Historian and journalist Daniel Gross has produced a collection of profiles of corporate high-achievers that is exceptionally informative, extremely entertaining, and endlessly inspiring. In Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time, Gross examines 20 pioneering risk-takers who refused to compromise and were ultimately rewarded for their efforts. From the richest man in America during Revolutionary times (Robert Morris) to its richest man today (Bill Gates), the book tracks industrialists, corporate kings, financiers, and visionaries, including J. P. Morgan, Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, and Mary Kay Ash in a manner that shows why all are worth studying.What do Bill Gates, Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan, Mary Kay Ash, and Walt Disney all have in common? Uncompromising vision, a willingness to take risks, and exceptional business acumen. Not only did these individuals amass great fortunes, they revolutionized the business world and helped shape society as we know it. Theirs are just a few of the stories collected in this anthology of commercial ingenuity. Drawing on a wealth of sources, this priceless collection brings to life extraordinary achievements, many of them forgotten or little known: how Robert Morris, the preeminent merchant of the eighteenth century, financed the American Revolution with his personal credit; how Ray Kroc used a shrewd real estate strategy to turn a faltering hamburger franchise operation into the McDonald's fast food empire; and how Mary Kay Ash built a billion-dollar direct sales cosmetics company by preaching a message of economic empowerment to women. Enlightening and fascinating, Forbes(r) Greatest Business Stories of All Time celebrates larger-than-life ambition, inspired leadership, wheeling and dealing, and hard work. Forbes is a registered trademark of Forbes Inc. Its use is pursuant to a license agreement with Forbes Inc.