Forbes® Greatest Business Stories of All Time

by Daniel Gross

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.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Entrepreneurship, Economics, Finance

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Syndi]

I bought this book while browsing on Borders. First I was hesitate to buy it. Because the price is pretty expensive. But i decided to buy it anyway.

This book is fairly interesting. It is a good reading for person who wants to have a quick summary or highlight of each of the company.

Its a light reading.

[Arminius]

A great lesson can be learned by these stories. Almost every one of them had a vision and was told by the so-called experts of the day that their vision was impossible to accomplish or would not work. Just think of how many people’s dreams are crushed by some nominal expert. Fortunately, they did not listen. Learn about American Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris and McDonald’s founder Roy Kroc among others.

[Caroline]

these were very interesting stories, mostly about the beginnings of the successful companies that we today take for granted as having always been there (McDonalds, Ogilvy Advertising, Radio advertising, Disney, etc). They all are the product of an extremely motivated and passionate individual who oftentimes is rejected or unsuccessful until finally he/she makes it. This is a good lesson for anyone interested in entrepreneurship.

[Henry Park]

Interesting stories (part true, part twisted by the media mogels I'm certain) but all great events in our american history. Starts before the war with the British. People don't realize the blood, sweat and deals that the US was founded on. Gives you a fresh new perspective on politics, globalization etc.

[Ben Walker]

A great book to flip through at a library -- there are two page summaries about a few different American business peoples. I read the marketing guy (Ogilvy) and the AT&T/MCI clash (McGowan) and skimmed a couple others.

The book felt a bit dated as of my 2014 reading, but those summaries are great because they give you a flavor of what the chapter is about.

[Iliya Polihronov]

It's pretty much exactly what you expect from the book's title and cover. Does a fine job of compiling the short resume of great people with great business stores. One thing that surprised me pleasantly was the way they stories were ordered so you kind of get an idea how the US economy developed over time and what role these amazing people had in it.

[Thomas Horton]

I read one story of the twenty and closed it.

This is not a bad book, per se; the first story is of Robert Morris, the man who financed the birth of America and the financial triumphs and tragedies that befell him and the country. It was a mildly intriguing tale that ultimately glossed over the meaningful details that would have actually made the story more compelling. The narrative was too condensed and generalized to warrant citations, references, or sources for the historical components of the account, and lacked the specificity one might crave if one actually enjoys reading about business.

Take the very first story for example:
What kind of business did Morris conduct to amass his wealth and affluence? How much did the exploitation of labor factor into his successes? The author, Gross, mentions he himself had practiced and contemplated his own ethically ambiguous transgressions during the financing of the Revolutionary War while maintaining his personal accounts. Do we get to learn anything more about that?

Certainly, one could commend this book for inspiring such questions and inviting further investigation, but I personally think that the text only serves to highlight capitalist merits and gloss over the finer details that might otherwise be worth learning about the so-called Greats of Business.

Then again, this review is only derived from reading 24 pages of the book. Best to take with a grain of salt, but I was not impressed all the same.

[خليل بارودي]

دائمًا ما كنت أتسائل عن سرّ تفوّق بلاد العمّ سام الإقتصاديّ على مرّ العصور، كيف يمكن لدولةٍ ( ربع مليارية السكّان ) أن يسبق اقتصادها اقتصادَ دولٍ ملياريّة السكّان كالصّين والهند، أو بلدانٍ صناعيّة كأوروبا الغربية... إلخ

هذا الكتاب أجابني على كلّ تلك الأسئلة.

[John]

I enjoyed this book, but the only critiques is that a book full of many stories is sometimes difficult to finish as getting from one story to the next sometimes I have a bit of a block. Nonetheless, a pretty good read.

[Andrew Corsini]

Interesting book. I did wonder, however, what someone to the far left of me would make of the profiles of early American entrepreneurs, mostly uncritical, which glaze over their exploitation of workers, labour laws etc.

[Faisal ElBeheiry]

كتاب لطيف عن قصة ٢٠ من رواد الأعمال في أمريكا.

[Michael Vincent]

Many interesting stories, though older now and not great depth in these short versions. A good place to start concerning business history.

[Alexander Gil]

Some great stories on some key people in history.

[Valentin Ilie]

Examples of businesses , how they become the leading companies in the market in different sectors that they operate.

[Akash]

Best book for a business story. This book helps those who want businessmen.

[Nathan]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Every time I finished one story I couldn't wait to get to the next one. Forbes does a good job at providing a brief background, the risks each of the entrepreneurs faced, and how they overcame those risks. While it is not a must-have, it is a fun read for anyone involved in business.

[David]

Handy book for inspiration... with many great stories of ordinary folks who've made it in the business world. I enjoyed the stories as presented in concise chapters, so that one could start and complete a chapter (and a story) anytime (like during a short business flight)

[David]

from motley fool

[Nipun]

its like a textbook
Gives outline story of great businesses with some hints about personalities
of owners and how they achieved success

[Lori Grant]

A should-read book on entrepreneurial success stories for the knowledge worker or aspiring entrepreneur.

[D G]

very interesting book

[Subbu Chandrasekaran]

This book covers 50 remarkable business story since the dawn of American history. Each story is short, succinct and very well written . a must read if you are interested in business and biography..

[Marcos Moret]

Excellent collection of bite-sized pieces on US companies including McDonalds, Disney, and Wal-Mart - full of useful and memorable business insights.

[Stan]

Very inspirational and motivational

[Sandis Viksna]

Nice read but a bit too historic.

[Benjamin Alves]

Favorite stories being Amex, Harley Davidson, and Intel. Would love to see a modern version on newly created companies.

[Gonzalo]

The title couldn't say it better, great business stories!
Excellent book...

[TN]

The books contains some really exciting stories.

[Leobardo]

Lectura amena y ligera sobre algunos de los grandes imperios comerciales.. el título de innovación como estrategia queda un poco disipado al enfocar las historias más al éxito económico, crecimiento y expansión de las organizaciones, aunque es posible detectar algunas innovaciones pero sobre todo decisiones altamente riesgosas que valieron para ser las empresas que ahora son.. Apto para las personas inmersas en el mundo de los negocios.