Leonard Riggio
Barnes & Noble
New York, NY USA
"If you try to leap too far ahead too fast, a sense of alienation can set in...Remember that you can always start small."
Career Roadmap
Leonard's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Business, and Upholding a Cause and Belief
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Day In The Life
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I was born and raised in New York City.
2.
After high school, I began attending night classes at New York University, where I majored in metallurgical engineering.
3.
I was too poor to attend college full-time, so I took a day job as a clerk at New York University's campus bookstore—this is what initially sparked my interest in business and retail.
4.
Feeling too confined and unable to make a difference at the NYU bookstore, I decided to drop out of college and use my savings to open up my own college bookstore: the Student Book Exchange.
5.
The store ended up being a huge success and we were able to open up more campus bookstores throughout New York, eventually expanding onto other college campuses.
6.
In 1971, I bought the struggling Barnes & Noble bookstore and began further expanding the company.
7.
In 1986, I bought B. Dalton—a chain of 800 mall bookstores—and we began to explore the concept of turning our bookstores into superstores that served as multifunctional gathering places.
8.
Since building Barnes & Noble into one of the biggest booksellers in the world, I’ve upheld a commitment to public service, serving on the boards of two dozen nonprofit organizations.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
Here, read this you dummy.
How I responded:
When I worked at the NYU bookstore, I met a very interesting Hungarian intellectual who thought I was the dumbest person alive, so he started giving me all kinds of books to read. Instead of being offended or annoyed, I began absorbing all kinds of knowledge and growing in ways that I didn't think I was capable of.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I couldn't afford to go to college full-time, so I took night classes at NYU and worked in the campus bookstore to help pay for it.