Post: #1

Hi All,

Has anyone found or read good entrepeneur stories that they would like to recommend?

I've read Richard Branson's book, and it was interesting, but was as much about his life as his business persuits. Still very impressive, in every way. Dude was a player as well as a businessman.

I also read Felix Dennis' book, but it was more an advice book than the nitty-gritty of how he spotted oportunities and attacked them etc.

This was also extreme and epic: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/new...-20110316. Ballsy mofos.

Obviously I also know some more familar and recent examples.
Roosh (filled a demand for localized woman-chasing guides, developed from his travel persuits).
BoldAndDetermined (supplies a brand of 'masculine role-model', used a blog to sell this image and his 'discipline' and workout books, now earns good passive money).

I'd be interested in other 'smaller size' examples. Facebook and Google are epic in terms of their success, but I doubt they are relatable to the vast majority of successful businesses.

Also I'm looking for 'nitty gritty' examples. I.e. guys who explain how they tested the market, spotted oportunities, put them into action etc.

Any 'expat entrepeneur stories' specifically would be cool too, especially Asia.

Cheers!

Post: #2

Duncan Bannatyres (Dragons Den) autobiography is a good read. It tells of how he hustled the banks to get funding for his nursing home business.

Post: #3

The Millionaire Fastlane by DJ DeMarco is a good read. Recommended.

Post: #4

If you're interested in internet business, The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal is great.

Post: #5

Not a book, but any videos with good old Arnold Schwarzenegger is always an inspiration. The epitome of alpha and has one of the most unique stories of from rags to riches ever. Very smart guy too, you can find videos of Arnie teaching economics by Friedman. Was a successful businessman before he became an actor.

Post: #6

(10-21-2014 02:20 PM)Glider Wrote:  The Millionaire Fastlane by DJ DeMarco is a good read. Recommended.

Good forum as well. Lots of good information on there, especially if you subscribe.

Post: #7

(10-21-2014 02:20 PM)Glider Wrote:  The Millionaire Fastlane by DJ DeMarco is a good read. Recommended.

I found the Fastlane forum, and read reviews of the book, to be too 'rags to riches' focused, as though they are more concerned with the emotional response of the reader than the 'nuts and bolts' of the entrepeneurship bit. Yes a Lambo is good, and having no electricity is bad, but I just want to hear about the business bit Fastlane guys.

Post: #8

http://www.amazon.com/Losing-My-Virginit...8&sr=&qid=

Post: #9

Yes I mentioned it.
Dude was a player.

Post: #10

I will add Soichiro Honda:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soichiro_Honda

No biographies available in e-book form unfortunately.

Post: #11

Also Nick D'Aloisio, for being an 18yo baller:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_D%27Aloisio

But remember folks, the only real path to riches is to get good grades, go to university, work 9-5 Mon-Fri in an office, and save up for your retirement. This kid just had 'good luck'.

Post: #12

(10-22-2014 01:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

(10-21-2014 02:20 PM)Glider Wrote:  The Millionaire Fastlane by DJ DeMarco is a good read. Recommended.

I found the Fastlane forum, and read reviews of the book, to be too 'rags to riches' focused, as though they are more concerned with the emotional response of the reader than the 'nuts and bolts' of the entrepeneurship bit. Yes a Lambo is good, and having no electricity is bad, but I just want to hear about the business bit Fastlane guys.

Really?

There are some quality threads even in the free forums that break down business models step by step.

If you don't think some of those threads are amazing, then the only thing that would make you happy is if someone literally held your and hand basically did the business for you.

Post: #13

I'll check again, all the non-fluff seemed to be in the paid section last I looked.

Post: #14

(10-22-2014 10:41 PM)Darius Wrote:  

(10-22-2014 01:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

(10-21-2014 02:20 PM)Glider Wrote:  The Millionaire Fastlane by DJ DeMarco is a good read. Recommended.

I found the Fastlane forum, and read reviews of the book, to be too 'rags to riches' focused, as though they are more concerned with the emotional response of the reader than the 'nuts and bolts' of the entrepeneurship bit. Yes a Lambo is good, and having no electricity is bad, but I just want to hear about the business bit Fastlane guys.

Really?

There are some quality threads even in the free forums that break down business models step by step.

If you don't think some of those threads are amazing, then the only thing that would make you happy is if someone literally held your and hand basically did the business for you.

I haven't been to the Fastlane forum in a long time, but I agree.

There is some really solid information that you don't find anywhere else. I don't know if the forum has gone down in quality, but there used to be guys giving their journeys and AMA's really breaking it down - like a business version of what this forum does for travel and girls.

Check out Biophase's AMA on E-commerce. I learned huge amounts from that. I used to routinely read his whole post history, because he went from nothing to a dropshipper to a wholesaler and real niche leader. (I'm going to check when I have some free time where he's at now.)

