The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires

by Brent D. Taylor

Overview

What do Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson have in common that has led to their incredible success? They’re outsiders. In this exciting new book, Brent D. Taylor uses a sample of 17 self-made billionaires to explain why they’re outsiders and how they found the edge that has led them to extreme wealth. Taylor puts the lives of these billionaires under a microscope in order to discover the secrets that have catapulted them to their extraordinary status.  Find out the unexpected and fascinating details that have led these very different individuals to share the label of "billionaire."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781742169088
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/30/2011
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	692 KB

About the Author

Brent D. Taylor (Melbourne, Australia) is a respected social and market researcher. For the past twenty years he has provided advice to Australian governments and large corporations. He was a director of KPMG for four years and ran KPMG’s Centre for Consumer Behavior. As a researcher Brent has always been fascinated with extreme achievers, however he became increasingly frustrated with the lack of explanation as to why extreme achievers are the way they are. His curiosity and drive have led him to write the exciting Outsider’s Edge.
Taylor gained a bachelor of Engineering from Auckland University. He then earned an honours degree in psychology at Melbourne University. He is currently a member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society.

Table of Contents

About the author     v
Preface     vii
Introduction
Why haven't I got what Bill Gates has?     3
Seeking the causes of extreme wealth     5
Biographies
Bill Gates     13
Warren Buffett     25
Ingvar Kamprad     37
Larry Ellison     47
Carl Icahn     59
George Soros     69
Steve Jobs     79
Charles Schwab     93
Ralph Lauren     103
David Geffen     115
Frank Lowy     125
Richard Branson     137
George Lucas     151
Bernie Ecclestone     165
Steven Spielberg     177
Oprah Winfrey     187
John Sperling     195
The big picture
Finding the pattern     207
Outsiders and their edge     219
Beginnings matter
Development pain     243
Salvation     287
Learning about learning     293
Trading intelligence     301
Lessons learned
Don't try this at home, folks     313
Hope for the future     319
Bibliography     325
Further reading     329
Index     333

Editorial Reviews

Taylor studied the FORBES list of the world’s wealthiest people to compile his own list of "outsiders" who have made it big—each for his or her own unique qualities. Using the lives and careers of such billionaires as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Ralph Lauren, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey, Taylor presents his own ideas as to how they achieved extraordinary financial success by breaking from the pack and going against the norms of their cultures. Australian narrator Adrian Mulraney brings the material to life without lecturing or editorializing. Expressing Taylor's ideas in an earnest voice, Mulraney succeeds at making the material interesting to the average listener and especially appealing to entrepreneurs. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2008 - AudioFile