Founders

What I learned from rereading Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders You can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----Join this email list if you want early access to any Founders live events and conferencesJoin my personal email list

What I learned from rereading George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.comYou can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----(0:01) George Lucas unapologetically invested in what he believed in the most: himself.(1:00) George Lucas is the Thomas Edi

What I learned from reading Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.comYou can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----Episode Outline: Whatever is there, he makes it work.Spielberg once defined his approach to filmmaking by declaring,

What I learned from reading Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders NotesSome questions other subscribers asked SAGE: I need some unique ideas on how to find new customers. What advice do you have for me?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me more ideas about how to avoid competition from Peter Thiel?Have any of history's greatest founders regretted selling their company?What is the best way to fire a bad employee?How did Andrew Carnegie know what to focus on?Why was Jay Gould so smart?What was the biggest unlock for Henry Ford?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffetts best ideas?If Charlie Munger had a top 10 rules for life what do you think those rules would be?What did Charlie Munger say about building dur

What I learned from reading Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness: Being Very Good Is No Good,You Have to Be Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Good by David Ogilvy and Ogivly & Mather. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders NotesSome questions other subscribers asked SAGE: I need some unique ideas on how to find new customers. What advice do you have for me?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me more ideas about how to avoid competition from Peter Thiel?Have any of history's greatest founders regretted selling their company?What is the best way to fire a bad employee?How did Andrew Carnegie know what to focus on?Why was Jay Gould so smart?What was the biggest unlock for Henry Ford?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffetts best ideas?If Charlie Munger had a

What I learned from reading The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes----Follow Founders Podcast on YouTube ----(1:00) This is a 100 page biography of the human species(1:00) The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant (Full Set) (2:30) Generations of men establish a growing mastery over the earth, but they are destined to become fossils in its soil.(4:00) Ruthlessly prioritize how you spend your time.(4:00) The influence of geographic factors diminishes as technology grows.(4:30) ALL OF THE NAPOLEON EPISODES:Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David Bell. (Founders #294) The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Wordsedited by J. Christopher Herold. (Founders #302)Napoleon and Modern War by Napoleon and Col. Lanza. (Founders #337) (8:00) Our job is to make our companies and ourselves better equipped to meet the test of survival.(11:30) Economic development specializes functions, differentiates abi

What I learned from rereading Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer by Stephen Dando-Collins. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes----Follow Founders Podcast on YouTube ----(0:01) Vanderbilt was only interested in two things: making money and winning(3:00) Cornelius Vanderbilt, the descendant of poor Dutch immigrants, would die in 1877 possessing more money than was held by the United States treasury.(3:00) The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles(5:00) The NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger. (Founders #329) (6:00) “If I had learned education. I would not have had time to learn anything else.”(7:00) Vanderbilt wrote nothing down, keeping every detail of his business dealings in his head, and at any given time he knew his income and expenditures down to the last cent.(10:00) From Founders Notes. I asked the chat feature:Tell me abo

What I learned from reading Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover and Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness by Tim Grover. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes----Follow Founders Podcast on YouTube ----(3:00) What I am giving you is insight into the mentality of those who have found unparalleled success by trusting their own instincts.(3:00) Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson. (Founders #240)(6:00) Michael was the best because he was relentless about winning. No matter how many times he won he always wanted more and he was always willing to do whatever it took to get it.(6:00) Michael never cared about achieving mere greatness. He cared about being the best ever.(7:00) These are the most driven individuals you'll ever know, with an unmatched genius for what they do: they don't just perform a job, they reinvent it.(8:00) Alex Rodriguez interviews Kobe Bryant (11:00) The most important thing, the one thing that defines and separates him from

What I learned from reading Decoded by Jay Z. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes----(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 vib

