Reading for business inspiration

Ernest Hemingway, author of The Old Man and the Sea

Can reading Hemingway help you survive in business?

Can isolating yourself from other people help you to come up with ideas?

Yes they can, according to fashion designer Paul Costelloe. He is among the entrepreneurs and chief executives telling BBC2's Working Lunch programme what makes them tick.

Our guests told us about their ambitions, working habits and what they have learned in business.

Their answers may surprise you, so if you are looking for a bit of inspiration, read on...

Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, telling the epic battle between a fisherman and a giant fish, inspires the business brains of Irish fashion designer Paul Costelloe.

He also explains why he tries to isolate himself when he needs to be creative.

Laura Tenison, founder of clothing company JoJo Maman Bebe, says she was not brought up to believe she could go into business.

It makes sense, then, that she says she was inspired by stories about the "plight of the underdog", including John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

She also explains how getting on her bike helps her generate new ideas.

A book called Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam, helped Nic Coward to realise what his sporting business was all about: creating bonds between people.

He also recommends Freakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner, for its insights into the human habit of cheating.

And his advice to those hoping to succeed in business involves shunning e-mail and the telephone.

James Smith says he has turned every page of Lord Stern's heavyweight book, The Economics of Climate Change.

But for something a bit lighter, he suggests a crime novel by R. J. Ellory called A Quiet Belief in Angels.

And he explains why it is figures from history known for their modesty who have influenced him most.

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