Embrace Problems, Ride Trends, Recruit Talent for Success

Resources

Books

• "Beat the Dealer" by Ed Thorp - This book is mentioned as a cautionary tale of professional success potentially sacrificing other aspects of life, but also highlights a more balanced life and the idea of stopping "trading more time for money" once financial goals are met.
• "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon" by Brad Stone - Referenced for its discussion of Jeff Bezos's approach to problems as opportunities to increase enterprise value, and for a quote related to problems being opportunities in work clothes.
• "Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger" - Mentioned as a key resource that influenced the speaker's understanding of incentives and human behavior.
• "The Singularity Is Near" by Ray Kurzweil - The speaker cites this book as an inspiration for his own ideas on technological progress and the long-term trends of human history.
• "Inditex: Zara, the All-Powerful Fashion Empire" (translated from French) - This book provided insights into Amancio Ortega's business model, highlighting it as a technology company focused on logistics and rapid manufacturing.
• "Andrew Carnegie's Autobiography" - Used to illustrate the principle of investing in technology and embracing change, contrasting it with competitors' resistance.
• "In the Company of Giants" - A book published by two Stanford MBA students in the 90s, featuring interviews with founders like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
• "Sam Walton: Made in America" (autobiography) - Referenced for Sam Walton's emphasis on efficient operations and his practice of seeking unfiltered information from the front lines.
• "FedEx: The Story of Fred Smith" (biography) - Used to highlight Fred Smith's dedication, operational complexity, and his perspective on time management and self-improvement.
• "Michelin Brothers Dynasty" (translated from French) - This book provided a historical example of a company adapting to technological trends and learning from front-line employees.

Videos & Documentaries

• "David Sanra" - A new show hosted by the podcast creator, featuring conversations with founders, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Research & Studies

• "Back Depression Inventory" - A tool used by Brad Jacobs to self-assess his clinical depression.

People Mentioned

• Brad Jacobs - The guest on the podcast, known for starting eight billion-dollar companies and his energy for business building.
• Daniel Ek - Founder of Spotify, mentioned as having a new show and as a friend the host has been having conversations with about entrepreneurship archetypes.
• Michael Dell - Founder of Dell, mentioned as a guest on the "David Sanra" show and for his autobiography's perspective on building businesses that are "natural" to oneself.
• Ludwig Jesselson - A key mentor to Brad Jacobs, who taught him the maxim "get the major trend right" and the importance of long-term relationships.
• Henry Kaiser - Mentioned for his quote, "problems are just opportunities in work clothes," and for starting numerous companies and building significant infrastructure projects.
• Sam Zell - A notable figure discussed for sharing the sentiment that many wealthy individuals are miserable and advising against that path.
• Steve Jobs - Referenced for his belief in hiring "a players" and the significant dynamic range between average and exceptional performance in certain fields.
• Jeff Bezos - Discussed for his excitement about solving business problems to increase enterprise value, his shareholder letters, his "everything store" concept, and his emphasis on high-quality sleep and customer centricity.
• Sam Walton - Mentioned for his autobiography and the principle that efficiency is paramount in business operations.
• Warren Buffett - Referenced for his quote about reputation being crucial and his approach to time management and saying "no."
• Apollo Ono - An Olympic athlete mentioned in a story about distinguishing entrepreneurs driven by negativity versus those with infectious energy.
• Mitch Rales - Co-founder of Danaher, admired for his practice of taking notes during conferences, signifying a commitment to learning.
• Dr. Dre - A hip-hop producer mentioned in the context of discovering talent like Eminem, illustrating that greatness can come from unexpected places.
• Eminem - Mentioned as an example of talent discovered from humble beginnings.
• Richard Branson - Credited with the definition of business as "an idea that makes someone else's life better."
• Henry Ford - Quoted for the idea that "money comes naturally as a result of service."
• Ed Catmull - Co-founder of Pixar, who emphasized the critical importance of people over ideas in business success.
• Bill Gates - Mentioned as a founder interviewed in "In the Company of Giants."
• Jimmy Iovine - Mentioned in relation to a story about discovering talent like Eminem, reinforcing the idea that greatness can come from anywhere.
• Amancio Ortega - A successful European entrepreneur, founder of Zara (Inditex), highlighted as a technology company with a chain of stores.
• Mateo - Founder of Eight Sleep, who embodies his product and demonstrates the importance of quality sleep.
• Mark Zuckerberg - Mentioned as a user of Eight Sleep.
• Elon Musk - Mentioned as a user of Eight Sleep and for his perceived drive.
• Jim Casey - Founder of UPS, who emphasized the need for unfiltered access to front-line employees for information.
• Todd Combs - A fund manager for Warren Buffett, who discussed reading employee surveys and customer surveys as a feedback mechanism.
• Dave Cody, Ed Breen, Larry Cole - CEOs mentioned as examples of leaders who understand all aspects of running a business and creating shareholder value.
• Ken Griffin - Founder of Citadel, mentioned as a neighbor and a highly successful individual whose time is valuable and difficult to access.
• Herb Kelleher - Founder of Southwest Airlines, known for his unconventional lifestyle and his embrace of stress and pressure in business.
• Fred Smith - Founder of FedEx, admired for his integrity, vision, passion, grit, and his endorsement of Brad Jacobs' book.

