Bill Cummings never aspired to be a billionaire and never acknowledged he was one until long after it happened. That’s because it is not money that motivates him, but rather the immense enjoyment he gets from building and growing successful businesses.
This fascinating autobiography, Starting Small and Making It Big, shares not only how he got there, but also his singular dedication to giving back to the communities and institutions so vital to his success. In Massachusetts alone, the cash donations from Cummings entities to local charities already total more than $200 million. Through Bill’s unique voice, readers experience his achievements and adventures, as well as his setbacks and personal tragedies. For anyone studying business, building a business, or running a business, Bill’s journey also offers keen insights, cautionary observations, and the pioneering thinking that produced great prosperity and a multibillion-dollar enterprise. For everyone else, it offers a new and engrossing twist on the classic American success story.
Cummings, Bill, 2018. Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist. Durham, NC: Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University.