Junk to Gold: From Salvage to the World’S Largest Online Auto Auction
Berkshire Hathaway was a textile mill in New England. WB: In New Bedford. DR: It was a company that is now very famous because that’s the name of your company. But it was one of your worst investments. Is that not right? WB: A terrible, terrible decision. DR: Why did you use a failed textile company name as the name for your company? Why did you no
... See moreDavid M. Rubenstein • How to Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers
From the perspective of an operations guy, there is a lot of riff-raff in venture capital: posers, herd mentality, technology infatuation, too much education, not enough experience to appreciate what grit and focus it takes to grow a business out of nothing. To have a fighting chance, you want to be with the best firms, and the best partners in tho
... See moreFrank Slootman • TAPE SUCKS: Inside Data Domain, A Silicon Valley Growth Story
To launch these big new businesses, the company’s managers took rigorously logical steps. They worked on numerous initiatives in large, growing markets that were adjacent to or somewhat related to HP’s existing business. However, they only looked at opportunities that were already billion dollar markets. Barnholt recalls, “Around that time, people
... See morePeter Sims • Little Bets: How breakthrough ideas emerge from small discoveries
Two courses are open to a new concern like ours—1st Stand timidly back, afraid to “break the market” [or] . . . 2nd To make up our minds to offer certain large customers lots at figures which will command orders—For my part I would run the works full next year even if we made but $2 per ton.