Founders

What I learned from rereading The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[3:40] Relentlessly Resourceful by Paul Graham[4:11] If I were running a startup, this would be the phrase I'd tape to the mirror. "Make something people want" is the destination, but "Be relentlessly resourceful" is how you get there.[5:35] Everybody engaged in complicated work needs colleagues. Just the discipline of having to put your thoughts in order with somebody else is a very useful thing. —Charlie Munger[6:44] No bird soars in a calm.[10:30] Neither ever chose to be anything other than himself.[11:36] Wilbur was a little bothered by what others might be thinking or saying.[11:46] What the two had in common above all was a unity of purpose and unyielding determination.[15:09] Every mind should be true to itself —should think, investigate and conclude for itself.[17:53] My Life in Advertising (Founders #170)[19:33] Overdrive: Bill Gates and the

What I learned from reading Decoded by Jay Z. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[1:39] I would practice from the time I woke in the morning until I went to sleep[2:10] Even back then I though I was the best.[2:57] Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography  (Founders #219)[4:32] Belief becomes before ability.[5:06] Michael Jordan: The Life (Founders #212)[5:46] The public praises people for what they practice in private.[7:28]  Lock yourself in a room doing five beats a day for three summers.[7:50] Sam Walton: Made In America  (Founders #234)[9:50] He was disappointed in the world, so he built one of his own — from Steven Spielberg: A Biography (Founders #209)[12:47] The Pmarca Blog Archive Ebook by Marc Andreessen (Founders #50)[13:35] I'm not gonna say that I thought I could get rich from rap, but I could clearly see that it was gonna get bigger before it went away. Way bigger.[21:10] Over 20 years into his career and dude ain’t changed. He’s got his own

What I learned from reading The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon by John Paul Rathbone.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[2:02] Beyond Possible: One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime (Founders #236)[3:22] This is a cautionary tale.[6:18] One of the main lessons of the book is just how fast things can change.[6:25] The History of Cuba in 50 Events[10:14] Lobo walked with a limp due to a murder attempt 14 years before that had blown a four inch chunk out of his skull.[12:29] One of the most human of all desires is to perpetuate what you have created.[12:55] Lobo thinks he has leverage when he really doesn’t.[18:39] He dies in poverty. Imagine having $5 billion and then at the end of your life having to rely on an allowance from your adult daughters.[20:30] I think about what Charlie Munger says: Don't try to be really smart. Just try to be consistently not dumb over a long period

What I learned from reading Beyond Possible: One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime by Nims Purja.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[3:36] Walking out on my career felt risky, but I was prepared to gamble everything for my ambition.[4:20] Your extremes are my normal.[12:04] Wow, this is my shit. I'd been working without much thought, operating in the flow state that athletes often describe when they set world records or win championships. I was in the zone. Brother, I thought. You're a badass at high altitude.[13:27] I was poor from the beginning. We didn't have any money, and the thought of owning a car was unimaginable. But we were a loving family, and I was a happy kid. It didn't take a lot to keep me amused.[14:57] From an early age, I believed in the power of positive thinking.[18:17]  I also like the idea of being on top.[19:00] Sam Walton: Made In America (Founders #234)[19:03] I understood that to become a spec

What I learned from reading To Pixar And Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History by Lawrence Levy.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[1:34] The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley (Founders #233)[3:42] Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (Founders #34)[3:52] Readwise App[7:22] George Lucas: A Life (Founders #35)[7:48] Steve jobs had been a Silicon Valley's most visible celebrity but that made it all the more glaring that he had not had a hit in a long time —a very long time.[8:49] Steve Jobs and the NeXT Big Thing (Founders #77)[13:35] Why would I join a company that had been struggling for sixteen years and whose payroll was paid every month out of the personal checkbook of its owner? I had not realized how dire Pixar's financial situation was. It had no cash, no reserves, and it depended for its funds on the whim of a person

What I learned from rereading Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[1:56] The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. (Founders #179)[5:45] We just got after it and stayed after it.[6:06] Foxes and Hedgehogs[6:39] Hedgehogs may not be as clever as foxes but they obsessively measure and track everything about their business, and over time, they acquire deep, relevant knowledge and expertise. Their single minded approach may appear risky at times but they are conservative by nature. Hedgehogs don’t speculate or make foolish bets. If all their eggs are in that one proverbial basket, they follow Mark Twain’s advice – and watch that basket very carefully.[7:17] The thing with Hedgehogs is that they never give up. They keep at it – and they don’t ever get bored because they just love what they do – and they have a lot of fun along the way.[7:28] Hedgehogs are the ones who build great, lasting co

What I learned from reading The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[0:50] Your life will be shaped by the things that you create and the people you make them with.[2:45] A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age (Founders #95) [3:17] Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (Founders #1 and #30) [4:48] It is hard to find a lukewarm opinion about PayPal's founders.[5:29] To skip PayPal's creation is to neglect the most interesting stuff about its founders. It is to miss the defining experiences of their early professional lives —one that defined so much of what came later.[6:39] There's just so many times I put down the book and I'm like, “That is really, really smart, what they just did there.”[6:59] It perfectly captures when they [Musk, Thiel, Sacks, Hoffman, Levchin, Rabois] were just hustlers trying to figure it out.

