Founders

What I learned from reading Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters; The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire. ---- He was a film director, a producer, a test pilot, inventor, investor, and entrepreneur [0:01] the start of Hughes Tool Company [13:00] during a gold rush sell pickaxe's / great idea about leasing drill bits [19:00] Howard Hughes Jr is on his own at 18 years old [26:00] starting out in the movie business [32:00] his first plane crash/divorce [38:00] Howard Hughes goes broke [48:00] Howard Hughes breaks the world record for the fastest flight around the world / Hitler was always an asshole [56:00] Henry Kaiser and the birth of The Hercules [1:05:00] his 4th plane crash and descent into madness [1:14:00] Howard Hughe's M.O. on corruption and bribes [1:26:00] I am not really interested in people. I am interested in science. –Howard Hughes [1:29:00] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand.

What I learned from reading Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life by John Bogle  ---- Gentlemen, cut your costs. [4:00] the benefits of being forced to work early on in life [7:00] I'll never forget the inspiration when I read this quote: The force of his mind overcame his every impediment. [9:30] the traits he needed to found Vanguard [12:00]  what John thinks we should be doing better [13:30] create things that help other people/Charlie Munger [17:30] When a business fails people want to know their revenue. I want to know their costs [19:30] the past is not a prologue in the financial markets... please, please, please don't count on it. [23:00] Einstein well understood the limits of quantification / the way we act and the way we measure are in conflict [26:00] Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome. –Charlie Munger / If you get the incentives right when you start the company you will grow. [35:00] A rule of life: Press On, Regardless [39:00] 10 reasons why I bother to battle [44:

What I learned from reading Stay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution. ---- This is a story of a revolution [0:01] what Vanguard does and why? [7:00] the seed of the idea that eventually becomes Vanguard [10:00] switching from conservative investing to speculation / when humans are scared they copy the behavior of those around them [17:00] John gets fired. He decides to fight back. [31:00] if you know why you are doing what you are doing you are less likely to quit [41:00] staying the course gives you a massive advantage because most humans quit [53:00]  We must never underrate the power of compounding investment returns, and always avoid the tyranny of compounding investment costs.– John Bogle [59:00] eliminating the 50-year tradition of sales commission [1:01:00] a failure caused by focusing on competition and not learning from the past [1:06:00] the Founders Mentality [1:07:30] personal reflections and a memoir of sorts [1:11:00] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into

What I learned from reading Nuts!: Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success ---- Reality is chaotic; planning is ordered [0:01] Vince Lombardi is the Steve Jobs of coaches [3:48]  how Southwest Airlines is different [11:31] the beginning of Southwest [16:00] fighting anticompetitive practice [24:30]  finding a new market by doing the opposite of your competition [29:00]  missionaries make the best products [31:00] being forced to innovate leads to questioning assumptions which leads to finding new markets [34:00] how Southwest became the largest liquor distributor in Texas [38:00]  remember your fundamental reason for being and don't deviate from that [40:45] optimize for profits, not market share [42:30] know what you are competing with - not who [44:15]  how having only one type of airplane gives Southwest an advantage [46:30]  how keeping it simple saved Southwest $2 million [51:30] know what you do best - have the discipline to stick to it [53:00]  if you are going to be small yo

What I learned from reading Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer by Stephen Dando-Collins ---- Unlike Vanderbilt's other adversaries William Walker was not afraid of Cornelius when he should have been [0:01] Setting up the war between Cornelius Vanderbilt and William Walker [7:32] William Walker's impressive resume [16:44] Betrayal: "Gentlemen, You have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I'll ruin you." [27:04] Walker takes Vanderbilt's property. Walker thinks the law protects him. Vanderbilt doesn't care about the law [39:27] Garrison's counter move against Cornelius Vanderbilt [44:36] Vanderbilt funds several Central American governments to destroy William Walker [52:51] The power of having a singular focus on a goal but remaining flexible on the tactics to get there [1:02:10] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand.

What I learned by reading The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by TJ Stiles.  ---- His life spanned from the days of George Washington to John D. Rockefeller [0:01] $1 out of $20 in circulation [4:35] an overview of his life [5:35]  the environment Vanderbilt was raised in [14:10]  love of competition / dislike of school / first jobs [18:00]  action for actions sake [22:00] an entrepreneur from the beginning [23:06]  expansion fueled by aggressiveness, action, and constraints [30:00]  partnering with the rich and powerful Thomas Gibbons [35:00] the solo founder [46:34] starting up with an eye on getting acquired [50:00]  frugality wins [56:20] entrepreneurs vs large companies [1:03:45]  more frugality and decentralized company structure [1:12:00]  the size of his ambition was difficult for others to comprehend [1:19:25] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make i

