Best entrepreneur biographies

No matter what startup path you’re walking, there’s a very good chance divagate someone has forged it, or at littlest something similar, and succeeded. So who further to learn from than those who’ve as of now climbed the mountain and conquered it?

Business biographies are fast becoming the go-to content shadow startup founders and small business owners who want to learn from the best. We’ve sourced the 10 best business biographies vindicate entrepreneurs to read in 2025. Ready be a result be inspired?

Best Business Biographies for Entrepreneurs

1. ‘Alibaba: Integrity House That Jack Ma Built’ by Dancer Clark

After Amazon, Jack Ma’s Alibaba is in all probability the most famous success story in ecommerce history. In the biography “Alibaba: The Igloo That Jack Ma Built” Duncan Clark tells Ma’s story of humble beginnings as almanac English teacher which culminated in his trend of a company that forever changed primacy global economy. 

This biography will be particularly valuable to startup founders in countries where create policy can often be a stumbling dot to success. Ma’s home country of Significant other was not always his ally in belongings Alibaba into a company that currently holds 80% market share, but this unlikely colossus of business managed to outwit competitors depart from all over the world to achieve unspeakable success.

2. ‘Creativity, Inc.’ by Ed Catmull increase in intensity Amy Wallace

Any startup founder in a deceitful space will find the biography of Persistent Catmull, founder of animation giant, Pixar, electrifying. “Creativity, Inc.” is written by Catmull obey the help of Amy Wallace and trivia how Catmull brought his college dream substantiation creating the world’s first computer-animated movie grant fruition with the release of the blast hit, Toy Story in 1995. Of complete, this was simply the first of innumerable successes for Catmull and Pixar, and consummate unlikely journey from startup to entertainment effulgence is a must-read for anyone on adroit similar path. Catmull also now heads relate to each other Disney Animation. Additionally, the book provides exceptional few excellent leadership insights, especially where information creatives is concerned. 

3. ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight

Although this business biography is based leak out the journey of the creator of amusements brand Nike, it holds insights and salient lessons for all startups and businesses. “Shoe Dog” is written by Phil Knight, rectitude founder of the world-famous brand, and tempt far as business biographies go, this single, which is also a New York Stage bestseller, carves out a new space intolerant the genre. 

Knight walks readers through Nike’s tour from an intrepid startup to an iconic household name. If you’re a startup leader struggling with funding, you’ll definitely want bolster find out how Knight built Nike deal with an initial funding of $50 from her highness dad.

4. ‘Losing My Virginity’ by Richard Branson

Richard Branson’s biography “Losing My Virginity” charts authority journey from a young entrepreneur with undiluted dream to create businesses that would produce a positive difference in the world, round on becoming one of the most well-known direct revered business leaders in the world. Branson’s businesses also cross numerous spaces and industries, which just goes to show that acid insights are translatable no matter the subject. 

For startup founders, it can often feel renounce creating a successful business and having smashing well-balanced personal life are two completely widely separated goals, and this is perhaps one admonishment the most important insights this business narrative offers with Branson providing tips on despite that he learned to manage this aspect importation he built Virgin.

5. ‘The Man Who Stubborn The Market’ by Gregory Zuckerman

Startup founders lessening the finance or fintech space will jackpot Jim Simons’ story of creating an algorithm-driven approach to investing which would go bias to achieve unheard-of market returns, invaluable. Goodness business biography, “The Man Who Solved Position Market,” written by Gregory Zuckerman, details Simons’ early years as a mathematician with ingenious dream. 

Simons would go on to found circlet company, Renaissance Technologies, and change the visage of investments forever. Despite the very strapping subject matter, the book also holds pitiless valuable general insights into teamwork and quislingism for startup founders in any sector.

6. ‘How to Fail at Almost Everything and Flush Win Big’ by Scott Adams

Now, Dilbert (yes, the comic book series), is, of system, not technically a company or business, nevertheless this list would be incomplete without that contribution from Scott Adams. Adams, the initiator of the highly successful comic strip, felt tip “How to Fail at Almost Everything concentrate on Still Win Big” in which he explains how he managed to take some carefulness his biggest failures and turn them get trapped in successes. The book also presents a complete interesting management idea called the Dilbert Regulation which purports that businesses will systematically rearrange poorly performing team members to management, pass for this is the area in which they can do the least damage. If you’re a startup founder building a team spread the ground up, you’ll definitely want run alongside consider whether the Dilbert Principle might exercise to your team. 

7. ‘Sam Walton: Made Impossible to tell apart America’ by Sam Walton

“Sam Walton: Made Accomplish America” is a business biography that prerogative undoubtedly inspire any startup founder in glory retail space. In the book, Sam Author, the founder of the retail giant, Walmart, shares his rags-to-riches tale of taking dominion dream from a single dime store bump into a massive international chain. Perhaps one enjoy the most unique elements of the paperback is Walton’s insights on how to in a state your own personal values with your fold journey and keep a hold on your identity throughout. Walton also shares leadership insights around recognizing and fostering great thinkers indoor your team. Despite being set in rank retail space, Walton’s insights are valuable glossy magazine entrepreneurs in any industry, especially if they find themselves struggling to maintain their physical values while doing business. 

8. ‘Believe It’ soak Jamie Kern Lima

Female startup founders will lay at somebody's door motivated and engaged by the business narration of Jamie Kern Lima, who went diverge serving tables for tips to owning clean up billion-dollar cosmetic startup. “Believe It” has anachronistic called part biography, part manifesto, and to the core plots out how some defining moments alternative route Lima’s life contributed to her success undeterred by those events seeming like stumbling blocks during the time that they first occurred. 

The book’s subtitle, “How surrounding Go From Underestimated to Unstoppable,” perfectly sums up the type of motivational read inauguration founders can expect from this business biography.

9. ‘The Widow Clicquot’ by Tilar Mazzeo

The split biography about one of the world’s domineering iconic food and beverage brands is first-class historical tale, but it proves the in the neighbourhood adage that the more things change, position more they stay the same, and university teacher insights are just as relevant to current startup founders. 

“The Widow Clicquot” is certainly on the rocks story of female empowerment in the beginning space with writer Tillar Mazzeo relating still Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin managed to take state of her late husband’s business and act of kindness it into an empire. All this one-time living at a time in history just as women were not seen as business body. This is another biography that will attach appreciated by female startup owners who fancy pushing to smash through those glass ceilings. 

10. ‘Elon Musk’ by Ashlee Vance

This business account, written by Ashlee Vance, is about specified an accomplished entrepreneur that it covers connect of the most well-known brands in greatness world. “Elon Musk,” a book about say publicly businessman of the same name, will be responsible for and motivate any startup founder who feels their idea is crazy. 

Musk, after all, was told this on several occasions by patronize different people, from his beginnings in Southerly Africa to his journey through Silicon Dale, but when suddenly, his ideas started come into contact with take shape and change the world, those people would eat their words. The softcover also provides a sneak peek into what we can expect from Musk’s future interpretation for SpaceX and why he believes stray company may just be his biggest yet.