man responsible for their unique sound. 

Geoff Emerick describes his journey from the start of The Beatles in 1962, all the way to their meteoric rise to the top. In the book, you will find out how Geoff pioneered innovative recording techniques and how he achieved the sound of their most famous songs that changed rock music forever.

As an entrepreneur, you can learn that starting at a young age can be the best move you can make - just like Geoff did when he was 15 years old!

Author : Geoff Emerick

‍ ‍Notable quote : “It was down to me—not George Martin, not anyone else—to turn the Beatles’ new vision into a reality.”

13) Bloomberg by Bloomberg

Name of book : Bloomberg by Bloomberg

Description of the book : Bloomberg by Bloomberg is the origin story of Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg L.P. 

Written by Michael himself, this book takes us deep into Bloomberg’s life and his idea of creating his own company after he got fired at the age of 39.

Throughout the book, readers will learn more about his creative mind and the challenges he faced at Wall Street , all the way up to founding the fastest-growing media empire on Earth.

Author : Michael R. Bloomberg

Length : 272 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : If you're going to succeed, you need a vision, one that's affordable, practical, and fills a customer need. Then, go for it.”

14) Carnegie

Name of book : Carnegie

Description of the book : Carnegie takes us on a journey into the life of Andrew Carnegie, one of the major figures in American history. 

Peter Krass describes the origin story of the titan who made his fortune through the steel industry and how he used the wealth upon his retirement.

The readers can take a look at how Andrew influenced the world’s political stage and the way he founded the largest and the most profitable steel industry on the planet. As a founder, you will learn how Andrew became one of the biggest philanthropists in the world, despite his notorious reputation.

Author : Peter Krass

Length : 612 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “The poor enjoy what the rich could not before afford. What were the luxuries have become the necessities of life. The laborer has now more comforts than the landlord had a few generations ago.”

15) Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

Name of book : Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company

Description of the book : Every manager must understand that eventually everything changes. This is the critical point in Only the Paranoid Survive by former Intel CEO Andrew Grove. 

The charismatic innovator narrates his story in Intel and how he helped the company to remain the largest chip producer. Readers will discover the strategic inflection points or SIPs Andrew faced in his career and how he beat the Japanese competition.

Only the Paranoid Survive can be the ultimate lesson about leadership skills, which you can benefit almost instantly.

Author : Andrew S. Grove

Length : 224 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Only the Paranoid Survive.”

16) iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Name of book : iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Description of the book : Take a deep look into the creation of Apple and the first personal computer, brought to you by the charismatic Steve Wozniak. 

In iWoz , you will read about the early starts for Wozniak and the idea behind Apple . Narrated by Steve himself, he presents details about his personal life like never before and describes his groundbreaking idea to combine the first real personal computer named Apple I . 

Authors : Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith

Length : 313 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “The world needs inventors--great ones. You can be one. If you love what you do and are willing to do what it really takes, it's within your reach. And it'll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It'll be worth it, I promise.”

17) My Life and Work: Autobiography of Henry Ford

Name of book : My Life and Work; Autobiography of Henry Ford

Description of the book : Published in 1922, this entrepreneur autobiography gives you the slightest details regarding Ford’s beginnings, the strategies he used to revolutionize the automotive industry, and how he got into the business.

Henry Ford guides the reader through his history and his own business philosophy used to create Ford Motor Company. 

Author : Henry Ford

Length : 204 pages

‍Notable quote : “There is no disgrace in honest failure; there is disgrace in fearing to fail

18) Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Name of book : Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Description of the book : This is the detailed story about Cornelius Vanderbilt, the forefather of modern American business. 

Readers will find out how Cornelius built his fortune and his vision to turn New York into the financial capital we see today. This book sheds light on Cornelius’s private life from previously unreleased articles.

Author : Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Length : 364 pages

‍Notable quote : “Never tell anyone what you are going to do till you have done it.”

19) Jack: Straight from the Gut

Name of book : Jack: Straight from the Gut

Description of the book : Many readers would agree that this book is one of the best business biographies. The authors will introduce you to the life of former General Electrics Chairman and CEO Jack Welch. 

You will find out how Jack managed to run one of the biggest corporations of our time in a robust economic era in the US.

Authors : Jack Welch , John A. Byrne , and Mike Barnicle

Length : 496 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : "There is no straight line to anyone's vision or dream."

20) Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Name of book : Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Description of the book : Written directly by former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, this entrepreneur biography contains detailed information and tips on how to manage your company. 

Entrepreneurs and founders will read about Tony’s early start and learn the creativity he used to run Zappos to the top of its industry.

Author : Tony Hsieh

Length : 246 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion.”

21) Iacocca: An Autobiography

Name of book : Iacocca: An Autobiography

Description of the book : Let’s dive into the automotive world once again. Lee Iacocca, the former legendary President at Ford and Chairman at Chrysler, is the man behind this book . 

In this entrepreneur biography, Lee guides the reader from his humble beginnings and working at Ford and how he saved Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy during the 1980s. 

Lee presents his vision and how he came up with the idea to create the Mustang , one of Ford’s famous models.

Authors : Lee Iacocca and William Novak

Length : 357 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Get all the education you can then go out and do something - do anything.”

22) American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

Name of book : American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

Description of the book : American Icon gives us a magnificent story about Ford Motors and its turnaround of the leadership from its CEO Alan Mulally. 

The book explains how Alan managed to save the company in the 2008 crisis, upon rejection of financial help from the government. 

Alan implemented the methods he used in Boeing , reorganized Ford’s management, and turned the corporation into the largest automotive producer during those difficult times.

Entrepreneurs can read this book and see what plans Alan used to prevent Ford’s collapse.

Author : Bryce G. Hoffman

Length : 432 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “You have to expect the unexpected, and you have to deal with it.”

23) The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Rev olution

Name of book : The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Description of the book : The Man Who Solved the Market is a best-selling book about mathematician Jim Simons and his pioneering algorithm-driven approach to investing. 

The book follows Simons’s path to success, starting with his early years, education at MIT and work at IBM, and finally, his late-life acclaim as the founder of Renaissance Technologies. 

The is a great entrepreneur biography for those wanting to learn more about finances, teamwork, and professional collaboration.

Author : Gregory Zuckerman

Length : 359 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Any time you hear financial experts talking about how the market went up because of such and such—remember it’s all nonsense.”

24) The Animated Man: A Life Of Walt Disney

Name of the book : The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

Description of the book : Michael Barrier is the man behind one of the best business biographies, the origin story of Walt Disney. In this book, readers will discover important details from Walt’s life and how he got the idea to make cartoons.

Michael recorded countless interviews with Disney’s partner and friends to write this book.

You will see what challenges Walt overcame and how he battled out of the disaster that occurred in 1941.

Author : Michael Barrier

Length : 393 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : "I am not a literary person. As far as realism is concerned, you can find dirt anyplace you look for it. I'm one of those optimists. There's always a rainbow. The great masses like happy endings. If you can pull a tear out of them, they'll remember your picture.”

25) I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta

Name of the book : I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta

Description of the book : I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke takes us on a journey in the life of Roberto Goizueta, one of the longest-serving and highest-paid CEOs in history. 

The book explains Roberto’s arrival from Cuba in the 1960s and his rise while working in Coca-Cola. You will find out how Roberto reorganized Coca-Cola, the leader in the soft-drink industry, and his marketing strategies that made Coke the most popular beverage on Earth. 

Author : David Greising

Length : 334 pages

‍ ‍Notable quote : “Not to take risks is the biggest risk.”

What Business Biographies Did We Miss?

So there you have it!

25 of the best entrepreneur biographies out there that can undoubtedly give you some sort of inspiration as you prepare yourself for the next ‘big’ step. 

All of these biographies are written with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs, as many of them come from groundbreaking founders and investors that reshaped the business world. 

Just like always, if we missed any biography that deserves a spot on our pretty list , don’t forget to send us an email - we’re more than happy to update our list with more and more entrepreneur biographies.

Questions About Business Biographies

What are business biography books.

Business biography books tell the behind-the-scenes stories of the greatest minds in the business industry, including Walt Disney, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos.

What Are The Best Business Biographies?

The best business biographies are Alibaba, by Duncan Clark, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, and Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight.

What Are The Best CEO Biographies?

CEO biographies are a segment of business biographies, which share the stories of the CEOs of the biggest companies. Only the Paranoid Survive, by Andrew Grove, Jack, by Jack Welch, and Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh, are the best CEO biographies.

90% of startups fail. Learn how not to with our weekly guides and stories. Join +40,000 other startup founders!

An all-in-one newsletter for startup founders, ruled by one philosophy: there's more to learn from failures than from successes.

100+ resources you need for building a successful startup, divided into 4 categories: Fundraising, People, Product, and Growth.

18 Biographies of the Most Successful People in Business

It’s officially summer, so Fortune put together a reading list for those of us who can’t just sit idly by the pool with a mindless beach read.

With the help of Term Sheet readers, we compiled a list of some of the best business biographies of all time. These timeless reads are entertaining and deeply personal as they detail the lives of business magnates, tech titans, and media powerhouses.

Now, onto your suggestions:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

A Bill Gates (and Term Sheet reader) favorite, Shoe Dog offers an inside look at how Phil Knight built his startup Nike into the global brand it is today.

Personal History by Katharine Graham

You’ve seen the movie, now read the book. Katharine Graham is the woman who led the Washington Post through the scandals of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. This one has it all — courage, candor, and dignity.

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

This is a personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as “The Oracle of Omaha.” Warren Buffett is one of the most respected businesspeople of our time, but his life has been a mix of strengths and frailties. As revealed in this book, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth — it will be his principles and ideas.

Related: The Best Business Books of All Time

THE ORIGINALS

Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

You may already know that Franklin was a writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, but this is a look into how this country’s ultimate founder helped define America’s national identity.

Titan by Ron Chernow

John D. Rockefeller has been referred to as “the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism.” He was a ruthless business magnate while also being a major philanthropist. This one is a business staple.

Carnegie by Peter Krass

One of the major figures in American history, Andrew Carnegie was a businessman who made his fortune in the steel industry and ultimately gave most of it away. He used his wealth to ascend the world’s political stage, influencing the presidencies of Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. In this compelling biography, Peter Krass reconstructs the complicated life of the titan who came to power in America’s Gilded Age.

Morgan, American Financier by Jean Strouse

For decades, J. Pierpont Morgan served as America’s unofficial central banker. He was the force behind mammoths like General Electric , U.S. Steel, and vast railroad empires. Since his death, he has remained a mysterious figure — both celebrated as a hero of industrial progress and also vilified as a rapacious robber baron.

The Patriarch by David Nasaw

This biography examines the life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the 20th century’s most famous political dynasty. It tracks the path of a man who participated in the major events of his times — the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars, a cold war, and the birth of the New Frontier.

THE SELF-MADE

Sam Walton, Made in America by Sam Walton/John Huey

Over the course of his life, Sam Walton built one of the world’s largest and most powerful corporations from scratch. This is the story of a small-town folk hero who revolutionized retail distribution and changed the game as we know it. Hard to believe that was once a single store in a tiny town is now a behemoth with revenue to the tune of $500 billion.

I Love Capitalism! by Ken Langone

The life of Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone is a perfect portrayal of the American Dream. He recounts how a poor boy from Long Island became one of the most successful businessmen in America. In this memoir, Langone walks readers through how he struggled to get an education, broke into Wall Street, and scrambled for an MBA.

Jack, Straight From the Gut by Jack Welch

Under Jack Welch’s leadership, General Electric reinvented itself several times over by integrating new and innovative practices into its many lines of business. This book recounts his career and the style of management that helped to make GE one of the most successful companies of the last century.

THE TECH TITANS

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and The Age of Amazon by Brad Stone

It is mind-boggling to think Amazon started out as an online bookstore. That wasn’t nearly enough for its wildly ambitious founder, Jeff Bezos. This is an in-depth account of how Bezos’ large bets forever transformed the retail industry.

Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

I personally like this book because it delves into the psyche of one of the most innovative (albeit unusual) entrepreneurs of our time. Vance gives readers an exclusive look into SpaceX , Tesla, and SolarCity, while also giving us a better understanding of Elon Musk’s mind.

Wild Ride by Adam Lashinsky

Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky wrote about Travis Kalanick, one of the most polarizing figures in Silicon Valley. Lashinsky takes readers on quite a ride as he meticulously details Uber’s meteoric rise — and its jaw-dropping plunge into controversy.

THE DISRUPTORS

A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald K. Fierstein

This biography delves into the life of Edwin Land, the breakthrough inventor of the Polaroid. At the time of his death, he stood third on the list of most prolific inventors, behind only Thomas Edison and one of Edison’s colleagues. It’s a compelling look at the man behind one of the most important legal battles over intellectual property of our time — Polaroid versus Kodak.

Bloomberg by Bloomberg by Michael Bloomberg

Brash, aggressive, and supremely self-confident, Michael Bloomberg has been hailed as the new standard for what it takes to win in the Information Age. His specialized media approach — including manipulable online data feeds, a global newswire, and extensive magazine and broadcast outlets — have turned the business of business news upside down.

THE LEADERS

Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead by Cecile Richards

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards has been an activist since she was taken to the principal’s office in seventh grade for wearing an armband in protest of the Vietnam War. She had a remarkable childhood in conservative Texas, where her civil rights attorney father and activist mother taught their kids to be troublemakers. In the Richards household, the “dinner table was never for eating—it was for sorting precinct lists.”

The House of Dimon by Patricia Crisafulli

In a candid look at Wall Street’s top banker, former business journalist Patricia Crisafulli goes behind the scenes to recount the critical events that have shaped Dimon’s career. He managed to survive one of the most difficult and most tumultuous periods in Wall Street history. This story reveals how he did it and explores what lies ahead.

PS: I also asked Twitter for more biography suggestions — you can find them here .

Latest in Leadership

In the understatement of 2024 so far, Boeing’s CEO says his company has been ‘far from perfect’ after a litany of safety snafus

Linda Yaccarino shares her biggest moment of imposter syndrome from her first year running Elon Musk’s X

Why Bic, the maker of ballpoint pens and shaving sticks, identifies as a tech-forward company

Qualtrics’ ‘chief workplace psychologist’ on how to address employee burnout

Major study from Stanford workplace guru reveals that hybrid work cuts attrition by 33% and has no negative impact on getting promoted

McDonald’s wants to add 100 million active users to its loyalty program by 2027. Here’s how the C-suite plans to do just that

Most popular.

Electricity prices in France turn negative as renewable energy floods the grid

Elon Musk’s Neuralink forced a pregnant employee to work with herpes-infected monkeys that scratched her, lawsuit says

Daniel Radcliffe made $110 million as a child star—and now he’s defying the negative stereotypes at 34

Peloton, the fallen fitness unicorn, faces a harsh truth despite its shiny new deal with Hyatt hotels: ‘I don’t think they thought [about] what was going to happen post-pandemic’

Impossibly high home prices are ‘feudalizing’ California as unaffordable housing markets pose existential threat to middle class, study says

Brides and grooms are cracking down on wedding guests and publicly shaming those who don’t comply with their gift registries and dress codes

• Virtual Experiences
• In-Person Experiences
• Hybrid Experiences
• Social Calendar [New]
• Experience FAQ
• Features & Benefits
• How Pricing Works
• Client Testimonials
• Happiness Guarantee
• Blog Articles
• Video Library
• View Experiences

18 Best Business Biographies to Read

By: Angela Robinson | Updated: October 21, 2021

You found our list of top business biographies .

Business biographies are narratives that tell the stories of entrepreneurs and the birth and growth of influential companies. These works deal with topics such as childhood influences, education and early career, business founding, and the evolution of entrepreneurial empires. The purpose of these books is to provide further context and insight into the personal factors that contributed to the creation of companies, and to inspire and educate current and future entrepreneurs.

These works are a subset of business books and are similar to entrepreneur books and CEO books .

This list includes:

• autobiographies of business founders
• biographies of business leaders
• entrepreneur biographies
• business biographies about women

Here we go!

List of business biographies

Here is a list of biographies of business leaders that shed light on how to launch and nurture legacies and empires.

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Shoe Dog is one of the most popular autobiographies of business founders of all time. This memoir has received endorsements from the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

In his own words, Nike founder Phil Knight recounts the journey of founding the sneaker company and its ascent into a top athletic wear brand. Knight gives a peek into his early life and influences, as well as insights into his leadership and business philosophy. Shoe Dog is a masterful illustration of tenacity, vision, and the business lifestyle.

Notable Quote: “Beating the competition is relatively easy. Beating yourself is a never-ending commitment.”

Read Shoe Dog .

2. Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

Amazon Unbound is Brad Stone’s followup to the bestselling book, The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. This latest biography about the founder of Amazon charts the company’s rise to global titan status and chronicles Bezos’ evolution as a leader within the past decade. The work includes the company’s development of cloud technology, Alexa, and Prime Video, as well as acquisitions of Whole Foods and The Washington Post . The book continues the narrative of the story of Amazon and its founder and lays forth the next chapter in the saga of the e-commerce giant.

Notable Quote: “Jeff is master of ‘this isn’t working today, but could work tomorrow.’ If customers like it, he’s got the cash flow to fund it.”

Read Amazon Unbound .

Get our free team building toolbox

• icebreaker games
• bingo cards

3. Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca

Iacocca: An Autobiography is a firsthand account of the life of the legendary auto executive. Lee Iacocca’s life is a prime example of the American dream– raised by immigrants, he rises up the ranks in corporate America and dominates the auto world. In the course of this journey, Lee Iacocca revolutionized the automobile industry and earned icon status. The autobiography traces the highlights of Iacocca’s illustrious career, from his part in creating the Mustang and ascent to president of Ford, to saving the Chrysler brand, and defeating hurdles along the way. Iacocca: An Autobiography is a motivational read and a rallying call for resilience.

Notable Quote: “In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits. People come first. Unless you’ve got a good team, you can’t do much with the other two.”

Read Iacocca: An Autobiography .

4. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow

Titan  traces the life of legendary businessman John D Rockefeller. This biography aims to examine Rockefeller through a new lens. Many other accounts either overly-glorify Rockefeller as a hero or condemn him based on The Standard Oil Company’s later scandals. Ron Chernow angles to lift the veil on and gain insight into the notoriously private Rockefeller by compiling a comprehensive account of his full life. The book follows John Rockefeller Sr from his childhood to death. In doing so, the author not only recounts the moves and deals that helped build a business and charity empire, but also shares stories and quotes that more thoroughly flesh out the figure behind the great deeds.

Notable Quote: “Rockefeller equated silence with strength: Weak men had loose tongues and blabbed to reporters, while prudent businessmen kept their own counsel.”

Read Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

5. The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman

The Man Who Solved the Market is a bestselling book about Jim Simons, the mathematician who pioneered an algorithm-driven approach to investing that achieved unheard-of market returns. The book unpacks Simon’s backstory by tracing the codebreaker’s early adolescence, education at MIT, early career, and finally the late-life acclaim and founding of Renaissance Technologies. Gregory Zuckerman connects Simons’ story to the broader current climate and notes the influences the discovery had on the wider world. The Man Who Solved the Market also holds lessons about teamwork and professional collaboration.

Notable Quote: “Scientists and mathematicians are trained to dig below the surface of the chaotic, natural world to search for unexpected simplicity, structure, and even beauty”

Read The Man Who Solved the Market .

6. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big is equal parts amusing and profound. In this book, Dilbert comic creator Scott Adams traces his career, paying special attention to the flops, setbacks, and disappointments. By focusing on failure, Adams explains how he was able to transform losses into lessons and eventual opportunities. The author’s signature wry sense of humor elevates the underdog narrative beyond motivational fluff and into actionable advice.

While telling his own tale, Adams drops tidbits such as:

• Goals are for losers. Systems are for winners.
• The most important metric is to track your personal energy.
• Conquer shyness by being a huge phony (in a good way.)

While this book is structured more like a self-help guide than a traditional biography, it is full of personal anecdotes that provide a much more rounded picture of the famous cartoonist.

Notable Quote: “Failure always brings something valuable with it. I don’t let it leave until I extract that value.”

Read ​​ How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big .

7. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

The Snowball provides a personal portrait of the Oracle of Omaha. In this exclusive biography, Warren Buffet allows Alice Schroeder and the readers intimate access into his inner life by way of years of one-on-one interviews with the author. The book reveals previously non-public details about Buffet’s childhood, career, and relationships, and sheds light on the investor’s inner-drivers, values, and areas of personal growth. The Snowball shows Warren Buffet’s human side and gives extra context to the magnate’s extraordinary accomplishments.

Notable Quote: “Intensity is the price of excellence.”

Read The Snowball .

8. Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last by Wright Thompson

Pappyland is a tale of familial entrepreneurial duty and legacy preservation. The book tells the tale of Julian Van Winkle III’s battle to save his father and grandfather’s lifework and the reputation of the family whiskey business. The work chronicles Van Winkle’s early struggles to keep the business afloat in leaner years to the eventual rise to several-hundred-dollar-a-bottle prestige, and the resulting need for innovation and reinvention that stayed true to the company’s roots. Few entrepreneur biographies touch so heavily on themes of family devotion and obligation, making Pappyland a moving and relatable read as well as a practical business study.

Notable Quote: “That’s the work of adulthood. Sorting out the good and bad within.”

Read Pappyland .

9. The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger

The Ride of a Lifetime is a self-penned profile of Disney executive Robert Iger. The book recounts Iger’s rise from entry-level employee at ABC to head of the most powerful media company in the world. Iger reflects on the industry changes that he saw and had a hand in during his long and lucrative career, and highlights the keys to his professional success. While the book is not strictly a memoir, Iger structures this guide with personal details that give context to his business behaviors. The Ride of a Lifetime provides a direct look at the philosophies of the man behind the mouse.

Notable Quote: “Ask the questions you need to ask, admit without apology what you don’t understand, and do the work to learn what you need to learn as quickly as you can.”

Read The Ride of a Lifetime .

10. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson’s official profile on Steve Jobs ranks as one of the best biographies of business leaders. Drawing on over 40 interviews with Jobs and hundreds more with family and friends, colleagues, and rivals, Isaccson weaves a thrilling account of the icon’s life. The result is a comprehensive collection of life events that shaped the subject told from multiple perspectives. From childhood to college, inventions and product launches, collaborations and clashes, career setbacks and redemptions, and roller-coaster relationships, Steve Jobs paints an appropriately complex portrait of a larger than life figure with undeniable human flaws.

Notable Quote: “One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are.”

Read Steve Jobs .

11. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Ashlee Vance’s Elon Musk is a profile of a monumental current businessman. This biography retells Musk’s extraordinary story of overcoming childhood adversity in South Africa only to become one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley and modern industry. The book touches on Musk’s early pursuits in PayPal, the founding of Tesla, as well as the eventual decision to set sights on space and enter the aerospace frontier. The book is an exploration of Musk’s character and vision, charting his life through his innovations and ideas.

Notable Quote: “Good ideas are always crazy until they’re not.”

Read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future .

12. Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton

Sam Walton: Made in America is the story of Walmart and the man who made Walmart the behemoth that it is today. This autobiography reveals how Walton grew a single dime store into a retail giant. The book explores how Walton built his foundations, structured his business, grew the company, bounced back from missteps, and kept control over his mission even as his empire expanded around the country and the world. Sam Walton: Made in America is a book about big business world ambition paired with small-town values, and is a distinctly American tale of commercial success and the achievement of a distinct vision.

Notable Quote: “Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who’s going to have a great idea.”

Read Sam Walton: Made In America .

13. Empire State of Mind: How Jay Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office by Zack O’Malley Greenburg

Empire State of Mind is a love letter to Jay Z’s business acumen. This biography recounts the rapper’s meteoric rise from ghettos to boardrooms. The book highlights some of the key points in Carter’s career, including the inception of Roc-a-Fella records, marriage to Beyoncé, birth of Roc Nation, and expansion into the streetwear, alcohol, and streaming spaces. Viewing Jay-Z as a businessman above all and hailing his hustler mindset, Empire State of Mind spins a tale of entrepreneurship, self-creation, and re-invention.

Notable Quote: “One of the main reasons for this success is Jay-Z’s ability to build and leverage his personal brand. As much as Martha Stewart or Oprah, he has turned himself into a lifestyle.”

Read Empire State of Mind .

14. Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans by Paul Van Doren

Authenti c is one of the final projects of Vans founder Paul Van Doren. The memoir tells the tale of how a high school dropout went on to helm one of the most beloved shoewear brands in the world. This autobiographical account charts Van Doren’s journey of working in a rubber factory as a teenager to creating the renowned skateboard shoe company, to preserving the legacy throughout the decades. The book examines the decisions that made the foundations of the empire and the elements that rocketed the company to fame. The story also deals with the personal and professional obstacles that threatened and informed the work. Authentic is a parable for following passions and staying true to style and vision even in the face of change.

Notable Quote: “What I’ve accomplished comes down to one thing: my knack for identifying and then solving problems. What I do better than anything else is cut out distractions. If a system isn’t working efficiently, I can see where it’s jammed, eliminate the problem, and find a way to keep everything moving forward.”

Read Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans .

15. Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable by Jamie Kern Lima

Believe IT tells the life story of Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics and waitress-turned-entrepreneur who overcame the odds to build a company worth a billion dollars and to become the first female CEO of a L’Oreal brand. The book lays out defining events such as Lima learning of her adoption in early adulthood, and shows how the authors’ life hardships prepared her to face the adversity of a beauty industry that constantly told her she would not succeed. Believe IT is part manifesto and part memoir, and full-throttle motivational read.

Notable Quote: “How we react to times of uncertainty, and whether we make decisions based in love or fear, can change the course of our life. Champions aren’t made when the game is easy. In any area of life.”

Read Believe It: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable .

16. The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J Mazzeo

The Widow Clicquot is a historical business biography, and is one of the most fascinating business biographies about women. The book tells the tale of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, a businesswoman who gained control of her family’s business and revolutionized champagne. The biography describes how Clicquot Ponsardin turned misfortune into fortune and made a mark on the world at a time when opportunities for women were limited. The Widow Clicquot is an empowerment message and fascinating historical story wrapped into one riveting account.

Notable Quote: “Widowed at the age of twenty-seven, with no formal business training and no firsthand experience, Barbe-Nicole transformed a well-funded but struggling and small-time family wine brokerage into arguably the most important champagne house of the nineteenth century in just over a decade.”

Read The Widow Clicquot .

17. Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson

Losing My Virginity is billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s first autobiography. The book pinpoints the most essential events and influences in Branson’s life. As most business biographies do, the work starts with the executive’s upbringing and moves through his life chronologically. Branson’s many adventures include professional forays into the music and airline industries, as well as personal exploits such as trying to circle the globe in a hot air balloon. Alongside his colorful stories, the businessman shares his personal and professional philosophies, chiefly the belief of working hard yet having passions and wins beyond work. Losing My Virginity advocates for living a full and rounded life and taking control in both personal and business spheres.

Notable Quote: “I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive then I believe you are better off not doing it. A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”

Read Losing My Virginity .

18. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark

Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built is a striking profile of the founder of one of the most expansive eCommerce companies in China and the world at large. The book highlights Ma’s humble beginnings as an English teacher as well as his late start to the world of entrepreneurship, and explores how the businessman rapidly climbed from running a company out of an apartment to securing a record-setting multi-billion dollar IPO. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built provides a comprehensive history of Jack Ma’s life and professional journey and Alibaba’s evolution.

Notable Quote: “Today is brutal, tomorrow is more brutal, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful. However, the majority of people will die tomorrow night.”

Read Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built .

Founders, CEOs, and industry leaders are so often mythologized and painted as larger-than-life, that it can be easy to forget that these figures are humans with backstories and deeply personal lives. Business biographies provide perspective and additional insight into the motivations and influences of these legends and help flesh out more fully-formed profiles of these grand personas. These memoirs also portray the history of major companies and can paint fuller portraits of organizations’ origins and growth. By reading biographies on business leaders, professionals can be more mindful and in-control of their own work aspirations.

For more reading recommendations, check out this list of books on leadership or these business books by women .

Book wildly fun team building events with expert hosts

FAQ: Business biographies

Here are answers to common questions about business biographies.

What are business biographies?

Business biographies are narrative nonfiction works that follow the lives of industry leaders and chart the launch and growth of important organizations. These books often draw from interviews and mix facts and history with philosophy.

What are the best business biographies?

The best business biographies include Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, The Snowball by Alice Schroeder, and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

Author: Angela Robinson

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

Leave a Reply Cancel

Your email address will not be published.

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com.

Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

• 45,000+ clients including Apple, Amazon, Google and NASA
• 50,225+ five star reviews on Google
• #15 on Inc 5000's List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for 2022
• 80+ happy remote employees

We lead wildly fun experiences for teams with 1,000,000+ players to date.

4.96 / 5.0 rating on

50,225 Google Reviews

Get our free team building tool box

$49 value at no cost..

• May as well check it out?
• 100+ tested icebreaker questions
• 24+ themed Bingo generators
• 5+ PDFs (including the 8% Rule)
• 2024 team building calendar and more...

Enter your email for instant access

• Coaching Skills Training
• Coaching TIPS²™
• Continuous Improvement Coaching
• Courageous Conversations Workshop
• Executive Coaching Program
• Feedback 360
• Safety Coaching
• Sales Coaching Training Program
• Free Consultation
• Applied Strategic Thinking®
• Strategic Leadership Course
• Strategic Teaming
• Strategy Development Processes and Services
• Communication Training for Managers
• Conflict and Collaboration
• Confronting Racism Workshop
• Delegation & Accountability
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop
• Flexible Leadership
• Leading Change
• Leading Groups to Solutions
• Leading Innovation
• Mid-Level Management Training
• Qualities of Leadership
• Bottom Line Leadership
• Customized Leadership Development Programs
• Leadership Development Program Design
• Mini-MBA & Operational Finance
• Problem Solving and Decision Making in the Workplace
• Transition to Leadership
• Virtual Leadership
• High-Performance Teamwork
• Leadership Team Alignment Workshop
• Orienteering
• Corporate Outdoor Training and Team Building
• Retreats for Teams
• Innovation Skills Training
• Personal Impact Workshop
• Supervisor Training Programs
• Customization of CMOE’s Learning Library
• Full Curriculum Development and Design
• Learning & Development Advisory Services
• Bottom Line Leadership Training
• Consulting Services
• Leadership Retreats
• Learning and Development Consulting Services
• Needs Analysis and Organization Assessments
• Transformation & Change Solutions
• Facilitator Training Workshop
• Empathic Leadership
• Supervisor Development Series
• All Courses
• Digital Learning
• Books and Publications
• Assessments and Surveys
• Clients Served
• History and Experience
• Meet the CMOE Team
• Testimonials
• Articles & Tools
• Scenario Templates
• Certified Partners
• Event Resources
• Industry Insights
• Resource Library
• Video Library
• News and Events
• Professional Accreditation and Continuing Education Units
• Surveys & Assessments

20 Business Leaders Who Changed The World For The Better

Just like empires, companies can come and go with the times. However, there are some that last for ages, and great leadership is the secret. Great leaders have the ability to motivate employees, help others see and believe in a vision, and lead innovation in the company. Having a great leader at the helm is something that all investors, consumers, and employees want. Here is a list of the 20 most influential business leaders that are changing the world.

What Is an Industry Leader?

An industry leader is a reputable business professional with high levels of expertise in a specific field or area. Industry leaders are innovative, driven, strategic , and able to adapt to changing trends in their field. When technological developments arise or demand changes, they know how to respond appropriately and can offer valuable solutions.

On an organizational level, business leaders in an industry understand how to meet company and consumer needs. They research consumers and competitors while providing strategic solutions that address buyer and organizational demands.

To accomplish this, industry leaders must know their employers well, understand how competitors operate, and offer valuable solutions to improve business products and services. Their goal is to help transform a company for the better.

Industry leaders pave the way for company success with new ideas and unique approaches. Leaders can wear many hats, but they most frequently fill one of these roles:

• Entrepreneur
• Company founder

What Are the Qualities of a Business Leader?

Here are some of the most common qualities leaders in an industry demonstrate .

Informative and Innovative

Industry leaders remain at the top of their profession. They constantly research trends, examine the latest developments in their area, and devote time to devising solutions that benefit their organization.

Goal-Oriented

Professional leaders across all industries thoroughly understand company objectives (both small and large). They have a detailed vision of what it takes to achieve attainable goals, helping to set the company up for long-term success.

Solid Communication Skills

Industry professionals know how to communicate effectively with board members, employees, and stakeholders to address opportunities and organizational challenges. Successful leaders don’t settle for subtle or abrupt communication. Instead, they lay out their goals and solutions clearly. They also engage in active listening to gain valuable feedback.

Risk-Takers

Every industry needs leaders willing to step into the unknown and embrace risk. Industry leaders understand that company success depends on striving toward goals both easy to attain and longer term.

These daring leaders are not afraid to voice their opinions and put their ideas into action, even in the face of potential failure. These qualities set famous business leaders apart.

15 Business Leaders Who Changed the World

1) reshma saujani.

Saujani is the founder of Girls Who Code, which promotes technology training (specifically coding) to girls. She is an American lawyer and politician. Her company, Girls Who Code, has camps set up in 42 states with over 10,000 girls attending. She has been a leader in empowering women in the workplace.

2) Tim Cook

Cook is the CEO of the most valuable company in the world, Apple. He took over Apple after the company’s founder, Steve Jobs, succumbed to cancer in 2011. Cook has helped navigate Apple through the transition after Jobs’ death as well as developing new product lines and opening Apple retail stores in China.

3) Sheryl Sandberg

Sandberg has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook from 2008 to 2022. She founded a nonprofit, Lean In, named after her best-selling book. She has been an influential advocate for women in the business world. She has made the successful transition from government work at the Treasury Department to the tech industry at Google and Facebook.

4) Bob Iger

Iger is the Executive Chairman and former CEO of the Disney Corporation. He has led the acquisitions of major companies like Marvel, Pixar, and, most recently, Lucas Films. His leadership has also led to the expansion of Disney’s theme parks into Shanghai and Hong Kong.

5) Reed Hastings

Hastings is the co-founder and CEO of Netflix. What originally started as a no-late-fees, no-due-dates subscription service soon transitioned into online streaming, which shook the very foundation of digital entertainment. In addition, Hastings constantly uses his position of influence to promote change and reform in the California State Board of Education and through charter schools.

6) Mary Barra

Barra is the chairman and CEO of General Motors Company. Prior to her in 2014, she served as the Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain at GM. She is currently contesting for space in the electric automobile market. In 2016, she launched the Chevrolet Bolt EV with a battery that outlasts Tesla’s. As of late 2017, Barra was elected to the board of Disney with high regards from Robert Iger.

7) Huateng “Pony” Ma

Also known as Pony Ma, he is the founder and president of Tencent, Inc. Tencent is one of the largest internet companies in China. He has been named to Time’s most-influential-people list twice (2007 and 2014). Ma is known for his secretive lifestyle but wields substantial power both domestically and with foreign companies.

Ma was the first entrepreneur from mainland China to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine. He is also the founder of Alibaba Group, a group of internet companies. Before getting accepted to Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute, Ma was rejected from university three times. After graduation, he applied for 30 jobs and was turned down for all of them . He first learned about the internet during a short trip to the U.S., and when he returned home, he created a small website about China and Chinese products. This would be his first step towards creating a company that would hold the record for largest IPO in history.

9) Jan Koum

Koum was born in Kyiv, Ukraine but moved to the United States when he was 16 years old. He soon discovered his passion for programming and enrolled at San José State University. After a brief stint at SJSU and working as a security tester at Yahoo, Koum started WhatsApp. WhatsApp quickly became one of the fastest downloaded apps in the App Store, and one of the most internationally used apps. Koum sold WhatsApp to Facebook in 2014 for approximately $19.3 billion.

10) Bill Gates

Gates founded Microsoft, the world’s largest PC software company, and each year, he is consistently near the top of the list of the world’s wealthiest people. Over the years, Gates has slowly transitioned away from Microsoft and into philanthropic ventures. His foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , is working to provide clean water and sanitation (among other things) to third-world countries. Like Warren Buffett, Gates has also promised to leave the vast majority of his wealth to charity.

11) Elon Musk

Musk was born in South Africa and is a businessman, inventor, and investor. Musk is most widely known for his founding of PayPal and SpaceX and his heavy involvement in Tesla Motors. His innovative vision and unrelenting passion for pushing the boundaries of technology and consumer integration have led to increased exposure to solar power, high-speed transportation, and artificial intelligence.

12) Warren Buffett

Buffett is one of the most successful investors in the world. Some people have referred to him as the “Wizard of Omaha” (his birthplace is Omaha, Nebraska) and he is consistently named as one of the wealthiest people in the world. He is currently the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He has also pledged to give away nearly 99% of his accumulated wealth to philanthropic causes after his death.

13) Jeff Weiner 

Weiner is the CEO of LinkedIn. Although LinkedIn was founded in 2002, it was under Weiner’s leadership that LinkedIn completed its IPO and became one of the most-used social media platforms in the world. Weiner is also extremely active in non-profits, sitting on the Board of Directors of DonorsChoose.org and Malaria No More.

  14) Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is the founder of the mega-corporation Amazon. What started as an online bookstore is now the world’s largest online sales company. For 4 years from 2017-2021, Bezos was the wealthiest person in the world. As of 2021, he has stepped down as CEO of Amazon and moved to an executive chairman position.

15) John Zimmer

John Zimmer is the co-founder and president of Lyft, which started in 2012. The company was originally called Zimride, and started as a rideshare service on college campuses. Since the launch, Zimmer and his co-founder, Logan Green, have worked to make Lyft one of the fastest-growing tech companies.

16) Ursula Burns

Famous business leader Ursula Burns started at the Xerox Corporation as a summer intern in 1980 and became president of the company in 2007. From 2010 to 2017, she was the chairman of the board for Xerox and CEO from 2009 to 2016. She turned the company into one of the world’s most diversified business services companies during her tenure.

17) Arianna Huffington

In 2005, Arianna Huffington founded The Huffington Post. In 2016, she founded and became CEO of Thrive Global, a behavioral technology company. Its goal is to revolutionize the way people work and live. The company discussed the idea of burnout (and all but coined the term as a professional buzzword) before it became widely used.

18) Indra Nooyi

Nooyi was the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2019. She was the creator of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s declaration to create successful businesses by paying attention to the world’s needs. Initiatives from this pledge included adding more nutritious products to their portfolio, becoming more environmentally sustainable, and revolutionizing the business by highlighting the importance of design. With Nooyi as CEO, PepsiCo’s net revenue increased by more than 80%, and shareholder return was 162%.

19) Meg Whitman

Whitman was CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, taking the company from $5.7 million to $8 billion in sales. She then became CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 2011 to 2015, overseeing its division into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. She’s currently the United States ambassador to Kenya.

20) Rosalind Brewer

In 2006, Brewer had various leadership positions at Walmart before moving to Sam’s Club in 2012. Her tenure at Sam’s Club ended in 2017 when she moved to become the CEO and Group President of Starbucks. In 2021, she became CEO of Walgreens, making her a particularly famous business leader as she is the only Black woman CEO for an S&P 500 company.

Get Your Free Toolkit to Identify Your Strengths and Minimize Your Weaknesses. Click Here to Download Your Toolkit Today.

Recommended for you:, leadership development workshops, get exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

When you subscribe to our blog and become a CMOE Insider.

And the best part?

It's 100% free.

As Featured In:

The Better Business Bureau has determined that CMOE meets accreditation standards. These standards verify that CMOE’s product quality and competence enhance customer trust and confidence.

©2024 Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness. All rights reserved.

• Search Search Please fill out this field.

The 10 Greatest Entrepreneurs

1. john d. rockefeller, 2. andrew carnegie, 3. thomas edison, 4. henry ford, 5. oprah winfrey, 6. sam walton, 7. charles schwab, 8. tom love, 9. john johnson, 10. steve jobs, the bottom line.

• Business Leaders
• Entrepreneurs

Getty Images

There is a harsh truth that any small business owner has to face. Even in the best of times, the vast majority of small businesses fail. Therefore, when companies are successful and business empires are grown, the entrepreneurs behind the success are often seen as larger than life and captivating. After all, when so many small businesses fail, what made theirs succeed?

For some, it's a reliance on patience, determination, and feedback from close partners. For others, it's determination, superior knowledge, and perseverance. For almost all, it's being bold, taking risks, and trying things that have never been done.

There is no all-encompassing list of the greatest entrepreneurs, as many talented businessmen and businesswomen have contributed to our economy and society today. In this article, we'll look at 10 entrepreneurs who not only succeeded at what they did but built vast business empires that often spanned several industries.

Key Takeaways

• Early entrepreneurs who built business empires include John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.
• Thomas Edison founded General Electric (GE), while Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing, bringing cars to the masses.
• Oprah Winfrey and John Johnson both pioneered diverse, broad entrepreneurial portfolios and spanned industries, mediums, and customer bases.
• Tom Love, Charles Schwab, and Steve Jobs all scaled enterprises that are commonly seen and used across the country.

Who Are the 10 Greatest Entrepreneurs?

You may have heard of today's entrepreneurs due to their frequent appearances in the news, but the history books are where most are found. These businesspeople changed their industries and culture, built vast wealth, and created innovations that continue to influence our lives today.

