Business Leaders: Biographies every entrepreneur should read
More than TV shows and movies, books can be a greater source of inspiration for entrepreneurs wanting to succeed.
In addition to strategy or management books, reading a biography of someone’s life can be better for your career; after all, they are successful in their field. Also, many leaders are passionate readers, from Steve Jobs to Elon Musk, and they recommend the activity to everyone.
Below we give you a list of biographies of business leaders that are a must-read.
“Steve Jobs” – Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is the former chairman of CNN and managing editor of Time and got access to Steve Jobs’ life and history. Before the Apple founder’s death, Walter got a chance to conduct almost 40 interviews with him over a span of two years. He also got a chance to interview Steve Jobs’ family, friends and relatives to get an overall picture of the legend.
“Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike” - Phil Knight
In his memoir, Phil Knight tells the readers about his entrepreneurial journey, from selling low-cost imported shoes to establishing a billion-dollar company. Read about his setbacks, risks, competitors, vision and relationships, everything that contributed to the success of him and his company.
“The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon” – Brad Stone
A tech journalist, Brad Stone’s book explores the drive and thinking that led to the rise of Jeff Bezos and Amazon. The e-commerce giant started by delivering books, but the founder was not content with it. From there started a journey of taking risky bets like cloud computing to become an “everything store”- as Bezos visualized it.
“Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead” – Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and Fortune Magazine’s one of the Most Powerful Women in Business, uses her own work experience with big companies to tell her woman readers what they can do to help themselves in a male-dominated world. She urges her readers to make smaller changes in their respective lives, which will have a universal influence.
“Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days” – Jessica Livingston
If you prefer to read shorter stories, then pick up a copy of Jessica Livingston’s book. Her book explores the stories of the founders of some of the famous technology companies, including Hotmail, Flickr, PayPal and more. Readers get a chance to learn everything about these leaders and their companies, from investors and discoveries to risks and failures.
