A recent article in the Maryland Business Gazette explores the importance of the inspiration that business executives can get from reading:
Laurent Amzallag, founder of Snappy Snacks of Rockville, said he finds motivation in reading autobiographies of people who went through hard times before finding success, such as Iacocca and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilder-cum-actor-cum-California governor.
After emigrating from Montreal in the 1990s, Amzallag founded DAL International, which provides fitness videos and programs for corporate employees. He later established the Snappy Snacks division, which provides healthful alternatives for vending machines. Reading biographies such as Schwarzenegger’s — which, he acknowledges, is more inspirational for its story than for its writing — helped motivate him when he wasn’t sure he would be successful, he said.
That inspiration can also come from fiction. Sachs, the PR professional, remembers the huge impact Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” had on her when she read it in high school. The book extols the value of individual initiative.
See the full article for more information.