Entrepreneurs

First person accounts

The Third Wave

by Steve Case
Thesis on technology entrepreneurship from a cofounder of AOL. Discusses his own history with AOL and the work of other companies that connect the general public with the Internet. Describes how Google and Facebook built on that foundation, and explores the potential of new companies to transform other industries. Bestseller. 2016.
Download DB84850

Peers Inc: How People and Platforms Are Inventing the Collaborative Economy and Reinventing Capitalism

by Robin Chase
Cofounder of Zipcar discusses the ways digital infrastructure and crowd-sourcing can be leveraged to transform the economy. Details her history with Zipcar, examines similar businesses (including Uber and Airbnb), and considers ways to maximize investments in these types of companies. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2015.
Download DB82197

How to Stitch an American Dream: A Story of Family, Faith & the Power of Giving

by Jenny Doan
Recounts Jenny Doan's journey from raising a family and crafting a life built on faith, love, and laughter to fulfilling her dream of launching the Missouri Star Quilt Company—and revitalizing a small town along the way. 2021.
Download DBC09733

In My Wildest Dreams . . .: I Never Imagined This Inspirational Bouquet of Gifts

by Debbie Gaby
Former co-owner and spokesperson for retail chain Sleep America reflects on the choices and opportunities that have enabled her to grow and succeed—from her tumultuous beginnings in rural Texas to top Realtor, and from entrepreneur to philanthropist—while inspiring readers to live their own dream lives. 2016.
Download DBC12864

Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

by Chip Gaines
One of the stars of HGTV's Fixer Upper and coauthor of The Magnolia Story (DB86524) recounts some of his riskier adventures in life and as an entrepreneur, examining what he learned along the way. 2017.
Download DB89591

A Curious Discovery: An Entrepreneur's Story

by John S. Hendricks
Founder of Discovery Communications, the parent company of the Discovery Channel, shares his experiences in starting the company; successes such as The Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters; and failures, including a collaboration with the New York Times. Emphasizes his curiosity as crucial to his success. 2013.
Download DB79205

Clay, Water, Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least

by Jessica Jackley
Cofounder of microlending service Kiva, which specializes in crowd-sourced entrepreneurial loans to individuals in underdeveloped countries, shares her experiences in developing Kiva and the lessons she has learned. She uses stories of entrepreneurs to highlight points of advice. 2015
Download BR21215
Download DB82861

The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage

by Daymond John
Founder of the FUBU brand and costar of Shark Tank presents the business lessons he learned from beginning his business on a limited budget. Discusses the need for creativity and for developing and maintaining a solid brand. Shares stories from behind the scenes of the television show. Bestseller. 2016.
Download DB84828

Homemade for Sale: How to Set Up and Market a Food Business from Your Home Kitchen

by Lisa Kivirist
Owners of a bed-and-breakfast explain how to create a home-based food business. They discuss the history of the "cottage industry," cottage food laws, identifying products to sell, where to learn cooking skills, creating a business plan, establishing a company, and financial management. 2015
Download BR20802

Do the Kind Thing: Think Boundlessly, Work Purposefully, Live Passionately

by Daniel Lubetzky
Founder of PeaceWorks, Inc., the company behind KIND nutritional bars, describes the history of the company and his desire to create a business where a core value is social responsibility. Discusses his business philosophy and outlines nine themes that guide this. Commercial audiobook. 2015.
Download DB81261

Make Life Beautiful

by Syd McGee and Shea McGee
"Do you want to live the best version of your life? Learn how Syd and Shea prioritized their values, defined their goals, and put their dreams into action—going from flat broke to design superstars—all while following their motto to "make life beautiful." Most importantly, discover how you can do the same! For the one million-plus followers who turn to Syd and Shea McGee for advice on building a beautiful home and life, Make Life Beautiful is a behind-the-scenes look into how the couple transformed Shea's small room of fabric samples and big dream of becoming a designer into one of the most successful and fastest-growing interior design businesses in the country. In Make Life Beautiful, Syd and Shea inspire you on how to build an authentic life by applying design principles such as: Embrace the process. Get to the next level. Find balance. Elevate the everyday. Make Life Beautiful is essential for entrepreneurs, interior designers, working parents, couples building a family and career, and anyone else chasing their dreams. Both longtime and new fans will gain insight into how the McGees built such a successful company." — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
Download DB108545

