Business biographies.

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Rowley Birkin

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Monday 29th June 2015
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It's holiday time again and I need some reading for the beach. I quite enjoy reading the biographies of successful people (business usually) - has anyone read a good one lately that they could recommend?


Dick Dastardly

8,319 posts

270 months

Wednesday 8th July 2015
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Not recently but about 15 years ago I read Titan about John D Rockerfeller. It's a big old book but I enjoyed it a lot.

Bluedot

3,664 posts

114 months

Tuesday 14th July 2015
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Richard Branson's is a good one, talks about his scrapes with the law as well as how close he came to losing it all until Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells came along.
Alan Sugar's is ok but a bit hard going (it's a big old book!), comes across as a bit cocky (probably entitled to given what he's done!) as though nothing he ever did didn't work (except for Spurs maybe...)
Duncan Bannatyne's is also ok, although also comes over as a bit cocky.
Wolf Of Wall Street is up there as one of my personal favourites, the follow up not quite so good and a bit drawn out.
If I think of any others I'll post them up


Edited by Bluedot on Tuesday 14th July 14:34

droopsnoot

12,661 posts

249 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
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Does "Wolf of Wall Street" actually count as a business biography?

I've read a few older ones, "Maverick" by Ricardo Semler was quite readable but maybe not that relevant, also I read one about the start of Dell that was good but maybe a little specific. "Piloting Palm" was fairly interesting, as was "Boo Hoo", but again not really general business.

schmunk

4,399 posts

132 months

Thursday 16th July 2015
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Two I've read and enjoyed:

Lee Iacocca (Created the Ford Mustang, then saved Chrysler): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iacocca-An-Autobiography-L...

Ray Kroc (Turned McDonalds from one restaurant into an empire): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grinding-Out-McDonalds-Ray...

(other booksellers are available)