100 Great Businesses and the Minds Behind Them

by Emily Ross, Angus Holland

Overview

Inside the success of 100 Business Geniuses

Risk-loving entrepreneurs. Innovative geniuses. Self-starters and mavericks. The world's greatest businesses were built by unique people, each bringing their own style and savvy to the marketplace.

100 Great Businesses and the Minds Behind Them is a diverse and inspiring collections of great business stories. Covering a variety of success paths, brilliant strategies and engaging entrepreneurs, each profile explores the genius behind the greatest business minds:

o A mother's inspiration that launched Baby Einstein o Aveda's journey from hippie to hip o How Guinness overcame a centuries-old problem to conquer new markets o TiVo's long fight to explain the genius of their product o How Oprah went from person to empire o And many more

An engrossing look at what makes entrepreneurs and business geniuses tick, this book highlights the pivotal moments in the lives of great businesses, with lasting lesson on the art of making your business a success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402206313
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	12/01/2005
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.99(d)

About the Author

Emily Ross and Angus Holland's 100 Great Businesses and the Minds Behind Them was devised in Melbourne, Australia, where they both live and work.
Emily Ross is a senior writer with the country's leading national business magazine, BRW. She specializes in leadership, innovation, and entreprenuership. Angus Holland is a senior editor with The Age newspaper.
Between then they have lived in Abu Dhabi, Honk Kong, Kuwait, London, Lantau Island, Milan, Paris, Mauritius, Qatar, Singapore, and Tokyo. They live in Melbourne with their two children.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
A Note on the Text
Introduction

1. The Crowd-Pleasers
Pixar
Julie Aigner-Clark and Bill Clark
Baby Einstein
Callaway
Barbie
Hallmark Cards

2.Thanks for the Idea
Red Bull
Sony Walkman

3.The Long and Winding Road
Liquid Paper
Dyson
The Kellogg Company
3M and the Post-It Note

4.Do What You Love
Weight Watchers
Quiksilver
Kate Spade and Andy Spade
Nobu
Wolfgang Puck

5. Thanks for Nothing: The Founders Who Missed out on the Billions
Chanel No. 5
The Coca-Cola Company
Clarence Birdseye

6. Extreme Makeovers
Nokia
Avon
LVMH
Gap
Samsung
Guinness
Adidas

7. The Revolutionaries
IKEA
Re/Max
JD Power
Mark Burnett
Howard Schulz, Starbucks

8. It Didn't Happen Overnight, BUT It Did Happen
Amazon
Columbia Sportswear
Nutrimetics

9.That's What I Wanted, I Just Didn't Know It
Cirque du Soleil
Rollerblade
Websense
Craigslist
MTV
TiVo
Hooters
Liz Lange Maternity

10. Survival of the Fittest
Microsoft
Mars Inc.
XM Satellite Radio

11. Born to Sell
Ray Croc, McDonald's
Dell
Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus, The Home Depot
Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Simon Fuller

12. Me, Myself and I
Oprah Winfrey
Sean Combs
Richard Branson
Taschen
Danni Ashe

13.I Want to Be Alone: the Greta Garbos of Business
Oakley
Revlon
Luxottica

14. Ah, That's How You Do It eBay
Limited Brands
L'Oreal
BlackBerry
Wal-Mart
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway
NetJets

15. Image Is Everything
Nike
Tiffany & Co.
Levi's

16. The Business Daredevils
FedEx
Esprit
Playboy

17. The Lennon & McCartney Duos
Tupperware
Apple id Software
Google
Seinfeld

18. Funky, Inc
Juicy Couture
Jamie Oliver
CollegeHumour.com
MAC Cosmetics (Makeup Artists Cosmestics)

19. From Hippy to Hip
Aveda
Ben & Jerry's

20. Beware of Cheap Imitations
Steinway
Lego
Harley-Davidson
Four Seasons Hotels
Manolo Blahnik
Porsche
Prada
Alessi

21. No Experience Necessary
Subway
Mrs Fields Cookies
Diners Club
Jani-King

22. And Now for Something Completely Different
Play-Doh
Dippin' Dots
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Disposable Diapers
Neopets
Super Soaker

Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

What are the secrets behind the phenomenal success of companies like eBay, Google, and Home Depot and such products as the Barbie doll and Hallmark cards? And what about world-renowned businesspeople like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson? Ross and Holland, a senior writer and a senior editor, respectively, for two prominent Australian magazines, profile these companies, people, and their products and write about why and how they have achieved their tremendous popularity and major financial success. According to the authors, what the companies profiled have in common is "a talent for innovation which can take many forms, inventing a whole new product, taking somebody else's idea and making it work better, or simply taking over the market simply by selling products cheaper than anybody else." Companies, individuals, and products profiled are arranged within categories, e.g., "The Crowd-Pleasers," which focuses on products such as Pixar, Baby Einstein, Barbie, and Hallmark cards; and "Born To Sell," where Ray Kroc, Michael Dell, Mary Kay Ash, and other hugely successful entrepreneurs are portrayed. Each profile describes the history of the relevant company and presents portraits of its founders and/or CEOs, along with a bibliography for further reading. This book provides an excellent starting point for those researching individual companies and is highly recommended to academic and public libraries.-Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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