Building a Business with a Beat

by Judi Sheppard Missett
Creator of Jazzercise shares entrepreneurial lessons she learned while growing up and then developing her dance fitness franchise. Discusses finding what works for you, understanding your audience, learning from mistakes, and paying attention to what your body is telling you. 2019.
Download DB96221

That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea

by Marc Randolph
Cofounder of Netflix recounts the development of the company beyond the origin story of the other founder being frustrated by a large late fee. Discusses overcoming the mindset of what won't work, early successes, challenges they faced, and what happens after a business launches. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
Download DB96650

What It Takes

by Stephen A. Schwarzman
Investment firm founder presents his story of going from working in his father's linen shop to running a business managing five hundred billion dollars. Discusses the mindset necessary for building a business and creating positive philanthropic endeavors. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
Download DB107184

Things a Little Bird Told Me: Confessions of the Creative Mind

by Biz Stone
Cofounder of microblogging service Twitter presents his ideas on thinking creatively and differently to allow for entrepreneurial success. Reflects on his work with other blogging platforms—Xanga and Blogger—and the influence those experiences had on his development of Twitter. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
Download DB78604

Biographies

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life

by Sanford D. Greenberg
Author describes how losing his eyesight as a Columbia University junior affected his life trajectory. He went on to Harvard and Oxford and—among many other accomplishments—invented a compressed speech machine that speeds up the reproduction of words from recordings without distorting any sound. The title reflects his long friendship with Art Garfunkel. 2020.
Download DB100264

A Truck Full of Money: One Man's Quest to Recover from Great Success

by Tracy Kidder
Author of The Soul of a New Machine (DB17316) profiles Paul English, the cofounder and chief technical officer of travel website Kayak, who also became CEO of a venture creation firm. Discusses the field of startup tech companies, the personalities drawn to them, and English's successes and challenges. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
Download DB86004

Biographies—Madam C.J. Walker

On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
By A'Lelia Bundles
A journalist and great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker presents a historical account of the African American cosmetologist (1867–1919). Using personal papers, letters, newspaper accounts, and interviews, Bundles describes the innovator, wealthy businesswoman, and philanthropist. She examines Walker's personal and political motives and her fight against racial discrimination and violence. 2001.
Download DB53688

Madam C. J. Walker's Gospel of Giving

by Tyrone McKinley Freeman
An account of the life, work, and philanthropy of America's first self-made female millionaire in the early 1900s, the African American founder of a beauty empire. The author compares Walker’s life before and after her success, discusses her activism, and details her road to success. 2020.
Download DB103965

Her Dream of Dreams: The Rise and Triumph of Madam C.J. Walker

by Beverly Lowry
Biography of Madam C.J. Walker (1867—1919), born Sarah Breedlove to former slaves, who rose from poverty to found a lucrative cosmetics business and become America's first African American female millionaire. Chronicles Walker's progression from the post-Reconstruction south to New York mansions, philanthropy, and struggles for racial equality and women's rights. Some strong language. 2003.
Download BR15086

Case studies

From the Other Side of the World

by Elmira Bayrasli
A consultant on entrepreneurship and foreign affairs profiles innovative business owners working in Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, India, Russia, and China. Discusses lessons learned, ways to apply ingenuity across borders, and areas of the world to look toward for future technology developments. 2015
Download DB83563

The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity from Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters, and Other Informal Entrepreneurs

by Alexa Clay
Examination and case studies of entrepreneurial philosophies and practices using non-traditional, and sometimes illegal, approaches. Analyzes the mindset of a misfit, potentially successful strategies optimizing misfit tendencies, and the role of misfits in the economies of the twenty-first century. Uncontracted braille. 2015.
Download BR21236
Download DB83029

Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success

by Thomas R. Eisenmann
Harvard business school professor and instructor for their introductory class on entrepreneurship presents an analysis of common behaviors for the failure of startup companies and ways to ensure success. Uses case studies to illustrate the behaviors, which include bad partnerships, false starts, and growing too fast. Includes supplemental material. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
Download DB103134

The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life

by Kimberly Palmer
Journalist and entrepreneur describes building her side business of selling printable financial planners on Etsy. Features case studies of other people who developed interests into money-making ventures—including cake decoration, conference organizing, and inventing—and ways to identify and create your own business. 2014
Download BR20941

How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World's Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs

by Guy Raz
Founder of the podcast of the same name explores entrepreneurship success stories through the lens of the hero's journey construct. Uses case studies to highlight what draws people to entrepreneurship, challenges they face, and considerations those interested in creating their own businesses need to take into account. 2020.
Download BR23548
Download DB101625