John D. Rockefeller was the richest man by most measures in his time. He made his fortune by squeezing out efficiencies through horizontal and vertical integrations that made Standard Oil synonymous with monopoly, and the price of fuel dropped drastically for the everyday consumer. The government broke up Standard Oil for good in 1911.

Rockefeller's hand can still be seen in companies like Exxon and Conoco, which profited from the R&D and infrastructure they received as their piece of the breakup.

Rockefeller retired at the turn of the century and devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy . More than 80 years after his death, Rockefeller remains one of the great figures of Wall Street.

Andrew Carnegie loved efficiency—his mills were always on the leading edge of technology. Carnegie combined his superior processes with an excellent sense of timing, snapping up steel assets in every market downturn.

Like Rockefeller, Carnegie spent his years giving away the fortune he spent most of his life building. Although he isn't as well-remembered as some of his contemporaries, Andrew Carnegie's legacy is strong and moralistic.

There is no doubt that Edison was brilliant; however, it was his business sense, not his talent as an inventor, that clearly showed his intelligence. Edison took innovation and made it the process now known as research and development . He sold his services to many other companies before striking out on his own to create most of the electrical power infrastructure of the United States.

Edison is one of the founders of General Electric (GE)—the original company was Edison General Electric. Although Edison had far more patents than he did corporate ties, it is the companies that will carry his legacy into the future.

Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. He was one of a group working on motorcars and was arguably not even the best of them. However, these competitors were selling their cars for a price that made the car a luxury of the rich.

Ford put America—not just the rich—on wheels and unleashed the power of mass production . His Ford Model T was the first car to cater to most Americans.

Ford's progressive labor policies and his constant drive to make each car better, faster, and cheaper made certain that his workers and everyday Americans would think of a Ford (F) when they shopped for a car.

Though Charles Richard Patterson and Frederick Douglas Patterson didn't make this top 10 list, they successfully founded the first and only African American automobile company that lasted 74 years and closed in 1939. These successful businessmen undoubtedly helped shape today's automotive industry, fueling the demand for innovation, customer service, and creative thinking when the car was created.

One of the richest and most influential women, Oprah Winfrey's career started as a news anchor and blossomed into a full-blown entrepreneur. Her show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," was syndicated nationally in 1986. It became the highest-rated U.S. talk show and earned Oprah several Emmy Awards. Oprah has also starred in films, including leading roles and as a voice actress in several animated films.

Oprah is a pioneer in entrepreneurial endeavors, breaking into an on-air book club in 1996 and launching O , the Oprah Magazine in 2000. She co-founded Oxygen Media, a cable television for women, and debuted a channel on satellite radio in 2006. Most notably, Oprah created Oprah's Angel Network, sponsoring charitable endeavors around the world. Not only has Oprah paved the way for many businesswomen, but she consistently demonstrates how to use entrepreneurial power for good.

Sam Walton picked a market no one wanted and then instituted a distribution system no one had tried in retail. By building warehouses between several of his Walmart stores, Walton was able to save on shipping and deliver goods to busy stores much faster. By adding a state-of-the-art inventory control system, Walton lowered his cost margins well below those of his direct competitors. Then, rather than booking all of the savings as profits, Walton passed them onto the consumer.

By offering consistently low prices, Walton attracted more and more business wherever he set up shop. Eventually, Walton took Walmart to the big city to match margins with the big boys—and the beast of Bentonville has never looked back.

Some question the methods of entrepreneurial success of Walmart and Sam Walton. Human Rights Watch found that while many American companies use weak U.S. laws to stop workers from organizing, Walmart stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus.

Charles Schwab, usually known as "Chuck," took Merrill's love of the little guy and belief in volume over price into the Internet Age. When May Day opened the doors for negotiated fees—all broker trades had previously been the same price—Schwab was among the first to offer a discount brokerage for the individual investor.

To do this, he trimmed the research staff, analysts , and advisors and expected investors to empower themselves when making an order.

From a bare-bones base, Schwab added services that mattered to his customers, like 24-hour service and more branch locations.

Merrill brought the individual investors back to the market, but Chuck Schwab made it cheap enough for them to stay.

If you've driven along an American highway, chances are you saw one of the 600+ Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores scattered across 42 U.S. states. Known for its 24-hour access, restaurant offerings, and travel items, Tom Love built an empire with over 38,000 employees working in convenience stores across the country. In addition, Love employs workers at their corporate office in Oklahoma City.

A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Love and his wife Judy leased their first gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, in the 1960s. In 2019, Love was inducted into the tribe's hall of fame, noting that "the same love and qualities that define Love's Travel Stops define the Chickasaw Nation."

Born in Arkansas in 1918, John Johnson is regarded as one of the most influential African American publishers in American history. After finding success with his 1942 launch of Negro Digest , Johnson published Ebony , the most popular African American magazine in the world since its launch in 1945. Six years later, Johnson launched the largest weekly African American news magazine, Jet .

Johnson didn't stop at publishing, though. He eventually owned Fashion Fair Cosmetics, the largest black-owned cosmetics company in the world. He eventually became chairman and CEO of Supreme Life Insurance, as well. In 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the nation.

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, one of the only tech companies to offer a significant challenge to Microsoft's dominance. In contrast to Gates' methodical expansion, Jobs' influence on Apple was one of creative bursts. Apple was a failing computer company when Jobs returned to it and made it into one of the top tech companies in the world.

The iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad are the engines of growth that propelled Apple toward the once unassailable Microsoft.

What Are Some Examples of Entrepreneurs in Healthcare?

The healthcare industry is full of bright and talented entrepreneurs, such as physicians running their own practices, independent traveling clinicians, and other professionals who assume risks to create new business opportunities or new ways of doing business.

For example, Ara Chackerian co-founded Mindful Health Solutions—a psychiatric practice treating mental illness—and is an investor in start-up healthcare companies. Abhilash Patel is the co-founder of Recovery Bands and other websites that help people struggling with addiction find the treatment they need.

Who Is the Number 1 Entrepreneur In the World?

Depending on when this question is asked, the top entrepreneur in the world is often the world's richest person. This title has been bestowed on several individuals over the years.

What Are 5 Characteristics of Entrepreneurs?

There is no prescription for being an entrepreneur; however, there are traits most often shared by successful entrepreneurs . Here are five characteristics entrepreneurs should have :

• Take risks to pursue new opportunities
• Work hard and be persistent
• Know your target market and understand the one in which you will compete
• Continue learning
• Consider failures as new opportunities

These 10 entrepreneurs succeeded by giving customers something better, faster, and cheaper than others. Because entrepreneurship is so diverse, and everyone's beginnings are different, entrepreneurs can take many different avenues to succeed.

Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. " Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States ."

Exxon Mobil. “ Our History .”

Library of Congress. “ Andrew Carnegie – Man of Steel .”

Carlson, Bernard W. “Thomas Edison as a Manager of R&D: The Case of the Alkaline Storage Battery, 1898-1915.” IEEE Technology and Society Magazine , vol. 7, no 4, 1975, pp. 1-2.

General Electric. “ A Shared Vision: GE and Alstom Continue Their Common History With Latest Acquisition .”

Edison Innovation Foundation. “ Thomas Edison Patents .”

Ford. “ The Moving Assembly Line and the Five-Dollar Workday .”

Ford. “ Company Timeline: 1908 .”

Britannica. " Oprah Winfrey ."

Michael Berghdal. “ How Wal-Mart Minimises Risk by Aligning Business Strategies with HR Practices .” Pages 9 and 11.

Human Rights Watch. " U.S. Walmart Denies Workers Basic Rights ."

Charles Schwab Corporation. " History ."

Love's. " About Us ."

The Chickasaw Nation. " Tom Love - Chickasaw Hall of Fame ."

The History Makers. " John H. Johnson ."

StatCounter. “ Tablet Operating System Market Share Worldwide .”

Forbes. " Forbes World Billionaires List, The Richest in 2022 ."

• Terms of Service
• Editorial Policy
• Privacy Policy

Biography Online

Famous Businessmen Biographies

A selection of famous businessmen and businesswomen.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Famous Business Biographies ” , Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, 4th February 2015. Last updated 9 February 2019.

Business Tycoons

• The Tycoons  – The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy at Amazon

Other Famous Business People

• Tim Berners-Lee – inventor of world wide web
• Cai Lun – inventor of paper
• Robert Maxwell

Related pages

• How Much is Bill Gates Worth?

100 Best Business Biography Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best business biography books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

Phil Knight | 5.00

Bill Gates This memoir, by the co-founder of Nike, is a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like: messy, precarious, and riddled with mistakes. I’ve met Knight a few times over the years. He’s super nice, but he’s also quiet and difficult to get to know. Here Knight opens up in a way few CEOs are willing to do. I don’t think Knight sets out to teach the reader... (Source)

Warren Buffett The best book I read last year. Phil is... a gifted storyteller. (Source)

Andre Agassi I've known Phil Knight since I was a kid, but I didn't really know him until I opened this beautiful, startling, intimate book. And the same goes for Nike. I've worn the gear with pride, but I didn't realize the remarkable saga of innovation and survival and triumph that stood behind every swoosh. Candid, funny, suspenseful, literary - this is a memoir for people who love sport, but above all... (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Ashlee Vance | 4.76

Richard Branson Elon Musk is a man after my own heart: a risk taker undaunted by setbacks and ever driven to ensure a bright future for humanity. Ashlee Vance's stellar biography captures Musk's remarkable life story and irrepressible spirit. (Source)

Casey Neistat I'm fascinated by Elon Musk, I own a Tesla, I read Ashlee Vance's biography on Elon Musk. I think he's a very interesting charachter. (Source)

Roxana Bitoleanu A business book I would definitely choose the biography of Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance, because of Elon's strong, even extreme ambition to radically change the world, which I find very inspiring. (Source)

Walter Isaacson | 4.73

Elon Musk Quite interesting. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Gary Vaynerchuk I've read 3 business books in my life. If you call [this book] a business book. (Source)

The Everything Store

Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Brad Stone | 4.70

Doug McMillon [I read and give this book because] you need to understand what you’re up against. (Source)

Santiago Basulto I love to read biographies and stories of companies. Hatching Twitter is a really good book, and if you’re into that sort of books, bios of Steve Jobs (by Isaacson) or Jeff Bezos are great too. (Source)

Tracy DiNunzio It's a great book and especially for people starting out. (Source)

Made in America

Sam Walton, John Huey | 4.59

"Here is an extraordinary success story about a man whose empire was built not with smoke and mirrors, but with good old-fashioned elbow grease." (Detroit Free Press)

Jeff Bezos Expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action—a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values. (Source)

Rob "Crypto Bobby" Paone @tmac604 Read it earlier this summer, a great book 👍 and also hilarious to compare to current corporate excess ala WeWork (Source)

Life and Work

Ray Dalio | 4.58

Mark Cuban The book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur. (Source)

Tony Robbins I found it to be truly extraordinary. Every page is full of so many principles of distinction and insights—and I love how Ray incorporates his history and his life in such an elegant way. (Source)

Bill Gates Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles. (Source)

The Ride of a Lifetime

Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Robert Iger | 4.56

Brian Chesky Bob's book is great and he's an excellent CEO. (Source)

Brené Brown I expected a book written by the person who has led Disney for decades to be defined by both gripping storytelling and deep leadership wisdom. [The author] delivers, and then some! [This book] is leadership gold—you won’t forget the stories or the lessons. (Source)

Karlie Kloss [Karlie Kloss] says [this book] really inspired her to become a better boss. (Source)

The Art of the Deal

Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz | 4.48

Jim Hanson You already had Trump officials testifythey disagreed w/ @realDonaldTrump Interesting thing about executive power The executive has the power Not the advisers Here's a good book on it https://t.co/KGlUpucCNI Time for the acquittal https://t.co/xICCPPuvM5 (Source)

Marc M. Lalonde The easiest way to Clean Up my Friends List is to post this... I love this book! | Let's get to know each other a little. I'll start... Here's MY Story: https://t.co/o8gIl1TxR7 #AskLalonde #marcmlalonde #wealthy #inspiration https://t.co/6ULSKHiIj3 (Source)

Secret Agent Number Six The failing George W. Washington and his dad George H.W. Washington were fake Presidents. They did not think of The Constitution before I did.They stole all of my ideas for it from "The Art of the Deal" which you should read right now because its the best book ever. No collution! (Source)

The Outsiders

Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

William N. Thorndike | 4.47

Warren Buffett In his 2012 shareholder letter, Buffett praises The Outsiders as "an outstanding book about CEOs who excelled at capital allocation." Berkshire Hathaway plays a major role in the book. One chapter is on director Tom Murphy, who Buffett says is "overall the best business manager I've ever met." (Source)

Michael Dell Thorndike explores the importance of thoughtful capital allocation through the stories of eight successful CEOs. A good read for any business leader but especially those willing to chart their own course (Source)

Mason Hawkins The Outsiders is a must-read for leaders—and aspiring leaders—striving to become exceptional CEOs, and for investors interested in partnering with exceptional stewards of corporate capital. (Source)

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Ben Horowitz | 4.45

Larry Page Ben's book is a great read - with uncomfortable truths about entrepreneurship and how to lead to a company. It's also an inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower. (Source)

Mark Zuckerberg Ben's experience and expertise make him one of the most important leaders not just in Silicon Valley but also in the global knowledge economy. For anyone interested in building, growing or leading a great company, this book is an incredibly valuable resource - and a funny and insightful read. (Source)

Dustin Moskovitz [Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book during a Stanford lecture.] (Source)

Don't have time to read the top Business Biography books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

• Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
• Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernow | 4.41

Ryan Holiday A biography has to be really good to make read you all 800 pages. To me, this was one of those books. Since reading it earlier this year, I’ve since found out it is the favorite book of a lot of people I respect. I think something about the quality of the writing and the empathic understanding of the writer that the main lessons you would take away from someone like Rockefeller would not be... (Source)

Adam Townsend @Sociopathlete Great book (Source)

Anas Alhajji @Morg2006 Yep, I already have it. great book. (Source)

The Millionaire Next Door

The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

Ph.D. Stanley, Thomas J., Ph.D.; Danko, William D. | 4.39

Dave Collum @cullenroche You ever read "Millionaire Next Door"? You just described parts of it. Great book, IMO. (Source)

The Intelligent Investor

The Classic Text on Value Investing

Benjamin Graham | 4.39

Warren Buffett To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework. This book precisely and clearly prescribes the proper framework. You must provide the emotional discipline. (Source)

Kevin Rose The foundation for investing. A lot of people have used this as their guide to getting into investment, basic strategies. Actually Warren Buffett cites this as the book that got him into investing and he says that principles he learned here helped him to become a great investor. Highly recommend this book. It’s a great way understand what’s going on and how to evaluate different companies out... (Source)

John Kay The idea is that you look at the underlying value of the company’s activities instead of relying on market gossip. (Source)

The Snowball

Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Alice Schroeder | 4.37

Marvin Liao My list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)

John Kay It’s on the list, firstly, because Buffet is the most successful investor in history. (Source)

Chude Jideonwo It's been so long, and I've been so busy that I haven't been able to recommend a book. I am sorry! I have read so many fantastic ones though, no matter how busy I have been. And I am soooooo excited to recommend this one. I love Warren Buffett ... https://t.co/ML0pM3G29k https://t.co/6yhfhT8WF5 (Source)

Creativity, Inc.

Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg This book is written by the founder of Pixar and is about his experience building a culture that fosters creativity. His theory is that people are fundamentally creative, but many forces stand in the way of people being able to do their best work. I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity. This should be inspiring to... (Source)

Timothy Ferriss No matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master. (Source)

Ezra Klein An amazing, amazing book. (Source)

Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Sheryl Sandberg | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg For the past five years, I've sat at a desk next to Sheryl and I've learned something from her almost every day. She has a remarkable intelligence that can cut through complex processes and find solutions to the hardest problems. Lean In combines Sheryl's ability to synthesize information with her understanding of how to get the best out of people. The book is smart and honest and funny. Her... (Source)

Oprah Winfrey Honest and brave... The new manifesto for women in the workplace. (Source)

Richard Branson If you loved Sheryl Sandberg's incredible TED talk on why we have too few women leaders, or simply believe as I do that we need equality in the boardroom, then this book is for you. As Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg has first-hand experience of why having more women in leadership roles is good for business as well as society. Lean In is essential reading for anyone interested in righting the... (Source)

High Output Management

Andrew S. Grove | 4.33

Mark Zuckerberg [Andy’s] book played a big role in shaping my management style. (Source)

Ben Horowitz Andy Grove, who built himself from nothing to run Intel, stopped what he was doing to teach us his magic. And not through some ghostwriter either — Andy wrote this book himself. What an incredible gift. (Source)

Drew Houston The best book on management ever written. (Source)

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Peter D. Kaufman, Ed Wexler, Warren E. Buffett, Charles T. Munger | 4.32

Warren Buffett From 1733 to 1758, Ben Franklin dispensed useful and timeless advice through Poor Richard's Almanack. Among the virtues extolled were thrift, duty, hard work, and simplicity. Subsequently, two centuries went by during which Ben's thoughts on these subjects were regarded as the last word. Then Charlie Munger stepped forth. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2011.] (Source)

Naval Ravikant I always recommend [this book] as my top business book. (Source)

A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice

Bill Browder | 4.28

Eric Ries This reads like a thriller, but is an urgent and important story about the dangers of Putin’s Russia and the events leading to the Magnitsky Act. (Source)

Anand Sanwal @geoffreysbatt @patrick_oshag 2/ Reminded a bit of the story of @Billbrowder as told in the remarkable book Red Notice which chronicles his investments in Russia very early before everyone saw the opportunity (Source)

Jonathan Kay Am reading @Billbrowder's amazing book Red Notice. Did not know incredible story of Bill's dad, who got his @Princeton math PhD at age 20. Like many Jews of era, suffered massive discrimination, stigmatized because of his own dad's communism. Then Eleanor Roosevelt saves the day https://t.co/Bp5PFiIxm1 (Source)

Delivering Happiness

A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Tony Hsieh | 4.27

Chip Conley [The author] is a wise guy. Sincerely. He’s one of the wisest and most thoughtful business leaders of the modern age. (Source)

Adam Johnston Inspiring case study into building brand and customer service. (Source)

Julie Rice [At SoulCycle] we’re all big fans of [this book]. (Source)

The Power Broker

Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

Robert A. Caro | 4.27

Barack Obama He may have the country’s finest experts at his fingertips, but it still doesn’t hurt to read up on environmental and economic issues. (Source)

Ryan Holiday It took me 15 days to read all 1,165 pages of this monstrosity that chronicles the rise of Robert Moses. I was 20 years old. It was one of the most magnificent books I’ve ever read. Moses built just about every other major modern construction project in New York City. The public couldn’t stop him, the mayor couldn’t stop him, the governor couldn’t stop him, and only once could the President of... (Source)

Ben Greenman Well, if you look at a picture of a place, you can normally get a sense of what it’s like. But hopefully what books do, or what thinking does, is to show you what that place is like underneath. The Power Broker is the definitive history of how, in modern America, cities get built, power gets thrown around, neighbourhoods are overpowered by developers and politicians. It’s gigantic and it’s a... (Source)

This is Going to Hurt

Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Adam Kay | 4.23

Quinn Cummings @lorapenza You might love @amateuradam's book. (Source)

The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power

Daniel Yergin | 4.21

Chris Goodall A wonderfully readable history of the development of the oil age. (Source)

Losing My Virginity

The Autobiography

Richard Branson | 4.20

Yaro Starak Richard Branson, another guy with his second bio came out just recently, sort of like the part II of his life, the next 20 years. I grabbed that because his bio… I should actually go back and answer your first and second question about biggest impact and “Losing My Virginity” by Richard Branson was a huge one back in the late 90s for me, more about big thinking. The guy is crazy and I would never... (Source)

Holger Seim When it comes to biographies I particularly like Losing My Virginity. (Source)

Robin Sharma I encourage you to read his autobiography “Losing My Virginity” as well as his book “Business Stripped Bare” if you haven’t gone through them yet. Uber-inspiring. For people who want to become Remarkable Entrepreneurs – and express their absolute best. (Source)

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business

Dick Van Dyke | 4.20

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith | 4.19

Elon Musk Adam Smith FTW obv. (Source)

Barack Obama Obama, unsurprisingly, appears to be more drawn to stories sympathetic to the working classes than is McCain. Obama cites John Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle,” about a labor dispute; Robert Caro’s “Power Broker,” about Robert Moses; and Studs Terkel’s “Working.” But he also includes Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” and “Theory of Moral Sentiments” on his list. (Source)

Neil deGrasse Tyson Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on planet? [...] The Wealth of Nations (Smith) [to learn that capitalism is an economy of greed, a force of nature unto itself]. If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. (Source)

Hit Refresh

Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, Jill Tracie Nichols | 4.18

