10 must-read inspiring biographies of business leaders

New Delhi: Throughout history there have been men and women who have pursued their dreams and succeeded despite facing unimaginable amount of difficulty. Some of them are the owners of big businesses in the fields of technology, fashion, retail, real estate and more.Read on to find out how they did it and why they are an inspiration to everyone who holds a dream.Steve Jobs By Walter IsaacsonSteve Jobs(Simon & Schuster, 2011)By Walter IsaacsonSteve Jobs is the authorized biography of Steve Jobs. This is the insider story of an intensely creative and passionate entrepreneur whose vision revolutionized the digital world. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson tells a riveting story of a creative entrepreneur revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination whose investions have led America sustain its innovative edge. The book throws light on Jobs's awesome talents: driving great design, having an intuitive feel for people's desires, and browbeating the networks to break the user-unfriendly cable bundling model. His tale is instructive and filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.Inspirational Quote: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." -- Steve JobsLosing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way(Crown Business, 2011)By Richard BransonLosing My Virginity is the unusual and outrageous 600 page autobiography of businessman Richard Branson. In Losing My Virginity, Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, shares how his early experiences shaped his later business ventures. Perseverance, imagination and courage sustained his transformation. His family nurtured his independence and entrepreneurial spirit; however, many of his strengths were born out of struggles. In Losing My Virginity, Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, shares how his early experiences shaped his later business ventures. After being told that about not entering an already crowded field, Branson followed his gut, with his trademark slogan, “Oh, screw it. Let's do it.” From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), to retail (Virgin Megastores), and nearly a hundred others, ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none.Inspirational Quote: "Most 'necessary evils' are far more evil than necessary." --Richard BransonBuilt from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion(Crown Business, 1999)By Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, with Bob AndelmanBuilt 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. The book tells many stories with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise. It shows that that a company can be 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.Inspirational Quote: "You want a formula for success? Take two Jews who have just been fired, add an Irishman who just walked away from a bankruptcy and an Italian running a no-name investment banking firm." -- Bernie Marcus and Arthur BlankDelivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and PurposeDelivering Happiness by Tony Hseih(Business Plus Hachette Book Group, 2010)By Tony HsiehThe book depicts the widely-admired CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh's entrepreneurial spirit and explains how he created a corporate culture with a commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of its employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Hsieh uses anecdotes and stories from his own life experiences, and from other companies, to offer ways that companies can achieve unprecedented success. He details many of the unique practices at Zappos, such as their philosophy of allocating marketing money into the customer experience and the importance of Zappos's Core Values ("Deliver WOW through Service.Inspirational Quote: "We wanted to run our own business, and be in control of our own destiny. We had no idea where it would lead us, but wherever it was, we knew it had to be better than feeling bored and unfulfilled. We were ready for an adventure." -- Tony HsiehBy Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop(Penguin Group, 2012)By Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis WilsonThis book is the story of former acquaintances Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis, joining hands to build on their love of fashion and sample sales, they started Gilt Groupe, an online “flash sale” site. The Gilt Group is 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. By Invitation Only tells the story of Gilt, and how the Gilt team faced issues and used their creativities and leadership skills to build a unique company.Inspirational Quote: "On that first day we sensed something revolutionary was happening: people were genuinely excited about Gilt. We had created a website that could potentially change the rules of retail, for both shoppers and brands." -- Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis WilsonIdea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder of MicrosoftIdea Man by Paul Allen(Penguin Group, 2011)By Paul AllenThe Idea Man is a riveting read that tells about Paul Allen's account of setting up Microsoft with his schoolmate Bill Gates. It begins with Allen's high school buddy Bill Gates and charts their alpha-nerd friendship through Harvard disagreements, the co-founding of the world's largest software company, shouting matches, and Allen's resignation from Microsoft. It also details his sports franchise binge-buying and his extremely expensive fixations on Hollywood, and a high-speed cable idea called Wired World.Inspirational Quote: "Any crusade requires optimism and the ambition to aim high." -- Paul AllenWild Company: The Untold Story of Banana RepublicWild Company by Mel and Patricia Ziegler(Simon & Schuster, 2012)By Mel and Patricia ZieglerWith $1,500 and no business experience, Writer Mel Ziegler and his wife artist Patricia Ziegler turned a wild idea into an international retail colossus Banana Republic. Mel and Patricia Ziegler co-founded Banana Republic back in 1978. The company was bought by Gap in 1983 and now operates as a division, now with over 600 stores located internationally. They also co-founded The Republic of Tea and ZoZa.com. A soulful and inspiring tale, Wild Company tells the story of how the pair, armed with creativity and passion (but no business training), built an empire from military surplus clothing finds plucked from their travels to create Banana Republic.Inspirational Quote: "The only asset we had was our own oblivion. That would keep us blissfully ignorant of the bewildering and arbitrary impediments that would entangle us until we became so embroiled that quitting was no longer a possibility." -- Mel ZieglerStart Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie(Spiegel & Grau, 2011)By Blake MycoskieIn this book, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of founding TOMS, one of the fastest-growing young companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from such innovative organizations as Zappos, charity: water, FEED Projects, method, and TerraCycle, among others. Blake Mycoskie is also the person behind the idea of One for One, which has turned into a global movement. TOMS has given over two million pairs of new shoes to children in need since it began in 2006.Inspirational Quote: "You don't have to have a lot of money, a complicated business plan, or a great deal of experience to start something." -- Blake MycoskieShark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 Into a Billion Dollar Business(Penguin Group, 2011)By Barbara Corcoran with Bruce LittlefieldBefore becoming one of the Sharks on ABC's Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran held 22 jobs by the age of 23. It was number 23, a small real estate company that would eventually lead her to founding the Corcoran Group, a $6 billion dollar company. Combining lessons learned from her childhood in New Jersey among nine brothers and sisters with lessons from the cut throat world of New York real estate, Corcoran offers entrepreneurs valuable advice for starting their own business.Inspirational Quote: "The story of my billion-dollar business starts like this: I borrowed $1,000 from a friend." -- Barbara CorcoranThe Martha Rules by Martha StewartThe Martha Rules(Rodale, 2005)By Martha StewartThe Martha Rules consists of ten rules and a roadmap for entrepreneurs to create their own successful businesses. The book examines the importance of passion, quality, growth and taking risks.Inspirational Quote: "Build your business success around something that you love -- something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you." -- Martha Stewart.