Organizations & Institutions

• Founders (podcast) - The original podcast feed where this episode is posted.
• Spotify - A platform where the "David Sanra" podcast can be found.
• Apple Podcasts - A platform where the "David Sanra" podcast can be found.
• United Rentals - A company Brad Jacobs led as CEO for about 10 years.
• XPO - A company mentioned in the context of its large workforce and Brad Jacobs' experience as CEO.
• Ramp - A company discussed for its talented technical team and its platform for financial operations.
• Phillip Brothers - A commodity trading firm where Ludwig Jesselson was involved, operating on handshake deals before widespread electronic communication.
• Hoover Dam - A project built by Henry Kaiser.
• Liberty Ships - Ships built by Henry Kaiser for the allies in World War II.
• IBM - A dominant company in the early days of Michael Dell's entrepreneurial journey.
• Amazon - Discussed for its customer-centric approach and Jeff Bezos's vision.
• Eight Sleep - A company that produces smart mattress covers to improve sleep quality.
• Southwest Airlines - Mentioned as a company that achieved consistent profitability in a challenging industry.
• FedEx - A company founded by Fred Smith, noted for its operational complexity and innovation.
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) - A conference where Brad Jacobs met Fred Smith.
• GXO Logistics - A company spun off from XPO, which handles warehouses in Europe, including for Zara.
• Inditex - The parent company of Zara, described as a technology company focused on logistics and efficient operations.
• Citadel - A financial firm founded by Ken Griffin.

Courses & Educational Resources

• Rhode Island Governor's School for the Gifted in Art and Music - An enrichment program attended by Brad Jacobs in his youth, where he learned the concept of "going all in."

Websites & Online Resources

• davidSanra.com - The website for the new podcast show "David Sanra."
• ramp.com - The website for Ramp, a financial operations platform.
• hubspot.com - A CRM platform that integrates business data to help identify patterns and drive growth.
• eightsleep.com/senra - The website for Eight Sleep, offering a discount code for listeners.

Other Resources

• Maxims - Lists of principles learned from mentors and successful individuals, mentioned as being included at the beginning of Brad Jacobs' book.
• "Problems are just opportunities in work clothes" - A quote attributed to Henry Kaiser.
• "Get the major trend right" - A maxim learned from Ludwig Jesselson.
• "Get paid to make high quality decisions" - A quote from Jeff Bezos about the importance of sleep.
• "Life is too short to work with people you don't admire" - A quote from Jeff Bezos.
• "Don't fight with reality because reality always wins" - A quote from Jeff Bezos.
• "Waste of time, waste of money (WOTWAMM)" - A phrase used to evaluate ideas and initiatives.
• "What's in it for me (WIFM)" - A concept related to understanding individual motivations.
• "Theory of Mind" - A psychological concept discussed in relation to understanding others' motivations.
• "Great can come from anywhere" - A quote from Jimmy Iovine.
• "You have to be absolutely brutal in the management of your time" - A quote from Fred Smith.
• "I believe that a man who expects to win out in business without self denial and self improvement stands about as much a chance as a prize fighter would stand if he started a ring battle without having gone through intensive training." - A quote from Fred Smith.
• "The common trait of people who supposedly have vision is they spend a lot of time reading and gathering information and then synthesize it until they come up with an idea." - A quote attributed to Fred Smith.
• "Go all in" - A concept learned by Brad Jacobs during an enrichment program, emphasizing intense focus and commitment.
• "You only get one shot at life." - A concluding thought emphasizing the importance of embracing opportunities.
• "I want to build wealth... and also make something that's better for other people." - Brad Jacobs' personal motivation for building businesses.
• "Customer centricity" - Jeff Bezos's initial mission for Amazon.
• "Best workplace environment in the world" - A modified mission statement for Amazon.
• "Most businesses are only using 20% of their data because 80% of your customer intelligence is invisible hidden in emails transcripts and conversations." - A statement about the untapped potential of business data.
• "The dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to one." - A quote from Steve Jobs illustrating the impact of top talent.
• "An organization is like a party. You only want to invite people who bring the vibe up." - A quote from Brad Jacobs' book.
• "Money comes naturally as a result of service." - A quote attributed to Henry Ford.
• "If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they're either going to fix it or they're going to throw it out and come up with something better. But if you give a great idea to a mediocre team, they're going to screw it up." - A quote from Ed Catmull.
• "There's no substitute for brains." - A principle emphasized by Brad Jacobs regarding hiring.
• "The CEO's most important job is recruiting superior people." - A statement by Brad Jacobs and Steve Jobs.
• "I don't handle stress. I like it." - A quote from Herb Kelleher.
• "Human nature doesn't repeat, but it does change." - A statement about the constancy of human nature across history.
• "Money animates people everywhere." - A statement about the universal motivator of money.
• "We're a technology company with a chain of stores attached to it." - A description of Zara's business model by Amancio Ortega.
• "The main trend for the last two million years has been humans creating tools aka technology." - A perspective on the long-term trend of human development.