What I learned from reading The Days of Duveen by S.N. Behrman. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Founders merch available at the Founders shop----Patrick and I are looking for partners. If you are building B2B products get in touch here. ----(0:01) Duveen noticed that Europe had plenty of art and America had plenty of money, and his entire astonishing career was the product of that simple observation.(2:30) The great American millionaires of the Duveen Era were slow-speaking and slow-thinking, cautious, secretive, and maddeningly deliberate.(3:30) How Larry Gagosian Reshaped The Art World by Patrick Radden Keefe. (Founders #325)(4:30) Invest Like The Best #342 Will England: A Primer on Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds(6:00) There is an old two-part rule that often works wonders in business, science, and elsewhere: 1. Take a simple, basic idea and 2. Take it very seriously. — the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Ch

What I learned from reading Wildcatters: A Story of Texans, Oil, and Money by Sally Helgesen.----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Founders merch available at the Founders shop----Vesto shows you all of your company's finances in one view. Schedule a demo with Vesto's founder Ben and tell him David from Founders sent you. ----(0:01) Family and business were the same thing to him.(1:00) We're one-hundred percent family owned, unincorporated, and independent, and we intend to stay that way.(1:00) He possessed the directness and the utter simplicity of the old and the truly great.(2:00) His unquestioning confidence in the worthiness of his enterprise made him seem impervious to doubts.(5:00) The Morgans always believed in absolute monarchy. While Junius Morgan lived, he ruled the family and the business. Until Junius died his massive shadow dominated his son’s life. — The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of M

What I learned from reading Roots of Strategy by Thomas R. Phillips and Napoleon and Modern War by Napoleon and Col. Lanza. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(0:01) Napoleon fought more battles than Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar combined.(5:00) The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words edited by J. Christopher Herold. (Founders #302)(7:00) Insull: The Rise and Fall of A Billionaire Utility Tycoon by Forrest McDonald. (Founders #336)(8:00) No one should believe more in your business than you do. If this is not the case you are in the wrong business.(11:00) If you do everything you will win.(13:00) Napoleon episodes: Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David Bell. (Founders #294) The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words edited by J. Christopher Herold. (Founders #302) (14:00) What is the bigger number, five o

What I learned from reading Insull: The Rise and Fall of A Billionaire Utility Tycoon by Forrest McDonald. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(0:01) Insull had been in the electric business as long as there had been an electric business.(4:00) He awoke early, abruptly, completely, bursting with energy; yet he gained momentum as the day wore on, and long into the night. Sam had near-demonic energy.(5:00) Sam's most obvious attribute was a capacity for racing through large quantities of reading material, effortlessly perceiving its important assumptions and generalizations, and thoroughly assimilating its salient details.(7:00) He eagerly embraced platitudes:• Idle hands are the devil's workshop• Time is money• Things are simply "done" or "not done"• One reveres one's family• Only that which is useful is good• Survival of the fittest(8:00) Opportunity handl

What I learned from reading How To Make A Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(0:01) I'm what's called a moneymaker. I've started five companies from scratch—seven if you include two spin-offs and turned them all into billion dollar or multibillion-dollar enterprises.(2:00) I love working with outrageously talented people to deliver outsized returns for shareholders in public stock markets.(5:00) All of the successful people I know have rearranged their brains to prevail at achieving big goals in turbulent environments where conventional thinking often fails.(5:00) The single most powerful pattern I have noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places and they do this by thinking about business from first principles. —  Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel (Founders

What I learned from reading the transcripts of Young Oprah on Her Life and Career and Oprah on Career, Life and Leadership. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(1:00) Oprah fired her agent and replaced him with a Chicago lawyer named Jeffrey Jacobs. "I heard Jeff is a piranha. I like that. Piranha is good."(3:00) I will just create. And if it works, it works. And if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.(4:30) Dr. Julie Gurner’s Ultra Successful newsletter Dr Julie Gurner's Website (7:00) Imitation precedes creation.  — Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. (Founders #210)(9:00) On getting demoted from anchor to talk show host: I was embarrassed by the whole thing because I had never failed before. It was that “failure” that led to the talk show. (Opportunity is a str

