“Do right for the company. Do right for society. You can’t prosper unless the community around you prospers.” — Ed Stack At the start of the 2000s, British Cycling barely mattered. Then British Cycling hired Dave Brailsford. In more than a century, Britain had produced no Tour de France winners and just one Olympic gold medal. […]
Relentless Improvement: Why Dick’s Sporting Goods Keeps Winning Read More »
Ample Hills Creamery began as a husband-and-wife ice cream shop in Brooklyn, serving some of the city’s best ice cream. It quickly attracted famous fans, including Bob Iger and Oprah Winfrey. Success brought opportunity. The founders chased nearly every opportunity that came their way. They stopped focusing on the thing that made the business special.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted to make internet search dramatically better. They built a search engine that was clean, fast, and almost unnervingly good at finding information. It quickly left its rivals behind. Their new company, Google, became something very close to a monopoly. AdWords turned it into one of the greatest money-printing machines
Competition Destroys Profits: Peter Thiel’s Most Controversial Idea from Zero to One Read More »
Peter Thiel’s venture fund is looking for the next big winner. It’s the early 2000s. His team comes across a little-known startup called Facebook. Instead of spreading their money around, they make a highly concentrated bet. That single investment returns thousands of times its original cost. The Facebook investment ultimately generated more profit than every
Entrepreneur Mindset: 3 Lessons from Zero to One Read More »
Dietrich Mateschitz decided to take Red Bull global in the 1980s. Market researchers and consultants told him it would fail. Testers said the drink tasted terrible, and advisors warned he couldn’t compete with Coca-Cola. Early losses seemed to prove them right. What they missed was the Dietrich Mateschitz philosophy: keep moving. For a goal-obsessed entrepreneur,
The Dietrich Mateschitz Philosophy: Why the Climb Matters More Than the Summit Read More »
Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya each put up $500,000 to launch Red Bull. Instead of going to banks, they refused debt. The Red Bull playbook started with a simple rule: spend only what you earn. Mateschitz rejected the corporate formula of two-thirds debt and one-third equity. He believed one bad December or a currency swing
The Red Bull Playbook: Building Red Bull Without Debt Read More »
It’s the early 1980s in Bangkok. Dietrich Mateschitz is visiting his business partner, Chaleo Yoovidhya. He’s introduced to a local energy tonic, Krating Daeng, popular among truck drivers for its stimulating effects. His jet lag disappears almost immediately. Following this discovery, Mateschitz partners with Chaleo, adapts the tonic for the Western market, and builds the
Red Bull Brand Strategy: Why Brand Beats Product Every Time Read More »
Sam Walton was an avid pilot who owned his own small planes. It was part of his thinking small strategy. He flew himself to rural stores that would one day number in the thousands. Competitors like Sears and Kmart weren’t doing this. Flying to his stores let him hear directly from frontline associates. Walton’s edge
How Sam Walton Built a $50 Billion Company by Thinking Small Strategy Read More »
Moonlight rides gave Sam Walton a way to connect with his logistics team. He often spent nights riding in the cabs of Walmart delivery trucks. He wanted to hear what drivers were seeing. On one of those late-night trips, a driver suggested backhauling, picking up merchandise on the return trip instead of driving back empty.
The Walmart Secret: Why An Employee Ownership Culture Wins Read More »
It was the early 1960s in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart founder Sam Walton wanted to spend less on marketing so he could charge less. That meant unconventional, low-cost ways to get attention. It was all part of his customer-first business strategy. As part of it, he offered discounted watermelons and free donkey rides. The goal was
Why Saving Customers Money Is Sam Walton’s Ultimate Customer-First Business Strategy Read More »