LEADERSHIP :
5 Inspiring biographies of business leaders
Starting a business from the ground up can be at times lonely, stressful and all-consuming. Take a break and read the advice from successful entrepreneurs who’ve mastered the fields of technology, fashion, retail and more. These men and women have been in your shoes and lived to tell the tale.
Read on to find inspiration in their trials and triumphs.
Steve Jobs
What began in Steve Jobs’ parents’ garage in the 1970s laid the groundwork for revolutionary innovation in technology. From personal computers to animated films, how we listen to and purchase music, use our phones and even read books, Jobs left his indelible print on how we communicate, entertain and live.
Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs himself and hundreds more with those who knew him, this no-limits, warts-and-all biography sheds light on a complicated man and his vision for how technology could be.
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
Don’t be intimidated by the more than 600 pages in this entertaining autobiography. In Losing My Virginity, Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, shares how his early experiences shaped his later business ventures. When he met with “experts” who advised he not enter an already crowded field, Branson followed his gut, with his trademark slogan, “Oh, screw it. Let’s do it.”
Part memoir, part business guide for entrepreneurs, Branson’s belief that customer service reigns supreme is a theme throughout his businesses, from airlines to mobile and beyond.
Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder of Microsoft
In 1974 at 21 years old, Paul Allen teamed up with childhood friend Bill Gates to create programming language for the first personal computer.
They worked together since their teens on professional programming jobs, but believed they were the ones who could write the code that, at the time, engineers didn’t believe was possible.
The famously private Allen opens up about the founding of Microsoft, as well as his adventures after he stepped down from the company he helped create (advances in space travel and brain mapping, to name a few).
Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic
When Mel and Patricia Ziegler met (in the newsroom of the San Francisco Chronicle) they wanted to travel the world, but as a young writer and artist they lacked the money or means to do so.
Wild Company tells the story of how the pair, armed with creativity and passion (but no business training), built an empire from military surplus clothing finds plucked from their travels to create Banana Republic.
By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop
Fashionistas, rejoice! The co-founders of Gilt Group, the first invite-only online trunk show brought excitement to thousands of savvy shoppers and brought the thrill of a daily sample sale to the masses when it started in 2007. What began as a friendship at Harvard Business School over a shared love of fashion blossomed into a business reportedly valued at over $1 billion. With chapters ranging from how to hire an effective team to dealing with the recession, By Invitation Only shares the inspiring true story of one of the most successful startups of the past decade.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Steve Jobs Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Apple Inc To be successful, you have to be out there. You have to hit the ground running and if you have a good team around you, and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen. But you certainly can’t guarantee it just by following someone else’s formula. Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Companies I grew up around books. When I first held the book and it was a substantive, tangible thing, and I thought of all the work that went into it, not just my work but everybody else’s and the research and so forth, there’s a sense of really have done something worthwhile. Paul Allen The only asset we had was our own oblivion. That would keep us blissfully ignorant of the bewildering and arbitrary impediments that would entangle us until we became so embroiled that quitting was no longer a possibility. Mel Ziegler On that first day we sensed something revolutionary was happening: people were genuinely excited about Gilt. We had created a website that could potentially change the rules of retail, for both shoppers and brands. Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson