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FoundersOctober 20, 2019

#94 Henry Singleton (The Outsiders)

About This Episode
What I learned from reading The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike. ---- [0:30] The failure of business schools to study men like Henry Singleton is a crime— Warren Buffett [2:40]Buffett and Singleton: Separated at birth? [8:35]The Singular Henry Singleton [14:40] Supremely indifferent to criticism [19:50] Teledyne breaks up huge business into a bunch of small profit centers [29:30] Risk is controlled. Divisions will remain relatively small.[32:00} Building a cash generating machine [36:30] Bet heavily when you have an edge. [44:00] Singleton has found a way to run a multibillion dollar company in an entrepreneurial, innovative way. [50:16] Singleton had a different focus: Capital allocation. [50:37] Getting Rich vs Staying Rich [55:18] What the people profiled in this book have in common [59:00] Early career and the founding of Teledyne [1:00:38] How Henry Singleton thought about acquisitions 1:02:00] Actions express priority [1:07:12] Ruthlessly cut fat [1:11:20] Stay within your cirlce of competence and bet heavy[1:16:30] Singleton on Time Management [1:19:19] If everyone is doing them, there must be something wrong with them. — Henry Singleton ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here. ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast
Book Mentions
7 book mentions in this episode.
Jump to books
Tip: Click “Mentioned at …” to copy a timestamp.
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Books Mentioned

The Outsiders, Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success cover

The podcast mentions 'The Outsiders' as one of the resources to study Henry Singleton, highlighting that it includes a chapter on him.

Sentiment: Highly Recommended
Trigger: Henry Singleton's business insights
For: Business students and aspiring entrepreneurs
Key quote: I'm so happy that I did that. I'm going to have a hard time hiding like my biases and my excitement today because I'm in love with the way this guy thought and acted and his insights, his counterintuitive insights on business.
The host mentions 'The Outsiders' to provide a deeper understanding of Henry Singleton, one of the unconventional CEOs highlighted in the book. The host expresses admiration for Singleton's unique approach to business, which aligns with insights from Warren Buffett.
ASIN: N/A
Buy on Amazon
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The Singular Henry Singleton cover

The podcast references a Forbes article titled 'The Singular Henry Singleton' that discusses Singleton's interviews and insights.

Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: Henry Singleton's influence
For: Business students and aspiring entrepreneurs
Key quote: The failure of business schools to study men like Singleton is a crime.
The host mentions 'The Singular Henry Singleton' to highlight the lack of information available about Singleton, despite his significant impact on business. This book serves as a resource to better understand Singleton's unconventional approach and the admiration he garnered from figures like Warren Buffett.
ASIN: N/A
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A Mind at Place cover

Next week, I'm going to read his biography. So it's called A Mind at Place. And I think you're going to really enjoy that one too.

Sentiment: Passing Reference
Trigger: conglomerates and management style
For: Business professionals and management students
Key quote: So I'm going to quote from Roberts because this is going to give us an insight of how does the company run.
The host mentions 'A Mind at Place' in the context of discussing the management strategies of conglomerates, particularly highlighting the influence of Claude Shannon. This book is referenced as part of a broader conversation about effective business practices and financial controls.
ASIN: B0741F8BWZ
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Unscaled cover

It's called Unscaled. And it talks about like the economies of scale in, let's say, the industrial age up until maybe recently.

Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: corporate size and entrepreneurship
For: Entrepreneurs and business leaders
Key quote: And what that book is talking about is like, well, now because of the leverage that technology gives the individual or small team or small group of people.
The host mentions 'Unscaled' to emphasize the shift from large corporations to smaller, more agile businesses in today's economy. He believes that technology enables individuals and small teams to thrive, challenging the traditional notion that bigger is always better.
ASIN: N/A
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Henry Ford's autobiography cover

I mean, read Henry Ford's autobiography. He's talking about like you've got to get big, you've got to get big.

Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: corporate size and entrepreneurship
For: Entrepreneurs and business leaders
Key quote: I read this one book that I think is fundamentally right on what's taking place now. It's called Unscaled.
The host mentions Henry Ford's autobiography to highlight the historical perspective on the importance of size in business. He contrasts Ford's views with contemporary ideas about smaller, more agile companies thriving in today's economy.
ASIN: N/A
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The Outsiders cover

The speaker refers to 'The Outsiders' while discussing a book profiling CEOs, indicating a focus on leadership and business strategies.

Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: Henry Singleton's business insights
For: Business enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs
Key quote: One of those is a book. It's called The Outsiders, Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success.
The host mentions 'The Outsiders' to provide a framework for understanding Henry Singleton, one of the unconventional CEOs highlighted in the book. This reference is part of a broader exploration of Singleton's unique approach to business, which the host finds compelling and worth studying.
ASIN: B07JBYB54G
Buy on Amazon
Click the book cover image to open the affiliate link.
The Outsider cover

If you want to learn more, buy the book, The Outsider.

Sentiment: Deep Dive
Trigger: Henry Singleton's business insights
For: Business enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs
Key quote: One of those is a book. It's called The Outsiders, Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success.
The host mentions 'The Outsiders' to provide a deeper understanding of Henry Singleton, one of the unconventional CEOs featured in the book. This reference is part of the host's research to explore Singleton's unique approach to business, which has drawn admiration from figures like Warren Buffett.
ASIN: N/A
Buy on Amazon
Click the book cover image to open the affiliate link.