What I learned from reading Alexander the Great: The Brief Life and Towering Exploits of History's Greatest Conqueror--As Told By His Original Biographers by Arrian, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtius Rufus. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[1:28] Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulleby Paul Johnson (Founders #226)[2:16] Each was brave, highly intelligent, almost horrifically self-assured, whose ambitions knew no bounds.[2:46] He was a man of formidable achievements. He was highly creative. He woke up early. His diet was spare. He was skilled with the sword and the spear and an expert at all forms of arms drills. He dressed to be seen.[3:50] He had supernatural self confidence and persistence. There is no substitute for will.[4:26] Churchill by Paul Johnson (Founders #225)[5:50] Addiontal research: Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Addenum Glimpses of Olympias[6:03] The Macedonians were a rugged people.[7:23] Think about

What I learned from reading Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey by William Rosenberg.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[5:18] The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley[5:30] A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age (Founders #93)[10:28] When I opened my first Dunkin Donuts store I focused on making the first store a success. Then after I did that I could move on to the second and the third and the fourth, but I gave all my heart and my soul to making that first store a winner.[12:13] From an early age these working experiences taught me that if I put my mind to it and worked hard, I could do whatever I was doing as well or better than most other people. I learned to strive for excellence.[14:05] Odd as it may sound I think one of the best lessons I ever learned from my Dad is what he didn't do properly. He taught me what I never wanted to have hap

What I learned from reading Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[3:19] Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Founders #141) [3:28] Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Founders #193) [4:37] Lucille Ball gave me advice about Hollywood. “Just remember, when they say, ‘No,’ you hear ‘Yes,’ and act accordingly. Someone says to you, ‘We can’t do this movie,’ you hug him and say, ‘Thank you for believing in me.[6:21] I like reading about people that do things that they're not supposed to do.[9:45] Create a comprehensive family history.[14:43] People with happy childhoods never overdo; they don't strive or exert themselves. They're moderate, pleasant, well liked, and good citizens. Society needs them. But the tremendous drive and dedication necessary to succeed in any field-not only show business-often seems to be rooted in a disturbed childhood.[19:27] This is a school tha

What I learned from reading Mind Your Own Business: A Maverick's Guide to Business, Leadership and Life by Sidney Harman----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[3:46] Foxes and Hedgehogs[7:17] The thing with Hedgehogs is that they never give up. They keep at it – and they don’t ever get bored because they just love what they do – and they have a lot of fun along the way.[8:27] In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations With the Visionaries of the Digital World[9:38] “The essence of commitment is making a decision. The Latin root for decision is to ‘cut away from,’ as in an incision. When you commit to something, you are cutting away all your other possibilities, all your other options”  From the book The Lombardi Rules: 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi—The World's Greatest Coach[11:16] The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by Michael Lewis[13:12] I regard myself as guardian of the company’s soul.[15:05] Steve Jobs liked to say the Beatles were his manag

What I learned from reading Bloomberg by Michael Bloomberg. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[2:08] Answering to no one is the ultimate situation.[3:02] Twitter thread on Michael Bloomberg by Neckar.Substack.com[5:28] We never made the error that so many others have: mistaking their product for the device that delivers it.[6:27] We knew our core product was data and analytics.[7:01] We were motivated by an idea that we could build something new that just might make a difference.[9:04] Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger[10:05] I was willing to do anything that they wanted. I would have never left voluntarily.[16:00] Street smarts and common sense were better predictors of career achievements.[17:40] Almost all occupations have a big selling component: selling your firm, your ideas and yourself.[18:20] It is the doers, the lean and hungry ones, those with ambition in their eyes and fire in their bellies, who go the fur

Here are 10 episodes to start with: #168 Driven: An Autobiography by Larry Miller#171 The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune#219 Anthony Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography#223 Unstoppable: Siggi Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend#216 Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans#212 Michael Jordan: The Life#210 Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft#193 Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder#185 Ritz & Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class#170 My Life in Advertising

