Peter
Michael Lewis’s The Big Short
One of the very best business books I have had the pleasure to read is The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine which was written by one of the very best business writers working today, namely Michael Lewis. After starting it late last year I found it almost impossible to put down. Think of the book this way. It’s about a group of corporate world misfits, outsiders, and loners who after carefully analyzing the financial data available to everyone went out on a limb and bet the ranch on a housing market collapse of biblical proportions.
Now what makes the story so compelling is that after they laid their bets two or three years before the collapse, they then had to sit tight for 24 to 36 months while everyone else was scoffing and telling them that they were fools for being contrarians. Not many people have to backbone to stand up to public opinion for that long.
These guys did.
What’s the secret to success?
Over the years I have seen a lot of attempts at providing an answer.
Most have not been very satisfying.
This is the best of the lot. It was left by a kind stranger at an atm.
The Growth Strategy Used by AppleTree Answers
Back in 1995 John Ratliff, aged 24, came up with an idea for a new business that could provide him with a livelihood and, hopefully, a bit more. It was an answering service he named AppleTree Answers. The business was launched from a spare room at his two-bedroom apartment in Wilmington, Delaware.
AppleTree Answers’ Services
The company served as its business client’s back office by handling inbound calls, emails, and website queries.
How Trump Invented Trump: Inside the empire
With The Donald in the news days, Bloomberg Business takes a long look at how he built his empire.
“Hey, if you want a nice, easy, OK life, you can be in the pack … but if you really want to do something, you do have to get out of the pack.” – Donald Rump
This is a podcast from PwC’s Strategy + Business journal.
The unusual perspective of high-performing entrepreneurs allows them to turn good ideas into great businesses.
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