7 notable business biographies you must read

Published in 2013, written by journalist Brad Stone, the Evertything Store talks about Jeff Bozos, the Amazon founder and the age of Amazon. The book documents the rise of Amazon in the 1990s, its decline during the dot-com bust, and its subsequent revival. It also focuses on its inventions like Amazon Prime, the Kindle and Amazon Web Services. The book recounts the childhood and early years of Jeff Bezos, including his career on Wall Street. It talks about how Jeff Bezos stands out for his relentless pursuit of new markets, leading Amazon into risky new ventures like the Kindle and cloud computing, and transforming retail in the same way that Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing. It was the winner of the 2013 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.

Published in 2004, written by Ron Chernow, Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist, said Goodreads, in its review. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers.

Written by Frank Miller, in this frank memoir, Miller reveals a rarely seen side of American management. He recounts the inside story of the many turnaround jobs that have led to his reuttion as Mr Fix It. Miller futher paints an picture of his relationship with his wife of forty years Maggie Miller, with whom he shares the credit for his success. Described as his 'mentor and tormentor', Miller said that Maggie served as his most trusted adviser and kept him focused on what truly matters till her demise from brain cancer in 2006.

Published in 2006, Let My People Go Surfing, is a tale of Yvon Chouinard, a renowned businessman, and founder of Patagonia. He shares secrets gone into the making of one of the most respected companies on Earth. The environmentalist shares his journey as the son of a blacksmith to his legendary climbing expeditions. Let My People Go Surfing is a story of how a son of a French Canadian inspired innovative sports equipment designs by bringing his grand adventures into the heart of his business along with persistence and courage. The book will guide and touch the new up-and-coming entrepreneurs and outdoor aficionados like him.

Walt Disney is the complete story of a legend whose work left an enduring mark in the history of television and cinema, but whose life has always been shrouded in mystery. Neal Gabler spent seven years in meticulous research and became the first writer to be given complete and uninterrupted access to the archives of Disney. Gabler takes us deep inside the life of Walt Disney, the visionary who changed the landscape of animated cinema and transformed it into an art that depicted the illusion of life. However, despite the worldwide success, Walt was inundated with financial troubles and often suffered nervous breakdowns. Gabler also sheds light on the accusations around Disney being a red-baiter, and a disillusioned alcoholic.

Published in 2013, the book revolves around the life of Samuel Zemurray, who went from being a penniless young guy to the being the richest and the most powerful man in the world. From working as a roadside fruit peddler to dominating the United Fruit Company, he became a classic example of both the best and worst of the United States, showing that America, although, is full of opportunities, was also a corporate pirate who treated foreign nations as the milieu of escapades. He started off with a cart of bananas and built a ranging empire of bananas, mercenary soldiers, CIA Agents, and American Statesmen. The 'Banana Man' lived an immense but dishonorable life which has been brilliantly depicted in Rich Cohen’s The Fish That Ate the Whale unveils Zemurray, which takes us deep into the life of a man driven by an unbeatable will to succeed.

After just being fired, a friend told Bernie and Arthur that they’ve been hit with a jackpot. They thought it was crazy, but little did they know, that now they have the opportunity to create the store that would ignite a consumer revolution through low pricing and exceptional and extremely efficient customer service along with a wide range of availability of products. The book is about how the duo, along with their team, built a business from scratch. It started off with nothing to a total of 761 stores and over 30 billion dollars in sales in merely two decades. Built from scratch is a great lesson and advice for people in business and entering start-ups and shows the reality that a company can be growth-oriented and yet maintain a high sense of responsibility to its customer base and community.