The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires
What do Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson have in common that has led them to become extremely wealthy? Professional researcher Brent D Taylor puts the lives of seventeen of the world’s richest people under the microscope to discover the secrets to their incredible success.
All seventeen billionaires profiled in the Outsider’s Edge come from disparate backgrounds, work in different industries, have very different personalities and superficially appear to have different upbringings. Yet they have one important thing in common – they are all ‘outsiders’.
The Outsider’s Edge gives insights from the lives of the world's richest people including: Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ingvar Kamprad, Larry Ellison, Carl Icahn, George Soros, Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab, Ralph Lauren, David Geffen, Frank Lowy, Richard Branson, George Lucas, Bernie Ecclestone, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and John Sperling.
The Outsider’s Edge by Brent D Taylor is published by John Wiley & Sons, Australia Ltd.
The Creative Edge
This fascinating book answers the question. What does Tiger Woods have in common with John Lennon? What did Elvis Presley have in common with Coco Chanel? How is Madonna similar to Andy Warhol? What does JK Rowling share with David Beckham? Why did they all become cultural icons?
Because they all share a creative edge!
Did Madonna perform so she could afford pointy bras and racks of shoes? Did Coco Chanel start designing clothes so she could become a fashion icon? Was Walt Disney in the media business for the money or was it for the cute animals? Did JK Rowling start writing expecting the sale of her books would earn her so much money? Did Elvis Presley sing to meet lots of women and get free sex as it seemed? Did Tiger Woods and David Beckham play sport to be famous? And why did John Lennon really sing 'Love love me do'?
In all cases the answer was NO! At least not initially. They didn’t have a life plan to become famous, have lots of money or have any of the other trappings. They just did the best they could and toughed it out through their formative childhood and teen years. Some even had issues when they were a baby.
Some were good at school, some were not. Many had trouble making close friends. A number spent long periods alone in their bedrooms, worrying their mothers. Frequently they were uninterested in sport or other enthusiasms and hobbies they might have shared with fellow students or teachers. This sometimes put them into conflict. Still, by being lightly distracted with friends, dating, sport or being party animals, they also missed out on group think. They developed a set of skills that was all their own - their Creative Edge.
The icons couldn't conform. They made up their own jobs and went into business for themselves. They were different and ultimately that was their edge. Difference is the cornerstone of creativity and it requires creativity to be famous.
'The Creative Edge' is written by Brent D Taylor and published by John Wiley & Sons, Australia Ltd in bookstores and the web.