Strategy

The One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business

by Kenneth H. Blanchard
The authors profile a fictional entrepreneur to demonstrate the typical challenges encountered when starting a business. They address issues such as finding revenue sources, securing customers, providing good service, and ensuring steady cash flow. 2008.
Download DB67103

The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food

by Ben Hewitt
Chronicles efforts of the small community of Hardwick, Vermont, to reinvigorate its economy and create a farming environment that fosters a sustainable, local food system. Details the new agricultural business model that young entrepreneurs embraced during a distressed economic period. 2009.
Download DB72669

Invent It, Sell It, Bank It!: Make Your Million-Dollar Idea into a Reality

by Lori Greiner
Panelist on Shark Tank and personality on QVC shares her principles for developing ideas, bringing them to market, and building her business. Discusses market research, funding opportunities, manufacturing concerns, and marketing. Emphasizes the importance of enjoying life as you work to achieve your dreams. 2014.
Download DB99295

100 Side Hustles: Unexpected Ideas for Making Extra Money without Quitting Your Day Job

by Chris Guillebeau
Author of The Happiness of Pursuit (DB79419) and Born for This (DB85444) presents a guide to one hundred possible part-time jobs to work in addition to your day job to increase your income. Showcases the jobs through profiles of people working them. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
Download DB95410

Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do

by Chris Guillebeau
Entrepreneurship blogger presents a guide to identifying and obtaining the perfect job or career. Discusses life/work balance, gaining skills in your desired field, developing multiple streams of income, self-employment, marketing yourself and your work, knowing when to say no, and more. 2016.
Download BR21641
Download DB85444

Better and Faster: The Proven Path to Unstoppable Ideas

by Jeremy Gutsche
Business consultant and founder of trend-spotting website shares data analysis of users of his site to outline ways to better spot emerging ideas of value. Identifies methods of avoiding what he describes as neurological traps and ways to capitalize on established patterns. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2015.
Download DB81177

Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life

by Daymond John
Author of The Power of Broke (DB84828) and costar of Shark Tank examines the secrets of individuals who have faced challenges and worked their way to the tops of their fields. Emphasizes the importance of a strong work ethic. Discusses his own history in building his company. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Download DB90277

The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans

by Jonathan A. Knee
Investment banker analyzes the belief that the reason large technology companies have succeeded is because they have built a platform. Argues that the reasons for success are much deeper and that smaller businesses can implement similar structures for resilience and success. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
Download DB105118

Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned over a Beer or Two

by James Koch
The founder of the Boston Beer Company, brewer of Samuel Adams Lager and one of the revolutionaries of the craft beer industry, shares his business insights with a new generation of aspiring entrepreneurs. 2016.
Download DBC11558

Never Give Up

by Yun Ma
Collection of quotes from Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma (born 1964). Sections include personal topics, business principles, Alibaba and other ventures, leadership, success and failure, competition, money, entrepreneurship and innovation, media and marketing, the Internet, environmentalism and philanthropy, and life lessons. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.
Download DB93653

Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas

by B. Jeffrey Madoff
Advice for building a career around creative endeavors based on a class Madoff has taught at Parsons School of Design. Includes advice from Daymond John, Karlie Kloss, and more. Topics include discovering creativity, evaluating an idea's potential, finding collaborators, and building a brand. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
Download DB99957

Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field

by Mike Michalowicz
Entrepreneur presents a method he developed to grow his business after reading an article on farming practices. Topics covered include being intentional with your resources, identifying and eliminating practices that don't contribute to growth, and focusing your energy on your best customers and ideas. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2012.
Download DB95314

Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum

by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits, and Jonas Koffler
In Hustle, Neil Patel, Patrick Vlaskovits, and Jonas Koffler, three of the nation's top entrepreneurs and consultants, have teamed up to teach you how to look at work and life through a new lens—one based on discovering projects you enjoy and the people and opportunities that support your talents, growth, income, and happiness. The authors reveal their groundbreaking three-part framework of Heart, Head, and Habits. 2016.
Download DBC19673

The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business

by Carol Roth
Investment banker and business strategist Roth provides a realistic look at owning, starting, or buying a business. Suggests that one should ask, "Should I be an entrepreneur?" before starting on the business-ownership path. Uses examples from her own clients. 2011.
Download DB73446

