Everyone wants to be rich. The good news is everyone has a shot. If you have enough smarts, motivation, and perseverance there’s no reason why you can’t achieve it. Smarts. Motivation. Perseverance. Not words to take lightly. Check out these books on modern entrepreneur icons. Then read up on how you can get your own start.
Biographies
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Too poor to go to school, William spends his days reading science books in the local library. He designs a windmill that brings electricity to his tiny thatch-roofed house. His perseverance gets noticed by the international community.
Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (YRE) by Ashlee Vance
Musk was a different kind of kid, growing up in South Africa. He is most famous for starting PayPal, Space X and Tesla. He’s all about saving Earth with electric cars and solar panels. But just in case Earth goes belly up, he wants a back-up plan. A colony on Mars. Excellent analysis of how Musk thinks.
Shoe Dog (YRE) by Phil Knight
Phil Knight is the founder of the popular athletic brand, Nike. In his memoir, he talks about going to Japan to find a supplier and selling shoes out of the back of his car. He drives home the point that you have to be incredibly motivated and expect to be in debt for several years if you start a business.
Tech Titans by Carla Killough McClafferty
Get the scoop on how the richest men in the tech industry got their start. They were ordinary people with extraordinary drive. They are Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Sergery Brin and Larry Page (Google), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery
Temple Grandin had an unpleasant childhood struggling with autism, but found her calling when she visited her aunt’s cattle farm. Her autistic brain enabled her to understand the things that upset them and drove them into a state of fear. Her autism gave her the extreme focus needed to tackle a major problem in the meat industry. Humane treatment of animals.
Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was an oddity in his youth. He walked around barefoot and ate only fruits and vegetables, yet he was obsessed with building a home computer. He had a slow start, but with unimaginable determination, he jumped hurdle after hurdle, creating the best computer, digital music player, and smartphone.
From an Idea to Disney: How Branding Made Disney a Household Name by Lowey Bundy Sichol
More than a book about the man, Walt Disney, it’s a book about the Disney brand. It describes how Disney started with a concept and grew his company into a worldwide brand that everyone recognizes. Lots of information about business concepts. Great series for kids who like “Who was…What was…” books.
Business Advice
Kid Start-Up by Mark Cuban
Excellent business advice from Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban. Suggests some easy kid businesses with cost and profit breakdown and suggestions for how to sell it.
Kid Millionaire by Matthew Eliot
Everything a kid needs to know about starting a business. Provides business ideas, marketing strategies, examples of kids who made it big, next level advice on how to invest and build a company.
CHATTERING LIBRARIAN 