Bill Gates With every new technology, there are challenges. How do we help people whose jobs are replaced by AI agents and robots? Will users trust their AI agent with all their information? If an agent could advise you on your work style, would you want it to? That is what makes books like Hit Refresh so valuable. Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology... (Source)

Aviers Lim I would recommend biographies of Elon Musk and Satya Nadella. (Source)

The 1-Page Marketing Plan

Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd

Allan Dib | 4.16

The Elon Musk Blog Series

Wait But Why

Tim Urban | 4.15

Setting the Table

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Danny Meyer | 4.15

Chip Conley One of the best books on hospitality ever written. (Source)

Noah Kagan A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book. (Source)

Julie Rice We did a lot of reading [this book] at SoulCycle. (Source)

One Up On Wall Street

How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market

Peter Lynch, John Rothchild | 4.15

Patrick Swalls Read this if you want to learn more about the stock market. (Source)

Cable Cowboy

John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business

Mark Robichaux | 4.15

The Reckoning

David Halberstam | 4.14

David J Lynch This one sort of speaks to something I’ve long been interested in. We get this general education in schools that follows the basic themes of presidents and wars and that kind of thing and then there’s this alternative history of finance and economics, and Lords of Finance impressed me because it gives you that alternative history, particularly through the inter-war years from the end of World War... (Source)

How to Win at the Sport of Business

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

Mark Cuban | 4.13

Jason Khalipa I like it because it gets me fired up. (Source)

An Autobiography

Lee Iacocca, William Novak | 4.13

Ramit Sethi Every few years for the last 20 years, Ramit has read Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca and William Novak. (Source)

Shankar Sharma Reading the Iacocca autobio at age 21, was absolutely transformational. Taught me more than an MBA degree. The second book that did something similar at that age for me, was "The Mind of The Strategist" by Kenichi Ohmae. Such great business wisdom in these books. RIP Lee https://t.co/PCpkRiKwUV (Source)

Grinding It Out

The Making of McDonald's

Ray Kroc, Robert Anderson | 4.13

Aj Joshi @brianadgey Great book 👍🏼 very inspiring (Source)

The First Tycoon

The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

T.J. Stiles | 4.12

Josh Sternberg @mhbergen @nitashatiku “If [Cornelius Vanderbilt] had been able to sell all his assets at full market value at the moment of his death he would have taken one out of every 20 dollars in circulation.” From great book on Vanderbilt https://t.co/7SljC6fmbG (Source)

Skunk Works

A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

Ben R. Rich, Leo Janos | 4.12

Chris Anderson @elidourado @pmarcas_likes What broke was our risk tolerance. The "Skunkworks" book is a great insider story of that. The day that the financial auditors outnumbered the engineers was the day the innovation died: https://t.co/ncrsulEZyC (Source)

Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

James Wallace and Jim Erickson | 4.12

Trillion Dollar Coach

The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell

Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle | 4.12

Sheryl Sandberg Bill shared his wisdom generously, expecting nothing back but the joy he got from teaching others. I was privileged to have him as my coach for several years. Many times since then, when asked for advice by others, I think of Bill and try to live up to the example he set. (Source)

Tim Cook Bill's passion for innovation and teamwork was a gift to Apple and the world. Trillion Dollar Coach has captured his tireless spirit so future generations can learn from one of our industry's greatest leaders. (Source)

Sundar Pichai Whenever I saw Bill, he gave me great perspective about what really matters. At the end of the day, it's the people in your life. Bill had such strong principles around community and how to bring people together. We used those principles - detailed in Trillion Dollar Coach - to form the foundation of Google's leadership training, so all of our leaders can continue to learn from Bill. (Source)

How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon | 4.12

Ron Conway Story of his return to Starbucks, and the success of the company in a tumlutuous economic time in history. (Source)

In the Plex

How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

Steven Levy | 4.11

Bill Slawski In The Plex is a great introduction to Google, and the many who work there. I knew many by the patents they file, so it was good to learn more about them as people. Some good insights to some algorithms in the book, too. https://t.co/TVz7GsD8nX (Source)

Alan Pierce I’m currently reading “In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Life" and am excited on gaining more insight into how google is changing the world and hopefully to get some valuable understanding I can use to maximize business decisions and read future trends while assessing investment opportunities for my company, ABM Investments. (Source)

Straight from the Gut

Jack Welch and John A. Byrn | 4.11

Warren Buffett In his 2001 shareholder letter, Buffett gleefully endorses Jack: Straight from the Gut, a business memoir of longtime GE executive Jack Welch, whom Buffett describes as (Source)

Tudor Mihailescu In every industry, there would be many relevant books but nothing would replace being in touch with the customers and people in own organisation. It’s a vast of space to recommend books, but I would suggest that learning how proven entrepreneurs or managers have done this as a good start (read about Jake Welch – Straight from the Gut, Steve Jobs, Shoe Dog – Phil Knight or Elon Musk) – admittedly,... (Source)

Annika Falkengren I read Jack Welch’s book back in 2003 and it was at the time a great source of inspiration. There were a couple of things that got stuck in my mind and in some cases changed my mind: that there are no shortcuts, that facts always must be faced no matter how brutal and that losing or failing had a value as long as your learn from them. His thoughts on how crucial the soft values are, inspired me a... (Source)

What It Takes

Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence

Stephen A. Schwarzman | 4.11

Eric Schmidt Reveals how [the author] has achieved the rarest kind of leverage in multiple fields. (Source)

Norman Ornstein What it Takes remains the best book written about American politics and politicians. i reread every few years. Want to know about Biden? Read it! https://t.co/ZlLwbRqADa (Source)

Trailblazer

The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change

Marc Benioff, Monica Langley | 4.11

Bill Gross I've been waiting "im"patiently for @Benioff 's new book to come out. It just came out on Kindle 10 minutes ago. It's terrific. Such a powerful, simple, but important lesson and message, "Values create Value!" I'll be sharing more highlights as I read further.. https://t.co/KAgrFs31fC (Source)

Jim Cramer I love this book and have already used it as the basis for several @MadMoneyOnCNBC segments and a talk to young entrepreneurs !!! https://t.co/fLYtdYAMxC (Source)

Natalie Petouhoff Trailblazer: @salesforce Founder and co-CEO Marc Benioff’s Inspiring New Book Shows How Business is the Greatest Platform for Change @Benioff https://t.co/lcIQbvG1Qo https://t.co/TKCiIpK6ZB (Source)

The House of Morgan

An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance

Ron Chernow | 4.11

Made in Japan

Akio Morita and Sony

Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura | 4.11

Bill Graham Presents

My Life Inside Rock And Out

Bill Graham, Robert Greenfield | 4.11

James Murphy Bill Graham Presents My Life Inside Rock and Out because I think it’s very important for young people to understand the history of the concert business before trying to jump into it. You need to have a clear understanding of where it’s been to know where it’s going and how you can help take it there. (Source)

Built from Scratch

How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion

Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, Bob Andelman | 4.10

When a friend told Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank that, "You've just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe," they thought he was crazy. After all, both had just been fired. What the friend, Ken Langone, meant was that they now had the opportunity to create the kind of wide-open warehouse store that would help spark a consumer revolution through low prices, excellent customer service, and wide availability of products.

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761...

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years.

Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.

Great Stories

A Company with a Conscience

Great Lessons

Bernie Marcus is a cofounder of The Home Depot and currently serves as chairman of the board. From the company's inception until 1997, he served as CEO. With his wife, Billie Marcus, he founded the Marcus Developmental Resource Center, which provides support services for mentally impaired children and their parents. He sits on many boards of directors, including the New York Stock Exchange, and participates in many civic organizations, including the City of Hope, a cancer research center.

Arthur Blank is a cofounder of The Home Depot and is the company's president and CEO. He serves on the board of trustees of several organizations, including the North Carolina Outward Bound School, the Carter Center, Emory University, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs and was honored by the City of Hope for his fund-raising leadership.

Bob Andelman lives with his wife and daughter in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has collaborated on many bestselling business books, including Mean Business and The Profit Zone .

Frank Blake Very meaningful to me, not only because it’s the story of the founding of the Home Depot, but also because of my start as the CEO of Home Depot. (Source)

Rich Dad Poor Dad

What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!

Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter C.P.A | 4.10

Will Smith [Will Smith mentioned sharing this book with his son.] (Source)

The Man Who Solved the Market

How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Gregory Zuckerman | 4.10

Abhishek Kar @Singh7575 ~The man who solved the market Nice book and interesting insights from Jim's life. Read it last month. Happy reading👍 (Source)

Andy Sum I finished reading a book! Pretty interesting biography and background on some of the emotions involved in quantatative trading. Worth reading. https://t.co/doi843dcGN (Source)

Steve Burns The new book on Jim Simons is in my top 5 favorite trading books of all time ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It is already the #19 best seller in Amazon nonfiction The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution Kindle Edition by Gregory Zuckerman https://t.co/FAZFigNNXy https://t.co/Jjz38Qpdnu (Source)

Let My People Go Surfing

The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual

Yvon Chouinard, Naomi Klein | 4.10

Alastair Humphreys @SecondS37175185 A fantastic book. (Source)

Paul Kedrosky @dpfishman Yes, fantastic book by incredible human. (Source)

Holger Seim When it comes to biographies I particularly like Let My People Go Surfing. (Source)

Shark Tales

How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business

Barbara Corcoran, Bruce Littlefield | 4.09

Trust Me, I'm Lying

Confessions of a Media Manipulator

Ryan Holiday | 4.09

Timothy Ferriss Ryan is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results. From American Apparel to the quiet campaigns he's run but not taken credit for, this whiz kid is the secret weapon you've never heard of. (Source)

Dov Charney Behind my reputation as a marketing genius there is Ryan Holiday, whom I consult often and who has done more for my business than just about anyone. (Source)

Tucker Max The strategies Ryan created to exploit blogs drove sales of millions of my books and made me an internationally known name. The reason I am standing here while other celebrities were destroyed or became parodies of themselves is because of his insider knowledge. (Source)

Jack Welch, Suzy Welch | 4.09

Living Proof

Onyx Moonshine's Journey to Revive the American Spirit

Adam von Gootkin | 4.09

Capital Gaines

Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

Chip Gaines | 4.09

The Unbeatable Legend in Business World

All About Microsoft and How it Became The Most successful enterprise on The Earth!

Rahul Doshi | 4.09

Liar's Poker

Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street

Michael Lewis | 4.09

With the eye and ear of a born storyteller, Michael Lewis shows us how things really worked on Wall Street....

With the eye and ear of a born storyteller, Michael Lewis shows us how things really worked on Wall Street. In the Salomon training program a roomful of aspirants is stunned speechless by the vitriolic profanity of the Human Piranha; out on the trading floor, bond traders throw telephones at the heads of underlings and Salomon chairman Gutfreund challenges his chief trader to a hand of liar's poker for one million dollars; around the world in London, Tokyo, and New York, bright young men like Michael Lewis, connected by telephones and computer terminals, swap gross jokes and find retail buyers for the staggering debt of individual companies or whole countries.

The bond traders, wearing greed and ambition and badges of honor, might well have swaggered straight from the pages of Bonfire of the Vanities . But for all thier outrageous behavior, they were in fact presiding over enormous changes in the world economy. Lewis's job, simply described, was to transfer money, in the form of bonds, from those outside America who saved to those inside America who consumed. In doing so, he generated tens of millions of dollars for Salomon Brothers, and earned for himself a ringside seat on the greatest financial spectacle of the decade: the leveraging of America.

John Lanchester It’s still a wonderfully entertaining book: An absolutely hilarious, very, very dark, vivid account of how Michael Lewis came out of Princeton and, with basically no qualifications, got a job in the bond trading department of Salomon Brothers (Source)

Audrey Russo Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path? Answer: Anything by Peter Senge. The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz Once you are Lucky, Twice you are good – Sara Lacey Revolutionary Wealth – Alvin Toffler Black Swan – Taleb Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change, by Ellen Pao. Creative Class – Richard Florida Creativity Inc. by Ed... (Source)

How the Internet Happened

From Netscape to the iPhone

Brian McCullough | 4.08

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

The Classic Novel Based on the Life of Legendary Stock Market Speculator Jesse Livermore

Lefevre Edwin, Price Tim | 4.08

Steve Burns "By far, the best investing book is Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator. Everything in that book is true about how markets work, how human nature works, the mistakes people make, the greed that they have, the ways they get themselves in trouble." - Gundlach https://t.co/asuBsN0BvM (Source)

Alykhan Satchu My all time favorite Book https://t.co/UxwPMlAcXU (Source)

Joshua M. Brown Each new generation of traders gets inspired by this book but I have come to love it as more of a cautionary tale. and FYI, this is the better book for that context: https://t.co/116lNciXCF https://t.co/mEYn2ZAqPI (Source)

The Big Payback

The History of the Business of Hip-Hop

Dan Charnas | 4.08

Lords of Finance

The Bankers Who Broke the World

Liaquat Ahamed | 4.07

Barry Ritholtz It covers a 50-year period from before World War I and leading up to World War II. Even if you’re not interested in finance, it’s a great read. (Source)

David J Lynch Lords of Finance gives you that alternative history, particularly through the inter-war years from the end of World War I into the Great Depression. (Source)

Pour Your Heart Into It

Highbridge | 4.07

Yaro Starak There were also more traditional books or businesses I read about, like the biography of Starbucks. It’s really more the biography of the CEO, Howard Schultz, a lot about him growing the Starbucks brand. Since I spent a lot of time writing in Starbucks cafés, that was an important company to me. (Source)

Jilliene Helman I really, really like company biographies. They're just kind of the style of book that I've gotten really into. [...] I've read the Starbucks CEO book. (Source)

The Unauthorized Autobiography

J.T. Owens | 4.07

Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out

Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business

Josh Noel | 4.07

Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Steven Levy | 4.06

American Gun

A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms

Chris Kyle, William Doyle | 4.06

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

Kind of the Story of My Life

Scott Adams | 4.06

Timothy Ferriss Scott has an incredible approach to 'career planning' that's as effective as it is unusual. He’s beaten all the odds and can help you do the same. (Source)

Gennady Batrakov [One of the] few books that made a great deal of impact on my life. (Source)

The Birth of Loud

Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll

Ian S. Port | 4.06

Confessions of an Advertising Man

David Ogilvy, Sir Alan Parker | 4.06

Rory Sutherland @GuruAnaerobic Love it. His best book. (Source)

Ronn Torossian Considering the overlap of similarities between PR and advertising, it is vital to learn from such legends as Ogilvy. His concepts, tactics, and techniques and are a must-read for not only those in marketing and PR but business in general. (Source)

Ola Olusoga For business, I've read Influence by Robert Cialdini 3 times, and Traction by Gabriel Weinberg twice, so if number of times read indicates favor, then those are it. There are a whole bunch of others, like The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman, Confession of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy, The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, and Running Lean by Ash Maurya, that I've also enjoyed and recommend to... (Source)

Andrew Carnegie

David Nasaw | 4.06

Charles T. Munger The definitive biography of an industrial genius, philanthropist, and enigma. At the meeting in May of this year, Munger also mentioned the Mellon Brothers as people to study. (Source)

Where Wizards Stay Up Late

The Origins Of The Internet

Katie Hafner | 4.05

At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past...

At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past -- and the future -- of the Net specifically, and telecommunications generally.

Lev Grossman If you want to go all the way back, Janet Abbate’s Inventing The Internet really takes it all the way back to the Eisenhower administration and the very beginnings of electronic computers. (Source)

Every Tool's a Hammer

Life is What You Make It

Adam Savage | 4.05

Scott Smith When @Alchemister5 and I decided to open @dnpeek, he gave me this book that @donttrythis wrote. I personally love hammers Jason. ;) https://t.co/ZabTx6JxGX (Source)

Learning to Breathe Fire

The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

J.C. Herz | 4.04

Lead from the Outside

How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change

Stacey Abrams | 4.04

Wild Company

The Untold Story of Banana Republic

Mel Ziegler, Patricia Ziegler | 4.04

Against the Odds

James Dyson | 4.04

Console Wars

Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation

Blake J. Harris | 4.04

The King of Oil

The Secret Lives of Marc Rich

Daniel Ammann | 4.03

This Is Not a T-Shirt

A Brand, a Culture, a Community--A Life in Streetwear

Bobby Hundreds | 4.03

Gary Vaynerchuk Simply put, Bobby Hundreds is a social beast. He knows how to tell a story, where to tell that story, and he's great at bringing people together. He's also crazy dedicated to his work and has the laser-focused attention to detail needed to not only build an everlasting globally relevant brand, but any successful business. (Source)

Jessica Alba Building a brand is about identifying and fulfilling a need in a way that no one else can. It takes vision, dedication, and attention to detail. The Hundreds is a prime example of what it looks like when you've combined all these elements along with tapping into a culture and community. This is Not a T-Shirt guides you through methods and tools you can apply to get you one step closer to... (Source)

Tony Hawk This is Not a T-Shirt tracks the history of surf and skate culture and their relationship to streetwear—from the Zephyr skate team of the 1970s to brands like Stüssy, Supreme, BAPE, and, of course, The Hundreds, which has managed to stay relevant for more than fifteen years in a fickle market. This book is an insider's guide to the prevailing trends in youth culture of the last few decades that... (Source)

Sell It Like Serhant

How to Sell More, Earn More, and Become the Ultimate Sales Machine

Ryan Serhant | 4.03

Climate of Hope

How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet

Michael Bloomberg, Carl Pope | 4.03

iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon

How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

Steve Wozniak, Gina Smith | 4.03

The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Leander Kahney | 4.03

Bitcoin Billionaires

A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption

Ben Mezrich | 4.03

Kim Dotcom The Winklevoss brothers mailed me this awesome must-read book #bitcoinbillionaires with a really nice personal note. Thank you @winklevoss and @tylerwinklevoss. Facebook was stolen from you but what you’ve created since then is even more impressive. Crypto is the future. https://t.co/iAkfU1Dm65 (Source)

Bill Lee Thank you @tylerwinklevoss @winklevoss for sending me the must read @benmezrich book with the nice signed note. You guys are ushering in the crypto revolution and have captured lightning in a bottle again. #respect #BitcoinBillionaires https://t.co/QNaJLkQPJa (Source)

Negro with a Hat

The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey

Colin Grant | 4.03

The Facebook Effect

The Inside Story of the Company That is Connecting the World

David Kirkpatrick | 4.03

Craig Pearce If you read to maintain motivation and be entertained, I recommend a few books that in addition to telling great stories, also contain lessons and learnings. You won’t gain many step-by-step type lessons from these books but you will come away realizing that not all startups, regardless of what stage they are in, are as well polished as they make you think. You will realize that they make... (Source)

Angela Pham The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick made me a fan of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg years ago. I didn’t hesitate to take my current role at Facebook because I feel so strongly about their integrity and leadership, no matter the negative sentiments and media narratives the company has endured recently. (Source)

The Attention Merchants

The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads

Tim Wu | 4.02

Yuval Noah Harari A very insightful book that surveys the history of modern information technology and its political implications, from the age of print and radio to the era of Google and Facebook. It gives the context of the current battle to control human attention. (Source)

Marvin Liao I tend to jump from book to book and may switch if I am interested in some new topic. This is a pleasure for me (which I also do benefit work wise from too). It’s quite a random list because I have eclectic interests (or just scatterbrained most likely) on tech business, AI, general global economy, geopolitics, rising Biotech economy & history. I'm basically 15% to 50% into all these books. (Source)

Rafat Ali Have to say @superwuster is best business writer there is. Just finished Master Switch , now reading “Attention Merchants”, the best history-in-context-with-rigor-and-intellectual-analysis writer/explainer there is. If I ever write a book, want to write it like Tim Wu. (Source)

Kevin Freiberg | 4.02

The House That Jack Ma Built

Duncan Clark | 4.02

Tim Draper Duncan Clark gets into the heart and soul of Alibaba and its founder, Jack Ma, who deftly maneuvered through the discontinuities and barriers in China to create one of the greatest companies in the world. China has thrived under the leadership of Jack Ma. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the present China and the heartbeat of a great entrepreneur. (Source)

Ken Wilcox This book provides excellent insight into the world of Jack Ma, perhaps the most famous of the leaders of the new economy in China. Duncan Clark is a real China 'Old Hand', unique in his knowledge of the Jack Ma generation. This book is definitely on the short list for those who wish to understand the Chinese economy today. (Source)

Erik Cheong I am a big fan of Jack Ma, I have 4 different books talking about Jack. He is a top entrepreneur & visionaire, who started out as a modest English teacher and built Alibaba into one of the world’s largest companies, an e-commerce empire on which hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers depend on. I am impressed about how he overcame his humble origins and early failures to achieve massive... (Source)

Paul Allen | 4.02

An Invisible Thread

The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

Laura Schroff | 4.01

LeBron, Inc.