What I learned from reading Who Is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz.  ---- Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first give a gift [0:01] Michael's first jobs + finding his first love [7:02] the foul-mouthed magnates [19:49] starting at the bottom / being hungry for knowledge [24:50] I don't want to be standard in any way [32:30] the revolt begins and the founding of CAA [36:05] know the history of the industry you are in [46:30] a warning for all entrepreneurs [53:44] what influenced CAA's culture [59:27] becoming the thing you hate [1:02:10] a typical day's schedule [1:07:00] problems with co-founders [1:11:30] the fastest animal on the field [1:15:13] I was tired / The end of Michael Ovitz's time at CAA [1:19:15] Ron is gone [1:25:07] a new beginning / meeting Marc Andreessen [1:32:00] reconciliation [1:38:00] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access

What I learned from reading The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders. ---- A business is born (0:01) don't start a business unless you are the first customer (22:49) what it is like to fall in love with an idea (25:31) starting a business is like making a movie (27:15) on slowing down (32:32) the problem with being able to argue both sides of an idea (37:00) editing & narrowing your focus (46:51) ideas in the form of action (51:39) history doesn't repeat, human nature does (57:00) the doubts of nascent entrepreneurship (59:51) Steve Jobs had one speed: Go (1:07:39) be the customer, not the seller (1:16:21) Bill finally gets it (1:22:00) ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here.  ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode

What I learned from reading Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic by Mel and Patricia Ziegler ---- For every business, there is an appropriate scale [0:01] Fundamentally Unemployable [5:18] the prehistory of Banana Republic [10:02] "We didn't have any money, we didn't have any technology, and we didn't have a plan." –Jack Ma [14:30] A republic is born [18:13] when something is not selling, increase the price [20:45] relentlessly resourceful [25:45] finding assets hiding in liabilities [28:30] the catalog! [30:33] Eddie Murphy on why you shouldn't have a backup plan [36:40] media was the initial distribution strategy [42:15] Understanding the internet before the internet existed. A lesson on publicity/attention [45:22] when all else fails, expand [51:05] selling the company [56:24] the end of freedom [1:04:40] Misfits, quotes from Steve Jobs and what this has to do with the podcast industry [1:08:00] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's great

What I learned from reading  The Pmarca Blog Archive Ebook by Marc Andreessen. ---- [0:01] In this series of posts I will walk through some of my accumulated knowledge and experience in building high-tech startups.   [3:15] Great things about doing a startups:  Most fundamentally, the opportunity to be in control of your own destiny — you get to succeed or fail on your own, and you don’t have some bozo telling you what to do. For a certain kind of personality, this alone is reason enough to do a startup. The opportunity to create something new — the proverbial blank sheet of paper. You have the ability — actually, the obligation— to imagine a product that does not yet exist and bring it into existence, without any of the constraints normally faced by larger companies. The opportunity to have an impact on the world — to give people a new way to communicate, a new way to share information, a new way to work  together, or anything else you can think of that would make the world a better place.  The ability to cr

What I learned from reading Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life by Richard Branson. --- Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium — Subscribers can listen to Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes and every bonus episode.  --- — “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here.  ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Garet

What I learned from reading Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography by Richard Branson.   ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here.  ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

What I learned from reading Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Wayby Richard Branson ---- Business is a fluid, changing substance. A mutating, indefinable thing [0:45] I just pick up the phone and get on with it [7:50] smart ways to get initial traction [9:51] to understand the entrepreneur, study the juvenile delinquent [14:19] Richard Branson's early business philosophy [14:49] the beginning of Virgin [19:00] what he learned from going to jail [23:01] the scope of Richard's ambition at 21 [24:44] a model of compatible businesses [27:00] how Richard Branson made his first fortune [29:00] how Richard Branson gets Necker Island and the idea for Virgin Airways [34:45] protecting the downside risk [38:40] Richard Branson's view on public companies [46:12] taking Virgin private, funding secured [52:00] questioning the direction of his life at 40 years old [59:54] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest e

What I learned from reading I Love Capitalism: An American Story by Ken Langone.  --- His early life: there was never much money (3:30) Ken's first jobs (5:35) [At school] I didn't apply myself at all . I did the absolute minimum . I was too busy having fun and working at all my various jobs (12:05)  further adventures in entrepreneurship (13:24) Looking for work / finding excitement (17:00) stepping out into the void / getting creative to get a job (23:50) how he starts growing a business within the firm (26:33) his first big break (28:50) You treat a customer right and you never have to worry (32:00) A lesson about human nature and developing trust (34:45) Getting rich is one skill. Staying rich is a different skill altogether(43:10) moral of the story: who wants it the most? (48:25) Hubris and Redemption: Starting over (50:25) how he started his own business (54:00) learning about the opportunity for home depot from other founders and some early tactics to get traction for their stores (59:00)  leave more