If you can't gain something from that thread on business, I really don't know what to say.

Post: #15

OK revisited that forum. It has completely changed from what I remember it being, completely different layout. I'll look for Biophases thread.

Post: #16

(10-23-2014 04:27 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  OK revisited that forum. It has completely changed from what I remember it being, completely different layout. I'll look for Biophases thread.

A majority of the threads are definitely fluff. In addition to the one's Kitsune mentioned, most of the Gold threads are good.

You might also want to consider joining the subscriber forums for a month to go through some of the threads in it. You aren't going to get that kind of information for $15 anywhere else.

Post: #17

Masayoshi Son.
Current richest man in Japan and notable for 'having lost the most money of any man ever' (2000 tech bubble). I think this man is a great case study in success, and I'll be studying him more.

Fantastic 1992 interview with him (text):
https://hbr.org/1992/01/japanese-style-e...ayoshi-son

Post: #18

-

Brits get Rich in China - documents 3 British entrepreneurs all in China to attempt to make a fortune. Hilarity ensues.







Bloomberg Game Changers - Jeff Bezos - Founder of Amazon







Bloomberg Game Changers - Warren Buffett






You can find the rest of the Bloomberg Game Changers videos here.





--

Post: #19

Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, has a really inspiring book that's a quick read. Anything You Want I believe is the name.

Post: #20

Not sure how wide you want to cast your net in your search, but...



I grew up hearing tons of stories about this legend in Korea and was extremely impressed by how thorough and insightful the biography on him was.

The publisher's description of the book:

Quote:Made in Korea recounts the story of how Chung Ju Yung rose from poverty to build one of the world's largest and most successful building empires - Hyundai - through a combination of creative thinking, tenacity, timing, political skills, and a business strategy that few competitors ever understood. Chung entered the shipbuilding business with no experience and went on to create the world's largest shipyard. He began making automobiles when foreign experts unanimously predicted he would fail, and he started a global construction company that has built some of today's greatest architectural wonders. He even convinced the International Olympic Committee to select South Korea over Japan as the site for the highly successful 1988 Olympics. Unlike most CEO's of major firms, Chung has always preferred the company of his workers to that of the global executive elite. Hard work, creativity and a capacity to never give up - this is the essence of Chung's life. In each of his ventures, he exhibited a sheer determination to succeed, regardless of the obstacles, and he worked tirelessly to instil this drive in all of his employees. Even today, in the midst of Korea's worst economic crisis in over four decades, Chung's company is busy implementing plans to emerge as an even stronger contender in the world economy. Illustrated with 32 pages of colour photographs not previously seen in the West, including photos of Chung's recent historic visit to North Korea in 1998, Made in Korea takes stock of Chung's entire life, highlighting both his contributions to society and the lessons his work can teach to aspiring

His creativity was truly staggering.

Everybody already knows the stories of the Richard Bransons and Mark Cubans of the world. But there are tons of examples of equally impressive hustlers from non-Anglo countries out there too.

Post: #21

^This sounds good if the biography is detailed. I'll check it out. Yes, business is universal, so any winner from any walk of life is worth reading about.
Edit: wow, most expensive kindle book I've seen yet.

Post: #22

"Meet Me at the Top" by Sarina Russo (business autobiography). Net worth in 2008 was $100M. Starting worth was nil.

Decent read. She goes into sufficient detail, both in the timeline of her business, and in her business systems and methods, to make this an insightful book. Not much fluff - just the random chapters about the 9/11 attacks and her getting to dine with Bill Clinton. Book gets right into it and doesn't drag (as long as you skip those two chapters).


Also I'd like to review 'Made in Korea', the supposed biography of Chung Ju Yung. I felt that only about 20% of this book was actually about Chung Ju Yung, which is disappointing because the guy was a huge man (worth $6B in 1997, started out working for his father in subsistence farming). The rest involved a lot of talk about Korean history, politics, and economics. I would have liked to have seen a lot more details about his day to day activities, how he organized his businesses (especially pertaining to how he was able to manoeuvre so fast), how he hustled deals etc. This is more of a history book than a biography.

Post: #23

Anyone Can Do It: Building Coffee Republic from Our Kitchen Table - 57 Real Life Laws on Entrepreneurship. Good case study.

Post: #24

'Contemporary Entrepreneurs' by Aronoff & Ward.

Exactly what I was looking for. A 480 page book containing 74 entrepreneur 'story briefs'. Naturally, there is a 'success selection bias'. The holy grail would be a book including an equal number of failed entrepreneurs and their stories - but they are much harder to find. But this book is good nonetheless.

Post: #25

Rashmi Bansal's "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" packs 25 entrepreneurial stories into one book. They're not all fairytale rags-to-riches stories, but they're much more true to life than the hyper-romanticized Facebook/Apple/etc stories.

It was really well done, rec'd if the description piques your interest.