Founders
Episodes
#237 Julio Lobo (Cuba's Last Sugar Tycoon)
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon by John Paul Rathbone. ---- Get access to th...
#236 Nims Purja (Mountain Climber)
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Beyond Possible: One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime by Nims Purja. ---- Get access ...
#235 Steve Jobs (The Pixar Story)
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading To Pixar And Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History by Lawrence Levy. ---- Get access t...
#234 Sam Walton: Made In America
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Found...
#233 Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin (PayPal)
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni. ---- Get access to the Wo...
#232 Alexander the Great
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Alexander the Great: The Brief Life and Towering Exploits of History's Greatest Conqueror--As Told By His Original Biograp...
#231 William Rosenberg (Founder of Dunkin Donuts)
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey by William Rosenberg. ---- Get access to ...
#230 Lucille Ball (TV's biggest star)
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com -...
#229 Sidney Harman (Founder of Harman Kardon)
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Mind Your Own Business: A Maverick's Guide to Business, Leadership and Life by Sidney Harman ---- Get access to the World’...
#228 Michael Bloomberg
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Bloomberg by Michael Bloomberg. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.c...
I read 66 biographies last year— Here are my top 10!
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here are 10 episodes to start with: #168 Driven: An Autobiography by Larry Miller #171 The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made an...
#227 The Essays of Warren Buffett
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett and Lawrence Cunningham. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Not...
#226 Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson. ---- Get access to the Worl...
#225 Winston Churchill
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Churchill by Paul Johnson. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com --...
#224 Charles de Gaulle
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Charles de Gaulle by Julian Jackson. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders No...
#223 Unstoppable: Siggi Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Unstoppable: Siggi Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend by J...
#222 Ed Thorp (My personal blueprint)
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market by Ed Thorp. ---- Get acces...
#221 Charlie Munger
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Damn Right: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger by Janet Lowe. ---- Get access to the Wor...
#220 Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders...
#219 Tony Bourdain: The Definitive Biography
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Fo...
#218 Johan Cruyff (A Life of Total Football)
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading My Turn: A Life of Total Football by Johan Cruyff. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective kn...
#217 Estée Lauder
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading Estée Lauder: A Success Story by Estée Lauder. Watch Runnin' Down a Dream: How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You...
#216 Paul Van Doren (Founder of Vans)
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans by Paul Van Doren. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the ...
#215: J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie Groves (The General and the Genius)
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer—The Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb by James Kunetka. ...
#214 Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the coll...
#213 Michael Jordan: Driven From Within
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Driven From Within by Michael Jordan and Mark Vancil. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collecti...
#212 Michael Jordan: The Life
23 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge...
#211 Aristotle Onassis: An Extravagant Life
16 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Onassis: An Extravagant Life by Frank Brady. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowle...
#210 Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into th...
#209 Steven Spielberg: A Biography
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective kn...
#208 Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Bill Hewlett
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations With the Visionaries of the Digital World by Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Orti...
#207 Claude Hopkins (Scientific Advertising)
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge...
#206 Albert D. Lasker (the creation of the advertising industry)
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Man Who Sold America: The Amazing (but True!) Story of Albert D. Lasker and the Creation of the Advertising Century by...
#205 James Dyson (Invention: A Life)
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Invention: A Life by James Dyson. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of hist...
#204 Steve Jobs (Inside Steve's Brain)
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Inside Steve's Brian by Leander Kahney. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of ...
#203 Georges Doriot (Birth of Venture Capital)
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital by Spencer Ante. ---- Founders Notes gives you the abi...
#202 A Few Lessons From Warren Buffett
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading A Few Lessons for Investors and Managers From Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett and Peter Bevelin. ---- Founders Notes giv...
#201 Isambard Kingdom Brunel (James Dyson's Hero)
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The Definitive Biography of The Engineer, Visionary, and Great Briton by L.T.C. Rolt. ---- Founde...
#200 James Dyson (Against the Odds)
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading Against The Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson and reading A History of Great Inventions by James Dyson. ---- Found...
#199 Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collec...
#198 Nathan Rothschild (Rothschild Family Dynasty)
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets by Niall Ferguson. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the col...
#197 Founder of the Rothschild Family Dynasty
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Founder: A Portrait of the First Rothschild by Amos Elon. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the coll...
#196 Winston Churchill (Leadership during WW2)
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. ---- Founders Note...
#195 Sid Meier (Computer game designer)
31 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games by Sid Meier. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the ...
#194 Ernest Hemingway (Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy)
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 by Nicholas Reynolds. ---- Founders Note...
#193 Arnold Schwarzenegger (Arnold's first autobiography)
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the...
#192 Jim Casey (Founder of UPS)
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS by Greg Niemann. ---- Casey pursued a Spartan business philosophy that emphasized m...
#191 Naval Ravikant (A Guide to Wealth and Happiness)
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Naval Ravikant and Eric Jorgenson. Read the book onli...
#190 Henry Ford and Thomas Edison
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's Ten-Year Road Trip by Jeff Guinn. ---- Founders Notes gives y...
#189 David Ogilvy (The book I've given as a gift the most)
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Unpublished David Ogilvy by David Ogilvy. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective kno...
#188 Joe Coulombe (Founder of Trader Joes)
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe. ---- Founders Notes gives you the abil...
#187 Albert Einstein
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective...
#186 Phil Knight (Nike)
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from rereading Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the ...
#185 César Ritz and Auguste Escoffier (The Hotelier and The Chef)
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class by Luke Barr. ---- Founders Notes gives yo...
#184 Isadore Sharp (Four Seasons)
06 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into t...
