What does it take to be a businessperson — and a successful, glass-ceiling-shattering or all-roadblocks-smashing one at that? Do you have to start from a place of privilege to get there, or can anyone find success in the cutthroat corporate world?
Well, it seems these six CEOs and founders have found the answers. From a Vietnam vet’s incredible story of triumph over hardship to a former nightclub promoter now committed to providing the world with clean water, these six memoirs show the incredible origins of these entrepreneurs and the first steps they took toward their present success. Whether you’re looking to launch a startup of your own or simply curious about the inner lives of these business bigwigs, check out our curated list below.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
We all know the “swoosh” that’s graced Nike sneakers since 1971. But did you know that it wasn’t always Phil Knight’s favorite? “I don’t love it, but I think it’ll grow on me,” he said in regard to the now-iconic logo. It’s just one anecdote to be found in the Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight’s memoir Shoe Dog, which reveals the origin story of this ubiquitous company. It starts with a 24-year-old Knight, fresh out of business school, selling shoes out of the trunk of his car — and ends with where Nike stands now, grossing $30 billion in yearly sales.
And through it all, Knight recounts the thrilling highs, the crushing lows and the hard lessons; detailing everything from cutthroat competitors to the inner circle that made Nike possible, breathing life into the brand we know and love today. Shoe Dog is a must-have for those looking to establish a start-up of their own, as well as anyone who’s worn that swoosh without knowing the full story behind it.
American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business by Tommy Hilfiger
It’s a brand known for classic American style with a fresh, modern twist — and his name is the one sewn onto all the tags. Tommy Hilfiger is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the world of preppy fashion, and his brand is the go-to for many a yacht-sailing yuppie of the upper class. But Hilfiger’s own origin story is far humbler, as one of nine children from a working-class family. He struggled through school as a result of his dyslexia but pushed through academic difficulties with the hard grit and determination to see his dream through.
American Dreamer tracks that journey and gives us insight into all the steppingstones on the way to building the Hilfiger brand into what it is today — like how the now-booming brand wasn’t his first clothing company (the other one went bankrupt!) and how Snoop Dogg’s guest appearance on SNL helped to cement the Hilfiger brand in the cultural consciousness. Both a guidebook for prospective entrepreneurs and those moved by this quintessential story of the American Dream, look no further than Hilfiger’s honest, engrossing life story.
Fire in the Hole!: The Untold Story of My Traumatic Life and Explosive Success by Bob Parsons
While he’s now a billionaire philanthropist, GoDaddy and PXG Golf founder Bob Parsons wasn’t always so fortunate — far from it. Born into a volatile family with financial troubles, his early years were marked by uncertainty. But that uncertainty was the catalyst that made him strive for a better life, and the drive to achieve his goals has carried him from that moment since. This New York Times and USA Today bestseller spans the full breadth of Parsons’ life, covering his childhood along with his time in the U.S. Marines and his service in Vietnam — and the lasting trauma that came with it.
But the book also comes with Parsons’ triumphs; a series bold business decisions based on sharp instincts, building up from when he started his very first company out of the basement of his house while still working a full-time job. Fire in the Hole! is more than just a business how-to, however; the book’s beating heart is Parsons’s raw assessment of his closest relationships throughout his life. Whether it’s in his varied careers of his most recent venture — the Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, dedicated to assisting low-income and underserved communities — this firecracker of an author is here to put his whole story out in the open.
Click here to read our full review of Fire in the Hole!.
Some Stories: Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport by Yvon Chouinard
Named by Forbes as one of the best business memoirs of all time, Yvon Chouinard’s book Some Stories provides an inside look into the mind of this spirited adventurer, environmentalist and founder of Patagonia, Inc. Forbes’ awarding is no surprise — Chouinard’s is an entirely unusual as a memoir, given that its contents didn’t start out as a memoir at all. Throughout his nearly 80 years of striving ahead in sports, business and environmental activism, the author has documented that journey in scraps of wisdom from articles and books, personal letters and poetry, introductions and eulogies.
In companionship with his other memoir, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Some Stories reveals the inner musings of a businessman who’s formed his life around stepping away from the limelight and instead stepping into nature. Alongside the co-owner of Patagonia, Craig Mathews, Chouinard has founded 1% For The Planet, an alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental causes — showing that this businessman is committed to practicing what he and his company preach when it comes to caring for our planet.
Click here to read our full review of Some Stories.
My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by Indra Nooyi
Many of us know Indra Nooyi as the former CEO and chairperson of PepsiCo and the first woman of color to lead a Fortune 500 company. Spanning from her childhood in 1960s India to her education at Yale School of Management and into today, My Life in Full stresses that, before Nooyi was a CEO, she was an immigrant, a woman in the workplace and a working mom. It’s those identities that have impacted her personal values, those that have seen her through her ascension in the corporate world — to understand and recognize the issues of a system that perpetuates an unrefined and tricky balance of work/childcare/marriage.
Nooyi’s sensitivity and awareness also extend to a discerning eye when it comes to consumerism, product and health — her tenure at Pepsico from 2006 to 2019 resulted in a modernized, diverse, inclusive, sustainable company that she led into “the future,” championing “three imperatives — to nourish, replenish and cherish.” In My Life in Full, Nooyi describes her belief in large private companies and their place in terms of community, while also having an ethical and commercial standard. She writes, “What’s good for commerce and what’s good for society have to go together.” It’s a noble belief, and one we could all benefit from seeing more of in the world of business.
For more about My Life in Full, check out our full review here.
Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World by Scott Harrison
At 28 years old, Scott Harrison was not a CEO, but instead a top nightclub promoter in NYC. Drugs and alcohol pervaded his daily life, until in a time of unfulfillment, he asked himself what the opposite of his current life would look like. This New York Times bestselling memoir chronicles his journey from a New York City party boy to boarding a hospital ship bound for underserved communities in West Africa and finding that life would never be the same.
Harrison is now the founder and CEO of charity: water, a nonprofit committed to transparency, innovation and the belief that we can provide clean drinking water to everyone on the planet within our lifetimes. And since 2006, charity: water has raised over $750 million to bring clean drinking water to more than 17.4 million people. In Thirst, Harrison shows the stepping stones that led him to his new purpose, entreating readers that building a business can mean building a better life and that it’s never too late to make a positive change. And if you’re looking to purchase Thirst, feel good in the knowledge that all the book’s net proceeds go to the very charity in question.
