13 Best Business Biographies That Will Show You the Struggles of World’s Biggest Entrepreneurs

Most recommended by leaders

The books from this collection and the Biographies & Memoirs category that the most leaders on The CEO Library recommend (two or more), ranked by the number of distinct recommenders.

1. 1. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance 25 recommenders

   Elon Musk is a man after my own heart: a risk taker undaunted by setbacks and ever driven to ensure a bright future for humanity. Ashlee Vance's stellar biography captures Musk's remarkable life story and irrepressible spirit.

2. 2. Man’s Search for Meaning – The Classic Tribute to Hope from the Holocaust by Viktor E. Frankl 24 recommenders

   Man’s Search for Meaning is part holocaust first-person account, part exposition of “logotherapy”, and combined completely profound. Humans can endure the most gruesome treatment if they have something to live for. And they can die from the most pampered existence once there’s nothing to live for. It’s exceedingly well written, and wonderfully short. The author wrote it in 9 days, and yet it’s probably the best book on the philosophy of life that I’ve read outside of the Stoic classics. Very highly recommended.

3. 3. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight 20 recommenders

   As a general rule, most new memoirs are mediocre and most business memoirs are even worse. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is an exception to that rule in every way and as a result, was one of my favorite books of the year and favorite business books ever. I started reading it while on the runway of a flight and figured I’d read a few pages before opening my laptop and working. Instead, my laptop stayed in my bag during the flight and I read almost the entire book in one extended sitting. Ostensibly the memoir of the founder of Nike, it’s really the story of a lost kid trying to find meaning in his life and it ends with him creating a multi-billion dollar company that changes sports forever. I’m not sure if Knight used a ghostwriter (the acknowledgements are unclear) but his personal touches are all over the book—and the book itself is deeply personal and authentic. The afterward is an incredibly moving reflection of a man looking back on his life. I loved this book. It ends just as Nike is starting to turn into the behemoth it would become, so I hold out hope that there may be more books to follow.

4. 4. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson 17 recommenders

   It’s unusual for modern biographies to be this good. It’s especially unusually for the subject of the biography to approach the biographer in the way that Steve Jobs did (thinking that he was the intellectual heir of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein). But despite those two things, this bio is and will likely forever be a classic. It shows Jobs at his best–determined, creative, prophetic–and at his worst–petty, selfish, tyrannical and vicious. You can learn just as much about what kind of leader you probably don’t want to be from this book as you can from anything else. That’s what is so strange about Jobs and this biography. You read it and you’re blown away and impressed but I think very few of us think: yeah, I want to be that guy. I want to treat my kids that way, I want to be obsessed with trivial design things that way, I want to hate that way, and so on. You admire him but you also see him as a tragic figure. That’s how you know that Isaacson did an amazing job with this book. TC mark

5. 5. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace 12 recommenders

   No matter your circumstances, storytelling and creativity are two 'meta-skills' that can take your business and life to the next level. Ed is a master.

6. 6. Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson 11 recommenders

   Richard Branson, another guy with his second bio came out just recently, sort of like the part II of his life, the next 20 years. I grabbed that because his bio… I should actually go back and answer your first and second question about biggest impact and “Losing My Virginity” by Richard Branson was a huge one back in the late 90s for me, more about big thinking. The guy is crazy and I would never even consider replicating his lifestyle or life choices, but in terms of big thinking business, he doesn’t go small, he goes big with everything he does so I love to read his stories. And he can get into multiple industries, he can get into planes, he can get into health clubs, he can get into music, he gets into space. He doesn’t do anything by ___________ so I really enjoyed his second (part II) biography which I think is called “Finding My Virginity”. Great audiobook! Richard read it out too so a lot of fun.

7. 7. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone 10 recommenders

   I read 1 year ago The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone and I had just started my own business. Most books you read about American entrepreneurs are so inspirational and it makes it seen so easy to work for a startup. This book shows you however the flaws of the leader, the leader and the business's weak moments, the principles of frugality, the way he celebrated his team but also split with some of them, the tough decisions. Some of these really inspired me on how to move further and I got some nice and highly applicable ideas from the book.

8. 8. Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change by Beth Comstock and Tahl Raz 9 recommenders

   This book is full of wisdom about how to thrive in a bureaucracy—and then transform it into an innovation machine. Beth Comstock is one of the most effective and admired executives of our time, and she tells the engrossing inside story of how she rose to the upper echelons of GE and spearheaded a sea of change.

9. 9. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman 9 recommenders

   Paints a picture of a very brilliant problem solver and merry prankster who was a polymath, taught himself how to play the bongos, used to paint in strip clubs. You've got to love this guy! And it's a hilarious book but it also shows you how good he was at testing assumptions and questioning dogma. Even in the face of embarrassment or criticism.

10. 10. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King 7 recommenders

    I read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side).

11. 11. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi 7 recommenders

    I’d heard so many good things about the book that I had to give it a read, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I’m typing this in a haze because I was up until 4am last night finishing it. It’s really good.