The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete

Brian Windhorst | 4.01

My Years with General Motors

Alfred Sloan | 4.01

Ben Horowitz My Years at GM by Alfred Sloan was very interesting particularly on scale issues. (Source)

Bogdan Iordache If you have to read just one business book to understand the global corporate world we live in today, I think this is it. And I think Bill Gates said this first. Alfred P. Sloan was the CEO of General Motors in its early beginnings, and he went through all the stages of the growth, going bust, growth and then consolidation of the beginning (when some companies were creating mechanical horses - no... (Source)

The Virgin Way

Everything I Know About Leadership

Richard Branson | 4.01

Madalina Uceanu I would recommend any biographies of business people, but definitely I would have on the list any of Richard Branson's books. That should cover a better business and mentality understanding. (Source)

Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit

William Knoedelseder | 4.00

The Maverick and His Machine

Thomas Watson, Sr. and the Making of IBM

Kevin Maney | 4.00

Just for Fun

The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary

Linus Torvalds, David Diamond | 4.00

Death of the Territories

Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever

Tim Hornbaker | 4.00

Top 10 Entrepreneur Biographies You Should Read

Sarika Anand

Books are a wonderful source of inspiration, a condensed collection of years' worth of knowledge, a dependable companion, an escape into fantasy, and a manual for taking action. Books are no exception when it comes to the constant need for entrepreneurs and founders to adapt and learn from all available sources.

This is particularly true with business biographies, which are frequently authored by the most influential and ground-breaking figures in the industry.

Experience is the best teacher for people. Otto von Bismarck once said, "I prefer to learn from the experience of others." Reading the biographies of individuals whom you admire is a great method to do the same.

The top 10 business biographies are listed here, carefully chosen to suit all tastes.

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life Sam Walton: Made In America Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

• Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Author: Walter Isaacson Goodreads Rating: 4.16

An entrepreneur's autobiography about one of the most significant founders ever, Steve Jobs, is portrayed beautifully in this biography by Walter Issacson . Over 40 interviews with Steve Jobs , his family, and coworkers served as the basis for this biography. You understand through his journey where he received his ideas from and exactly how he overcame difficulties throughout the years. Walters demonstrates how Jobs transformed several sectors, including music, animated films, smartphones, and tablet computers.

In the twenty-first century, he saw that fusing creativity with technology was the perfect approach to generating value. He established a business that combines incredible technological marvels with imaginative breakthroughs.

Although Jobs worked with the author, he requested no say over what was published. Nothing was off bounds, he said. He urged everyone he knew to be open-minded. He was open and honest about the individuals he collaborated with and faced. The emotions, obsessions, foulness, creativity, perfectionism, and drive for dominance that defined his business style and the inventive goods that came as a result are candidly described by his friends, competitors, and coworkers. His story is both educational and warning, and it contains many valuable lessons about creativity, morality, leadership, and principles.

• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Author: Ashlee Vance Goodreads Rating: 4.21

Elon Musk, the businessman and developer behind Tesla, SolarCity, and SpaceX, sold PayPal, one of his online businesses, for $1.5 billion. From his turbulent beginnings in South Africa and escape to the United States to his stunning technical inventions and economic endeavours, Ashlee Vance portrays the complete grandeur and trajectory of the genius's career and life. One of the most important issues of our day is explored by Vance using Musk's story: Can the country of innovators and creators that dominated modern society for a century continue to thrive in the face of intense international competition?

He contends that Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, and Howard Hughes, constitute Musk, who he compares to all of them. Musk has devoted more of his time and resources than any other businessman alive today to envision a tomorrow that is as expansive as the innovators of the Great Era of Science-Fiction and Fantasy.

• Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built

Author: Duncan Clark Goodreads Rating: 3.86

Duncan Clark, who was given unimaginable access to a wealth of new information and exclusive personal interviews, brings on his first-hand knowledge of key players crucial to Alibaba's rise to craft a credible, persuasive descriptive account of how Alibaba and its charismatic founder have changed the way that Chinese practise their newly found financial stability, encouraging businessmen all over the world and turning the tables on the Silicon Valley giants.

Jack Ma, a man who came from impoverished circumstances and began his career as an English teacher, developed and grew Alibaba into the second-largest Internet firm in the world in just ten years. The firm was valued more than Facebook or Coca-Cola after its $25 billion IPO in 2014, which was the highest ever. Hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers rely on Alibaba's eCommerce operations every day, and it also employs and pays millions of individuals.

Duncan covers important issues about the company's history, development, and prospects. How did Jack Ma create Alibaba from such humble beginnings? What accounts for his unwavering motivation and cunning advantage over his rivals? How long can the business expect to hold its position of dominance with over 80% of China's eCommerce market? Are Alibaba's goals constrained, or will the Chinese government take action to restrain them, as the business sets its eyes on the financial and media industries of the nation? And how will Alibaba expand its influence and operations in the US and other international markets as it opens offices in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and LA?

Clark situates Alibaba's story within the broader narrative of China's economic boom—the growth of corporate companies and the advancement of web usage has propelled the nation to become the second-largest economy in the world and home to the largest Internet population, which is double the size of the US. He also looks at the social and political backdrop to these significant shifts. Clark is a seasoned insider with unmatched contacts who has a profound knowledge of Chinese business philosophy. As never before, he sheds light on an improbable business giant and analyses the crucial role his company played in changing China while also strengthening its position and influence globally.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Author: phil knight goodreads rating: 4.47.

For the first time, Nike CEO and founder, Phil Knight, tells the inner tale of the firm's beginnings as an adventurous startup and how Nike developed to become one of the most recognisable, game-changing, and lucrative companies in the world in this honest and engaging biography.

After graduating from business school in 1962, Phil Knight loaned $50 from his father and started a company with the straightforward goal of importing high-end, reasonably priced sports shoes from Japan. Knight made $8,000 his first year by selling the shoes out of the backseat of his lime green Plymouth Valiant. Nike now has yearly sales of almost $30 billion. In the startup era, the swoosh (Nike's logo) has developed into a groundbreaking, global icon, being one of the most pervasive and well-known symbols in existence right now.

But Knight, the person responsible for the swoosh, has always been away from the public's eyes. Here, for the very first time, he shares his narrative, starting with his crossroads experience, in a book that is open, honest, brave, and humorous. After travelling the world on a rucksack at the age of 24, he made the unorthodox choice to launch his own company, one that would be lively and distinctive.

Alongside his early successes, Knight describes the numerous risks and intimidating failures that came his way to realise his objective. Above everything else, he remembers the early connections and very first partnerships and workers, a motley crew of outcasts and explorers who grew to be a close-knit family. Collectively, they developed a company that transformed it all by utilising the tremendous force of a common objective and a strong faith in the divinity of sports.

• The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Author: Brad Stone Goodreads Rating: 4.14

Historically, Amazon.com began by sending books to customers by mail. But Jeff Bezos, the company's imaginative creator, wasn't happy to only sell books. He envisioned Amazon as the one-stop shop with an unrestricted assortment, alluring accessibility, and game-changing cheap costs. To do this, he created a business culture of unyielding determination and confidentiality that has never been broken. Brad Stone with the help of both current and past Amazon workers as well as members of the Bezos family, provides readers with their first, extensive, bystander vision of how everything worked in the journey of Amazon.

Bezos is a private person in contrast to other top pioneers in technology like Jobs, Gates, and Zuckerberg. He distinguishes out, though, for his relentless search for new markets that have seen him steer Amazon into high-risk projects like the Kindle and cloud computing while also revolutionising shopping in the same way Henry Ford did with manufacturing. The Everything Store is a riveting, comprehensive account of the business that made one of the initial and most significant stands on the world wide web and fundamentally altered how we browse and purchase.

• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Author: Alice Schroeder Goodreads Rating: 4.13

The definitive biography of Warren Buffett, amongst the most admired individuals in the world, is available here. The renowned Omaha investor has never published a book, but he gave one writer, Alice Schroeder , an unparalleled opportunity to interview him and others who were most important to him about his career, beliefs, problems, victories, mistakes, and insights. As a consequence, the person known as "The Oracle of Omaha" has a comprehensive and emotionally engaging biography.

Buffett has never revealed his entire life narrative, even though the mainstream media follows him regularly. Warren Buffett is full of contradictions. He set out to demonstrate that a good person can come in first. He promoted honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, writer, and speaker over the years, treating his investors as partners and serving as their stewards. From the humble Omaha headquarters of his firm Berkshire Hathaway , he simultaneously rose to the position of the richest man in the world. Nothing about this is "basic".

When Alice Schroeder first met Warren Buffett, she was a skilled writer with a good eye for detail and financial acumen. She also worked as an analyst for the financial industry. He was impressed by her financial articles, and as she got to know him, she discovered that while much had been published about his investment approach, no one had gone further to examine his bigger ideology, which is intertwined with a complicated persona and the specifics of his experience. This led to his deciding to work with her on the autobiography he wouldn't ever pen down.

Buffett, before this publication, never spent endless hours conversing with a writer, answering questions, allowing them to complete visibility to his family, children, friends, acquaintances, and business partners, unlocking his archives, and remembering his early years. It was a brave thing to do, as The Snowball makes very evident. Being a mortal, his journey has had both pluses and minuses, as most journeys do. Buffett's principles and beliefs that have improved people's lives will be remembered instead of his position on the wealth scoreboard, even though his fortune is still remarkable. This story depicts why Warren Buffett is today's most remarkable example of American business success.

Sam Walton: Made In America

Author: sam walton, john huey (contributor) goodreads rating: 4.11.

Here is a remarkable success tale of a man whose empire was established by hard work rather than deception.

In Sam Walton's own words, this is "a tale of risk-taking, work and effort, and business; of understanding where you wish to go and getting prepared to do whatever it requires to achieve that goal. It's also a tale about adhering to your principles and trusting in your ideas even when others might not."

It tells the tale of how Sam Walton transformed Walmart, the biggest retailer in the world, from a single discount store in a struggling textile town. He never lacked the common touch while reigning as the unquestioned merchant monarch of the late 20th century. Here, Walton shares his remarkable tale in his unique terms. Genuinely modest yet always confident in his goals and successes, Walton expresses his ideas in a straightforward, plain manner.

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Author: howard schultz, joanne gordon goodreads rating: 3.85.

Starbucks' president and chairman, Howard Schultz (now interim CEO), decided to resume his role as CEO in 2008, 8 years after he had backed away from the regular management of the business and taken on the role of chairman. Schultz was committed to assisting Starbucks in getting back on track, reestablishing its essential principles, and regaining its economic health since he believed the company had wandered off course.

In Onward, he and fellow writer, Joanne Gordon, tells the incredible story of Howard's comeback and the company's sustainable change under his management, demonstrating how Starbucks once more successfully achieved sustainability and profitability without losing compassion amid one of the most turbulent economic periods in history.

The book zooms in to reveal, in engrossing detail, how one firm battled and remade itself in the midst of everything. providing readers with a glimpse of a period of history that left no organisation unaffected. The fast-moving story gives readers an insight into Schultz's mind as he learns to accept his limits and his changing management style while being pushed by the pressure that arises on a daily basis as disputes. The fascinating, honest tale Onward charts the development of both a business and a businessman.

Schultz's core leadership principle, Onward, is that success is not just about winning, but also about winning the right way. In the end, he gives readers what he works so hard to convey every day: a sense of optimism that, no matter how difficult things become, the future may still be just as successful as the past, or perhaps more successful, depending on how success is defined.

That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea

Author: marc randolph goodreads rating: 4.21.

The amazing unseen tale of how Netflix evolved from a vision to a business is recounted in the style of Phil Knight's Shoe Dog, and it is all narrated by co-founder and former CEO, Marc Randolph.

Brick-and-mortar video storefronts previously reigned supreme. Late fines were commonplace, video streaming was unknown, and the mass acceptance of DVDs appeared to be about as far off as flying automobiles. In fact, when Marc Randolph had an idea in 1997, these were the generally recognised rules of the nation. It was a straightforward idea—using the internet to rent movies—but it was one of several, much worse recommendations that Randolph would make to Reed Hastings on their daily journey to work, including those for customised baseball bats and a shampoo delivery company.

But Hastings was fascinated, so the two created a business, with Hastings serving as the main financier and Randolph as the CEO. Netflix's success now that it has more than 150 million users seems predestined, yet the most revolutionary start-up of the twenty-first century started with very few supporters and disaster at every step. Marc Randolph's impactful journey illustrates how anyone who possesses toughness, sound intuitions, and persistence can transform the world, even with a suggestion that many folks assume will never function. From having to persuade his own mom to become an investor to the guest house conference hall that functioned as the initial office, to server crashes on launch day, to the now-legendary meeting when Netflix proposed Blockbuster Inc. to acquire them.

But more than simply the insider account of one of the most recognisable corporations in the world is revealed. It offers solutions to a number of our most essential inquiries about taking chances in the company or in life. It is chock-full of counterintuitive topics and written in writing that makes you want to binge. Where do you start? How do you handle failures and dissatisfaction? What is your approach to success? What is success, exactly?

That Will Never Work is not just the quintessential follow-your-dreams tale but also one of the greatest illuminating business tales of modern times, covering topics like idea development, team building, and understanding when to let go.

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Author: robert iger goodreads rating: 4.42.

In this book, the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, discusses the principles and concepts that have helped him redevelop one of the most adored companies around the world and motivate those who work there, with the help of fellow writer Joel Lovell.

Amid a challenging period, Robert Iger was appointed CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005. The company's morale had declined, the market was more fierce, and technologies were evolving more quickly than they ever had. Iger says, "I realised there was nothing to be achieved from fighting over the old days." "The future was all that mattered, and I thought I knew exactly where Disney needed to go," he said.

Three concepts stood up clearly:

• Produce the best content Disney is capable of.
• Instead of resisting innovation, welcome it and employ it
• Think larger, think globally, and strengthen the brand recognition of Disney in other countries.

Twelve years later, Disney is the biggest and most reputable media business in the world, with 21st Century Fox, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm among its brands. Iger is regarded as one of the most creative and successful CEOs of his time, and the company is now worth about five times what it was when he joined it.

Many entrepreneurs believe that reading and understanding the stories of the people they look up to has helped them in their journey to success. The above list includes some of the best business biographies of top entrepreneurs, which are sure to help you learn different mantras for your success.

What are business biographies?

Business biographies refer to the portrayal of the stories of entrepreneurs as well as the formation and growth of powerful corporations.

Which are the best business biographies to read?

The best business biographies of top entrepreneurs are:

Is there a biography of Elon Musk?

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance is a popular biography of Elon Musk, published in 2015. Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century by Tim Higgins is another biography of Elon Musk.

Must have tools for startups - Recommended by StartupTalky

• Manage your business smoothly- Google Workspace

From Dominance to Decline: The AOL Story

Today we have so many browsers to navigate the internet. But back in the day, there was one dominating force, America Online (AOL). In 1985, Marc Sheriff with his business associates introduced the first internet giant. From online chat rooms to email, AOL gave internet connectivity a whole new meaning.

Earn While You Learn: Womenist Empowers Financial Independence on Your Terms

Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 12: A study found that 34% of Indian women leave jobs in India due to work-life balance. These women face an uphill battle every day. They juggle demanding careers with family responsibilities, all while navigating a system that often undervalues their contributions. It's a constant

Literary Odyssey: Author Tomson Robert’s Thrilling Book Tour in India

New Delhi (India), June 12: Summer got off to a thrilling start for book lovers when author Tomson Robert embarked on a much-anticipated book tour for his latest novel, The Celebrity CEO. The corporate thriller made waves among the readers due to the author’s genre-bending approach to storytelling. The

Poet Turned Author Reaches Top 10 on Amazon

New Delhi (India), June 12: All eyes are on literary wunderkind Shuchi Batra this week! Her novel, You Belong With Me, has skyrocketed to the number two spot on Amazon's bestseller list, making her a major force to be reckoned with. Shuchi Batra isn't exactly a new name though, at

• Starting a Business
• Growing a Business
• Small Business Guide
• Business News
• Science & Technology
• Money & Finance
• For Subscribers
• Write for Entrepreneur
• Tips White Papers
• Entrepreneur Store
• United States
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• South Africa

Copyright © 2024 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC

10 Great Autobiographies From the Brightest Minds in Business The best way to get ahead in business? Learn from others with these personal looks into their motivations, successes, failures and lessons learned.

By Sujan Patel Edited by Dan Bova Mar 9, 2015

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The best way to learn about business is to listen to those who have achieved the same types of goals you've set for yourself. But you don't have to have a direct connection to Bill Gates, Warren Buffett or any other mogul to get this insider insight. Autobiographies give a personal look at these successful people's motivations, successes, failures and lessons learned.

Here are 10 of the best autobiographies from the brightest minds in business:

1. Miracles Happen

In her autobiography , Mary Kay Ash describes the principles that helped her build one of the largest cosmetics retailers operating today. Her book covers everything from the importance of expecting great things to dreaming big to paying close attention to her target market.

Related : 3 Short Books to Read to Maximize Your Productivity and Marketing

A champion of women, a savvy business executive and a first-rate marketer, Mary Kay Ash's company is a legacy of her life and vision.

2. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

Not every highly successful entrepreneur set out to conquer the business world. Yvon Chouinard, for example, began his business career as a highly skilled outdoorsman whose passions included mountain climbing and environmental causes.

Let My People Go Surfing is the incredible story of how he leveraged these passions to design innovative sports equipment and found one of the most environmentally-responsible companies in the world.

3. Iacocca: An Autobiography

Named the 18th greatest CEO of all time , Lee Iacocca was a man who changed the automobile industry for the better and brought Chrysler back from the brink of destruction. Born to Italian immigrants, his career started at Ford -- until he clashed with Henry Ford II and was fired in 1978. Despite this conflict, he was quickly courted by Chrysler, which he rebuilt from the ground up.

Iacocca is his story in his own words -- from his childhood in Pennsylvania to his celebrity status as a business icon.

4. Direct from Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry

Dell founder Michael Dell started his PC company in the same way that many other technology companies begin -- in his dorm room at college. With less than $1,000, he built his fledgling company into a powerhouse that transformed the way PCs were manufactured, purchased and delivered.

In Direct from Dell , he tells both the story of the company's growth and his own management strategies.

5. The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company

The HP Way describes how Hewlett and Packard met at college and decided after graduation to found a company together in the one-car garage workshop that's now known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley. From tossing a coin to determine the company name to defining their own management strategies, this autobiography is an inside look at a company that chose to do things its own way.

Related : Rather Than Trying to Reinvent the Wheel, Be Inspired by These 5 Books

6. Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

Starbucks is known for its ubiquity, but its "shop on every street corner" success didn't come out of the blue. In Pour Your Heart Into It , CEO Howard Schultz discusses the customer-service principles that made Starbucks a household name. In addition, he shares the wisdom he's learned and the techniques he's used to keep Starbucks focused on customer and employee satisfaction, despite its staggering growth.

7. Sam Walton: Made In America

Love it or hate it, Walmart is one of the most successful retail businesses in American history. In Made in America , the chain's founder details his company's growth from a single dime store in Arkansas to the retail giant it is today, describing his successes and mistakes in an approachable, down-home writing style.

8. Jack: Straight from the Gut

Jack Welch is the man responsible for building General Electric into a multinational conglomerate that touches everything from lightbulbs to commercial lending and leasing. Straight from the Gut is Welch's engaging first-hand story, starting with his childhood and moving through his meteoric rise through GE's ranks. His autobiography discusses his career, business mistakes and successes, all in his trademark, no-nonsense style.

9. Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way

The playfully naughty title of this autobiography perfectly captures the personality of its author, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. Losing My Virginity continues in the same vein, a unique and sometimes outrageous look inside the life and business of Branson and his cofounders. A perfect example of how an ambitious company can disrupt established but complacent industries, Branson's autobiography is both entertaining and inspirational.

10. Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion

From being fired to building a multi-billion dollar business, Built From Scratch gives a first-hand look at the story of Home Depot founders, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. An excellent example of grit and determination, the story of Home Depot is one that will inspire all entrepreneurs to keep going -- no matter what.

Have another autobiography that should be added to this list? Share your recommendations in the comments section below!

Related : The 5 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read, or Read Again, in 2015

Entrepreneur and Marketer, Co-founder of Web Profits

In his 14-plus years as a marketer and entrepreneur, Sujan Patel has helped hundreds of companies boost online traffic and sales and strengthen their online brand reputation. Patel is the co-founder of Web Profits and Mailshake.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick Red Arrow

• Steve Jobs' 3 Public Speaking Power Moves Remain Just as Relevant Today, 13 Years After His Final Keynote at the Apple Developers Conference
• Lock I Blocked a Toxic Childhood Friend and It Taught Me an Important Lesson About Managing People
• Lock 10 of the Biggest Business Blunders in 2024 (So Far)
• 'I've Never Regretted Leaving the Corporate World Behind': This Former Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How
• Lock 5 Ways to Fix Your Lack of Inspiration
• 'Unpredictability in Various Forms' — How Franchisees Can Adapt and Protect Themselves From Election Year Uncertainty

Most Popular Red Arrow

How to close the trust gap between you and your team — 5 strategies for leaders.

