Forbes Great Success Stories: Twelve Tales of Victory Wrested from Defeat

Behind every success story worth telling there's a determined hero who overcame setbacks, disappointments, and even failures before emerging victorious-and rich. The remarkable stories in this book prove that success can be sweeter the second time around. The twelve extraordinary men and women you will meet had already achieved overwhelming success, only to be brought low by utter calamity-bankruptcy, disaster, illness, racial prejudice, even jail. To survive this kind of catastrophe is an achievement in itself, and each of these indomitable spirits not only survived, but also came back to triumph again.

You'll meet Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel and creator of Barbie, who, after designing the most popular doll in history, lost her company to corporate infighting and her self-confidence to breast cancer. She battled back by starting a new company to manufacture breast prostheses. You'll come to admire the New England mill owner who led his company to immense prosperity while all of the businesses around him were dying and then had to rise from the ashes of calamity when his business was destroyed by fire.

This cast of incredible characters includes poor kids who made good and rich kids who got richer; famous names and people you've never heard of; the CEO of Oracle, the founder of Domino's Pizza, and more; and some who were victims of fate or malice and others who sowed the seeds of their own destruction. All share a passion for achievement, a dedication to their goals, and a fierce determination to succeed against all odds.

These entertaining and enlightening Great Success Stories go beyond mere "secrets of success" to reveal the remarkable strength of character and will that enabled these heroes to struggle back to the top and, in many cases, to become deeper, stronger, more caring people in the process. They offer inspiration to anyone who is struggling to realize a dream, overcome adversity, or achieve a seemingly unreachable goal.