biography Book Summaries

Made in Japan is the autobiography of Akio Morita, who co-founded Sony and grew it to become one of the largest electronics companies in the world. Akio shares his advice for management, leadership and innovation. He also explains many differences in the working culture between Japan and the West.

Sam Walton: Made in America shows how Walmart grew from one small store into the largest retail business in the world. Sam Walton is often seen as one of the greatest entrepreneurs ever. His journey was filled with risk, obstacles, adversity, failure... but also fun, discovery, passion and persistence.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big is about the hilarious wisdom and many business failures of Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. He shares pragmatic strategies for increasing our odds of success—by using systems over goals, building a talent stack and repeating (mysteriously powerful) affirmations.

Grinding It Out is about how McDonald's grew to be one of the biggest companies in the world. Ray Kroc did it through seizing the right opportunity, perfecting the fundamentals of the business, always emphasizing growth, and persisting until he found the successful strategy.

Trump: The Art of the Deal is a memoir from Donald Trump that gives us an inside look at his earlier real estate career, building his empire that includes skyscrapers and casinos. Whether you love or hate Trump, you'll learn a lot about business, publicity and negotiation.