10 must-read inspiring biographies of business leaders

Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion
(Crown Business, 1999)
By Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, with Bob Andelman

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years. The book tells many stories with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise. It shows that that a company can be growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.



Inspirational Quote: "You want a formula for success? Take two Jews who have just been fired, add an Irishman who just walked away from a bankruptcy and an Italian running a no-name investment banking firm." -- Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank