Formerly a litigation lawyer, he walked away from his legal career at age 25 due to dissatisfaction with his life, and self-published MegaLiving, a guide to stress management which incorporated both western and eastern spirituality techniques. He initially also self-published The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, which was then picked up for wider distribution by HarperCollins and became a Canadian and international bestseller. In his experience of over 20 years, Sharma has spoken for organizations such as Nike, Microsoft, PwC and HP. He has since published 11 other books, and founded the leadership training firm Sharma Leadership International. In 2007, an independent survey of businesspeople named Sharma as one of the most influential leadership gurus in the world.