What I learned from reading The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett and Lawrence Cunningham.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[1:39] Founders #88 Warren Buffett’s shareholder letters — All of them![2:36] Buffet and Charlie Munger built this sprawling enterprise by investing in businesses with excellent economic characteristics and run by outstanding managers.[5:21] Founders #224  Charles de Gaulle by Julian Jackson[5:41] Books on Henry Singleton: The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success and Distant Force A Memoir of the Teledyne Corporation and the Man Who Created It[7:06] Founders #226 Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson[8:03] Founders #34 Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull[9:19] Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. Give a mediocre idea to a gre

What I learned from reading Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[0:55] I have always had a soft spot for those who speak out against the conventional wisdom and who are not afraid to speak the truth, even if it puts them in a minority of one.[1:20] 4 traits of heroes:1. Absolute independence of mind. Think everything through yourself.2. Act resolutely and consistently.3. Ignore the media.4. Act with personal courage at all times regardless of the consequences to yourself.[2:25] Churchill by Paul Johnson[2:47] Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky by Paul Johnson and Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney by Paul Johnson. [3:34] Founders #196 Book link: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitzby Erik Larson. “It’s slothful not to compress your thoughts.” —Churchill[4:58] They carved

What I learned from reading Churchill by Paul Johnson. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[2:09] Churchill never allowed mistakes, disaster, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get him down.[4:19] The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. (Founders #196)[4:57] He wrote best-selling biographies on Napoleon, Churchill, Eisenhower, Socrates, and Mozart.[6:39] 3 part series on Larry Ellison: Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle (Founders #124), The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed up to Win Sailing's Greatest Race, the Americas Cup, Twice (Founders #126), The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: *God Doesn't Think He's Larry Ellison(Founders #127)[7:40] How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets by Felix Dennis (Founders #129)[8:35] On the importance of belief: I am not asking you to be Winsto

What I learned from reading Charles de Gaulle by Julian Jackson. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[6:45] The Winston Churchill episode is #196 based on the book The Splendid and The Vile[7:07] Don’t turn your back on he who will not accept defeat.[7:54] The greatest founders in history have identified a series of ideas that are extremely important to them and they repeat these ideas over and over again. Repetition is persuasive.[12:24] De Gaulle was a voice before he was a face.[16:45] Whatever happens the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished, and it will not be extinguished.[19:15] De Gaulle spoke about the army the way Enzo Ferrari spoke of his cars. Founders #97 Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans[23:30] Nothing dented his belief in victory.[23:38] The victor is the one that wants victory most energetically.[32:17] “Henry Singleton always tries to work out the best moves and maybe he doesn'

What I learned from reading Unstoppable: Siggi Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend by Joshua M. Greene.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----Never give up. Only death is permanent. Everything else can be fixed.I couldn't take such talk about not coming out alive. I didn't want to hear it. Whenever my mind told me I was not going to survive, the Almighty told me to keep going. So I stayed away from the others.Because I could outwit the guards, I always felt superior to them. I hated them. I hated their brutality, their inhuman behavior. I felt stronger, more intelligent, and I had confidence in myself from childhood. So even though they had the guns and did all the killing, I felt superior. It was obviously a touch of arrogance, and some of it was justified and some not justified, but even in that totally hopeless condition I looked down on all of them.It was clear that Americans were alive in ev

What I learned from rereading A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market by Ed Thorp. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----1. The book reveals a thorough, rigorous, methodical person in search of life, knowledge, financial security, and, not least of all, fun. 2. I learned at an early age to teach myself. This paid off later on because there weren’t any courses in how to beat blackjack, build a computer for roulette, or launch a market-neutral hedge fund.3. Even though the Goliath I was challenging had always won, I knew something no one else did: He was nearsighted, clumsy, slow, and stupid, and we were going to fight on my terms, not his.4. I admired the heroes who, through extraordinary abilities and resourcefulness, achieved great things. I may have been inspired to mirror this in the future by using my mind to overcome intellectual obstacles.5. Rather than subscribing to widely accepted views—such as you

What I learned from reading Damn Right: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger by Janet Lowe.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----[16:02] I had a considerable passion to get rich. Not because I wanted Ferraris—I wanted the independence. I desperately wanted it.[26:49] I met the towering intellectuals in books, not in the classroom, which is natural. My family was into all that stuff, getting ahead through discipline, knowledge, and self-control.[37:44] He talked about business in a way that was animated and interesting though now I see he was almost broke. I knew he drove an awful car. But I never thought he was anything but a big success. Why did I think that? He just had this air-everything he did was going to be first class, going to be great. He had these enthusiasms for his projects and his future.[38:48] Charlie drummed in the notion that a person should always "Do the best that you can do. Never tell a lie. If you say y