Shoe Dog is a memoir by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. Knight recounts building Nike on a shoestring budget by importing shoes from a Japanese manufacturer, battling banks and supply issues to grow the company, innovating with their own designs, and sustaining the morale of a motley crew of colleagues through the process. We discuss Knight’s powerful memoir and its insight into entrepreneurship, managing growth, and finding your mission in life. Show Notes Shoe Dog via Amazon Phil Knight...

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer goes into the details of Netflix's corporate culture of "Freedom and Responsibility." Hastings and Meyer relate how Netflix achieved this culture, and espouse its many supposed benefits. It includes some controversial policies (or lack thereof) and harsh realities for employees. In this episode we discuss the tenets of Netflix's corporate culture, including talent density, candor, no approvals required, and...

Data Domain was an innovator in the data backup market, and Frank Slootman was its CEO from 2003 until its acquisition in 2009 by EMC. Data Domain used a technique known as data deduplication to make hard disks a viable backup medium for replacing traditional tape based backup solutions. Slootman wrote Tape Sucks as a series of short advice vignettes from one successful startup CEO to others managing high growth ventures. In each short chapter Slootman tackles one subject and tries to get his...

Stephanie Shirley has been a pioneer all of her life. After coming to England as a child refugee from Nazi Germany, she started one of the first software consulting firms, Freelance Programmers. But it was first in a number of other ways too. It was almost entirely run by women, despite discrimination against women in the technology industry. Its business model, employing women in their free time to do programming tasks, was a predecessor to today's "gig economy." In her memoir, Let It Go,...

This month we read Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace. Ed Catmull was the cofounder and longtime president of Pixar. Part memoir and part advice for managers of creatives, Creativity Inc. tells the story of Pixar from dream to animation powerhouse. Then it gets into Catmull’s strategies for managing Pixar’s creative success. We discuss the history of Pixar, our key takeaways from the book, and instances of its lessons in our own careers. Show Notes Creativity Inc. on Amazon Ed...

Daymond John is best known as an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, but he is also the award winning fashion designer who founded the multi-billion dollar brand FUBU. In The Power of Broke, Daymond explains the strategies that helped him start FUBU, with almost no resources, out of his mom’s house in Hollis, Queens. He then examines the stories of other entrepreneurs who started from nothing. In our season 2 opener, we welcome our new co-host, Eli. We discuss the key lessons Daymond is trying to...

We recap the qualities of some of the books we read over the last year in Season 1 of Business Books & Co. Each of us discuss our favorite and least favorite books. We say goodbye to one of our co-hosts, but we will be back next month to start Season 2! You can find our book list from the last year on our website. Other books we recommended: Made in America recommended by David Short One from Many recommended by David Short Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter recommended by Molson Alchemy...

13. Only the Paranoid Survive This month we read the 1997 book Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove. Grove was the long-time storied CEO of Intel. Only the Paranoid Survive is about strategic inflection points in a business. Grove explains how to detect these events, how to respond to them, and recites some war stories. We discuss the book, some strategic inflection points in our own industries, and the computer business during Grove's tenure at Intel. Show Notes Andy Grove on...

12. Zero to One We discuss the 2014 book Zero to One by Peter Thiel. In Zero to One, Thiel, a cofounder of Paypal and Palantir, as well as an early investor in Facebook, describes what conditions make for a great startup. Part history lesson, part economics lesson, and part business advice, Zero to One is a succinct book full of powerful ideas. Show Notes Zero to One via Amazon Peter Thiel via Wikipedia Find out more at http://businessbooksandco.com

11. Iacocca: An Autobiography Lee Iacocca was responsible for the introduction of iconic Ford products like the Mustang and Thunderbird. He rose in the ranks to become President, second only to Henry Ford II. As CEO of Chrysler during the early 1980s, he saved the company from bankruptcy and introduced the minivan. He was one of the biggest celebrity executives during the Reagan era. We discuss his autobiography, in which he recounts his life’s journey from the son of Italian immigrants to...

