Drawing inspiration from the achievements of successful individuals and companies can offer valuable insights and motivation
. The following resources provide a broad range of expert commentary and real-world success stories across different fields.
Expert insights
Leadership
Harvard Business Review (HBR) on Leadership: A collection of articles and podcasts featuring experts who discuss strategy, innovation, and effective leadership.
Leadership Insights Podcast: Features interviews with seasoned CEOs, thought leaders, and business experts who share their knowledge on improving company culture and becoming a more effective leader.
Coaching for Leaders Podcast: Offers real-life examples and practical advice on improving your leadership skills and creating a productive workplace.
Innovation
MIT Sloan Management Review: Publishes articles on how to take a strategic approach to innovation, unlock creativity, and navigate internal hurdles.
Harvard University: Features expert guidance on how senior leaders can champion innovation programs and foster disruptive growth.
Innovation Strategy Interviews: Offers discussions with marketing executives and other leaders on how to elevate customer experiences and scale innovation.
Business and entrepreneurship
Wolters Kluwer Expert Insights: Provides resources and articles on tax, accounting, and the impact of technology like AI on the business landscape.
ZenBusiness: Features a blog with tips for building and growing a business, including marketing strategies and product development advice from top entrepreneurs.
The Expert Insight: A network that connects clients with experts across various industries to help guide strategic business decisions.
Inspiring success stories
Notable entrepreneurs
Oprah Winfrey: Overcame poverty and adversity to become a media mogul and one of the most successful businesswomen in history.
Elon Musk: Founded companies like Tesla and SpaceX, becoming known for his innovative thinking and risk-taking.
Steve Jobs: Co-founded Apple Inc. and is remembered for his vision and persistence in creating a global technology giant.
Sarah Blakely: The founder of Spanx, who used a simple, unconventional idea to build a successful company.
Jan Koum: The co-founder of WhatsApp, who built a global communication platform.
J.K. Rowling: Overcame financial hardship to write the Harry Potter series, which was initially rejected by multiple publishers.
Startups and company triumphs
Airbnb: Famously turned early-stage rejection into a global hospitality business by adopting clever growth strategies.
Canva: Co-founder Melanie Perkins made design accessible to everyone, building a billion-dollar company from a simple idea.
Instacart: Founder Apoorva Mehta tested and refined his grocery delivery service by acting as his own first customer, quickly growing it into a multi-billion-dollar business.
Lego Ideas: Used a successful open innovation platform to crowdsource new product ideas from its own customers, generating new revenue streams.
Influential creators and brand builders
MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson): Built a multi-faceted empire that includes restaurants, snack brands, and entertainment ventures, leveraging his YouTube audience into impactful business endeavors.
Emma Chamberlain: Evolved from a YouTube personality into a successful entrepreneur with her eco-conscious coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee.
Huda Kattan: Transitioned from a beauty blogger to the founder of Huda Beauty, one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world.