Trust is tanking in your workplace. Here's how to fix it and become the boss your team needs to succeed.

Get a Year of Unlimited Yoga Class Downloads for Only $23 Through June 17

Regular exercise has been proven to increase energy and focus, both of which are valuable to entrepreneurs and well-known benefits of yoga.

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

'Passing By Wide Margins': Elon Musk Celebrates His 'Guaranteed Win' of the Highest Pay Package in U.S. Corporate History

Musk's Tesla pay package is almost 140 times higher than the annual pay of other high-performing CEOs.

I Left the Corporate World to Start a Chicken Coop Business — Here Are 3 Valuable Lessons I Learned Along the Way

Board meetings were traded for barnyards as a thriving new venture hatched.

Why Remote Work Policies Are Good For the Environment

Remote work policies are crucial for ESG guidelines. Embracing remote work can positively impact your business and employees.

Successfully copied link

• Newsletters
• Best Industries
• Business Plans
• Home-Based Business
• The UPS Store
• Customer Service
• Black in Business
• Your Next Move
• Female Founders
• Best Workplaces
• Company Culture
• Public Speaking
• HR/Benefits
• Productivity
• All the Hats
• Digital Transformation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Bringing Innovation to Market
• Cloud Computing
• Social Media
• Data Detectives
• Exit Interview
• Bootstrapping
• Crowdfunding
• Venture Capital
• Business Models
• Personal Finance
• Founder-Friendly Investors
• Upcoming Events
• Inc. 5000 Vision Conference
• Become a Sponsor
• Cox Business
• Verizon Business
• Branded Content
• Apply Inc. 5000 US

Inc. Premium

11 Most Famous Entrepreneurs of All Time (and What Made Them Wildly Rich)

History's most famous entrepreneurs, from past to present. learn how they rose to the top..

Today I'm sharing a list featuring 11 of history's most famous entrepreneurs. From Oprah to Hans Christian Anderson, we're sharing these tales of past and present entrepreneurs who had to claw their way to the top.

1. Oprah Winfrey

I think Oprah Winfrey has one of the most amazing modern rags-to-riches stories of all time . As you're probably well aware, Oprah is the richest African American of the 21st century, and with a net worth of over $3 billion, she is regarded as arguably the most influential woman in the world.

Her incredible success is all the more impressive considering her rough upbringing. The daughter of an unmarried teen who worked as a housemaid, Oprah grew up in extreme poverty. Her family was so poor that, as a child, Oprah was teased at school for wearing dresses made of potato sacks. She also was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of family members, which she discussed with TV viewers during a special episode of her show.

Oprah's first big break was her gig at the local black radio station. Stations managers were impressed with her oration and passion, leading Oprah to work her way up the ranks to bigger radio stations, eventually resulting in her appearing on TV as well.

It was actually Robert Ebert who convinced Oprah to sign the deal that launched The Oprah Winfrey Show . And the rest, folks, is history.

2. Walt Disney

Walt Disney started off as a farm boy drawing cartoon pictures of his neighbor's horses for fun. When he was older, Walt tried to get a job as a newspaper cartoonist, but was unable to find one and ended up working in an art studio where he created ads for newspapers and magazines. Eventually he grew to work on commercials, became interested in animation, and eventually opened his own animation company.

Disney's first original character creation was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but it was officially owned by Universal Pictures because he was working under contract at the time. When Walt walked out on Universal Pictures after getting a pay cut, he needed to create a replacement, which is how Mickey Mouse came into being.

Disney was wildly successful with his animation company, but he wasn't satisfied. He was determined to make the biggest and greatest theme park ever seen, saying to a colleague, "I want it to look like nothing else in the world."

One of the biggest entertainment moguls of all-time, with an unrelenting spirit and commitment to his vision, Disney is undoubtedly an entrepreneurial all-star.

3. J.K. Rowling

Today J.K. Rowling is a household name for fans of the beloved Harry Potter book series, but she wasn't always gifted with magic. The fact is, J.K Rowling was at her rope's end before her misfit gang of witches and wizards saved her. Before her bestseller cast a spell on readers, J.K. Rowling was living on welfare and struggling to get by as a single mother.

Today she is estimated to have a net worth of $1 billion. Rumor has it she's also the president of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, although it's a bit of a secret among the goblins.

Did you know that some people believe that J.K Rowling sold her soul to the devil in exchange for the Harry Potter inspiration? When you're so successful people think you're making deals with the devil, you're a pretty big deal.

4. John Paul DeJoria

Today he's known for his Paul Mitchell hair products and for Patron Tequila, but John Paul DeJoria started off at the bottom. A first-generation American, DeJoria was born to German and Italian parents. He was sent to live in a L.A. foster home, and he even spent time in a street gang.

When he first created John Paul Mitchell Systems, he was selling his hair products door to door while living out of his car. It all paid off, though--today John Paul Mitchell Systems earns over $900 million a year.

John Paul DeJoria proves that things have to get worse before they get better.

5. Madam CJ Walker

Sarah Breedlove (aka Madam CJ Walker) was one amazing lady. She is regarded as the first black female self-made American millionaire.

Born in 1867, her parents and older siblings had been slaves on a Louisiana plantation. She was the first of her family to be born into freedom (that's some lucky timing!).

Madam CJ Walker started her own line of beauty and hair products specifically designed for black women. She saw a market that wasn't being met, and created a solution to a problem no one else seemed interested in solving.

As you can imagine, during her time she had to fight tooth and nail for every step up the ladder. A smart, strategic, and enterprising woman, she perfectly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit (with stylish hair to match).

6. Steve Jobs

You can't really make a self-respecting "famous entrepreneurs" list without throwing in Steve Jobs. Jobs dropped out of college because his family couldn't handle the financial burden of his education. He unofficially continued to audit classes, living off free meals from the local Hare Krishna temple and returning Coke bottles for change just to get by. Jobs credited the calligraphy class he stopped in on as his inspiration for the Mac's revolutionary typefaces and font design.

Jobs went on to have an unbelievable career, eventually forming the Apple Computer Company with his childhood friend and electronics expert Steve Wozniak. Often referred to as "The Grandfather of the Digital Revolution," Jobs forever changed the consumer electronics industry. At the time of his death, his net worth was over $8.3 billion, and his influence will be felt for many digital generations to come.

7. Andrew Carnegie

Just hearing Andrew Carnegie's name brings back yawns and daydream distractions from high school history class. I had no interest in Carnegie back in school, but today he serves as a pretty amazing example of entrepreneurship.

Carnegie had a really rough life growing up. He spent his childhood working in factories, and at night he forced himself to sleep as a way to forget his constant hunger.

Carnegie eventually worked his way up to becoming a superintendent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company before creating several of his own businesses, the most successful being the Carnegie Steel Mill. Despite being one of the richest Americans of all-time, he also serves as a class act example of generosity.

Following his belief that "the man who dies rich dies disgraced," Carnegie donated nearly 90 percent of his wealth to various charities and foundations. His is widely considered one of the largest benefactors of libraries and educational institutions across the country. Thank you, Carnegie, for giving a second home to us nerdy kids who practically lived in our local libraries.

8. Benjamin Franklin

Only an entrepreneur would conduct some of the wacky experiments old Benny was always up to. Franklin is credited with creating the lightening rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove (yeah, that last one might have been a bit of a flop).

Like many famous entrepreneurs before and after him, Franklin was a man of a thousand hats. Scientist, printer, politician, inventor, author, diplomat, and savvy businessman were just a few of his many trades.

9. John D. Rockefeller

Even though we give these Gilded Age guys a lot of tough love for being so filthy rich, you can't say they didn't do good with their fortunes.

One of the world's wealthiest individuals of all time, Rockefeller was born the son of a traveling salesman. He showed early entrepreneurial promise selling candy and doing odd jobs for neighbors, eventually going on to become the founder of the Standard Oil Company. There's no business quite like oil business, and it made Rockefeller filthy rich.

While Rockefeller is accused of using shady business tactics to wipe competitors off the map, over his lifetime he donated $500 million to philanthropic causes (which he was inspired to do by Carnegie).

10. Hans Christian Anderson

Hans Christian Anderson's fierce determination and self-starter mentality make him another great example of a famous entrepreneur.

Anderson grew up poor, but set off alone to Copenhagen at 14 when a fortuneteller told him that although he would suffer early on, eventually he would become famous.

Those predictions came true, as Anderson first tried and failed to become actor and singer. Seeing something special in Anderson, the director of the Royal Danish Theater took him under his wing and attended to his education. Anderson was teased terribly at school and harassed by students and a hateful headmaster, and he considered those some of the darkest days of his life.

After leaving school, Anderson began to publish his writing. His fairy tales became immensely popular and eventually earned him the fame he was promised as a child. He never forgot his initial poverty-- The Little Match Girl was inspired by how his mother was forced to go begging in the streets as a young girl.

Today Hans Christian Anderson is still beloved, known for rich fairy tales, many of which have inspired Disney animation classics (which, it should be noted, have much happier endings than the original tales).

11. Bill Gates

Bill Gates is one of the most famous entrepreneurs of our era. The richest man in the world, Gates has a net worth estimated to be over $79 billion. He's held the title of "world's wealthiest individual" for 16 of the past 21 years.

Co-founder of the world's largest PC software company, Microsoft, Gates was one of the defining figures of the personal computer revolution.

Gates showed an interest in computer programming at a very young age, spending all of his free time creating programs on the teletype terminal computer his school had donated. Gates went on to create Microsoft and develop the Windows operating system, which continues to be tremendously popular.

Bill Gates is, like many other famous entrepreneurs, also known for his philanthropic activities, donating very large amounts of money to charitable organizations and scientific endeavors. Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, a private philanthropic foundation dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing health care, improving education opportunities, and providing access to technology worldwide. Gates himself has donated over $28 billion to the foundation, which he continues to work for.

Have these famous entrepreneurs inspired you? Maybe you'll be next on the list.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

Privacy Policy

The 10 Best Entrepreneur Biographies of Millionaires

Want to read the best entrepreneur biographies?

Two years ago, I wasn’t really a book reader. I should have been though. The stories of successful entrepreneurs are always worth hearing about. Especially if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking to become a success in the business world.

There are only so many short videos you can watch in order to learn more about them. And there comes a point where nothing beats a book written on their stories.

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Entrepreneur Biographies

These books are filled with knowledge and the complete story behind their success in becoming truly great entrepreneurs.

I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t yet read all of these entrepreneur biographies,  but have heard nothing but great reviews on the ones I haven’t picked up and read just yet.

Many of the entrepreneurs in this list are successful billionaires, not just millionaires. But I thought I’d categorize the title as millionaires anyway.

These are the 10 best entrepreneur biographies of successful millionaires:

1. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography

Steve Jobs truly revolutionized the electronics industry. The new IPhone 7 and Apple Watch have just been released, and it’s amazing to see just how far Apple’s technology has come.

The Steve Jobs Biography, one of the best entrepreneur biographies;  was written after the author had conducted over 3 years of interviews with Jobs as well as member of his family, his colleagues and even competitors.

A must read biography for anyone interested in Steve Jobs and his innovative mind that helped him to break barriers in the technology industry.

2. Thrive: The Third Metric to Success (Arianna Huffington)

Thrive is a book I’ve mentioned a couple of times on Wealthy Gorilla. You’re probably getting sick of me talking about it. It’s all about the story of Arianna Huffington , who is the founder of The Huffington Post, and her journey to success.

The reason why this book is such an important one to read, is because it touches on an essential issue to do with success. The fact that success is more than just money and power.

There’s a third metric to success which mainly involves our well-being. Instead of completely exhausting ourselves from working so hard, simply for more money and more power.

Arianna’s reason for writing the book came about from passing out one night due to over exhaustion, whilst still at her desk. She ended up breaking her cheekbone on the corner of her desk, and hence realized that this was not a healthy way to live.

3. Losing My Virginity (Richard Branson)

Richard Branson has become an incredibly successful billionaire, after taking the Virgin brand on a crazy roller coaster, from record stores to airlines.

Branson is the master of branding, and this book is the ultimate read in order to learn more about him and what he has achieved.

‘Losing My Virginity’ is an excellent biography that explains in great detail about how Sir Richard is committed to building not an empire, but simply a better world through many of the different Virgin brands such as Virgin Fuels, Virgin Unite & Virgin Health Bank .

All are dedicated to making the world a better and more sustainable place for others.

As well as this, you can find out how Branson became such a success and which mistakes he learned from along the way. A truly inspiring and motivating story for every entrepreneur.

4. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Lif e

Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world, and known as an incredible investor and businessman.

Buffett started out in the business world at a very young age, and was in fact only 11 years old when he bought his first stock. He’s come a long way since then and has achieved a lot within his life time.

Although, this book, arguably one of the best entrepreneur biographies, goes into more detail than just his achievements in the exciting world of business, but more about the man himself.

His opinions, his work, struggles, achievements and wisdom are all revealed in ‘The Snowball’. If you’re looking to find out more about Warren Buffet than just his achievements, have a read of this biography.

5. Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

Bill Gates is now once again the richest man in the world , and it’s all because of his genius creation, Microsoft. But not many people actually know the whole story behind Bill Gates and how he built up Microsoft to the success it is today.

This Biography covers it all and is a great read if you want to learn more about Gates’ story and his amazing success that took him to the position of wealthiest man in the world.

6. The Facebook Effect: The Real Inside Story of Mark Zuckerberg and the World’s Fastest Growing Company

You’ve probably already watched the film ‘The Social Network’, but how about reading the book that gives you the real inside story of what Mark Zuckerberg is truly about and how he built Facebook, the world’s fastest growing company.

Zuckerberg was only 19 years old when himself and a couple of friends created Facebook in their Harvard dorm room.

The book goes into a lot more detail than a film ever could do. And it explains the personal lives of the Facebook founders whilst they were working together in order to build the social network.

This is definitely a book to read in order to completely build your knowledge of just how Mark Zuckerberg and the other co-founders of Facebook made it such a success.

7. Riding the Storm ( Duncan Bannatyne )

Duncan Bannatyne is a Scottish entrepreneur who is famous for his businesses and interest in the health club, hotel and spa industries. A few years ago life was great for Bannatyne. He had a great business empire, a lot of money and a happy marriage.

Recently, all this changed and Duncan had to cope with the stress and difficulties of divorce, as well as a fairly large recession to his proud business empire.

This biography of the successful millionaire covers his incredible journey from having a peaceful happy life, to being setback by divorce and business recession. To then how he overcame these setbacks, and managed to adapt and get himself back on track.

This book is definitely up there with the best entrepreneur autobiographies.

8. Start Something that Matters (Blake Mycoskie)

This is an incredibly important book to read as it’s not just about developing a high revenue business that is all about profit and nothing else.

Blake Mycoskie is an entrepreneur who created the shoe brand TOMs. TOMs are a canvas type unisex shoe. For every pair that sold, another pair would be given to a child in need.

TOMs have become incredibly popular and Blake has managed to build a profitable business that also helps children in need for every pair sold.

This isn’t an easy thing to achieve, since normally you’d expect a small amount from the sale to go to a charity. However, in this case it’s a pair for a pair and every sale means another child doesn’t have to walk around bare foot.

This inspiration all came about from when Blake was travelling in Africa and came across many children unable to afford shoes.

He’s on a mission to prove that you can build a profitable business whilst helping others around you. It’s all explained with his book “Start Something that Matters”.

9. Reallionaire (Farrah Gray)

Farrah Gray became a millionaire by the time he was 14 years old, and has since been named as one of the most influential black men in America, by the National Urban League. Impressive right?

The book ‘Reallionaire’ talks about the nine steps to becoming rich from the inside out. And how they all applied to Farrah and his success in becoming a millionaire at such a young age.

This book is incredibly inspiring and has received amazing reviews from people, saying that they couldn’t put the book down and that they were reading it for the 3rd time.

Farrah may not be as well known as some of the other entrepreneurs on this list, but his story is incredible and this book is definitely worth the read.

10. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Jeff Bezos is another billionaire on this list that I’ve generically labelled ‘Successful Millionaires’. He started out incredibly small with Amazon.com, and began only selling books.

It wasn’t until around a year in that he managed to get his first sale. Which shows just how much dedication Bezos put in before he even got any results from the website.

Amazon has gone from operating in one small room, only selling books; to now having large warehouses, being known as ‘the everything store’ and owning several other companies.

This book goes through it all: Jeff’s story to making Amazon the success it is today, and how he was never content with just selling books.

Image Source: Trackur.com

Hope you enjoyed this list for the 10 best entrepreneur biographies of successful millionaires. Here’s a quick recap on the list:

• Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography
• Thrive: The Third Metric to Success By Arianna Huffington
• Losing My Virginity By Richard Branson
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett & The Business of Life
• Hard Drive: Bill Gates & The Making of Microsoft
• The Facebook Effect: The Real Inside Story of Mark Zuckerberg
• Riding The Storm By Duncan Bannatyne
• Start Something That Matters By Blake Mycoskie
• Reallionaire By Farrah Gray
• The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos & The Age of Amazon

From personal reading experience, and other reviews I’ve read on the internet, these are concluded to be some of the best entrepreneur autobiographies and biographies ever published.

Be sure to share them with anyone who loves business, reading or both!

Do you have any entrepreneur biographies to add to the list? Leave a comment below.

The 10 Biggest Banks in the World

The 10 Most Evil People in History

Dan Western is the founder of Wealthy Gorilla . Dan has been running Wealthy Gorilla and studying self-development, personal finance, and investment for the last 7 years. To this day, Wealthy Gorilla has become one of the fastest growing wealth infotainment sites in the world; with over 300 million views worldwide. Dan doesn't use personal social media anymore, so you won't be able to find him on Instagram, or Twitter.

Dec 8, 2014 at 10:20 am

Really enjoyed reading the paragraphs you have added to each entrepreneur. I am starting my own business in the janitorial field. I am trying to land government contracts. We will see how it goes. I have 30 years experience in the industry/leadership. It’s time to stake my claim in this prosperous country.

Dan Western

Dec 8, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Thanks Aaron, I wish you the best of luck! Good on you!

Aug 22, 2017 at 4:43 pm

Aug 22, 2017 at 4:44 pm

I mean pls add jack maa’s biography too

May 8, 2018 at 3:13 am

Great inspirations for young entrepreneurs.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The 10 Best Short Moral Stories With Valuable Lessons

Stories that have morals and messages behind them are always powerful. In fact, it’s crazy just how powerful a 200 word story can be.

Our last article of short stories became so popular, that we decided to create another list, in which every story has a simple moral behind it.

The 10 Best Short Moral Stories

Some of these stories are very short and basic. In fact some are so basic they’re most likely featured in children’s books somewhere. However, the strength of the message remains the same.

Here’s some more of the best short moral stories:

1. An Old Man Lived in the Village

An old man lived in the village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him; he was always gloomy, he constantly complained and was always in a bad mood.

The longer he lived, the more bile he was becoming and the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnatural and insulting to be happy next to him.

He created the feeling of unhappiness in others.

But one day, when he turned eighty years old , an incredible thing happened. Instantly everyone started hearing the rumour:

“An Old Man is happy today, he doesn’t complain about anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up.”

The whole village gathered together. The old man was asked:

Villager: What happened to you?

“Nothing special. Eighty years I’ve been chasing happiness, and it was useless. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That’s why I’m happy now.” – An Old Man

Moral of the story:

Don’t chase happiness. Enjoy your life.

2. The Wise Man

People have been coming to the wise man, complaining about the same problems every time. One day he told them a joke and everyone roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the same joke for the third time no one laughed anymore.

The wise man smiled and said:

“You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem?”  

Worrying won’t solve your problems, it’ll just waste your time and energy.

3. The Foolish Donkey

A salt seller used to carry the salt bag on his donkey to the market every day.

On the way they had to cross a stream. One day the donkey suddenly tumbled down the stream and the salt bag also fell into the water. The salt dissolved in the water and hence the bag became very light to carry. The donkey was happy.

Then the donkey started to play the same trick every day.

The salt seller came to understand the trick and decided to teach a lesson to it. The next day he loaded a cotton bag on the donkey.

Again it played the same trick hoping that the cotton bag would be still become lighter.

But the dampened cotton became very heavy to carry and the donkey suffered. It learnt a lesson. It didn’t play the trick anymore after that day, and the seller was happy.

Luck won’t favor always.