10. The Ride of a Lifetime The Ride of a Lifetime is a 2019 memoir about Bob Iger’s journey at Disney. It begins by relaying Iger’s time climbing the corporate ladder, and then does a deep dive into his fifteen years as the company’s CEO, with a focus on acquisitions and mergers. We discuss Iger’s career, the key lessons he learned, and the mergers of Disney with Pixar, Marvell, Lucasfilm, and Fox. Show Notes The Ride of a Lifetime via Amazon Bob Iger on Twitter Bob Iger on Wikipedia Bob...

9. Coronavirus Special Episode In this special non-book episode, we discuss the unprecedented effects on the business community that the Coronavirus crisis is having and how our society is approaching it. Note that the three of us are not public health experts, doctors, or epidemiologists. Nothing that we discuss should be construed as medical advice. We are instead taking on this episode from the perspective of well-informed citizens. We focus more on the business, societal, and economic...

8. Founders at Work Founders at Work is a 2009 compilation of interviews with startup founders by Y Combinator founding partner Jessica Livingston. Interview subjects include the founders of famous brands like Apple, PayPal, and Adobe, as well as lesser known founders with equally remarkable stories. In this episode we discuss recurring themes of the interviews, founders that offered particular insight, and broad takeaways from the entire volume. Show Notes Founders at Work on...

7. Setting the Table Setting the Table is a 2006 autobiographical book on management in the hospitality industry by noted restaurateur Danny Meyer. It tells the story of Meyer building his restaurant empire, and recounts many of the lessons he learned along the way. We discuss key takeaways from the book, the book's applicability to management more generally, and our own experiences at Meyer's restaurants. Show Notes Setting the Table via Amazon Danny Meyer via Wikipedia Union Square...

Ogilvy on Advertising Ogilvy on Advertising is a 1983 book of advertising advice from award winning industry veteran David Ogilvy, the namesake of the advertising agency Ogilvy. It includes advice about working in the advertising industry, developing ads, and appealing to consumers. We discuss key insights from the book and our own experiences in advertising. Show Notes Ogilvy on Advertising via Amazon David Ogilvy via Wikipedia Brain Flakes via Amazon David Kopec on The Local...

5. Hackers & Painters Hackers & Painters is a collection of essays by noted entrepreneur, programmer, and founder of startup incubator Y Combinator, Paul Graham. Graham touches on social, business, and cultural issues related to technology and entrepreneurship. We discuss our key takeaways from the book, pose questions to each other that it ponders, and learn about Molson's experience testifying before congress. Show Notes Hackers & Painters via Amazon Paul Graham's Home...

4. Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony Akio Morita was the co-founder of Sony and one of the most influential Japanese business people of the 20th century. We analyze his 1986 autobiography, Made in Japan. Made in Japan explains what made Sony so successful and also spends a good deal of time contrasting Japanese and American business practices. We have a wide ranging discussion on the contents of Made in Japan, and how Morita’s thoughts apply in a modern context. Show Notes Made in...

3. Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell We analyze the 2019 book Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell. Trillion Dollar Coach is the story of a former football coach turned fortune 500 CEO, who became the mentor to some of the most notable business leaders of our time. The book, written by some of his mentees, including the former CEO of Google, Erich Schmidt, covers a brief outline of his life and his...

2. Ross Perot: My Life & The Principles for Success This 1996 pseudo-autobiography was written by Ross Perot during his second presidential campaign, but you won't find any politics within it. Although it's clearly written through a "please the public" lens, the focus of this book is Perot's business career. The first half tells Perot's life story through the founding of his company EDS. The second half outlines general principles for success in business. In this episode we discuss the...

1. High Output Management by Andy Grove On our premiere episode, we discuss the management classic High Output Management by the late, great, former Intel CEO Andy Grove. We provide some of Andy's key takeaways regarding industrial organization, key management skills, handling employee issues, and managing meetings. We also debate how applicable some of this classic's insights are in the modern world. Show Notes Purchase High Output Management (Amazon) Andy Grove (Wikipedia) Intel...