Jeff Bezos is at a desk repeating the same idea: it’s still Day 1. In Japan, an old man bikes to work well into his 90s because he has a reason to get up. Roger Federer is a teenager smashing rackets before learning to master himself. Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus are fired from a hardware chain, then decide to build something better. These moments run through my March reading list because each starts with the same thing: dissatisfaction.
Zoom out and the lessons repeat: think long-term, stay curious, adapt, take care of people, and keep going. You see it in The Everything Store, Ikigai, The Master, and Built from Scratch. For more books like these, check out my reading lists.
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
The Everything Store tells how Amazon and Jeff Bezos were built together.
Amazon began as a company that mailed books from a warehouse floor. Bezos wasn’t satisfied with that business model.
He wanted Amazon to become the everything store, where you could buy almost anything.
You can picture Bezos pacing through meetings, pushing employees to think bigger, move faster, and stay terrified of complacency.
Key Bezos lessons include:
- Focus on customers, not competitors
- Invest for the long-term, even at short-term cost
- Make decisions quickly because speed wins
- Keep teams small and autonomous (the “two-pizza team” rule)
- Hire the best people you can to raise the talent bar
To see how Amazon was built, read:
📚 The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
In Japan, ikigai means a reason for living. Finding it leads to a happier, healthier life.
Ikigai sits at the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what you’re paid for, and what the world needs.
It’s the reason you get up. Many never truly retire because they keep working on what they enjoy.
In Okinawa, that can mean gardening, biking to work, or meeting lifelong friends for coffee every morning.
For a deeper look at ikigai and living a longer, happier life, read:
📚 Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer
A New York Times correspondent sits down with Roger Federer—and those closest to him—to tell his story in The Master.
Federer’s long path to greatness mixed talent with unusual determination.
Early on, he’s losing matches he should win, fighting himself as much as his opponent.
The strange part is that Federer’s greatness begins only after he learns restraints. The talent was always there. The discipline wasn’t.
Key lessons from The Master:
- Stay focused in the moment
- Demand more from yourself
- Be willing to stop what isn’t working
- Shake off losses and move on quickly
- Value long-term personal relationships
- Keep yourself mentally and physically fresh
For a deeper dive on Federer and how he became a master:
📚 The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer
Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion
Built From Scratch is the story of two founders who built a billion-dollar business over 20 years.
It’s the story of two fired executives deciding the hardware business could work differently.
Most people would have treated it like the end of a career. Blank and Marcus treated it like freedom.
Enduring lessons that stuck with me include:
- Do what’s right for the customer
- You’re only as good as the people on the front lines
- Take care of your people, and they’ll take care of customers
- Surround yourself with people better than you
- Listen to the people closest to the customer
- If you can’t be the best in a category, don’t do it
- Raise more capital than you think you need
- Stay in motion—competitors never stop improving
- Learn from mistakes quickly
- When you say you’ll do something, do it
- Customers sit at the top of the pyramid
To learn more about Home Depot, Arthur Blank, and Bernie Marcus, read:
📚 Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion
March Reading List
Jeff Bezos built Amazon by being obsessed with customers and thinking long-term. Ikigai is about finding a reason to get up and staying active in it. Federer is a masterclass in evolution, resilience, and balance. Marcus and Blank demonstrate what happens when you prioritize customer care, people, and continuous improvement.