#183 Johnny Carson
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of histor...
#182 Warren Buffett (The Making of an American Capitalist)
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into t...
#181 Paul Orfalea (Kinkos)
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Copy This!: How I turned Dyslexia, ADHD, and 100 square feet into a company called Kinkos by Paul Orfalea. ---- Founders N...
#180 Jeff Bezos (Invention of a Global Empire)
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valua...
Jeff Bezos (Insights, Stories, and Secrets)
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr. ---- [3:58] What is best for...
#179 Jeff Bezos
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. This is part one of a three part series on Jeff Bezos. The n...
#178 Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products by Leander Kahney. ---- [4:43] Mike Ive influence on his son’s tal...
#177 Robert Campeau (Junk Bonds and Retail Bankruptcy)
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Going for Broke: How Robert Campeau Bankrupted the Retail Industry, Jolted the Junk Bond Market, and Brought the Booming E...
#176 Linus Torvalds (Creator of Linux)
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary by Linus Torvalds and David Diamond. ---- [0:01] From a party of on...
#175 Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability t...
#174 Bill Gates (Overdrive)
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace by James Wallace. ---- There would be an industry breakthrough un...
#173 Louis B. Mayer (MGM Studios)
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Hollywood Rajah: The Life and Times of Louis B. Mayer by Bosley Crowther. ---- The reason so many people showed up at ...
#172 Elon Musk (Early Days of SpaceX)
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX by Eric Berger. ---- [12:38] Numerous other entrepr...
#171: Chuck Feeney (The Billionaire who gave all of his money away)
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune by Conor O'Clery. ---- He celebrated ha...
#170 Claude Hopkins (A Life in Advertising)
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading My Life in Advertising by Claude Hopkins. ---- Any man who by a lifetime of excessive application learns more about anyt...
#169 David Ogilvy (The King of Madison Avenue)
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising by Kenneth Roman. ---- One characteristic ...
#168 Larry Miller (Driven: An Autobiography)
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Driven: An Autobiography by Larry Miller. ---- [1:01] I decided I had to be extremely good at something. [2:47] I’m ...
#167 Jackie Cochran (Aviation)
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Jackie Cochran: An Autobiography by Jackie Cochran. ---- [4:37] At the time of her death on August 9, 1980, Jacqueline C...
#166 Robert Noyce (Intel)
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley by Leslie Berlin. ---- [0:01] Bob Noyce too...
#165 William Shockley (Creator of the Electronic Age)
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age by Joel Shurkin. ---- [1:19] Why w...
#164 Robert Goddard (Rocket Man)
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Rocket Man: Robert Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age by David A. Clary. --- [18:16] For even though I reasoned with...
#163 Alfred Nobel
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Alfred Nobel: A Biography by Kenne Fant. ---- [16:24] The self-awareness that would become so characteristic of him was aw...
#162 Chuck Yeager
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Yeager: An Autobiography by General Chuck Yeager. ---- [10:14] I was a competitive kid. I always tried to do my best. I ...
#161 Dr. Seuss
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination by Brian Jay Jones. ---- [6:32] Both his pare...
#160 Peter Cundill
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Routines and Orgies: The Life of Peter Cundill, Financial Genius, Philosopher, and Philanthropist by Christopher Risso-Gil...
#159 Andy Grove (Intel)
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Swimming Across by Andrew S. Grove. ---- [0:01] I was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936. By the time I was twenty, I had...
#158 Walt Disney (Disneyland)
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow. ---- [1:29] I...
#157 The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. ---- [0:29]...
#156 Theodore Roosevelt
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodo...
#155 Jeff Bezos (Shareholder Letters and Speeches)
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson. ---- [2:38] The whole ...
#154 Charles Schulz (Charlie Brown)
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading My Life with Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz. ---- [0:24] Beginning with the first strip published on October 2nd, 195...
#153 Bill Bowerman (Nike)
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Cofounder by Kenny Moore. ---- [0:01] T...
#152 Katherine Graham (Washington Post)
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Personal History by Katherine Graham. ---- [1:02] A few minutes later there was the ear-splitting noise of a gun going...
#151 Frederick Smith (FedEx)
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Overnight Success: Federal Express and Frederick Smith, Its Renegade Creator by Vance Trimble. ---- [0:01] At age thirty F...
#150 Sam Walton (America's Richest Man)
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America's Richest Man by Vance H. Trimble. ---- [3:11] Charlie Munger on Sam Walton: It's ...
#149 The Big Rich (Oil Billionaires)
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough. ---- [3:12] There's truth behind leg...
#148 John D. Rockefeller (Autobiography)
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller. ---- [0:16] These incidents which come to my mind to speak of see...
#147 Sam Colt
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Revolver: Sam Colt and the Six-Shooter That Changed America by Jim Rasenberger. ---- [0:01] Sam Colt embodied the Americ...
#146 Milton Hershey (Chocolate)
27 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D'Antonio. ---- [0:01] Pe...
#145 William Randolph Hearst
20 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst by David Nasaw. ---- [0:20] There has never been —nor, most likely, will ...
#144 Ernest Shackleton
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. ---- [0:58] All the men were struck, almost to the point of h...
#143 Alfred Lee Loomis (the most interesting man you've never heard of)
06 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Tuxedo Park : A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II by James Conan...
#142 Teddy Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan
30 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism by Susan Berfield. --...
#141 Arnold Schwarzenegger (My Unbelievably True Life Story)
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ---- I decided that the best course for independen...
#140 Bill Gates (the Making of the Microsoft Empire)
16 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by James Wallace and Jim Erickson. ---- Microsoft had beco...