A memo format
Founder Stories
Narrative excerpts and pivotal moments from billionaire memoirs and biographies.
← Every memo Ref. 109 · Founder Stories
How Michael Dell Did What Almost No Founder Ever Does: Get His Company Back
Play Nice But Win
Power reserve 2 min Ref. 158 · Founder StoriesMichael Dell Took His Company Private — Then Won It All Back
Play Nice But Win
Power reserve 3 min Ref. 183 · Founder StoriesWhy Phil Knight Says He Feels Sorry for People Who Have a Plan
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Power reserve 3 min Ref. 45 · Founder StoriesJeff Bezos Started Amazon Because of a Walk in Central Park — And a Rule About Regret
Invent and Wander
Power reserve 4 min Ref. 30 · Founder StoriesMichael Dell’s Rule for Surviving Business: Learn to Take a Punch
Michael Dell
Power reserve 2 min Ref. 8 · Founder StoriesPhil Knight Didn’t Have a Long-Term Vision for Nike — And He Thinks That’s a Good Thing
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Power reserve 2 min Ref. 55 · Founder StoriesRichard Branson’s Razor-Thin Line Between Empire and Ruin
Losing My Virginity
Power reserve 2 min Ref. 9 · Founder StoriesSam Walton Was Named the Richest Man in America — And Treated It Like a Problem
Made in America
Power reserve 3 min Ref. 46 · Founder StoriesThe Brutal Truth Michael Bloomberg Learned About Risk — From Someone Else
Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Capitalism, Here I Come: School, Work, and Hard Knocks
Power reserve 3 min Ref. 28 · Founder StoriesThe 5:30 AM Phone Call That Saved CNN From Becoming ‘The Kerkorian News Network’
Call Me Ted
Power reserve 2 min Ref. 47 · Founder StoriesWhy Netflix Stripped Away the Rulebook — And Won
Reed Hastings
Power reserve 3 min Ref. 3 · Founder StoriesThe Morning Howard Schultz Walked Into an Italian Espresso Bar and Saw the Future
Pour Your Heart Into It
Power reserve 1 minWound automatically, every Tuesday
One memo a week from the manufacture: the passage as written, the chapter it lives in, and what it is worth to whatever you are building.
Lifetime guarantee · Stop any Tuesday