Fred Smith
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
By late 1972, he'd raised $91 million in venture capital, more than any startup had ever raised at that point.
Big players like General Dynamics, Citicorp, and Prudential all bought in.
How did a 28-year-old with no track record pull this off?
Well, I think his sister's comments earlier in the episode point to something.
But he wasn't selling delivery.
He was selling trust.
We're building the freight equivalent of the telephone network he pitched.
And he'd already bet everything.
His inheritance, his family's trust, everything was on the line.
This wasn't business.
It was pure conviction.
I was very sure what we were doing was destined to be successful, Smith said.
That's the definition of an insane person or a zealot.
Everyone thought he was crazy for choosing Memphis.
Why not Chicago?
Why not Atlanta?
But Smith saw what other people missed.
Everyone thought Smith was crazy for choosing Memphis as a hub.
Why not Chicago?
Why not Atlanta?