Publisher Description

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.

Notes

Twenty individuals who revolutionised the business world and helped shape our society.

Back Cover

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.

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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.

Author Biography

DANIEL GROSS is a Harvard-trained historian and journalist.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v Foreword by Timothy C. Forbes 1 Robert Morris: America's First Financier 4 Cyrus McCormick's Reaper and the Industrialization of Farming 22 John D. Rockefeller and the Modern Corporation 40 J. P. Morgan Saves the Country 58 Henry Ford and the Model T 74 Charles Merrill and the Democratization of Stock Ownership 90 David Sarnoff, RCA, and the Rise of Broadcasting 106 Walt Disney and his Family-Entertainment Empire 122 John H. Johnson: Finding the Black Consumer 142 David Ogilvy and the Creation of Modern Advertising 158 Ray Kroc, McDonald's, and the Fast-Food Industry 176 Betting the Company: Joseph Wilson and the Xerox 914 194 American Express and the Charge Card 212 Mary Kay Ash and her Corporate Culture for Women 232 Intel's Microprocessor and the Computer Revolution 246 Sam Walton, Wal-Mart, and the Discounting of America 266 William McGowan and MCI: A New World of Telecommunications 284 The Turnaround at Harley-Davidson 298 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and the Leveraged Buyout 314 William Gates and the Dominance of Microsoft 334 Notes on Sources 352 Index 358

Long Description

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.

Feature

Partial table of contents: Robert Morris: America's First Financier. Cyrus McCormick's Reaper and the Industrialization ofFarming. John D. Rockefeller and the Modern Corporation. Henry Ford and the Model T. Charles Merrill and theDemocratization of Stock Ownership. Walt Disney and his Family-Entertainment Empire. Ray Kroc, McDonald's, and the Fast-Food Industry. Betting the Company: Joseph Wilson and the Xerox 914. American Express and the Charge Card. Mary Kay Ash and her Corporate Culture for Women. Sam Walton, Wal-Mart, and the Discounting of America. The Turnaround at Harley-Davidson. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and the Leveraged Buyout. William Gates and the Dominance of Microsoft. Notes on Sources. Index.

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