Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time [Paperback]

Daniel Gross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 1997 | Series: Forbes

What do Bill Gates, Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan, Mary Kay Ash, and Walt Disney all have in common? Uncompromising vision, a willingness to take risks, and exceptional business acumen. Not only did these individuals amass great fortunes, they revolutionized the business world and helped shape society as we know it. Theirs are just a few of the stories collected in this anthology of commercial ingenuity.

Drawing on a wealth of sources, this priceless collection brings to life extraordinary achievements, many of them forgotten or little known: how Robert Morris, the preeminent merchant of the eighteenth century, financed the American Revolution with his personal credit; how Ray Kroc used a shrewd real estate strategy to turn a faltering hamburger franchise operation into the McDonald's fast food empire; and how Mary Kay Ash built a billion-dollar direct sales cosmetics company by preaching a message of economic empowerment to women.

Enlightening and fascinating, Forbes(r) Greatest Business Stories of All Time celebrates larger-than-life ambition, inspired leadership, wheeling and dealing, and hard work.

Forbes is a registered trademark of Forbes Inc. Its use is pursuant to a license agreement with Forbes Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Historian and journalist Daniel Gross has produced a collection of profiles of corporate high-achievers that is exceptionally informative, extremely entertaining, and endlessly inspiring. In Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time, Gross examines 20 pioneering risk-takers who refused to compromise and were ultimately rewarded for their efforts. From the richest man in America during Revolutionary times (Robert Morris) to its richest man today (Bill Gates), the book tracks industrialists, corporate kings, financiers, and visionaries, including J. P. Morgan, Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, and Mary Kay Ash in a manner that shows why all are worth studying.

From the Publisher

Insightful stories of 20 entrepreneurs and how they changed the way we live and do business. The editors of Forbes magazine have gathered the stories every educated business professional needs to read. Each story features a business personality as well as a corporation, and is packed with drama, excitement, wisdom and success secrets. The book as a whole is an insightful history, illuminating our current condition by explaining the forces behind it. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471196533
• ISBN-13: 978-0471196532
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written stories on people who have inspired the Future July 19, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

A great book about the people who made a real difference in shaping the present that we live in and influencing the future as it will become.

From Robert Morris to Bill Gates; the books takes you on a promonade into their kingdoms. Explaining to the reader many valuable information about each "tycoon's" personality, enterprise, industry, and the general business environment in his particular era.

I personally enjoyed the chapters on David Ogilvy, Ray Croc, Sam Walton, Walt Disney, Joseph Wilson, Henry Ford and Harley Davidson.

The book portrays many successful personalities and companies that will be of interest to people in varying specializations within Business.

An enjoyable read and a good reference.

Also read "Lessons from the Top" and "Radical Marketing"

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Summaries May 10, 2000

By Leng Ho Keat

Format:Paperback

I found the stories in the book very interesting. They covered a a wide spectrum of industries and spanned over a long time frame. The stories clearly illustrated the most important business figures of the particular time and industry.

However, I thought the stories were lacking in detail to make it truly a great read. After reading the book, I felt that I was introduced to the great figures in business. But to know them better, I have to read another book.

For example, I knew something about Henry Ford before reading the book. In the story about Henry Ford, I found it superficial. However, in other stories that I was not familiar with the protagonist, like McGowan, I found the story illuminating. I never knew the telecommunications business could be so interesting.

As such, I recommend this book to people who wants to know some of the greatest people in business. But to those who want to find out about the secrets to their success, the answer will lie in other more detailed books.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars They Really Are January 11, 2000

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Each chapter offers a profile of a major contributor to the evolution of American business history, beginning with one of my ancestors, Robert Morris (America's "first real businessman"), and concluding with Bill Gates ("Microsoft's cofounder and guiding spirit"). In between, Gross and his associates also examine other great leaders such as McCormick, Rockefeller, Morgan, Ford, Merrill, Sarnoff, Disney, Johnson, Ogilvy, Kroc, Wilson, Ash, Walton, and McGowan as well as major corporations such as American Express, Intel, Harley-Davidson, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The reader is told, "This book is about heroes" and it really is.

Using the most effective strategies and devices of a storyteller, the authors examine biographical information within an historical context, sustaining interest with anecdotes while providing insights as to the causes and effects of each subject's accomplishments. For Morris, essentially the economic survival of thirteen colonies during their struggle for independence. For McCormick, the industrialization of agriculture. For Rockefeller, the creation and development of the modern corporation. For Morgan, saving a nation's financial system. For Ford, mass-producing affordable personal transportation. For Merrill, broadening the base of stock ownership to include those, among others, for whom the Ford Motor Company manufactured automobiles. Each of the other "heroes" discussed made equally important contributions.

A brief review such as this can only suggest (albeit inadequately) the wealth of information to be found in Greatest Business Stories of All Time. The prose has snap, crackle, and pop. The focus is crystal clear. The lessons to be learned from the careers examined are of incalculable value.... Although this book will be of interest to almost anyone, it will have special importance for school, college, and university students who may sometimes wonder if there are any "secrets to success." The answer is yes. The specifics are to be found in the lives of those who are discussed in Greatest Business Stories of All Time. Read more ›

30 of 38 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars This will BORE you to death! September 5, 2004

By Vince E.

Format:Paperback

Im a regular reader of Forbes Magazine, and theres nothing i love more then reading about inspirational stories of entrepreneurs, businessmen, tycoons etc so i picked up this book thinking its by "Forbes" so it must have some great stories. I also rely on Amazon.com reviews for my purchases, so everything i say is from the bottom of my heart...

But im sorry you would not believe how BORING this Book actually turned out to be. The writing style of Daniel Gross, is well "Grossly Boring", Unispirational, unmoving and generally a waste of your money and time.

As far as im concerned:

This Book will NOT inspire you, It will not motivate you, it wont even make you appreciate the Great accomplishments of the very people it writes about.

It is a diservice to the personalities it talks about, and is a diservice to Forbes. Very disapointed, im just hoping to flog it for whatever i can get.

Finally i would advise anyone who is genuinely interested in the personalities this Book writes about to do a GOOGLE search and read about them from there, because you will probably learn and appreciate more that way.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An index for further reads... March 11, 2004

By Mr Tony Gets

Format:Paperback

The distinct brown box arrived and I tore open the packaging! I had eagerly awaited the arrival of this book and I wasted no time in diving into the pages.
I started typing an illustrative review of what I thought about each "chapter", but I think that I will cut away the fluff and just let you know what I thought.

Out of the 20 businesses that the book profiles, I thought that on the most part 13 of them were just plain boring. I tried to read the book in one shot but found myself falling asleep as I trudged through the pages. A better way to read the book, I discovered, was to read it chapter by chapter, on different days and at different times.

You will gain insights into the different companies, which will enable you to appear insightful when participating in conversations, unfortunately your knowledge will be rather skin deep as the book does not probe very far beneath the surface.

The book enabled me to sort through the stories, pick the best ones, and now I will go out and buy other books which are about those companies or people that interested me, (such as David Ogilvy). I also found that the book made great use of language and I was always equipped with a pen, writing down and looking up numerous words.