Burn the Business Plan: What Great Entrepreneurs Really Do

by Carl J. Schramm
Economist and entrepreneur presents an argument that business plans are not vital to the success of entrepreneurial ventures. Offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, examines reasons for the failures of startup businesses, discusses planning for the success of a business, and more. 2018.
Download DB90774

Dear Founder: Letters Of Advice for Anyone Who Leads, Manages, or Wants to Start a Business

by Maynard Webb
Technology executive and investor offers advice for current and future business leaders. Topics include the early days of a business, financing a company, management basics, management challenges, personal challenges of leadership, external roadblocks, operational excellence, organizational challenges, and building a company to last. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Download DB92542

Entrepreneurship: A Very Short Introduction

by Paul Westhead
Two business professors clarify the complex phenomenon of assembling and managing resources to exploit opportunities to create revenue-generating products or services. Offers examples of successes and failures and examines government-imposed hurdles, business plans, women's engagement in entrepreneurship, studies of personality traits, buyouts, social enterprises, and future challenges. 2013.
Download DB86486

Women

Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur

by Cara Alwill Leyba
Advice guide for female entrepreneurs. Emphasizes the importance of supporting other women entrepreneurs through good times and bad. Topics covered include recognition of other women, trusting yourself, networking, failure, dealing with setbacks, focusing on the future, professional jealousy, and more. 2015
Download DB90735

Like She Owns the Place: Give Yourself the Gift of Confidence and Ignite Your Inner Magic

by Cara Alwill Leyba
Author of Girl Code (DB90735) presents a guide for women on building up confidence, both in the business arena and everyday life. Using her own experiences, she discusses self-assessment, the beauty industry, emotional labor, impostor syndrome, building on success, and more. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Download DB92236

Leapfrog: The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs

by Nathalie Molina Niño
Technologist and founder of an investment company dedicated to assisting innovative businesses geared toward women presents fifty hacks for women entrepreneurs to level up their businesses. Topics addressed include mindset, identifying networks, funding stages, and growing your company. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Download DB93968

Be an InventHer: An Everywoman's Guide to Creating the Next Big Thing

by Mina Yoo
Entrepreneurs present guide targeted at women for inventing marketable products, producing them, and selling them. Discusses their business partnership and friendship, creativity, the steps to consider for manufacturing, business plans, dealing with setbacks, building a team, and finding balance in your work and everyday life. 2019.
Download DB97759

Spanish language

Originales: cómo los innovadores e inconformes mueven el mundo

by Adam M. Grant
Un profesor de negocios y autor de Dar y Recibir estudia la idea de la innovación, argumentando que la mejor manera de alcanzar el éxito es desarrollar ideas creativas, minimizando el riesgo personal. Cita ejemplos de diversos campos, como los negocios, los deportes, la política y la música. Traducido de la edición en inglés de 2016. NLS foreign language annotation.
A business professor and author of Give and Take (DB79375) studies the idea of innovation, arguing that success is best achieved by developing creative ideas while minimizing personal risk. Cites examples from a variety of fields, including business, sports, politics, and music. Spanish language. 2017.
Download DB104283

100 Preguntas Clave Para Todo Emprendedor: atajos prácticos para ir de cero a emprendedor

by Carlos Muñoz
Este emprendedor exitoso comparte recomendaciones para quienes empiezan desde cero, la primera de las cuales es hacer más preguntas. Estos atajos prácticos, extraídos de su experiencia personal y de conversaciones con cientos de emprendedores, le permitirán ahorrar tiempo y energía. Sin calificación. Audiolibro comercial. NLS foreign language annotation.
This successful entrepreneur shares recommendations for those starting from scratch, the first of which is to ask more questions. Gleaned from his personal experience, but also from speaking with hundreds of other entrepreneurs, these practical shortcuts will save time and energy. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Spanish language. 2020.
Download DB102549

Slim: el mexicano más rico del mundo

by Diego Enrique Osorno
Un periodista de investigación explora la vida del magnate de los negocios Carlos Slim Helú. Un hijo de inmigrantes libaneses en México, Carlos Slim llegó a ser una de las personas más ricas del planeta, según Forbes, con un valor neto de más de cincuenta mil millones de dólares. NLS foreign language annotation.
Investigative journalist explores the life of business magnate Carlos Slim Helú. A child of Lebanese immigrants in Mexico, Carlos Slim rose to be one of the richest people in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of more than fifty billion dollars. Spanish language. 2015.
Download DB83981