12. 12. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 6 recommenders

    I read books for fun. It just so happens that they often are also insightful, but I would not say any specific book had a huge influence on me. Some biographies like Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow are inspiring, but it’s not as though they changed my career path. I knew I wanted to be an Internet entrepreneur from a very young age.

13. 13. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin 6 recommenders

    I loved Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and highly recommend this one too.

14. 14. This Is Not a T-Shirt: A Brand, a Culture, a Community–a Life in Streetwear by Bobby Hundreds 6 recommenders

    Simply put, Bobby Hundreds is a social beast. He knows how to tell a story, where to tell that story, and he's great at bringing people together. He's also crazy dedicated to his work and has the laser-focused attention to detail needed to not only build an everlasting globally relevant brand, but any successful business.

15. 15. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr. by Ron Chernow 6 recommenders

    A biography has to be really good to make read you all 800 pages. To me, this was one of those books. Since reading it earlier this year, I’ve since found out it is the favorite book of a lot of people I respect. I think something about the quality of the writing and the empathic understanding of the writer that the main lessons you would take away from someone like Rockefeller would not be business, but life lessons. In fact, when I went back through and took notes on this book, I filled out more cards for Stoicism than I did for Strategy, Business or Money. I found Rockefeller to be strangely stoic, incredibly resilient and, despite his reputation as a robber baron, humble and compassionate. Most people get WORSE as they get successful, many more get worse as they age. Rockefeller did neither of these things, he grew more open-minded the older he became, more generous, more pious, more dedicated to making a difference. Does that excuse the “awful” things that he did? Well, the things he did really weren’t that awful so yes. (By that I mean I’d certainly choose him over the robber barons of this age like Zuckerberg or Murdoch.)

16. 16. Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton 5 recommenders

    I love to read biographies and stories of companies. Hatching Twitter is a really good book, and if you’re into that sort of books, bios of Steve Jobs (by Isaacsons) or Jeff Bezos are great too.

17. 17. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson 5 recommenders

    Truly excellent book about one of history’s all time greats.

18. 18. The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer 5 recommenders

    I loved reading Jenna's honest and sincere appraisal of the actualities of breaking into, finding one’s way, and then thriving in this business. I hope it is given out as a guidebook of sorts to any young actor when they land at LAX.

19. 19. The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions . . . and Created Plenty of Controversy by Leigh Gallaher 5 recommenders

    Leigh Gallagher has written a compelling history of Airbnb’s journey from a crazy, it-will-never-work idea to becoming a totally disruptive force.

20. 20. Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World by Scott Harrison 5 recommenders

    This book does for the soul what water does for a parched throat. Scott Harrison shares his extraordinary transformation from party animal into the visionary leader of one of the world’s most creative and crucial charities. His story will inspire you to think bigger, feel deeper, and give more.

21. 21. Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office by Bill McDermott 5 recommenders

    Bill McDermott's story shows how to grow a business as well as a career with authenticity and respect. A heartfelt read, there is much to learn from Bill's journey.

22. 22. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman 4 recommenders

    A powerful tribute to the ways innovation and disruptive thinking stem from a common trait: curiosity. Because the little girl who asks ‘Why is the sky blue?’ becomes the woman who can change the world.

23. 23. Alibaba – The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark 4 recommenders

    I am a big fan of Jack Ma, I have 4 different books talking about Jack. He is a top entrepreneur & visionaire, who started out as a modest English teacher and built Alibaba into one of the world’s largest companies, an e-commerce empire on which hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers depend on. I am impressed about how he overcame his humble origins and early failures to achieve massive success with Alibaba.

24. 24. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 4 recommenders

    As a longtime fan of The Daily Show, I loved reading this memoir about how its host honed his outsider approach to comedy over a lifetime of never quite fitting in. Born to a black South African mother and a white Swiss father in apartheid South Africa, he entered the world as a biracial child in a country where mixed race relationships were forbidden. Much of Noah’s story of growing up in South Africa is tragic. Yet, as anyone who watches his nightly monologues knows, his moving stories will often leave you laughing.

25. 25. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover 4 recommenders

    Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I never thought I’d relate to a story about growing up in a Mormon survivalist household, but she’s such a good writer that she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme childhood. Melinda and I loved this memoir of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.

26. 26. How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell 4 recommenders

    Montaigne is one of humanities greatest treasures. If you've not read any of his essays or Sarah Bakewell's magnificent book How To Live [...] you are missing out.

27. 27. Just Kids by Patti Smith 4 recommenders

    This is the single best audiobook ever recorded by Patti Smith. It is not going to change the way you do business, but it might change the way you live. It's about love and loss and art.

28. 28. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman–Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual by Yvon Chouinard 4 recommenders

    When it comes to biographies I particularly like Let My People Go Surfing.

29. 29. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 4 recommenders

    Some other books I’ve really enjoyed: [...] Long Walk to Freedom.

30. 30. Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two by Jim Koch 4 recommenders

    Quench Your Own Thirst is a frosty mug full of sound advice for turning passion into a great business.