4. Having A Best Friend

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand;

“Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone;

“Today my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him;

“After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied;

“When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”  

Moral of the story: 

Don’t value the things you have in your life. But value who you have in your life.

5. The Four Smart Students

One night four college students were out partying late night and didn’t study for the test which was scheduled for the next day. In the morning, they thought of a plan.

They made themselves look dirty with grease and dirt.

Then they went to the Dean and said they had gone out to a wedding last night and on their way back the tire of their car burst and they had to push the car all the way back. So they were in no condition to take the test.

The Dean thought for a minute and said they can have the re-test after 3 days. They thanked him and said they will be ready by that time.

On the third day, they appeared before the Dean. The Dean said that as this was a Special Condition Test, all four were required to sit in separate classrooms for the test. They all agreed as they had prepared well in the last 3 days.

The Test consisted of only 2 questions with the total of 100 Points:

1) Your Name? __________ (1 Points)

2) Which tire burst? __________ (99 Points) Options – (a) Front Left (b) Front Right (c) Back Left (d) Back Right

Take responsibility or you will learn your lesson.

6. The Greedy Lion

It was an incredibly hot day, and a lion was feeling very hungry.

He came out of his den and searched here and there. He could find only a small hare. He caught the hare with some hesitation. “This hare can’t fill my stomach” thought the lion.

As the lion was about to kill the hare, a deer ran that way. The lion became greedy. He thought;

“Instead of eating this small hare, let me eat the big deer.”

He let the hare go and went behind the deer. But the deer had vanished into the forest. The lion now felt sorry for letting the hare off.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

7. Two Friends & The Bear

Vijay and Raju were friends. On a holiday they went walking into a forest, enjoying the beauty of nature. Suddenly they saw a bear coming at them. They became frightened.

Raju, who knew all about climbing trees, ran up to a tree and climbed up quickly. He didn’t think of Vijay. Vijay had no idea how to climb the tree.

Vijay thought for a second. He’d heard animals don’t prefer dead bodies, so he fell to the ground and held his breath. The bear sniffed him and thought he was dead. So, it went on its way.

Raju asked Vijay;

“What did the bear whisper into your ears?”

Vijay replied, “The bear asked me to keep away from friends like you”  …and went on his way.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

8. The Struggles of Our Life

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.

He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer”  he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

9. The Fox & The Grapes

One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch.

“Just the thing to quench my thirst,” he thought.

Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them but still failed.

Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, “They’re probably sour anyway,” and proceeded to walk away.

Moral of the story:  

It’s easy to despise what you can’t have.

10. The Lion & The Poor Slave

A slave, ill-treated by his master, runs away to the forest. There he comes across a lion in pain because of a thorn in his paw. The slave bravely goes forward and removes the thorn gently.

The lion without hurting him goes away.

Some days later, the slave’s master comes hunting to the forest and catches many animals and cages them. The slave is spotted by the masters’ men who catch him and bring him to the cruel master.

The master asks for the slave to be thrown into the lion’s cage.

The slave is awaiting his death in the cage when he realizes that it is the same lion that he had helped. The slave rescued the lion and all other caged animals.

One should help others in need, we get the rewards of our helpful acts in return.

Here’s a quick recap on the 10 best short moral stories:

• An old man lived in the village
• The wise man
• The foolish donkey
• Having a best friend
• The four smart students
• The greedy lion
• The two friends & the bear
• The struggles of our life
• The fox & the grapes
• The lion & the poor slave

If you haven’t seen our original article, with slightly more detailed inspirational short stories , check it out!

Do you have any other favorite short moral stories? Leave a comment below.

The 10 best motivational speakers in the world.

Who are the best motivational speakers of all time?

Motivational speakers have had an enormous impact on my life, and millions of others, no matter what their personal situation in life may be.

Their words are so powerful and inspirational, you just have to listen to their stuff on a daily basis. So it brings me to this post.

I’ve been enjoying a lot of motivational videos recently, have been creating my own, and have ended up listening to a lot of wonderful speeches.

Top 10 Best Motivational Speakers

But who are the best motivational speakers in the world?

Here’s my list of the top 10 motivational speakers in the world.

These are the people you need to be following, listening to and watching on YouTube. They have transformed many people’s lives including mine.

10. Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic was born on December 4th 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. Vujicic was born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome, a very rare disorder whereby someone is born with an absence of all four limbs.

This no doubt ably, made things incredibly tough for Nick growing up, as he struggled both mentally and physically.

It led to him founding his very own non-profit organization called ‘Life Without Limbs’ . Nick Vujicic is a true inspiration to us all, and if you’ve watched some of his motivational speeches on YouTube, you’ll realize just how much he’s been able to adapt to a life without limbs.

Many people with this disorder might not be willing to work hard in order to truly push their abilities.

He can type 43 words a minute on a computer. That’s right, you heard me correctly. This is a guy who has an absence of all four limbs, but can type 43 words per minute on a computer.

I encourage you to watch some of his videos on YouTube, and see exactly what I’m talking about.

“It’s a lie to think you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think you’re not worth anything.” – nick Vujicic

9. Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy was born on January 5th 1944 in Vancouver, Canada, and is the CEO of Brian Tracy International , a company that specifically sets out to help individuals and organizations develop, train and grow.

Brian’s ultimate goal is to help other people achieve their goals more efficiently and be able to achieve their full potential.

That definitely sets the foundation for being one of the best motivational speakers in the world.

His lifetime achievements are phenomenal, consulting huge numbers of businesses, hosting huge numbers of seminars and conducting  years and years of research in Business, Economics, Psychology and Philosophy.

There’s no more to say other than the title given on his website: Professional Speaker, Best Selling Author, Entrepreneur and Success Expert. Check out some of the best Brian Tracy quotes .

“No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.” – Brian Tracy

8. Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma was born in 1964 in Nepal, and straight out of the Dalhousie University School of Law, became a professional lawyer. But he went much further in his career than being a fully qualified and successful lawyer.

Sharma has written a total of 15 published books, from 1995 – 2011, on the subjects of self-help and leadership. One of his most popular books written; ‘The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari’ , has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

The book is all about a character called Julian, who decides to sell his home and Ferrari to go on a spiritual journey, after being the victim to a sudden heart attack.

Some may say that Robin Sharma’s more of a motivational author rather than speaker, but he deserves to be on this list. He’s written 12 global best sellers, and is an expert author in the world of leadership and self development.

“Dreamers are mocked as impractical. The truth is they are the most practical, as their innovations lead to progress and a better way of life for all of us.” –  Robin S. Sharma

7. Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer was born on May 10th 1940 in Detroit, and spent the majority of his childhood in an orphanage.

Dyer was in the U.S Navy after graduating high school, from 1958 to 1962. He then received his degree in counselling, a profession that he chose to work in for a while before taking it one step further.

Dyer left his teaching job and started pursuing a career in motivational speaking, holding various lectures across the states and becoming an incredibly popular author.

The first book that Dyer ever wrote has now had over 35 million copies sold and he’s proceeded to continue with his lecture tours, release various audio tapes and publish a regular stream of books .

“Passion is a feeling that tells you: this is the right thing to do. Nothing can stand in my way. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. This feeling is so good that it cannot be ignored. I’m going to follow my bliss and act upon this glorious sensation of joy.” –  Wayne Dyer

6. Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar was born on November 6th, 1926 in Alabama, and passed away on November 28th in 2012.

Ziglar has 11 siblings, and at the age of five years old, his father died of a stroke, and his sister passed away two days later. Zig actually served in the army from 1935 – 1946 during World War II.

Ziglar met his wife Jean when he was just 17 years old, and after the war began to work as a salesman for many different companies, eventually becoming the vice president for the Automotive Performance company .

He started taking part in motivational seminars, and also wrote his first book in 1975 titled: ‘See You at the Top’ . This was the first of at least 15 books he’d written during the period of 1975 and 2012.

A lot of wisdom has come from Zig Ziglar over the years and he is definitely one of the best motivational speakers in the world.

“You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” – Zig Ziglar

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30th 1947, in Austria. We all know him as the world famous professional bodybuilding champion, and there’s a very inspirational story behind Arnie’s bodybuilding success.

Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian army at the age of 18 years old for 1 year, which at the time was compulsory for all 18-year-old males.

During this time, he would still manage to fit in his workouts between all the training and drills, whilst most people were resting. He snuck out of the camp to compete in the Junior Mr. Europe contest , which he ended up winning.

Arnold’s discipline towards his training was incredible, and the fact that he was willing to disobey the rules of the army and sneak out of the camp to compete in the contest, just goes to show how badly he wanted it.

Nowadays, he’s an inspiration to many bodybuilders and a great source of motivation for anyone wanting to be successful.

“For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

4. Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was born September 17th, 1930 in Yakima, Washington, and passed away on December 5th, 2009. He was a very successful entrepreneur, at one time being a Vice President of a very successful sales company, Nutri-Bio.

However, after the company eventually went out of business, he was invited to speak at a meeting of one of his clubs.

After this meeting, he was invited to speak at many other events and began making a name for himself. Rohn was a wise businessman and managed to impart much of this wisdom to others.

He’s definitely earned the right to be on this list of the best motivational speakers in the world.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

3. Les Brown

Les Brown was born on February 17th, 1945 in Miami, Florida. He was adopted by Mamie Brown, and whilst in grade school, was declared “educably mentally retarded” .

Despite this and the emotional issues, it brought upon him; he was encouraged by others to continue to learn and be the best he could be. Leading him to unlock his full potential.

Les is another motivational speaker who is incredibly popular among the motivational video compilations that others create. Because his speeches are so deep and meaningful that they really get through to people.

His top-selling books: ‘It’s Not over until You Win!’  and ‘Live Your Dreams’ are truly inspirational and well worth the read.

“When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. Let your reason get you back up.” – Les Brown

2. Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins was born on February 29th, 1960 in Los Angeles. His life at home when he was young was described by him as abusive and chaotic. It was because of this that he left home at the age of 17.

Originally when starting out in the world of motivational speaking, Robbins was promoting seminars for Jim Rohn. He later decided to begin his own journey by hosting his own seminars.

Tony has affected and changed so many people’s lives in a positive way through his seminars, motivational speeches, inspirational quotes and best-selling books.

Search for him on YouTube and several videos will pop up showing him change someone’s life.

The favorites of mine that I’ve watched, are where he cures a young man’s stutter in 7 minutes and saves another guy’s marriage in 8.

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” – Tony Robbins

1. Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas, born and raised in Detroit, was homeless at the age of 16 years old. But Eric decided that he wanted to make a better life for himself, to become someone with a life he could be proud of.

E.T did just that, and you can now check out powerful advice from Eric Thomas on YouTube. Including his “Thank God It’s Monday” series.

He also managed to get the education he missed out on whilst he was homeless and pushed himself further to achieve all the qualifications he dreamed of being able to achieve.

Eric Thomas has become one of the best motivational speakers in the world. His YouTube videos are legendary and his best-selling books have taken in millions of dollars in revenue.

E.T’s speeches are so popular, that you’ll find he’s featured in roughly 90% of the motivational videos that others create and upload to YouTube, using compilations of clips, speeches, and music.

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” – Eric Thomas

I hope you enjoyed this list of the top 10 best motivational speakers in the world. Many of these speakers are featured within some of the videos we included in our new list of ultimate gym motivation . Take a look and see what you think.

Here’s a quick recap on the list of the best motivational speakers in the world::

• Eric Thomas
• Tony Robbins
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Dr. Wayne Dyer
• Robin Sharma
• Brian Tracy
• Nick Vujicic

Who’s your favorite of the 10 best motivational speakers? Do you still agree with the current order of this list? Leave a comment below.

The 10 Most Inspirational Short Stories I’ve Heard

Short Inspirational stories are powerful reads;

The great thing about them is that they’re so easy to digest, and there’s always a moral at the end of the story.

Whether they’re true stories or not is another thing, as many of them are legends supposedly hundreds of years old.

However, the stories that I’m talking about are so powerful and inspirational that many of them really do get you thinking and even leave you speechless at times.

The 10 Best Inspirational Short Stories

I’ve been reading plenty of these short stories in the past couple of weeks and found the lessons behind them truly wonderful. So I’ve decided to write out this article highlighting the 10 most inspirational short stories I’ve heard.

Next to the subheadings, in brackets, I’ve put what the story’s lesson is all about, with a short description of the moral of the story at the end of each section.

10. The Elephant Rope (Belief)

A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains.

All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of rope tied to one of their legs.

As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t try to at all.

Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.

The trainer replied;

“when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just wasn’t possible.

No matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.

9. Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

• Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
• Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.
• Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark;

“Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation throughout of the box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to pick from.

8. The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit . 

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

People’s words can have a big effect on other’s lives. Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference between life and death.

7. A Pound of Butter (Honesty)

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

The farmer replied;

“Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.”

In life, you get what you give. Don’t try and cheat others.

6. The Obstacle In Our Path (Opportunity)

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many people loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

A peasant then came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.

The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explaining that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Every obstacle we come across in life gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances , and whilst the lazy complain, the others are creating opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

5. The Butterfly (Struggles)

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.

Despite the kind heart of the man , he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.

Our struggles in life develop our strengths . Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others.

4. Control Your Temper (Anger)

There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.

On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.

The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased.

He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

Control your anger, and don’t say things to people in the heat of the moment, that you may later regret . Some things in life, you are unable to take back.

3. The Blind Girl (Change)

There was a blind girl who hated herself purely for the fact she was blind. The only person she didn’t hate was her loving boyfriend, as he was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry him.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her – now she could see everything , including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:

“Just take care of my eyes dear.”

When our circumstances change, so does our mind. Some people may not be able to see the way things were before, and might not be able to appreciate them . There are many things to take away from this story, not just one.

This is one of the inspirational short stories that left me speechless.

2. Puppies for Sale (Understanding)

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; 

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.  

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.”

The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said;

“I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

1. Box Full of Kisses (Love)

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”

The man became embarrassed by his overreaction earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box was empty. He yelled at her; “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried;

“Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child.

Her father kept the gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Love is the most precious gift in the world.

Summary of the 10 Best Inspirational Stories

Here’s a quick summary of the 10 best short inspirational stories:

• Box Full of Kisses (Love)
• Puppies for Sale (Understanding)
• The Blind Girl (Change)
• Control Your Temper (Anger)
• The Butterfly (Struggles)
• The Obstacle in Our Path (Opportunity)
• A Pound of Butter (Honesty)
• The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)
• Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)
• The Elephant Rope (Belief)

Thanks for reading these inspirational short stories. Some of them left me speechless for a minute or two, and it really does make us think.

If you know of any other inspirational short stories that you think should be featured on the list, then let me know in the comments below or drop me an email and I’ll feature them in part two later on in the year.

Which are your favorite inspirational short stories? Leave a comment below.

Latest posts.

Tyson Chandler Net Worth

Tyson Chandler overcame a difficult childhood to become a multi-millionaire and Olympic Gold Medalist.

Paul Millsap Net Worth

What is Paul Millsap’s net worth? Introduction  Paul Millsap is a former American professional NBA player who last played for...

Vince Carter Net Worth

What is Vince Carter’s net worth? Introduction  Vince Carter is a former American professional NBA player.  Carter is the only...

Josh Green Net Worth

Shooting guard Josh Green is a recent addition to the Dallas Mavericks, but he has already made himself indispensable.

Zach Randolph Net Worth

Zach Randolph earned millions as a professional basketball player, becoming incredibly wealthy as one of the best power forwards in...

Tim Duncan Net Worth

Tim Duncan became a multi-millionaire through his exceptional basketball skills, earning millions while playing in the NBA.

Chris Paul Net Worth

What is Chris Paul’s net worth? Introduction Chris Paul is an American professional NBA player for the Golden State Warriors....

Iman Shumpert Net Worth

What is Iman Shumpert’s net worth?  Introduction  Iman Shumpert is a former American professional NBA player who last played for...

David Robinson Net Worth

What is David Robinson’s net worth? Introduction  David Robinson is a former American professional NBA player who spent his entire...

Zion Williamson Net Worth

What is Zion Williamson’s net worth? Introduction  Zion Williamson is an American professional NBA player for the New Orleans Pelicans....

The 30 Richest People in the World

The 50 Richest Rappers in the World

The 50 Richest Singers in the World

The 50 Richest Actors in the World

The 50 Richest Athletes in the World

Jeff Bezos Net Worth

The 50 Richest DJs in the World

More From Forbes

10 biographies that will improve your leadership skills.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Leaders are born, but they are also built. You may think you have the makings of a strong leader, but that doesn’t mean you can be one. We all need training, advice and development. You need to learn from those who have come before you, and not be afraid to stand on shoulders – it’s much easier than learning everything the hard way.

As an avid reader, I find that getting inside the head of exceptional leaders is helpful – to see how they lived and learned, to explore their mindsets and how they approached business and relationships.  One of the ways I am able to achieve this is by reading compelling biographies -- here are ten I recommend that have been helpful to me in my journey of building 5WPR, a leading NY PR firm:

Steve Jobs  by Walter Isaacson

Maybe you’ve seen the movie, but trust me when I tell you the book is better. Get to know the revolutionary innovator, see what motivated him and discover the calculated risks he took. You'll discover what worked -- and what didn’t -- on his journey to revolutionizing the world where we live.

Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion   by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank

This book is about two unemployed guys who built Home Depot into a multibillion-dollar international operation. They turned every employee’s nightmare into a golden opportunity, creating one of the most recognized brands in business in the process.

Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft   by Paul Allen

Sure, we all know Bill Gates gets most of the recognition, but what can you learn about the "other guy" who helped change the world? Together, these men did the impossible, writing code most engineers believed could not be done. Ambitious and optimistic, Allen is a strong leader with much to teach those willing to learn.

Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way   by Richard Branson

There’s no doubt about it when the founder of Virgin is talking, leaders should be listening. Branson’s commitment to being better and delivering optimal customer service in every industry are hallmark themes in this book every entrepreneur can learn from.

Iacocca: An Autobiography   by Lee Iacocca and William Novak

This book reveals the story of Lee Iacocca, one of the most iconic, enigmatic and interesting CEOs of the 20 th century. The son of immigrants, Iacocca started his career at Ford, but a notorious clash with Henry Ford Jr. led to his departure, and a headline-making tenure at Chrysler, where he rebuilt the brand from the ground up.

Miracles Happen   by Mary Kay Ash

This the story of how network marketing pioneer Mary Kay Ash not only shattered the glass ceiling in business, but also showed women everywhere how to take charge of their lives and financial future. In this title, you'll explore the importance of achieving dreams and uncover the secrets of target marketing.

The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company   by David Packard

This title digs into how David Packard and Bill Hewlett met in college, started a tiny tech company literally in their garage, then innovated their way into becoming technology trendsetters. H and P’s management strategies are a crash course in successful marketing as well as a shining example of how to innovate and remain relevant in a market that never stops evolving.

Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton and John Huey

No matter how you feel about the brand, you cannot build this list without including the biography of Sam Walton, visionary founder of Walmart. Trace the journey of one of the world’s foremost retail stores from a minuscule Arkansas dime store to international big-box behemoth, and discover how Sam made it all happen.

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt   by T.J. Stiles

This pulls back the curtain to reveal the incredible life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. If you are looking for timeless business advice, look no further. No one did more to establish modern American capitalism. Vanderbilt also served as a harbinger of America’s “cult of personality” obsession with uber-rich corporate tycoons, a steady line that traces all the way into modern politics.

The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century   by Steven Watts

More than anyone else, Henry Ford laid the foundation for the American Century. His innovation of rudimentary assembly line science and further innovation in automotive manufacturing led not only to a “car in every driveway”, but also to a boom in American manufacturing and marketing. Everything that came later bears the fingerprints of the People’s Tycoon.

Reading these inspirational biographies is sure to set you (and your business) on the path to success.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

Hackensack, NJ 07601

Amenities and More

Ask the community.

Ask a question

Is it cash only?

Cash or debit card

Ls the hashery drive thru only?

nope! you can come inside!

Recommended Reviews

Nvidia is officially on top

Matt gaetz's sexual misconduct probe just got even more serious, the kansas city chiefs want millions in tax incentives so the team can switch states , fewer microsoft employees think they're getting a 'good deal,' internal survey shows, ex-trump official wants to restart us nuke testing, experts disagree, pay tv is in so much trouble that even its one bright spot is dimming, far-right blogger jim hoft used the gateway pundit's funds to buy a porsche and florida condo, this ceo training program is harder to get into than harvard, the 7 best portable air conditioners for staying cool during summer heat waves.

A lawyer dreamed of disrupting the legal industry with private equity. It turned into a nightmare.

Amazon's senior leaders apparently got a private Foo Fighters concert. Workers are furious.