What I learned from reading The Red Bull Story by Wolfgang Fürweger and Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac by Duff McDonald. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(1:30) "In literal financial terms, our sports teams are not yet profitable, but in value terms, they are," he says. "The total editorial media value plus the media assets created around the teams are superior to pure advertising expenditures."(2:30) "It is a must to believe in one's product. If this were just a marketing gimmick, it would never work."(5:00) He doesn't place a premium on collecting friends or socializing: "I don't believe in 50 friends. I believe in a smaller number. Nor do I care about society events. It's the most senseless use of time. When I do go out, from time to time, it's just to convince myself again that I'm not missing a lot."(7:30) The most dangerous thing for a branded prod

What I learned from reading Jesus: A Biography from a Believer by Paul Johnson. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----(3:00) Churchill by Paul Johnson. (Founders #225) Socrates: A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson. (Founders #252)Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson. (Founders #240)Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson. (Founders #226) (10:00) Jesus was:-observant-detail oriented-maintained intense eye contact-confident-decisive-charismatic-gifted communicator(11:00) The most important step when starting anything new is recruiting the people who are going to help you on your mission.(12:00) No prophet is acceptable in his hometown.(16:00) Jesus emphasized the importance of humility, gentleness, non aggression. The importance of the pursuit of justice and righteousness. He encourages acts of compassion and forgiveness towards others.  He focuses on inner purity, sincerity, and a genuine heart. He commends tho

What I learned from reading Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior and Creators by Paul Johnson. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----(4:00) The Taste of Luxury: Bernard Arnault and the Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton Story by Nadege Forestier and Nazanine Ravai. (Founders #296)(5:00) Opportunity is a strange beast. It frequently appears after a loss.(6:00) Dior was a nobody in his forties, with nothing in his design career to suggest genius.(6:00) When you read biographies of people who've done great work, it's remarkable how much luck is involved. They discover what to work on as a result of a chance meeting, or by reading a book they happen to pick up. So you need to make yourself a big target for luck, and the way to do that is to be curious. Try lots of things, meet lots of people, read lots of books, ask lots of questions.— How To Do Great Work by Paul Graham. (Founders #314)(7:00) Dior told him: “I am not interested in managing a clothing fac

What I learned from rereading Les Schwab Pride In Performance: Keep It Going! by Les Schwab. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----(8:00) I didn't know how to ride a bike. We never had one. All the other young kids delivered newspapers on a bike. He's got no money. He doesn't have a bike. So he ran his routes for two months in order to get enough money to buy his first bike. He’d run nine or 10 miles a day. (8:00) I was too proud to complain.(10:00) For a poor boy, money was much more important than pride.(10:00) Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk From a Business Rebel by Sam Zell. (Founders #269)(13:00) I was young. I was cocky. But the same cockiness helped me a lot in going through life.(15:00) The very first sentence describing his very first day in business is mind blowing: I had never fixed a flat tire in my life.(15:00) the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger (Founders #329)(29:00) Sam Walton: The Inside Story of Amer

What I learned from reading the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger. ----Listen to this incredible conversation between Charlie Munger and John Collison on Invest Like The Best. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----(2:00) The practical wisdom of Poor Charlie's Almanack, this ode to curiosity, generosity, and virtue will similarly compound at successive generations of entrepreneurial readers extend his lessons to their own circumstances.(12:00) Education is the process whereby the ability to lead a good life is acquired.  — Socrates: A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson. (Founders #252)(22:00) Trust is one of the greatest economic forces on earth.(29:00) Charlie is content to trust his own judgment when it runs counter to the wisdom of the herd.(31:00) Animated: Charlie Munger: The Psychology of Human Misjudgement(31:30) Aim for durability. Durability has always been a first rate virtue in Charlie’s eyes.(32:00) Charlie only foc