What I learned from reading Built From Scratch: How A Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank.  --- The creation of The Home Depot began with two words: "You're fired!" [0:01] Blinders on focus on the customer [5:45] Learning how not to manage people from Ming the Merciless [8:37] Meeting Ken Langone / the prehistory of Home Depot [11:00] 81% private / 19% public partnerships [18:40] Ken sells to Ming. Predicts Ming will fire Bernie [28:30] Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened [35:00] Bernie Marcus at 49 years old: little cash and a ruined reputation [38:15] How Bernie Marcus walks away from Ross Perot [38:50] The importance of equity [49:19] Do not work with people who don't know how to care about other people [51:00] How they got the money to open The Home Depot [55:30] The critical importance of selling at the right price [58:32] Knowing the right way to do something by seeing it done the wrong way [1:08:54] Mistakes can teach

What I learned from reading Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen  --- I was 21 years old and at loose ends (0:01) how Paul Allen works (4:09) coming up with the idea for Microsoft (4:48) admiring Bill Gates' bravado (7:56) advice from his father: do something you love (12:30) "Paul is an 'enthusiast' and when in the grip of an enthusiasm is almost totally irresponsible in other areas. How can one help such a student to see the error of his ways ? I don't know. He could even be more right than we, who knows ?" (18:30) Going deep on subjects that interested him (20:56) Paul's first jobs (24:14) Paul Allen and Bill Gates first business (26:44) New Mexico and the start of Microsoft (31:37) We were certain that the tech establishment was wrong and we were right (34:40) Unequal cofounders (37:29) Starting to grow Microsoft (39:00) Unequal cofounders part two (41:00) Early Microsoft culture: When I talk about the early days at Microsoft, it's hard to explain to people how much fun it was.(

What I learned from reading Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio --- Whatever success I've had in life has had more to do with my knowing how to deal with my not knowing than anything I know [0:01] Ray's first principle and why [5:35] Ray's key to success [8:07] The similarities between investors and entrepreneurs [9:27] Shift your mindset from I know I am right to How do I know I am right? [13:05] Systemize your decision making [14:09] Ray on his life story [17:30] the quality of your decisions determine the quality of your life [19:50] Like a lot of Founders, Ray was bad at school [21:45] More about his personality: stubborn and determined + his first jobs [22:45] Hungry for knowledge he could actually use [24:28] Terrible is better than mediocre [25:03] What we think to be true that is not: The future is a slightly modified version of the present [25:30] Steve Jobs [26:30] A pivotal lesson for Ray: The same things happen over and over again [28:02] the founding of Bridgewater [32:33] the humble beginning

What I learned from reading One From Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock  --- Walking away at the pinnacle of success was the hardest thing I have ever done (0:01) Through the years, I have greatly feared and sought to keep at bay the four beasts that inevitably devour their keeper – Ego, Envy, Avarice, and Ambition. In 1984, I severed all connections with business for a life of isolation and anonymity, convinced I was making a great bargain by trading money for time, position for liberty, and ego for contentment – that the beasts were securely caged. –Dee Hock (4:14) Visa was little more than a set of unorthodox convictions about organization slowly growing in the mind of a young corporate rebel (9:03) Dee's first jobs (21:44) Learning how mechanistic, Industrial Age organizations really function (28:17) Useful questions to ask in your organization (34:30) A failure at 36 years old (38:33) The environment from which Visa emerged (46:41) Healthy vs Unhealthy Organizations (55:19) Focu

What I learned from reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz. --- There's no recipe for complicated, dynamic situations [0:01] Meeting Marc Andreessen [8:30] The co-founder relationship between Marc and Ben [11:00] How they came up with the idea for Loudcloud (Opsware) / A business is just an idea that will make someone's life better. —Richard Branson [13:45] Ben finds value by asking the question: What would I do if we went bankrupt? [21:05] Sell the wrong product to find the right one [22:30] Saving a $20 million a year customer by buying a $10 million company [23:16] Do not play the odds [27:27] Discount praise. Focus on what can be fixed [28:32] Why training is so important (compounding effect) [31:20] Difference between large company executives and founders [32:00] Why it is a good idea to collect good ideas [34:00] Determination is more important than intelligence [35:30] Your culture should be unique / Using shock to create behavioral

What I learned from reading Insisting On The Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land and Instant: The Story of Polaroid --- If you dream of something worth doing and then simply go to work on it, and don’t think anything of personalities, or emotional conflicts, or of money, or of family distractions; if you just think of, detail by detail, what you have to do next, it is a wonderful dream. [0:01]  Edwin Land was a pioneer whose inventions were dismissed, and yet he created a great company by dint of pure stubbornness. [2:33]  He [Steve Jobs] didn't yet have the skills to build a great company, but he admired those who had pulled it off and he would go to great lengths to meet them and learn from them. [3:03]  Steve admired many things about Land: his obsessive commitment to creating products of style, practicality, and great consumer appeal. His reliance on gut instinct rather than consumer research and the restless obsession and invention he brought to the company he founded. [4:07]  Recounting his life is a med