Be a successful business owner

Michael Lewis at Salomon Brothers in the 1980s; the Wall Street memoir.

The leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco in 1988; the deal book.

Launch your own company or venture

Create and establish a distinctive product brand with a unique identity, packaging, and market presence.

A brutal fast-food economy where the first player to hire a manager usually wins.

Phil Knight on the first years of Nike, selling shoes from a car boot to a Japanese bank loan.

Isaacson's authorised biography from forty interviews; the reality distortion field.

Build, measure, learn; Ries on the minimum viable product.