The fastest-growing city in the US is a tiny place no one's ever heard of

Housing is now 'impossibly unaffordable' in these 4 cities — and they're all in the same state

Business Insider's most innovative CMOs of 2024

Inside the downfall of Henrik Fisker's second automotive startup, which just filed for bankruptcy

Wall Street’s biggest investment manager wants boomers to hold off on retirement

We take you inside the companies and the topics that matter to you.

Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview

By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email.

New Episodes This Week

I was born and raised in Honolulu. Here are 7 things I wish tourists knew before they visited Hawaii.

I tried Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop pizza, and it's actually … pretty good?

Melinda French Gates said she loves her new neighborhood, having moved from ex-husband Bill Gates' $183 million compound

Chipotle is selling 'Chipotle Boy' bowls aimed at vest-wearing finance bros

Southwest is under pressure to make big changes to its planes, flights, and bag rules: Here's what they could all look like

2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers, most popular.

• Main content

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

A strong dollar is great news for most of us — but not everybody is a winner

Strong dollar.

A strong dollar reinforces America's economic might and helps bring down inflation — but it also hurts exporters. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The American dollar has been soaring this year relative to most currencies in the world. That's providing a lot of benefits to Americans — but it's also creating a lot of pain.

The U.S. dollar conquered the world. Is it at risk of losing its top spot?

The strong dollar brings a number of advantages. It reinforces America’s economic dominance and it helps reduce inflation by making imports cheaper.

But a rising dollar doesn’t lift all boats. Some exporters have been hit as the stronger domestic currency makes them less competitive in overseas markets, while also creating economic headaches around the world.

Here are three things to know about the dollar – and its rally this year.

What's behind the strong dollar — and will it last?

A solid dollar signifies a strong economy. And the U.S. economy has proven relatively strong and stable, certainly compared to other countries that are growing more slowly.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies of major trading partners, is up nearly 4% this year despite falling in May and experiencing some volatility along the way.

For the dollar, the gains mark quite a comeback. The greenback had soared in 2022 to its highest in around two decades, but slipped a little last year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attending the G7 finance ministers meeting in Stresa, Italy, last month. A strong dollar reinforces America's economic power. Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Interest rates are playing a part too. The Federal Reserve continues to maintain relatively high interest rates compared to U.S trading partners, like Japan and Europe.

Higher interest rates traditionally push up a currency's value. One big reason is that they tend to attract more foreign investors into the country’s debt markets. For instance, a Japanese investor looking to buy U.S. government bonds would have to buy dollars to invest in this country.

And at the moment, the Fed appears in no hurry to start cutting interest rates after raising them to their highest level in more than two decades.

By contrast, other major economies have started lowering their interest rates. In fact, Canada cut its interest rate on Wednesday, becoming the first G7 nation to do so. The European Central Bank followed on Thursday by cutting key rates.

Many analysts expect the dollar to weaken later this year. Just how much will depend on how many rate cuts the Fed actually delivers.

A recent poll of market strategists conducted by Reuters predicts only a modest decline in the dollar.

So who benefits?

Simply put, almost everybody in the country.

A key benefit of a stronger dollar is that it lowers the cost of importing stuff. That’s a big deal for the U.S., a country that imports more than it exports.

And it’s not just the millions of shoppers buying cheap Chinese-made items from Walmart and Amazon. American companies benefit because they need to import things too, like raw materials or components, for manufacturing and production.

Lower import costs help to counter inflation. And that's especially helpful now when inflation remains one of the biggest challenges for the U.S. economy.

Containers arrive from Taiwan to the Port of Los Angeles on March 6, 2020. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

Although inflation has come down significantly since hitting a four-decade high in 2022, it’s still above the Fed’s 2% inflation target.

“If you ask any American what's bothering them the most about the economy it’s that they're paying more for all kinds of things, goods and services,” says Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “So the number one issue here is inflation. We've got to rein that in. And one way of doing that is to have a strong dollar.”

The strong dollar also benefits Americans traveling abroad, especially to countries that have seen their currencies weaken the most against the U.S. dollar.

Take Japan. The yen has fallen to a 30-plus-year low against the dollar. American visitors have flocked there to take advantage of the resulting low prices, according to Japan's tourism agency .

Not only is traveling abroad cheaper, it’s also allowing Americans to snag luxury handbags and clothing in places like Europe at much lower prices than in the U.S., as well as making fancy meals and upscale hotels more affordable.

Then there's the pride factor. A strong dollar reinforces the U.S.'s economic dominance as the world’s most important currency.

And who gets hurt?

The soaring U.S. dollar may provide big benefits to many Americans, but not everybody comes out a winner.

It can hurt domestic manufacturers.

Take Drew Greenblatt. He owns Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore, which exports products like baskets and racks to other countries.

Greenblatt says his company has “easily” lost more than $4 million a year in sales of exports because his products are not as competitive in markets overseas.

The strong dollar also means he can’t hire as many people as he would like.

“I could hire more unemployed Baltimore City people that are right now in poverty,” he says. “I could pull them up into the middle class if I had more orders.”

Drew Greenblatt runs Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore. His business is being hurt by the strong dollar. Drew Greenblatt hide caption

Drew Greenblatt runs Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore. His business is being hurt by the strong dollar.

Greenblatt is being hurt even more because he only uses American steel. Quantifying the exact impact of a strong dollar on American exporters is tough. Economists agree that manufacturers are suffering because of the strong dollar, but also note the sector is more resilient to currency pressures and high interest rates than in previous devastating periods like in the early 1980s.

"They're not booming, but they're holding their own," says Zandi of American manufacturers.

A manufacturer tried the 4-day workweek for 5 days' pay and won't go back

Other companies are able to offset the hit to their exports by paying less for importing materials or components they need for their production

American companies who manufacture abroad can also feel the sting. For multinational corporations, like Apple which have many overseas operations, the strong dollar can prove costly when converting local foreign currencies back into U.S. dollars.

Beyond hurting U.S. companies, the strong dollar can wreak havoc around the world.

While foreign countries can benefit from exporting goods more cheaply to the U.S., they pay a price because imports into their own countries become more expensive too.

Japan and South Korea, two major trading partners with the U.S., have expressed “serious concerns” about the depreciation in their currencies even if both nations are major exporters.

I flew to Japan with my baby. Here's the travel advice that helped me survive the trip

And then there are the emerging economies that have borrowed in U.S. dollars. They suffer as well. Paying back the interest on their debts becomes costlier since they need to buy more dollars to repay investors. Those dollars cost more when the greenback strengthens — and as the debt mounts so do the costs.

So the strong dollar may benefit many Americans, but when it comes to currencies, not everybody can come out a winner whether abroad or at home.

HSBC Said to Weigh Sale of French Life Insurance Business

• Unit could draw interest from local and international insurers
• Sale follows Cerberus’ purchase of retail banking network

HSBC Holdings Plc is considering a potential sale of its French life insurance business, about a year after handing over its local retail banking network to Cerberus Capital Management , people with knowledge of the matter said.

The UK lender is in the early stages of preparing to gauge interest in the business, which could draw interest from French and international insurers, the people said. A deal could value the unit at more than €500 million ($536 million), according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts

Abortion United Evangelicals and Republicans. Now That Alliance Is Fraying.

The southern baptist convention, long a bellwether for american evangelicalism, voted to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization..

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Ruth Graham

Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Sydney Harper ,  Stella Tan ,  Asthaa Chaturvedi and Rachelle Bonja

Edited by Marc Georges and Lisa Chow

Original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination of Protestant Christians in the United States, voted at an annual gathering last week to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization.

Ruth Graham, who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times, discusses the story behind the vote, the Republican scramble it prompted and what it could eventually mean for the rest of the country.

On today’s episode

Ruth Graham , who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times.

Background reading

How baptists and the Republican Party took different paths on I.V.F.

Here’s what to know about the vote .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Ruth Graham is a national reporter, based in Dallas, covering religion, faith and values for The Times. More about Ruth Graham

Advertisement

Famous Business Leaders

Famous founders.

.css-1ymvwpa{display:block;font-family:Ramillas,Ramillas-weightbold-roboto,Ramillas-weightbold-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-size:2rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1ymvwpa:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1ymvwpa{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:1.1;}} 5 Things You May Not Know About Elon Musk

.css-1qdlgov{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Gilroy-roboto,Gilroy-local,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#525252;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1qdlgov:hover{color:link-hover;}} Walt Disney

Colonel Harland Sanders

Richard Branson

.css-1dmjnw1{position:relative;}.css-1dmjnw1:before{content:"";position:absolute;} .css-13il6b0{display:block;font-family:Ramillas,Ramillas-weightbold-roboto,Ramillas-weightbold-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-size:2rem;font-weight:800;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13il6b0:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13il6b0{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:1.1;}} Is Walt Disney's Body Frozen? .css-ha23m7{position:relative;}.css-ha23m7:after{content:"";position:absolute;}

Rumor has it the animation legend was frozen after death so he could be reanimated in the future. Is it a myth? Read on for the truth about Disney's deep freeze.

Tech Titans

Mark Zuckerberg

Women of the C-Suite

Oprah Winfrey: All the Ways the First Black Female Billionaire Has Made History

Martha Stewart

Sheryl Sandberg

Katharine Graham

Maggie Lena Walker

Must-know business leaders.

.css-43q7z5{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Gilroy-roboto,Gilroy-local,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#ffffff;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-43q7z5:hover{color:link-hover;}} John D. Rockefeller

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Andrew Carnegie

J.P. Morgan

Colonel Tom Parker

Howard Hughes

Hugh Hefner

More famous business leaders.

The Truth About Walt Disney’s Frozen Head

Madam C.J. Walker

Enzo Ferrari

Get to Know Enzo Ferrari’s Sons, Piero and Dino

Suge Knight

Rupert Murdoch

Who Is Music Mogul Scooter Braun?

Ty Warner's Complicated Life Beyond Beanie Babies

Elizabeth Holmes

Martha Stewart Headlining 'SI' Swimsuit Issue

Who Is New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino?

Who Is Record-Breaking Sports Agent Nicole Lynn?

Who Was Cash App Founder Bob Lee?

Demi Moore on Full Frontal Nudity With Margaret Qualley in ‘The Substance’: ‘A Very Vulnerable Experience’ but I Had a ‘Great Partner Who I Felt Very Safe With’

Demi Moore ‘s new film, the feminist body horror “ The Substance ,” sees her bare it all, with several scenes featuring full nudity. At the Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film on Monday, the 61-year-old actor discussed the “vulnerable experience.”

“Going into it, it was really spelled out — the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story,” Moore said. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish.”

Related Stories

Summer movie season testing 3d cinema’s recoverability, ‘lessons in chemistry’: how lab coats, a piano melody and knitwear built brie larson’s character , popular on variety.

“I had someone who was a great partner who I felt very safe with. We obviously were quite close  — naked — and we also got a lot of levity in those moments at how absurd those certain situations were,” she said. “But ultimately. it’s just about really directing your communication and mutual trust.”

As the film progresses, Moore becomes horribly disfigured thanks to the abuse her other half Qualley is inflicting on her. By the film’s last act, she quite resembles Anjelica Huston from the 1990 film “The Witches,” after she transforms into a humpback abomination.

Dennis Quaid also stars in the film as an “asshole,” as he described his character during the presser. The late Ray Liotta was meant to have the role before his passing in May 2022, and Quaid dedicated his performance to him.

“In my heart, I dedicated this role to Ray Liotta, who was set to play it,” Quaid said. “It was this week, two years ago that he passed, so I’d like to remember him. He was such an incredible actor.”

Cannes went wild for “The Substance” at its premiere on Sunday night, giving the film an 11-minute standing ovation , the longest of the fest so far.

In an interview with Variety , the French director discussed the film’s feminist themes, saying that body horror is “the perfect vehicle to express the violence all these women’s issues are about.”

With an undercurrent of #MeToo at this year’s festival as the movement grows in France, Fargeat hopes the film will shine even more light on the issue. “It’s a little stone in the huge wall we still have to build regarding this issue, and to be honest, I hope my film will also be one of the stones of that wall. That’s really what I intended to do with it.”

More from Variety

From post-apocalyptic wastelands to underground silos: composers for ‘fallout,’ ‘silo’ and more sci-fi series on taking cues from otherworldly settings, luminate streaming ratings: ‘eric’ and ‘dancing for the devil’ lead as ‘bridgerton’ slightly subsides may 31-june 6, making a scene: ‘3 body problem’ cast and crew break down the ‘severance’ influence, epic ‘bugs’ reveal and what’s next for the series, how content spending will grow in the post-peak tv era, ‘fallout’ producer jonathan nolan wonders ‘where are all the original stories’ amid rise of tv adaptations, more from our brands, what is walmart plus everything to know about walmart’s membership club, millionaires are expected to leave the u.k. in droves this year: report, wnba team values: las vegas, seattle lead, average hits $96m, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, a knight of the seven kingdoms adds true detective, fargo actors to cast — plus: see first photo of dunk, verify it's you, please log in.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

This NYC vet makes house calls. In ‘Pets and the City,’ she’s penned a memoir full of tails

Dr. Amy Attas has spent the last 32 years traversing the streets of New York as a full-time pet house call doctor. The Associated Press recently spent the day with her. Here’s what we found out. (June 10)

Dr. Amy Attas, left, and licensed veterinary technician Jeanine Lunz, right, examine Puddy Beyer, a 19 year old male Domestic Short Haired cat as his human Wendy Beyer, center, looks on during a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

• Copy Link copied

Dr. Amy Attas, greets Puddy Beyer, a 19 year old male Domestic Short Haired cat, as she arrives for a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas, right, and licensed veterinary technician Jeanine Lunz, right, examine Cody Healey, an 8 year old male Maltese, during a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas, right, goes over Puddy Beyer, a 19 year old male Domestic Short Haired cat’s care with his human Wendy Beyer during a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas, left, and licensed veterinary technician Jeanine Lunz, center arrive at a clients apartment building, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas, right, and licensed veterinary technician Jeanine Lunz place cloth booties over their shoes before entering a clients apartment during a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas, left, talks with Lisa Healey about Cody Healey, an 8 year old male Maltese’s, symptoms during a house call, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas talks about the equipment she takes with her during house calls while in her office at City Pets, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Amy Attas displays the equipment she takes with her during house calls while in her office at City Pets, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Licensed veterinary technician Jeanine Lunz looks over medical supplies at the City Pets office before leaving for a house call with Dr. Amy Attas, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A cat riding in a checker cab is displayed Dr. Amy Attas’ desk in her office at City Pets, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A copy of “Pets and the City” by Dr. Amy Attas, and James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small” are displayed on a book shelf in Attas’ office at City Pets, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK (AP) — As a city kid, Amy Attas had big dreams of roaming the countryside, healing animals a la James Herriot’s classic “All Creatures Great and Small.”

How did it go? Well, the veterinarian made it from Queens to Manhattan, spending the last 32 years traversing the streets of her hometown as a full-time house call doc.

And, boy, does she have stories to tell, from escaping a massive, ailing and territory-threatened Rottweiler, fangs fully bared, to three weeks on intravenous antibiotics after a nasty bite from a cat patient.

A copy of “Pets and the City” by Dr. Amy Attas, and James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small” are displayed on a shelf in Attas’ office (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Then there’s the humans behaving badly (“No dog of mine will be neutered!”) and the pampered celebrity-owned pets, including the beloved dogs of the late Joan Rivers, whom Attas counted as a friend. Cher once bared all to show Attas a rash after she adopted a dog with mange, and Billy Joel serenaded her on piano.

“You’ll never guess what happened today,” was Attas’ nightly refrain to her husband. Now, she’s collected those tales into a juicy and compassionate memoir, “Pets and the City,” out June 18.

Woven among her stories are tips and advice for animal lovers. (Forget the Easter lilies, cat people.)

IN-HOME PET CARE IS NO LONGER A RARITY

The pug-loving Attas had no grand business plan for her City Pets practice when she first packed up supplies and began traveling by subway and taxi. She had just left a tony Upper East Side animal hospital and some of her clients, including Rivers, wanted to keep using her. She assumed the house calls would be temporary.

“When I started, it was a novelty,” Attas said. “From day one I was busy.”

She has more company now as concierge services in general have grown in popularity. Other vets around the country do it full time like Attas, while some maintain brick-and-mortar practices and provide home services for end-of-life care.

Attas, meanwhile, has graduated to a private car and driver. She starts her days at 8 a.m., accompanied by one or both of her nurses. She allowed The Associated Press to tag along on a recent afternoon.

“I initially thought my practice would be filled with people who had difficulty getting to the veterinarian and maybe older people who had pets, or people with physical disabilities,” she said. They do seek her out but, Attas said, “what I didn’t realize was how attractive it would be to all kinds of other pet owners.”

Meet Puddy, the beloved 19-year-old domestic short hair cat of artist Wendy Beyer. The arthritic black-and-white feline has high blood pressure and requires monthly checks. Beyer found Attas through an online search.

Attas greets Puddy Beyer, a 19-year-old cat (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

“It’s life-changing,” Beyer said of having Puddy cared for in the comfort of his own home, a cozy sun- and art-filled apartment in the Hudson Yards neighborhood. “He’s never liked being in a carrier. It’s so traumatic trying to get him in the carrier myself.”

Beyer also likes Attas’ no-pressure approach to her decision to let Puddy age naturally without heroic measures.

“I think it’s helping to extend his life. He’s a really relaxed chill kitty. He’s not being stressed out,” Beyer said.

Hop on over to Fifth Avenue for a check on Cody, an adorable, barky white Maltese who, at age 8, is a bundle of fun-loving energy. He’s at the center of Lisa Healey’s life.

Cody has itchy allergies and a heart murmur. Attas, who helped the Healeys bid farewell to a previous dog, regularly sees Cody in the couple’s spacious apartment.

“This is our child and we would do anything for our children, so it’s worth the cost. It’s worth every penny. I don’t even think about it,” Healey said.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE VET PRACTICE

House calls are a far different beast for vets than regular practices. There’s the travel, of course, no small thing in Manhattan. On a recent round, Attas and nurse Jeanine Lunz made use of their in-car time answering phone calls, working on scheduling and tending to the numerous other tasks most vets deal with when they have a few minutes between exams.

“It takes much longer than just waiting for a patient to come in and going from exam room to exam room in a hospital,” Attas said.

Attas and Lunz examine Cody Healey, an 8-year-old Maltese (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The cost of her transportation (she’s Manhattan-only) is included in the fee. She charges an additional fee for seeing multiple pets at once. It’s less than making more than one trip to a vet’s office or what other vets may charge for seeing more than one pet on the same day, she said. Attas restricts her practice to dogs and cats.

In all, Attas said her services can be about 30% more than brick-and-mortar practices. She doesn’t perform surgery, but she provides typical care, from vaccinations to blood and urine draws, relying on specialists for things like severe heart and eye issues. She uses animal hospitals when large equipment is needed or for acute emergencies when every second counts.

So far, Attas has seen more than 7,000 animals in her travels, including the pets of Joel, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Martin and Kevin Kline. At minimum, she or one of the two other vets in her practice visit 12 to 15 homes daily. Her personal best in terms of animals seen in a day is 23.

Attas and her human clients point to other advantages of house calls. Once clients are established, the humans don’t have to be home.

“Sometimes they have their doorman let us in. Sometimes their nanny or their housekeeper is at home. And many of our clients actually give us keys to their apartments,” Attas said.

HOUSE CALLS AREN’T JUST FOR THE RICH

Attas dispels the notion that her client list is solely filled with pets of the wealthy.

“I go to billionaires’ homes. I go to housing projects. I work with not-for-profits to help seniors continue to live with their pets,” she said. “Some of my favorite clients through the years were people who didn’t really have a lot, but what they cherished most were their pets.”

Attas never wants to be so busy that she loses the intimate value of home visits.

Attas and Lunz examine Puddy as his human Wendy Beyer looks on (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

“When you’re in the home, you’re experiencing how that pet lives,” she said. “I can’t even think of how many times I have been in someone’s home where I see something that is a complete danger for a pet.”

That includes potential killers like open windows with no screens, toxic plants and unsecured terraces. She ended one owner’s practice of serving up massive quantities of catnip after the cat went seriously loopy.

And she found an unlikely object inside a bull terrier that wasn’t coming out the way it went in: His human’s giant over-ear headphones. The human wondered where they had gone.

“We couldn’t figure out how he even consumed them,” Attas said.

Attas talks about the equipment she takes with her during house calls while in her office at City Pets (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

She keeps a keen eye on humans who sometimes need help themselves.

“I’ve seen seniors who have lost pets and lose their will to live. In one particular case that I talk about in the book, a lovely woman’s elderly dog passed away, and when I went to check on her a week later she was a fraction of the woman I had seen the week before,” Attas said.

Attas brought the grieving 90-year-old client a senior dog to adopt under the guise of fostering.

“She immediately had a reason to live again,” Attas said, “and took care of that dog until the day she passed away.”